After Louis finished reading the Daily Intelligence System, he lightly waved his hand to close the light screen.
"Alright, go to work," he rubbed his brows, then got out of bed.
Washing up and changing clothes, his movents were as efficient as ever.
The sky had just brightened, and the sunlight had not yet penetrated the morning mist, but the office door was already open.
As he walked in, he saw Sif sitting at the desk, flipping through a thick stack of official docunts.
"Good morning, little white," Louis greeted with a smile.
Sif's hand paused, as if she hadn't expected him to say that, and she blinked before standing up to bow.
"Good morning, my lord," her voice was soft, but the tips of her ears were slightly red.
Actually, during the ti Louis was on campaign, she had considered running away.
It wasn't that she lacked courage, but the timing wasn't right, and besides... where could she go if she escaped?
Later, she simply didn't leave and stayed.
Then Sif discovered that she would actually overthink at night.
Would he die on the battlefield?
What if he didn't co back?
Upon hearing that he had returned victorious, Sif let out a long sigh of relief.
But of course, she couldn't say such a thing; it would be too strange.
Sif just lowered her head, pushed the organized docunts over, and her tone was as usual: "The docunts you wanted to see, I have already processed them."
Her voice wasn't loud, but her movents were very swift.
She just didn't notice that the hand she extended was trembling slightly.
Louis didn't notice Sif's slight abnormality.
His gaze fell on the stack of docunts that was almost as tall as a person, and he imdiately sighed lightly.
Those were the materials he had instructed Sif to organize before he returned to the territory, concerning the Red Tide Territory and the current status of the various newly assigned areas under his na.
He casually flipped through a few pages, and a headache imdiately struck him.
Bandits, food shortages, winter preparations, well water pollution...
Every page was a problem.
He leaned back in his chair, silent for a mont, and finally decided to start with the displaced people.
Because with this problem, acting sooner could save more lives.
Snowpeak County was severely damaged in the war, large areas of villages were reduced to ashes, and even the Red Tide Territory was repeatedly harassed by the Snowsworn, only surviving due to the knights and soldiers Louis had left behind.
But other territories were not so fortunate.
Months of war had left the entire county riddled with wounds.
Fields were abandoned, livestock were plundered, warehouses were emptied, and even well water was poisoned by the enemy.
Countless people lost their hos and families, barely surviving on leftover food, tree bark, and wild vegetables.
They wandered like shadows without their bodies among the ruined debris.
"It's all problems, truly troubleso," Louis sighed, flipping through the stack of docunts, finally complaining as he rubbed his forehead.
Sif said nothing, just silently turned over a page of parchnt.
She knew very well in her heart that Louis was right.
Those struggling to survive in the ruins were like a pot of hot water that had been suppressed for too long.
They could boil over at any mont due to cold, hunger, or fear.
Louis slapped a piece of parchnt onto the table, his tone deepening: "Other problems are fine, what I fear most is an epidemic breaking out among them—that's a trouble that cannot be saved at all."
He stopped complaining, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes gradually calming down, and took out a map that was sowhat roughly drawn but ticulously annotated.
"Alright, we will divide this almost one thousand square kiloters of land into four sub-regions, with different teams responsible for the displaced people's affairs in their respective areas."
He leaned over the map and began marking, roughly dividing the entire territory into four sections based on mountains, rivers, and abandoned villages.
"They will be nad Canglu Territory, Ice Ridge Territory, Snowplain Territory, and Han Shan Territory," Louis casually said four sowhat chuunibyou-sounding nas.
"Next, first send °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° out the knights," he said, "Bring dry rations and potions, conduct on-site investigations, see where the displaced people are, what their condition is, and... how many people are still alive."
Upon hearing the last sentence, Sif's movents paused, then she continued to record quickly.
"Then, set up reception points in various areas," Louis said, circling several locations with his pen, "The signs should be more prominent; let's use the Red Tide Territory's flag."
He paused, his voice softening: "Also let them know that there are still people in this world who care about them."
"Understood," Sif responded softly while writing.
"This is not enough," Louis thought for a mont, then lowered his head and drew a few lines on the table.
"Outposts must be built as soon as possible. They need simple shelters, braziers, hay mats, and clean water sources."
He paused, adding: "It would be best if we could replicate the Red Tide Territory's semi-underground houses; they can be built faster and provide better insulation. We'll have carpenters and masons start work directly at suitable locations."
Sif quickly wrote, asking, "So, all outposts need to be prepared?"
"Yes," Louis nodded, "Prepare them to winter standards. Dry rations, smoked fish, blankets... and potions must also be brought; we cannot give the plague any chance."
He sighed, looking out at the gradually chilling sky.
Listening to Louis's words, Sif pursed her lips lightly, and a strange emotion, like relief, suddenly welled up in her heart.
Louis straightened up, his tone as calm as ever: "Additionally, refer to the Red Tide Territory's early model of the work-for-food program. Those willing to work will be given food and temporary shelter."
He paused, then continued to instruct: "Building shelters, digging wells, felling trees, fishing, hunting, reclaiming land for farming... these tasks will be distributed.
Those willing to work will be recorded, and particularly diligent ones will be prioritized for housing allocation.
Also, those with special skills, such as understanding dicine, knowing how to farm, being literate, or being blacksmiths or carpenters, etc., will all be registered."
"What about the managent personnel?" Sif asked.
"People from the family are already on their way," Louis's tone was steady, "They will form the initial core of each outpost along with the knights of the fief."
Louis tapped his fingers on the table and continued: "But ultimately, it must rely on the displaced people themselves. We will guide them to form small groups and elect representatives, who will then uniformly collect supplies and report matters; this way is faster and more stable."
He spoke naturally, as if he had long had a plan.
Sif secretly glanced at him.
Louis's brows were slightly furrowed, looking a bit tired, but he was still focused.
He was very different from his usual frivolous and unkempt deanor.
This young noble from the southern part of the Empire seed... more reliable than she had thought.
Although sowhat unwilling, a little bit of admiration did indeed surface in her heart.
Perhaps, just a tiny bit.
At this mont, Louis looked up and t Sif's light-colored eyes.
The young girl froze, quickly lowered her head, pretending to continue reading the docunts at hand.
..."Why are you staring at ?" Louis subconsciously asked, "Is there dust on my face?"
The tips of Sif's ears instantly turned red, and even her neck was tinged with a thin layer of pink.
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