Chapter 347: Chapter 243: Winter Has Come (Part 3)

“Living well is the best reward you can give me,” he said, his tone deep yet weighty.

Emily walked by his side, not at all surprised. She’d been through these scenes several times already.

And as Louis’s wife, she also received the same respect.

She knew that the Red Tide People’s reverence for Louis wasn’t built on noble bloodlines or ceremonies,

they didn’t worship nobility; they placed their faith in Louis Calvin.

Emily’s gaze was gentle as she looked at the old farmers, artisans, hunters, and children.

As she saw the way they looked at Louis, there was no fear, only respect, reliance, and a certain heartfelt sense of security.

“In their hearts, you’re no longer a noble but a kind of belief,” she murmured softly, though Louis didn’t hear her.

Weir almost stood as straight as a rod, as if he was worried about not being worthy of standing beside Louis. His eyes were lit up, yet he couldn’t help but grin.

In this way, surrounded by the respect and gaze of the people along the way, Louis and his entourage arrived at the first destination for today’s inspection, a semi-underground communal dwelling under construction on the outskirts of the residential area.

This used to be a forest, but now it had been flattened neatly.

Rows upon rows of new house foundations were arranged in a staggered manner, with the clay walls and wooden beams taking shape, as if they were new life growing from the snow.

The structure of these semi-underground houses was very practical.

About one-third of it was sunk into the permafrost, cleverly utilizing the ground’s temperature for warmth.

Round logs were used to prop up the framework on all sides, the walls were woven with willow branches and then daubed repeatedly with a mixture of clay and mud, compacted; although the final windproof cloth hadn’t yet been added, it was evident that this was a good dwelling to last through the harsh winter.

“Originally, we planned to first build forty pilot houses,” Mike stood beside a work shed with a cloak on, holding a blueprint to briefly report to Louis, his eyes full of fervor, “It’s been less than a month, and we’ve completed half the progress.”

Not far away, by the steaming boiler, dozens of artisans and residents were working in an orderly manner: sawing wood, transporting mud, weaving willow, applying coatings, everything was well-organized.

The construction site was divided into groups of twenty, each led by a senior artisan, ensuring high efficiency and good order.

This was precisely the “work for labor” policy promoted by Louis: those without homes had places to live, those with strength had work to do, and those willing to sweat could earn food and accommodation.

“No one worries about being kicked out anymore,” Mike said with firm eyes, “Sir, this is more powerful than any speech.”

Upon hearing the Lord’s arrival, the entire construction site was instantly energized, with everyone working more vigorously.

“Quick, tidy up that firewood on the roof!”

“Lend me the hoe for a moment, if the lord sees we’re moving slowly here…”

The workers, though sweaty-faced, wore smiles, as if they had never had such enthusiasm before.

Louis scanned the surroundings, nodding, and suddenly stepped forward to a pit where the foundation was still being dug, saying nothing more, just lifted a shovel, rolled up his sleeves, and bent down to dig into the permafrost.

“…Ah? Sir, you… you shouldn’t…!”

Mike was startled and hurriedly wanted to step forward to stop him, but was blocked by Emily, who smiled faintly: “Let him do it.”

Though it was just a show, Louis’s actions were not flamboyant.

He dug earnestly, turning the soil shovel by shovel, occasionally exchanging a few words with the young men next to him.

Louis’s act of personally digging the soil was like a spark that instantly ignited the entire construction site atmosphere.

The workers, who had seemed somewhat fatigued, were infused with new energy, their voices louder, and they wielded their hoes with greater vigor.

“We can’t fall behind, the Lord has started working!”

“Quick, let’s set up this framework first; once we’re done with this, we’ll go help next door!”

“Hey! Bring me another load of clay mud; I can still coat two more walls over here!”

Someone shouted with laughter while working: “Once this building is finished, I’ll be the first to move in! I’ll definitely tell my kids, this was built with my own hands; it’s the home where the Lord himself helped dig!”

The sound of shouting, laughter, and wood clashing rose and fell, mixed with the smoke from cooking and the heat in the cold wind, creating a lively and vibrant atmosphere that hadn’t been felt in a while.

One burly man even started humming a Northern Territory folksong in a booming voice, lifting the wooden beams in line with the rhythm.

On the other side, the children were also infected, helping the adults pass tools and organize ropes, their faces flushed with excitement.

In this way, Louis and the others worked on the site for a dozen minutes.

Though they only symbolically shoveled a few piles of mud and helped move a few wooden beams.

The atmosphere had long been ignited, and the workers worked with great enthusiasm, even the cold wind being slightly driven away by this warm energy.

“Let’s call it a day, if we don’t leave now, we might really end up being asked to help with the roofing,” Louis said with a smile as he stood up, waving to everyone.

“Thank you, sir! Take care, sir!”

“Come by more often!”

Everyone waved goodbye with smiles, their spirits high as if they had just won a battle.

Louis, Emily, and the personal guards turned to leave, continuing to the next inspection point.

Along the way, they passed a Fire-backed Turtle supply station.

It was an open space, set with several rows of metal racks, where a group of large Fire-backed Turtles lay quietly, their shells emitting faint red patterns, as if ready to emit heat at any time.

The knights were carefully pushing an individual that was about to finish charging onto a transport sled with a cold iron frame, preparing to send it to the surrounding settlements of the Red Tide.

“So, this is… the Fire-backed Turtle,” Emily said, seeing the creature up close for the first time, her eyes flashing with a hint of novelty.

She’d certainly heard their name and knew they were a special resource of the Red Tide.

They were said to be slow, with low aggression, yet capable of storing a large amount of thermal energy, serving as a mobile heat source and boiler combination.

But previously, this wasn’t under her purview, as it was Bradley who was responsible for specific allocation.

She stepped forward, gently reaching out to touch the surface of the shell, which was like solidified lava.

“Madam, be careful, it’s a bit hot!” a knight quickly reminded.

Emily promptly withdrew her hand, indeed feeling a surge of heat, her fingertips slightly reddened.

“…It really is alive,” she murmured, her voice carrying a trace of surprise and admiration.

Louis stepped forward, explaining: “They’re not in a fully active state, just at a normal temperature, but their body heat is astonishingly high. Once loaded, each one can provide a week’s worth of heat.”

Emily nodded lightly, then watched the convoy of vehicles carrying the Fire-backed Turtles as they departed, unable to resist asking: “Like this, can we let everyone get through the entire winter?”

Louis smiled slightly, but didn’t answer immediately.

He glanced at the geothermal area in the distance: “It’s not enough. The Fire-backed Turtles lay eggs slowly and have a long breeding cycle. Using them as the main source of heat is ultimately a drop in the bucket.”

“What then?” Emily looked at him, her gaze unconsciously showing some concern.

“We’re already working on it,” Louis replied with a smile, “I’ve sent a few knights to check the exotic plant distribution near the lava fissures, maybe there are new heating methods. Wait a little longer, we should have results in a few days.”

Emily paused for a moment, then smiled lightly.

“You always have a way,” her voice was low, almost like talking to herself, “always finding a way… to let everyone live a better life.”

Louis didn’t respond, just quietly watched the convoy carrying the turtles for a while, then turned around, raised his hand to signal everyone to continue moving forward.

“Let’s go to the next location,” he said calmly, “the pilot planting at the greenhouse should already have results.”

The personal guard team immediately followed, their footsteps nimble, their posture upright.

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