Myujhuk, Castle Grannor.

Sir Kajiak sat in silence as he gave a hard stare at Mister Tisco. Then he slowly got up to grab his wine stash underneath his bed. Grabbing two cups, he sat back down to pour the cups full. Sitting from his side of the table, he handed one cup to Mister Tisco and downed his cup in one go without a word. Then poured himself another fill and gestured Mister Tisco to drink up.

Mister Tisco returned the stare for a moment then downed his cup.

Waiting until Mister Tisco finished his drink, "You are a strange bird, Mister Tisco." Sir Kajiak mused as he refills Mister Tisco's cup. "For someone who is twice my age and having grown up as a rat, you are too naive. If anything, you act more like a noble than a rat. But I suppose having grown up as a prince of the rat; you've never had something taken from you nor known true starvation."

Feeling insulted Mister Tisco coldly ask to explain. "Just, what are you trying to say Sir Kajiak?"

Sir Kajiak raised his hands defensively to stop him. "Don't take it the wrong way Mister Tisco. I've always felt that I owed you one for fishing me out of that shit hole of a whore house and bringing me before the deceased Baron. So let me return the favor today by explaining something you seem to be blind too." Sir Kajiak started to explain as he took another sip of his wine. "Not including the 3rd or 4th sons of nobility and the fallen nobles who are disenfranchised, when Baron Myujhuk trained the rest us, the first batch of former slaves and orphans, to be his future captains. He trained us to be his sword. Not to rule. But to kill for him. In the process, most likely die for him. But not one of us minded the sacrifices we may have to make. We all felt it was worth the price for a chance at revenge against the nobles and the great merchants. Even the later batches mostly felt this way... It's just that none of us ever expected for Baron Myojhuk to be the first to die to satisfy his vendetta. Regardless, we'll honor his goal. You know the Stovkow nobilities have already taken everything from us, so there isn't anything for us to lose except for our lives, which we don't value much. But we can gain something if we are victorious. Even if our chances are slim." Taking another sip of his wine. "I've heard your talk of negotiating with these Phoenixians. But let's be honest here. We have killed their people. Rape their women. Kidnapped their men to be sent to the eastern front and to various mines to die, and sent their daughters to the many whore houses. None of us have any disillusion that there will be any chance of reconciling with them. How could we! When we ourself understand our feelings against the Stovkow masters." Then he finished his cup to refill it again and observed Mister Tisco's struggle with a bitter expression as he processes what was just said. "And as to why we are so thick-headed about fighting the Margrave, we gave our words to the late Baron. And our words mean something. It's the only thing of true value we have. And just because the Baron is dead does not invalidate our words, because we are not invalid."

Mister Tisco swallowed his saliva in frustration as he considered the words just spoken. "We are doomed." he almost whispered. Being completely cut off from the frontier by the Phoenixians, and surrounded by the Stovkow, with the only port city capable of fleeing to the sea in the hands of Count Morrogain, whom they had just severely pillaged. He could only come to the conclusion of his demise in the near future.

Before the man fell into depression, Sir Kajiak spoke. "However… Mister Tisco. The slaves, serfs, and other poor commoners are different. I think the frontier people would sympathize with their plight. And if you can somehow save them, I don't think anyone of us would stop you from talking to the Phoenixians." With a look of sadness in his eyes. "After all, I and many others like me were once one of them, in our distant past."

With a slight look of hope in his eyes. "You swear on your family's soul that I won't have a sword run through me if I try?" Mister Tisco asked with uneasiness in his voice.

With a bitter smirk. "Why would we even bother, we only have enough food for a year or two, depending on next years harvest. And if we actually survive against the Stovkow reprisal force, then it will be starvation for all the people we've gathered in this territory. You know just as well as I that we took in more people than expected." Sir Kajiak said.

Mister Tisco understood what Sir Kajiak meant. With essentially abducting most of the population of adjacent territories, as most of the people reasoned that it was better to migrate then to starve as Myujhuk's forces burned their former homes. But mostly, the people believed they would be killed if they didn't migrate. And now, the massively excessive number of population has made it impossible to produce enough food for all the people within Myujhuk's territory. Already, the masses are only getting partial daily fills to extend the grain supplies in preparation for the future shortage. It's simply impossible to feed over 200,000 people with their borders closed off. Even if the barony was fully developed, and with their original plans to expand into the frontier no longer possible, and even if they wanted to sell the excess population off as slaves, that route no longer existed, it was only a matter of time before starvation. Their campaign to move the neighboring population was too successful to their demise.

Sir Kajiak continued. "I'll speak to the other retainers on your behalf. So you don't need to worry anything about them. However," Sir Kajiak said as he held his gaze on Mister Tisco's face, "what are you going to do about the fact that you made the trade a bit difficult for the Pheonixians with livestock." He asked in curiosity.

As he was reminded, Mister Tisco face froze, then found himself cursing at his cleverness as his petty action may have ended up sabotaging his survival. With a bitter look. "I don't know. I can only try to open up a dialogue with them using the trade talk. And maybe beg for forgiveness." He admitted with a feeling of defeat as he thought of the trade deal done in bad faith on his part. But mostly, it was done out of petty feeling he had against those whom he believed to be his enemy at that time.

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Frontier, Daldia township.

Escorted by a few of his knights, who had recently been promoted from simple town knights to his household knights, Marquess Daldia inspected the temporary housing zone as the wooden cabins were being built. In his opinion, the temporary housing didn't look so temporary. But that's what the Phoenixians called it. Then he found himself worrying about destroying the town's limited farmland to build the necessary housing behind the defensive walls the engineers were laying down. Already, he could see the partially dug up grounds covered in snow. The former outer edge of the farmland was marked, setting the foundation for the planned wooden wall. And the area beyond the planned wall was slowly cleared of trees for the needed materials for the said wall. And the Marquess thought of the many conversations he had overheard the officers talking about clearing out the area for the killing field for the future invaders.

With the hardened ground from the cold winter, the digging took three times longer. As more armor and weapons from the Myojhuk army were melted and reforged into tools. Slowly but surely the work speeds up every day from the added tools. With the impending danger, they had no choice but to work as fast as possible. Then he noticed one of the workgroups, amongst the many Phoenixian enlisted engineers giving instructions, being led by foreman Vadin. Observing his face, Marquess could see that the once scrawny man didn't look so scrawny anymore. After nearly three months of being fed six times a day, even if in smaller portions, but with each meal more than a belly full for the working men, most of the original Daldia population no longer had the severe malnutrition look.

Seeing the changes to his hometown brought a feeling of excitement but also fear. Everything he and the town have gained was because of Lord Phoenix and his men. If for some reason they disappeared one day just as they appeared, he didn't even want to think about the consequences. Not only him, but everyone feared that very feeling of abandonment. After all, as far as they could currently see from the action of the Phoenixian soldiers, they need the Phoenixians, but the reverse wasn't so true. He would feel a little more at ease if more Phoenixian men were involved with the local girls. Having many family ties with them would ease his worries. He especially understood that there is simply no substitution to relationship based on close family ties.

Witnessing the changes for the better, it reaffirmed his decision to do everything in his power to make sure that the Phoenixians do not abandon the frontier people and see them go back to wherever they came from. He'll hold on to them not only his dear life, but for the life of his grandchildren, and everyone in the frontier. He tightened the furs on his body to keep warm as he felt the sudden chill from the very thought of being abandoned.

But the most significant shock to him was the report from the demi-humans. They reported again that not a single dead bodies of the Phoenixians were found after each battle. Only the empty uniforms were left behind. However anyone looks at it, it's just plain abnormal. He and the other frontier people, they could only speculate their mysterious origin. Most people leaned towards some divine warriors from heaven, which has caused almost everyone to have some varying levels of hero warship feelings for them.

But the most frightening of all, the multiple eyewitness account of the Phoenixians body glowing red during the defense of Trimmor. And the incredible physical feats they showed during the battle. Would the military leadership explain this as another magical item? Or would they even bother to explain? Marquess Daldia wondered.

Noticing the line forming up by the only cabin up and running in the immediate construction area with smoke coming out of the chimney, he decided to join the line with his escorts without cutting in front of the working men. Marquess felt that sometimes it is good to be seen by people like this.

Once entering the building, the Marquess noticed that the cabin had a full kitchen and large open area with wooden tables and stools to fed about fifty people at a time. Twenty women were chopping, cooking, cleaning, serving, and doing other kitchen support. He could feel the warmth as the cooking fire from the stoves heated the cabin so the working men could eat in comfort.

Recognizing the Marquess and his escorts, one of the serving girl eyes went wide and nervously brought the Marquess and his bodyguards a generous portion of meat porridge, like everyone else, and quickly went to serve food to the other working men. A meal like this would typically be reserved for nobles in the large cities. Everyone knew that they were lucky to have this; just months ago, everyone's situation was just barely above starving to death. Even for him, it sometimes felt like a dream. A dream he didn't want to wake up from.

The physical laborers required a lot of food, especially more so when working outside during the cold winter fighting against the snow. Normally, work would stop during snow-covered winter. But with the forewarning of unknown danger, even if just a little, they had to keep building the wall.

Taking a spoon full of the tasty porridge with a generous amount of meat and exotic seasoning, Marquess wished more men had survived the ten years long Stovkow raids. With an incredibly large disproportionate number of women vs. men, where women outnumber men by seven to one, the construction work wasn't going as fast as he wanted. Even adding the newly added population from the prisoners' trade made no changes to the gender ratio. It was apparent that the new population also had suffered in the west. Only a handful of women were able to keep up with the physically daunting labor with the men, but most women kept to the homemaker related works as they lacked the muscles needed for the back aching heavy labor, which created a problem of too many women not doing anything. So with a recommendation of his daughter and daughter-in-law, many of them were required to learn reading, writing, and basic arithmetic to start fulfilling the mandate from Lord Phoenix to educate the public.

'But right now, I need muscle more than education!' Marquess complained to himself as he understood the need for the wall.

Ironically, testimony from the Stovkow refugees during the prisoner exchange showed that they didn't fare much better than the frontier. It seemed many men were enslaved from their inability to pay the ever-increasing tax to fund the Ruin War and they were either sent to fight and die in the east or worked to death in other areas.

As everyone kept a respectable distance from him, as he had no equal peers, Marquess Daldia eats in silence as usual as he pondered what more he could do to help speed up the general development of the town and its defenses.

With his porridge finished Marquess Daldia quickly left with his escorts to make room for the working men waiting in line to get a seat.

On his way back to the mansion he met up with Captain Murphy guiding his warhorse, the Phoenixians had gained from the spoils of war. The Captain was in the front leading a team of supply wagons to the warehouses. Marquess found himself always amazed to see the Phoenixian upper echelon working with their men.

Over the many months, he had worked with them, he had often overheard them complaining that they didn't have enough support personnel. And that they were forced to work long hours every day.

"Captain Murphy! Anything I can help you with?" Marquess Daldia called out to the Captain.

"Thank you, Marquess. But not at the moment. Unless you have a large group of people, who can read, write, and do basic arithmetic." Captain Murphy replied with a look of fatigue on his face from the apparent prolonged long hours of being overworked with little sleep.

"I...I'm sorry, Captain. My daughters tell me that the current adult students won't be ready until the end of Spring at best. It's not easy teaching adults who have never had any formal teaching. They informed me that in about six months, they are confident that good students who can learn quickly will be available to help you with your workload. I had planned to tell you that during the next weekly meeting."

Captain Murphy had a miserable look as he was informed. Thinking of six more months of four hours or less of sleep felt like a death sentence to him and his single overworked squad and few medically recovering soldiers. And it turned out a good number of Phoenixian did not read or write to well. There were too many hillbillies in the lower enlisted ranks. Even as the civilians did all the manual labor, someone still had to keep track and record all the logistics for proper control of the supplies. And with the ever-increasing population, Captain Murphy and his men were more overworked than a whipped slave. He almost wished he had more injured soldiers on light duty to put to work.

Looking at the Captain's expression, Marquess Daldia felt terrible for him. Especially when he knew that all the suffering were done for the frontier people. Without the Phoenxians providing all the supplies for their survival, including training the unskilled workers and managing them, he knew that the frontier would be doomed. And he was very grateful for their sacrifices.

"Why don't you come to the mansion with me and take a breather Captain. I'll have the servants prepare some hot tea for us."

"Ahh, I really shouldn't, but it's just too damn early to be stressing. Besides, there is something important I need to ask you in private. So I'll take up on your offer Marquess." Turning to the civilian teamster, foreman Janisst. "Take your team and take the supplies to Private Wilson. Tell him I'll come by to sign off and inspect the warehouse in about an hour or so."

"Yes, Captain."

Taking a moment to watch the four wagons full of needed supplies being hauled off, the Captain got off his horse and gestured to the Marquess to lead the way. "By the way, Marquess. We've recently acquired a large number of various wines, spirits, ale, and such. The amount exceeds our military need, and we have no place to store them. Everyone is working hard in the town without any break, so Major Jung thought it might be a good idea to give some time off by rotating the hard-working labors and let them blow off some steam. What do you think? It would definitely raise the morale of the people."

Surprised at the very idea of excess supply of alcohol. "How? I mean, I suppose we can manage that by giving the workers half day rest in the morning, so they can recover." Noticing his mouth-watering up as he hadn't had a taste of alcohol for many years except for a cup wine or two during the few weekly meetings in the past, obviously provided by the Phoenixians. "But is it a good idea to give away such resources, Captain?"

"Trust me, Marquess. We need to make room. We have an entire platoon of men living outside in small tents at the fort because the supplies are taking up their entire barracks."

"Oh my! Then I'll make plans to make it happen. Captain" He agreed happily, as he understood the civilians were greatly stressed from the sense of danger and difficult workloads.

Once they reached the mansion, Captain Murphy reached into his saddlebag and pulled out two bottles of fine wine. "These are for you, Marquess." he offered as he smiled.

Surprised, staring at the glass bottles for a moment. "Thank you. Thank you very much, Captain." Marquess thanked as he quickly received the bottles. "But I've always wanted to ask as I've sometimes seen these glass bottle during the weekly meetings. But isn't glass a bit expensive to use for simple wine Captain?" Marquess asked as he continued to stare at the wine bottle after receiving them.

Captain Murphy just now realized that only glass he had seen were the primitive yellowish window glass at the Marquess office. "Don't think too much into it Marquess. All of our alcohols are a bottle in glass bottles unless we bring them in the barrel. We don't value glass bottles." He informed.

Again, with a surprised look, the Marquess struggled with words before quickly recovering himself. "I… I don't mean to sound like a drunk Captain. But..." as he held the two bottles like a newborn baby. "Would you care to join me for a cup of wine instead of a tea?" He asked as he mouth watered.

Showing a wide smile as he chuckled amusingly at the Marquess. "I would love to Marquess."