Chapter135

Outside the capital of Plumera Kingdom, at the White Trading Estate.

Just over a month ago, this estate had large empty spaces and barely any people around. Now, it looked completely different. The whole area had been divided neatly into several square sections.

The front area, near the main gate, was the main zone for commercial production. Before leaving the capital, Elara signed contracts with craftsmen chosen from the refugees. Most of their workshops were now set up in this area.

Back when she left, they were only making tofu products. But now, there were dozens of new kinds of goods being produced.

Along with the crafts each artisan specialized in, Elara also left behind fresh ideas. They blended those into their own work, creating items that were more beautiful, useful, and unlike anything in this world.

Two weeks ago, these new handcrafted products officially went on sale at the White Trading Estate's store in the capital. Because of their great quality, low prices, and usefulness, they became popular with both the common people and the wealthy nobles.

Especially the recipes Elara left behind. After skilled cooks adapted and improved them, they were added to the estate's food lineup. From cheap buns and noodles to elegant dishes with fine spices, everything was well-loved.

Recently, with Mathias's help, the estate signed several large business deals with Lianyi House. Other merchants in the city also sent in lots of trade requests. This made the estate work hard day and night, producing goods and bringing in massive amounts of silver.

The money Elara left with Damon to grow the estate had nearly doubled. On top of that, thanks to Mathias's secret efforts, the estate opened many new shops across the capital. Profits kept flowing in, completely transforming the estate's overall condition.

Aside from the busy commercial area in front, the back sections were surrounded by fences of different heights. Even workers inside the estate usually weren't allowed into those areas unless absolutely necessary.

Inside the fenced section, rows of soldiers disguised as guards were training shirtless and dripping with sweat. Compared to a month ago when they had just been recruited from the refugee camps, looking thin and worn out, they now had some muscle and looked much healthier.

They held wooden weapons during their training. Their arms and legs were wrapped with sandbags for extra weight. Stones were also tied to the weapons to get them used to the feel of real weapons later on.

This training gear was still lighter than the usual bronze weapons of the time. So after more than a month of training, they could now move quickly and handle the weight with ease. Once Damon handed out the real weapons he had kept hidden, they would be battle-ready right away.

Beneath the ground they were walking on, inside a massive underground cave, another group of soldiers was also training hard.

But most of the cave had been turned into large, ventilated workshops. The weapons Damon had been secretly making were produced nonstop here. Rumor said there were enough weapons to fill three big rooms.

Damon treasured this batch of weapons and kept them hidden to avoid leaks. He said they would only be used at critical times. That made many soldiers curious, but no one dared to disobey his orders and sneak a look.

At the back mountain of the White Trading Estate.

A tall, strong young man with a handsome face carried a huge longbow on his back, along with a quiver filled with fifty iron-tipped arrows. His muscular arm also held a long iron spear.

This man was Damon. Before Elara left the capital, she had Emory change his appearance. Now, his clean-shaven face and changed features still looked handsome, but those who didn't follow him daily couldn't tell he was the wanted assassin still being hunted by Lord Gregory and others.

Behind Damon was a group of five hundred men. Over the past month, he had carefully selected them from the refugees.

Each one had either served as a soldier before or had some martial arts skills. Their training went fast, and in just a month they had become a strong elite team with excellent combat ability.

To boost their real combat experience, Damon gave each of them iron weapons they were good with. Starting two weeks ago, every few days he personally led them out of the estate, disguised their identities, and went to eliminate bandits near the capital.

The five hundred men behind him now all carried weapons. Their bodies were stained with blood that had just dried, and their faces showed excitement. They hadn't yet calmed down from the fierce battle they had just fought.

It truly was a bloody fight. Since most nearby bandits had already been dealt with, they went further out this time. They attacked a bandit base with over three thousand people.

Five hundred against more than three thousand. This was the most uneven fight Damon had led them into so far.

But they still won. And it was a complete victory.

Damon had sent a smaller team to secretly escort the prisoners back. The supplies they had seized were also sent back through hidden routes. This gave the estate even more food, silver, laborers, and potential soldiers to train.

Even without the captured men, the estate's population had already grown a lot.

The first batch of refugees had received promised supplies and food. After signing contracts, they got rewards much better than they imagined. This ended their wandering life and gave them a better future.

Because of that, more and more refugees started coming afterward. Every day, people waited outside the gates, hoping to be accepted into the estate and earn a contract that could help them survive.

With this many people arriving, the land Elara originally gave Damon was starting to feel too small.

So he had the skilled builders expand the estate's surrounding area. Since it was all wilderness and mountains nearby, with no other people around, he basically took over the entire mountain.

He also ordered watchtowers built at important spots on the mountain and had a defensive wall built around the whole estate.

From Damon's high vantage point, the White Trading Estate now looked much larger. The whole border was enclosed, making it feel like a small fortress. Just looking at it gave people a sense of safety.

Damon looked down at how much the estate had grown in just over a month, and his sharp, handsome features softened with pride.

A beautiful and delicate face appeared in his mind, and the corners of Damon's lips curved a little more.

He wondered how she was doing in the south. If she knew the merchant village had already been transformed into its current state, would she be happy?

Just as he was thinking, the sharp cry of an eagle suddenly came from above.

The deputy behind him immediately exclaimed, "Wow! That's a huge black eagle! Do we have such black eagles in our forest? How come I've never seen one?"

As soon as the deputy finished speaking, he excitedly reached over to the young man beside him carrying a bow and arrows, took the bow, and was about to aim at the eagle. But Damon pressed his hand down.

"Wait. There's something tied to the eagle's leg."

"Huh?" The deputy blinked, trying to open his eyes wider, but he still couldn't see what the small black spot on the eagle's leg was. He couldn't help but praise, "You can see that from this far? Boss, your eyesight is impressive!"

As he put away the bow in amazement, he stared up at the eagle flying in from the distance. His admiration for their leader grew even more. Their boss really deserved the title of master archer who could hit a target a hundred steps away. Even such a small dot, from so far away, he could still see it clearly.

Then they saw the eagle, after spotting them, dive straight toward them. Its huge wings stirred up a gust of wind as it landed on a thick tree branch closest to Damon. It even raised one of its large claws slightly to show that something was tied to it.

Even those who had seen trained eagles had never witnessed one act so human-like.

Everyone was amazed. Damon stepped forward and took down two small message pouches from the eagle's leg, opened them, and read carefully.