Lord: I can see loyalty.

The day after Vio ordered the gathering of artisans, the entrance to Bordeaux village was bustling with people, far exceeding the usual hustle and bustle. In just half a day, countless carriages and packages filled the roads, as if all the artisans from the southern region had gathered there.

Vio stood on the makeshift platform, observing the nearly one hundred craftsmen gathered from all over the southern region below, and glanced briefly at the panel.

[Craftsman Apprenticeship] [Experience in Repairing Small Items] [Experience in Constructing Large Buildings]...

The market is a mixed bag, with both good and bad players. Most people who receive this news want to get a piece of the pie, so it seems we'll have to do a selection process for a while.

Just as Vio was troubled, his gaze fell on an old craftsman who was talking to old Patton.

Name: Ryan Marr

Race: Human

Age: 56

[Faction: Craftsmen of Broadbridge Village under Vio's rule]

Hobbies: Food, exercise, teaching others

【Characteristics: Strict, experienced craftsman, skilled in repairing small items and constructing large buildings】

Loyalty: 88%

Vio's eyes lit up at the sight of the perfect craftsman's panel. After having Galto oversee the discipline, he slowly walked over to Old Barton and Ryan.

"Brother, it's been so many years, and you're still in such good health!" Ryan patted old Barton on the shoulder, exclaiming in amazement.

"You're joking, Ryan. It's all thanks to my master's reminder back then. Otherwise, if I had been drinking that strong liquor every day back then, I probably would have been meeting him long ago."

The two chatted warmly about the past until Vio came to their side, at which point Old Barton was the first to react:

"Greetings, Lord."

"Lord...you must be Lord Vio? I am Ryan Mar, the craftsman. Greetings, sir." Upon seeing the young nobleman before him, Ryan was slightly taken aback before bowing respectfully.

"No need," Vio waved his hand, interrupting their formalities, and turned his gaze to old Patton, saying, "Old Patton, do you know him?"

Old Barton pulled Ryan close, his voice booming with pride: "He was in the same batch of apprentices as my master back in the day. When it comes to construction techniques, this guy's an expert!"

Seeing Old Patton praising him so highly, Ryan seemed a little embarrassed and waved his hands repeatedly:

"Sir, please don't listen to Patton's exaggeration. I've only worked a few more years than others and know a little bit about the basics. I'm by no means an expert..."

"Mr. Ryan, there's no need to be modest," Vio smiled and continued, "Although I don't know much about this area, I can still tell the difference between an expert and a novice."

After saying that, his gaze fell on the calloused hands of the two old craftsmen, and then looked at the still fair hands of the apprentices not far away.

Ryan stopped dwelling on the matter and slowly wiped the smile from his face, asking, "My lord, if I may be so bold as to ask, do you intend to build a city wall for Bordeaux Village?"

"That's right."

Vio stopped wasting words and nodded decisively. He then looked at the experienced veteran in front of him and asked, "Sir, in your opinion, if we could gather fifty experienced craftsmen and have them work at full capacity, how long would it take to complete this project?"

Upon hearing Vio's question, Ryan lowered his head slightly in thought, then looked up after a moment.

"My lord, even if everything goes smoothly and there are no disturbances such as weather, beast plagues, or man-made disasters, it will take at least a year to enclose Bordeaux Village to the kingdom's high standards, including the trivial matters such as transporting materials."

He glanced at Vio's expression and added, "If we want it to be any faster, we'll have to lower the standards... After all, your recruitment order only requires us to reach the level of an ordinary fortress."

Vio's face darkened for a moment upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his composure. Unlike the online novels he had read in his previous life, he didn't have any secrets to building city walls; he was just an ordinary worker.

Even the old craftsman in front of me said that…

Just as Vio was pondering and hesitating, a familiar shout suddenly came from behind him, interrupting his thoughts.

"Vio, I heard you've been recruiting craftsmen in various villages to build city walls? How's it going?"

Looking back, the visitor turned out to be the old monk Valentine, who lived in Kuoqiao Village.

"Uncle, you've arrived?" Vio stepped forward to greet him and took his hand.

"As for the situation... well, it will take a while, after all, there are still trivial matters such as moving stones."

"Moving materials?" Valentine raised his eyes slightly and, supported by Vio, approached the two craftsmen. Vio then introduced them to the craftsmen:

"This is Valentine, an old friend of my father's."

"Greetings, Lord Valentine." The two craftsmen bowed slightly in greeting.

Valentine nodded in response, then looked at Vio beside him, chuckled, and said, "If it's about moving materials, I might be able to help quite a bit."

Vio was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly realized that although he didn't know much about magic, the other person's magic was clearly more supportive...

"When I was young, I ran out of money while adventuring with your father's group, so I worked for the local baron, carrying stones for a while."

Valentine shook the wooden staff in his hand, and several wooden legs sprouted from the packages not far away!

They seemed to come alive and flew towards Valentine and the others.

"This is amazing! Is this magic?!" The two craftsmen stared wide-eyed. If this magic were used to move materials, it would indeed be much faster!

"Back then, the baron was also building city walls, wasn't he? That small town was much bigger than Bordeaux village. It only took me a few days to finish moving everything." Valentine tapped his wooden cane lightly on the ground, and the wooden branches turned into specks of light and disappeared.

Vio swallowed hard, his voice trembling with excitement, and asked the craftsman, "Old sir, if transporting the materials only takes a few days, then how long will it take to build the city wall...?"

"Ten months!" Ryan answered decisively, but then added, "No, I'm afraid it won't take that long."

"The main part of the city wall can be completed in just four or five months, and the remaining parts can be added gradually."

……

On the outskirts of several villages under Vio's rule, several militia units were lying in ambush in the desert, on guard against the enemy.

Jimmy led a team of elite militiamen and personally guarded the road leading from the village occupied by Wolf Fang to Bordeaux Village without the slightest slackening.

Almost a week has passed since Wolf Fang Abad's solo attack on Bordeaux village, and Jimmy predicts that the enemy's next attack is not far off.

Sure enough, at dusk on the seventh day, a group of burly figures appeared amidst the swirling yellow sand.

Wolf Fang Abad personally led fifty elite bandits, like a pack of wolves in a sandstorm, and quickly marched towards Bordeaux village along the road.

However, Jimmy was prepared. The moment the enemy reached the narrow section of the road, a whistle rang out, and dozens of figures rushed out from the sand dunes on both sides. Arrows rained down from the sky, and the bandits' horses fell to the ground, plunging the group into chaos.

"Ambush! Hold on!" Abad roared, raising his new axe and charging at the enemy.

Jimmy gave him no chance to regroup, drawing his longsword and leading the militia into the enemy formation, completely disrupting it.

The battle was short but intense. Jimmy's elite men were well-trained, working in groups of three to cover each other and scattering the bandits.

"Chief, it's no use! Let's retreat!" Seeing that Abad, who was not far away, was also wounded under the well-coordinated attack of the militia, his confidant shouted at him.

Abad gasped for breath, his eyes still burning with resentment and anger, but upon seeing the panicked look on his subordinates' faces, he suppressed his emotions and gave the order.

"withdraw!"

Abad led his bandits in a disheveled escape from the encirclement, fleeing towards the city of Shatai, which he had captured...