The returning carriage moved neither too fast nor too slow over the frozen muddy ground, with the axles creaking between snow frost and permafrost.
Outside the window was the gray-and-white interwoven Northern Wilderness, where the remnant snow had yet to fully retreat.
The wilderness was silent as if asleep, with nothing but the sound of the wheels rolling and the occasional cold bird startled from the branches.
Inside the carriage, the temperature was not high, yet because of the dim oil lamp’s glow, it felt especially stable.
Louis sat at the table, a hand-drawn map with rough topography spread out before him, as he slowly sketched lines on it with a pen.
Emily nestled across from him, wrapped in a fur cloak, holding a freshly brewed cup of hot tea in her hands.
The aroma of the tea carried a faint bitter wheat taste, rising with a hint of warmth in the cold air.
She glanced at him and laughed lightly: "Are you planning to map out the entire Northern Territory without taking a break?"
Louis did not look up, only replied blandly: "Have you ever seen anyone planting before plowing the land first?"
Emily leaned closer, tilting her head to examine the map under his pen: "So you’re plowing the land right now?"
"Paving the way."
His brow furrowed as the pen tip moved back and forth on the map, occasionally stopping to circle a spot, then frowning and erasing to redraw.
The firelight in his eyes shimmered faintly, as if the invisible blueprint in his mind was slowly taking shape.
Emily was momentarily entranced before she softly spoke: "...Introduce it to me."
Louis still did not look up, only raised an eyebrow: "What?"
"You’ve been drawing this map forever, I almost remember its patterns. Why not teach me, and I’ll learn a bit too."
Louis finally put down his pen, glanced at her, his gaze softening a bit: "You really want to hear me talk about terrain zoning and village models? Beware you might dream about dispatching granaries."
Emily laughed, blinking: "The road is long anyway, let me pretend to be a strategist and help you advise."
Louis nodded, turned the map toward her, holding down its corners with his elbow and holding a pen with the other hand, he lightly tapped on the vast brown land.
"This land is our current territory," he said in a low voice.
"If left alone, eighty thousand square kilometers, averaging eight square kilometers per person. Too sparse, too empty, equals no governance."
Emily leaned over to look at the map, dotted sparsely like ashes scattered in the wind, completely without system.
"But if you cram everyone into that small hill area of Red Tide Territory?" He paused, tapping the pen tip on a tiny red spot on the map, "Too crowded. Resources, food, job opportunities, can’t be supplied."
"So, you’re going to divide the territory?" she asked.
Louis nodded, "Not just the territory, I’m planning to divide the whole land into four zones with clear responsibilities."
As he spoke, he quickly sketched on the map.
"Firstly, Red Tide Territory." The pen tip steadily circled a relatively compact area, familiar topographic contours vividly emerging on the paper, "This is our starting point, and will be our core in the future."
He looked up at Emily with a lighter tone than before: "I plan to rebuild it into Red Tide City. The goal is to make it the new hub of the Northern Territory, like Frost Halberd City, becoming a convergence point of strategy, livelihood, and governance."
Emily blinked, holding the teacup, her tone slightly teasing: "Are you planning to rival my father?"
Louis’s pen paused, then he chuckled softly, his voice low and gentle: "Can’t dare to think about that."
He looked up at her, a bit of warmth in his eyes: "Not trying to stand on equal footing with your father... but to ensure the Northern Territory doesn’t have only one choice."
Emily looked at him seriously drawing the map, her lips softly curved: "Then make it beautiful."
He then pushed the map toward Emily, using the pen to lightly tap the circled areas.
"Apart from Red Tide Territory, those lands are newly assigned to us. Too large to swallow all at once."
He paused, looking up with a smile: "Therefore, I’m planning to develop in three layers."
"Sounds quite professional." Emily chuckled lightly, holding her teacup.
"Of course," Louis held back a laugh, maintaining a serious tone, "The first layer is called—the core development zone. It’s the region with the most concentrated resources: rivers, good soil, and several mineral deposits.
This part I want to settle the first batch of people, build bases, villages, stations, and roads. All initial investments are concentrated here."
He drew a clear dark boundary on the map.
"This place is like a seed. If this area thrives, the whole Northeast will be activated."
Emily nodded, becoming serious: "What about the second layer?"
"Resource reserve area." He circled a layer outward, "Though it also has mines, and can be cultivated, the terrain is poor and transportation is inconvenient.
Can’t invest too much at once. But could first station a few hundred people, slowly open the roads, preparing for the next stage."
"Sounds like digging canals before planting fields."
"Exactly this mindset."
He circled out the third layer, his hand paused slightly, and his tone also softened: "Finally, the outer untouched area. There might be mines, forests, and water veins.
But the terrain is complex, and magical beasts roam... Our current manpower and resources can’t sustain a full-scale development."
"So leave it empty for now?" Emily asked.
"Yes, leave it empty for now." Louis put down the pen, tapping his fingers lightly on the map: "Layer one to sustain people, layer two as backup, layer three... wait for the opportunity."
He then paused, drawing three concentric rings on the map: "These are our ’core development zones’."