When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 988 Joan of Arc in 1454 (Part 1)
The spring sunshine swallowed up the remnants of winter snow, turning them into babbling streams that flowed from the white-topped, green-bottomed mountains into the Ibe River.

Breaking through the sunlight and waves, the grandson's ship from the Holy Trinity stands proudly on the Ibe River.

Wrapped in a fine Norn fur cloak, Shilov sat on the ship's railing, holding onto the railing, gazing intently to both sides.

In the clearing formed by the maple forest along the riverbank, waterwheels were already turning, emitting a sharp "ang-ang" groan like an old donkey panting.

Behind the waterwheel were rows of wooden barracks, a perimeter wall for protection against wolves, and arrow towers. In front of the wall were small fields of sweet potato roots and purple egg fields.

“What’s that?” Shilov asked, pointing to the barracks in the distance.

Horn didn't approach the ship; he was still dozing by the fire: "Lumberyard."

"What are those plants growing in those fields? I don't see any irrigation ditches."

"The sweet potato roots and purple eggs must have been planted by lumberjacks for their own consumption when they had nothing else to do."

For eight years, Catherine focused primarily on business, but Jeanne still managed to get her involved in breeding programs multiple times.

Now, a brand new low-toxicity tuber has been developed that can be eaten directly after steaming without washing.

The problem is that if this type of potato root is planted repeatedly, it will degenerate and become toxic, and its yield cannot be as high as that of wild potato roots.

However, it has gradually been promoted in foothill areas and scree plains, especially in desolate border areas.

Previously, rice and wheat could not be grown locally and had to be transported from the inland. Now, with the incredibly fast-growing sweet potato roots, logistical pressure can be greatly reduced.

As for the preservation of sweet potato roots, they can be dried into fries, which will preserve them for at least six months.

However, this caused hardship for the soldiers in the outer counties.

That's why Horn decided to give them physical currency, because the area wasn't fully under his control yet, and paper money couldn't buy anything.

As for the soldiers in the inner prefecture, they are surrounded by abundant local products and also receive gifts and goods from the local community.

Horn has a strong reputation, so they won't have many complaints about issuing paper money.

Besides, wouldn't it be impolite not to appreciate the kindness?
The tall maple trees cast deep shadows, and a cool breeze mixed with a hint of warmth rustled the leaves that formed a curtain of leaves.

Whether from the cold wind or she was too excited, the wolf girl's face flushed: "This place is named Red Maple Village, right? That's where it comes from?"

Horn tucked his hands into his sleeves: "Of course, back then I and... cough cough um."

In fact, Sylvie didn't care what Horn said; she kept looking around.

After leaving the turbulent and dangerous mountains and rivers, and emerging from the maple forests at the foot of the mountains, the distant J.A. Castle comes into close proximity.

The moment she burst out of the Maple Forest Riverbank, Shilov's heart skipped a beat.

In the Mechanical Palace, the sky and plains in her eyes were nothing more than a small patch of blue sky and a lush green carpet.

Even after leaving the Mechanical Palace, the sky was still enveloped by mountains, and the island, however vast, was nothing more than a stretch of green wasteland.

But the moment she burst out of the maple forest, she felt for the first time what the sky meant.

The sky really is so empty.

If you lift your head, there's nothing to cover it.

The overwhelming blue and white colors seemed to draw one's soul into the azure expanse.

It was only then that Sylph understood why so many human and dwarf engineers were so obsessed with flight.

Who wouldn't want to go up and see a sky like that?

After watching for a while, Shilov felt dizzy and quickly looked away.

At this moment, as the boat sails out of the foothills, one can see vast stretches of farmland and villages.

The rammed earth houses that were once only found in towns can now be seen everywhere in the countryside, and there are even brick and stone houses.

Ordinary farmhouses no longer resemble the thatched cottages of the past; they are mostly wooden houses or timber-framed mud-walled houses with thatched roofs, and some even have dedicated coal stoves for cooking and heating.

“I promised them that they would have their own houses to live in.” Horn came to the side of the boat at this time. “Those thatched huts where your ears could freeze off in winter are no longer seen in Red Maple Village.”

Due to the large-scale mining of peat and the large-scale migration of laborers, brick kilns of all sizes were opened in various places.

Urban areas have long since phased out earthen and timber structures and started using brick, tile, rammed earth, and even brick and stone mortar houses.

As for the countryside, there were two conditions for building houses with rammed earth: one was to have suitable timber and the other was to have fuel.

The former is used to build the framework of the house. The latter has more uses: it is used to roast hardwood to kill woodworms, to steam and roast rammed earth to prevent the walls from sprouting, and after the house is built, it is also used to quickly dry the house and make the rammed earth compacted.

Originally, only towns and cities could afford to build such houses because lords controlled the forests and fuel was expensive.

However, this problem was naturally solved after the establishment of the Holy Alliance.

Large quantities of cheap timber were transported from the mountain counties' rivers, and peat was a high-quality substitute for firewood, not to mention the North Mountain people, known as the "Kings of Mountain Labor," who served as laborers.

In addition, Horn's previous three-year tax exemption policy enabled almost every household in Langsand County to live in a warm house.

Upon seeing the Saint Sun's ship approaching, the villagers who were fetching water from the riverbank cheered continuously towards the vessel.

Some children even chased after the boat, waving to the people on board.

I still remember the night at Changqiao Bridge eight years ago, when people's faces were filled with endless hatred and tears of blood.

Eight years later, while not everyone can smile, at least most people will be able to eat their fill, stay warm, and have a place to live.

As for whether the food is good, how warm the clothes are, and what the housing is like, those are things to be solved later.

As it stands now, the villagers are absolutely satisfied with their current standard of living.

Horn deliberately suppressed the prices of timber and peat, because only when people have enough to eat, wear, and live in comfort will they have other needs.

Once you have a house, you'll definitely need to buy doors, furniture, tableware, bed sheets, and so on.

Similarly, only when you are full will you have the desire to eat well, and only then will you want to buy candy, coffee, milk, butter, etc.

Almost every month, a dozen or twenty new workshops spring up in each county within the Holy Union to supply the ever-increasing demand.

As they passed through village after village, Horn grew weary of the sights, but Sylvie remained enthusiastic.

"what is that?"

"That must be a grain transport ship belonging to the war monks."

"what is that?"

"It should be the first batch of primary schools in the Hundred Households District, which was converted from a dilapidated monastery."

"What about that one?"

"That's still a collapsed monastery."

"What about this one? What about this one?"

"The castle was destroyed by catapults. A group of nobles from Langsand County once put up a stubborn resistance there."

"What about that one?"

“That’s…that’s Jeanne d’Arch.” Horn snapped out of his drowsiness. “We’ve arrived.”

Jeanne d'Arc Castle?
Sherlov had heard the name of this place more than once and knew it was very close by, but this was the first time she had been able to see it clearly.

The green fields were gradually replaced by red-tiled houses and gravel roads, and the streets were much more crowded than the countryside.

The golden sunlight cascaded down, adorning the rooftops, while the iron rooster plaques indicating wind speed and direction swayed from side to side towards the southeast.

The two- or three-story brick and stone house has a curved wooden handrail in front of the door, painted in the color of mahogany.

The papal ship was docked at the pier, and people were getting on and off the ship.

Shilov leaned against the railing, resting her chin on her arm, and peered curiously toward the shore.

At the dock, women in aprons carried wooden buckets to fetch water from the river, while laborers in padded jackets carried tin boxes.

Notaries and monks in the latest monk's robes hurried toward the Hall of Holy Advent, carrying documents, while smoke rose from the laundry room.

The packhorses on the horse-drawn railway puffed out white steam from their nostrils, while vendors of all sizes gathered around the public carriage stations.

"Bread with meat, bread with meat!"

"Egg wrapped in fried bread, scrambled eggs!"

Seeing the curious and excited look on Shilov's face, Horn stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder: "I deliberately made them stop to replenish supplies. It will take at least an hour. Would you like to walk around the area?"

(End of this chapter)