“Ian?”Hearing someone call his name, Ian looked up and saw a somewhat familiar man standing at the tent entrance, holding a bowl of porridge and cautiously waving at him.It was Ike, a young man from their village. They weren’t close, but they often saw each other.In this unfamiliar camp, meeting someone he recognized was like encountering an old friend in a foreign land.“Ian? You survived too!” Ike’s tone was much more enthusiastic than usual.He seemed much more energetic than Ian had imagined, his complexion was good, and although his clothes were a bit tattered, he looked more human than Ian’s disheveled appearance.“You’re here too?” Ian was a little surprised.“Lucky,” Ike sat beside him. “I escaped to the mountains a while ago and almost froze to death. If the adults from the Red Tide Territory hadn’t found me, I probably wouldn’t have any bones left by now.”“The adults from the Red Tide Territory?” Ian looked at him, his eyes full of questions.“It’s these people!” Ike’s eyes lit up, his voice almost soaring. “Haven’t you heard? We have a new Lord now! He’s called Lord Louis Calvin.”“Calvin—” Ian murmured, repeating the name.“Yes, that’s him!” Ike’s voice carried a hint of awe. “I was still in the mountains with a few others, fleeing for our lives.They sent people into the mountains to find us, carried us down, fed us porridge, gave us medicine, and even gave me a temporary identity card,saying that as long as I worked, I could get food.”He spoke with great animation, as if telling a deeply honorable story, his eyes full of light.“The new Lord isn’t like Baron Merick, that kind of noble who spends all day feasting and drinking in his castle, and picking concubines.This Lord Calvin, he’s different. He sent many physicians, soldiers, and stewards down. We have food and drink, even children and old people can live in tents.He even said he wants to build wells and houses. How is this like a Lord? He’s practically an envoy from the Dragon Ancestor descending to the mortal realm!”Ian listened quietly, his gaze somewhat distant.He looked at his daughter, whom he guarded day and night, and then thought of the old nobles who treated refugees like dirt. A heavy feeling settled in his heart.This young Lord named Calvin, he had never met him, nor did he even know what he looked like.But the people he sent saved Mia, saved him, and saved so many others.In this already shattered world, he actually gave people hope again.“It really seems different,” Ian murmured softly, his voice so low that even Ike didn’t hear him clearly.If this Lord was truly willing to take them in, if he was willing, then he would definitely follow him.Even if the work assigned to him was hard and tiring, as long as his daughter could survive, he would do anything.Fortunately, his wish was soon granted.At noon, an official in a Red Tide Territory uniform stepped into the tent.The man carried no weapons, his demeanor was calm, and he went around asking questions with paper and pen.He walked up to Ian and nodded slightly: “May I ask your name and the village you are from?”“Ian, from Whitestone Village,” he answered subconsciously, still with a hint of wariness in his eyes.“We are currently taking in refugees here and need to register identities. We can provide food and lodging, but it requires labor in exchange. Do you have any skills you are good at?”Ian hesitated for a moment. “I used to be a carpenter. I can build furniture and repair houses.”Hearing this, the official nodded, his tone becoming a bit more serious: “Very good, those with skills will be prioritized for housing, and can also apply for permanent residency later.”He then handed Ian a complete set of supplies:A red-painted number plate with his new number on it;A set of gray thermal underwear, the style seemed like old military issue, manually modified, but clean and sturdy;A wooden bowl wrapped in coarse linen, and a worn but dried blanket;He noticed that Ian had ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) no shoes, and after a few seconds of silence, he pulled out a pair of somewhat dirty old military boots from his bag and handed them to him: “These will do for now.”Ian took the boots, his fingertips trembling, his voice a little hoarse: “Thank you.”“You are assigned to work shed number three. Go gather there tomorrow morning and join the artisan team to build houses.Don’t worry about not having food; three meals a day will be arranged uniformly.”After the official finished speaking, he turned to the next refugee, while Ian looked down at the items in his hands, touching each one as if afraid they would suddenly disappear.That night, Ian, as usual, stayed by his daughter’s side, feeding her porridge spoonful by spoonful.At some point, Mia slowly opened her eyes.“Mia—?” Ian could barely believe what he was seeing.The little girl was still very weak, but her eyes had a focal point.She looked at her father, tears slowly welling up in the corners of her eyes, and her small hand reached out, gently grasping his large hand.“Papa—”It was this one sentence that finally shattered the heavy stone that had weighed on Ian’s heart for so long.He lowered his head, burying his face beside his daughter, his voice choked as if torn: “You survived… Thank you, Lord, may the Dragon Ancestor bless you—thank you—”A gust of wind swept across outside the tent, and the red banner, hanging high against the wind, fluttered like a flame in the night.In the center of the banner, the golden sun shone brightly, as if real, like a light dispelling the cold winter, warming people.Ian gazed at the flag, his lips moving slightly, softly uttering the name he had heard from Ike: “Lord, Lord Louis Calvin—thank you—thank you—”Such a miracle did not only befall Ian.In every new piece of land Louis acquired, he sent out such a team,a team composed of Red Tide Territory soldiers, knights, physicians, artisans, and registrars, carrying food, medicine, and order, going deep into those ruined villages and towns.They set up tents, cooked hot porridge, received refugees, and registered information.They provided an opportunity for these people who had lost everything in the war to survive.And for those vagrants not in his territory, as long as they were willing to come and pledge allegiance, willing to work, he would turn a blind eye and be willing to take them in.Of course, not everyone came with grateful thoughts.After the war, indeed, many bandits and ruffians emerged. They robbed, extorted, and even disguised themselves as refugees to infiltrate the camps.Just as dawn broke, a long line formed outside the camp’s porridge shed, with smoke curling up and the pot gurgling.Just then, a commotion suddenly erupted from the rear.“Get out of the way! Those who don’t want to die, get lost!”“Food! Give us all the food!!”A group of shabbily dressed bandits with wolfish eyes rushed out of the woods.There were about thirty of them, holding broken axes, choppers, and even long swords.They had been lurking nearby, waiting for this very moment of cooking and distributing porridge.

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