Chapter 776: Chapter 429: May the Sun Shine Upon Gray Rock (Part 4)

Lord Louis sometimes seems to know the answers in advance, directly pointing to the result.

No one knows the reason, and no one questions it; they just know these judgments will ultimately be confirmed by facts.

Mike did not respond immediately, staring at the marked Red Earth Slope, then looking down again at the charcoal lines on the blueprint that hadn’t dried yet, as if recalculating every possible mistake in his mind.

Then he raised his head and looked at Louis. "One month, give me one month, and I’ll lead the Alchemy Furnace team to get the mix right."

"If this stuff is really as hard as you say," he grinned, his tone unable to suppress the excitement, "I’ll personally pour the road in Gray Rock Province for you."

Mike sat down, and Cyril from the Health Department finally looked up.

She closed her notebook, pressing her fingertip on the cover as if verifying something: "Being full is not enough; we must stay alive."

Her tone was so calm it bordered on severe, without emotional fluctuations, yet it instinctively commanded attention.

"The health situation here is catastrophic," Cyril continued, "Dead rats, open cesspools, coal dust throughout the city. If left unaddressed, once Lord Mike’s factory starts operation, half the workers will be down with diarrhea within three days.

"I don’t need high tech; I want to implement the pre-Red Tide ’Mandatory Health Law’.

Build public bathhouses, using the residual heat from the steel furnace to heat the water. All workers must bathe after their shift; those who don’t will have their work points deducted.

Form rat extermination teams; one rat, trade for one egg."

No one around the meeting table laughed.

"Approved," Louis nodded without hesitation, "Cyril, your authority here is equal to the Inspection Department. Anyone who dares dump garbage into the river, anyone who dares set up private cesspools, you can arrest them."

Green then took over the conversation: "Then I’ll be responsible for organizing the people.

Pull these hundreds of thousands out of the old Nobility’s estates and mine areas, and incorporate them into factories and farms. Everyone will receive a Red Tide ID card, which they’ll use to collect food, bathe, and report for work."

The issues didn’t cease there.

Someone mentioned mineral transportation, suggesting a single snowstorm could suffice to shut down the entire province.

Someone mentioned public security, with scattered Knights and escaped miners rallying together and already starting to loot grain. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

...

The problems were thrown out one by one, without complaints or shirking, just laid out calmly on the table.

Louis didn’t interrupt, letting everyone finish speaking, and then picked up each point one by one.

The transport lines were split up, heavy cargo would go by water, light cargo by land, prioritizing grain first, then minerals.

Security would be jointly taken over by the Knights and the Mining Bureau, scattered soldiers would be integrated on-site, and those who don’t comply will be directly cleared from the mining area.

...

These decisions aren’t sophisticated but are practical enough.

When the last issue was settled, no one spoke around the table anymore.

Louis stood up, looking at the assembled elite who had each found their place: "If there are no further questions, let’s get started then. Plant the Red Tide’s flag on every territory."

No unnecessary words.

Everyone began to tidy up blueprints and notes, the seriousness on their faces replaced by a kind of eager focus, the kind shown by experts facing highly challenging projects.

The meeting ended, the heavy oak doors opened again, and closed behind them.

The strategic meeting room quickly quieted down, leaving only the dust slowly settling in the air.

Except Green didn’t immediately leave.

He carefully organized the blueprints on the table, then cautiously placed that heavy black ledger into his briefcase, his movements tired but extraordinarily earnest.

Louis approached Green, pouring a glass of water personally like he did years ago in Mai Lang Territory and handing it over: "From a Knight to a Provincial Governor managing the life and death of hundreds of thousands. Is this leap big? Are you afraid?"

Green accepted the glass, smiling wryly: "Afraid, last night while flipping through the ledger, my hands were shaking. Even facing a Knight’s charge, I was never this afraid."

He raised his head, his eyes exceptionally clear.

"But I remember something you said in the Northern Snowfield: ’The road is made by people walking it.’ As long as you point the way, I’ll pave the road even if on my knees."

Louis reached out, patting his slightly stooped shoulder: "Go forth and manage, in this province, apart from the Red Tide’s laws, you don’t need to bow to anyone."

Green took a deep breath, his wrinkled eyes gradually relaxing.

That fear disappeared, replaced by a stability belonging to a high-ranking official.

He stepped back, bowing deeply in a standard Knight’s salute: "I shall not fail, Lord Louis."