...

...

With Luo De's promise in his heart, Xue Rui happily left Frost Leaf Town.

Luo De didn't keep it under the table, he genuinely wanted to form such an infrastructure team of the Snow Rabbit People.

This is a gradual process, whether it's training, organizing, or the acceptance level of the people in Frost Leaf Town, it all needs to be done slowly.

Of course, Luo De's cellars and icehouses will definitely be completed soon.

As long as the Snow Rabbit People's ability to dig caves is as impressive as Xue Rui boasted.

Luo De has already started to look forward to his underground projects, his grand underground palace endeavor.

Meanwhile, the windmill forging hammer on the other side was also built.

After building windmills in the Northern Wasteland, there's no shortage of power; instead, the strong winds provide overly abundant power.

The frequent and fierce winds of the desert pose a significant challenge for windmills.

Luo De's new design is to let the windmill raise the heavy hammer, and then let the heavy hammer fall freely due to gravity to hit, ensuring the falling force is as stable as possible.

Luo De also increased the weight of the flywheel, ensuring that regardless of the wind's strength, the heavy hammer can be lifted at a constant speed.

The wind drives the flywheel, which then, through the operation of gears, lifts the heavy hammer, and once the heavy hammer reaches a certain height, it drops and hits the iron.

This is the basic principle of Luo De's wind-powered forge hammer.

As for windless days, then the blacksmith has to work on his own.

But luckily, the Northern Wasteland's winter almost never lacks wind.

No need for additional infrastructure like water flow, the location of the wind-powered Blacksmith Shop is set inside the town for Luo De's daily inspections, and there's no fear of attacks.

After winter in the Northern Wasteland, truly sunny days are only half.

During this half, the desert is still covered with snow, so outdoor activities are not feasible.

Despite such harsh conditions, there were still caravans rushing from the Border City to Frost Leaf Town.

Luo De felt heartfelt appreciation for such hardworking merchants.

He instructed Lawrence to prepare hot soup and warm, comfortable rooms for them to dispel the cold they encountered on the road.

Luo De initially wanted to exempt them from some taxes, but the merchants bargained with Luo De because the journey was difficult.

Ultimately, Luo De gave up on this merciful idea.

At the same time, he received some unpleasant news.

...

...

Since Ivan was discovered, his days became relatively leisurely.

Every day he only needed to do some hard labor like chopping wood and could return to his house for rest before dusk.

But he wasn't at ease at all, always feeling uneasy.

Because the two slave companions by his side were soldiers from Frost Leaf Town.

They monitored Ivan all the time, waiting for Ivan's contact person to arrive in Frost Leaf Town.

"Ah, another day has passed."

Looking at the slowly setting sun, Ivan sighed heavily, carrying the firewood.

It was at this moment that the cart in front suddenly lost control and rushed towards Ivan.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the startled ox was stopped.

"Please be careful!"

Ivan frowned and complained, "You almost ran me over just now!"

"Very sorry, very sorry."

The man leading the ox repeatedly apologized,

"This ox has poor eyesight during the day and always fails to see what it should.

Maybe his eyes will be brighter at night."

Upon hearing this, Ivan's heart skipped a beat, and he almost dropped the wood from his hands.

The two slave companions beside him also glanced sideways.

Ivan's expression froze for a moment, but he quickly recovered and forced a slight smile.

"If its eyesight is better at night, then I advise you to go out at night."

He replied with intention.

"Yes, I often take it for a stroll after dinner, and if we end up near the tavern, I'll have a couple of drinks."

The man leading the ox bowed again in apology,

"Very sorry, I hope you won't be unhappy about today's incident."

"No problem, you can go."

Ivan waved his hand, "I hope your ox won't bump into anyone at night."

The man chuckled, then left with the ox.

After the man walked away, the two slave companions quickly surrounded Ivan.

Ivan nodded solemnly and whispered, "It's him."

...

...

"So you're sure it's the contact?"

Luo De crossed his hands on the table, staring sharply at Ivan.

"Yes."

Ivan kept his head down, not daring to meet Luo De's eyes,

"Everything he said about coming out at night was all in code, and what I replied was too."

"Hmm, the location is near the tavern, the time is after dinner," Luo De said calmly.

Without precise time tools, all the timings were approximate.

"Yes, Lord."

Ivan acknowledged.

Durant looked at Luo De, asking, "Lord Baron, should we send someone to arrest him?"

"No need."

Luo De shook his head and smiled, "Everything will proceed as previously arranged."

Luo De looked at Ivan, "You report everything about here to him."

Luo De had already crafted lies for Ivan, including the population, military strength, food supply, resource reserves, and some soldiers' treatments in Frost Leaf Town.

Of course, these were fake, but for authenticity, some information was vague.

After all, Ivan was just a slave.

And for many confidential pieces of information, Luo De told Ivan to say he didn't know, making it seem more realistic.

"Then, Lawrence."

Luo De looked to the side.

"Yes, sir," Lawrence responded respectfully.

"Investigate what this person's identity is,"

Luo De instructed, "No rush, just find out this person's basic information. Then go investigate a bit at the Border City."

Luo De felt a bit information-starved now.

He thought about it, then said to Lawrence, "Use this opportunity to develop our intelligence network."

Next to him, Durant nodded in agreement, "We indeed need more intelligence information."

"No problem, lord,"

Lawrence nodded respectfully, then quietly reminded,

"But the intelligence network requires money, spending Gold Coins."

"Hmm, I know."

Luo De furrowed his brow slightly, gently stroking his chin,

"So take it slow, using a few 'mice' to gather some simple information. But remember, keep it confidential."

"Well... should I have my brother help out?"

Lawrence chuckled twice, "Last time I told him I became your steward, he was quite envious and wanted to serve you too."

"Isn't he more interested in earning Gold Coins in Frost Leaf Town?"

Luo De asked with a smile, "If he's willing to serve me, will he be willing to spend his Gold Coins for me?"

Lawrence shook his head slightly, "That would be more painful than killing him, lord."

"Alright, I won't query how you do it, but do not expose your identity, whether it's you or your brother."

Luo De glanced at Ivan and cautioned, "Mice are unreliable."

This was also why the other party concealed identities.

"Understood, lord, I will handle it well."

Lawrence promised.

Luo De nodded, then looked at Ivan,

"The rest is up to you."

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