The Lord's Castle on the island in the lake was originally the residence of the Gleiman family, but in recent years, the building has begun to deviate more and more from its original residential function and has been rapidly turning into an office space.
The main reason was that Paul's territory was growing larger and larger, and the economy of his domain was developing extremely rapidly, far surpassing the stagnant feudal economy of traditional territories that had remained unchanged for thousands of years. As a result, he had more and more affairs to handle, and since one person's energy is limited, he also needed more and more officials to assist him.
Since the establishment of the Political Affairs Council, with the continuous subdivision of management areas, in addition to the original seven departments of finance, agriculture, industry, fisheries, forestry, public safety, intelligence, and education, departments such as science and technology, commerce, transportation, maritime affairs, and health have been added. Some large departments have moved out of Lords Manor and set up independent offices on the island. The remaining small departments still seem to have a large number of staff crammed into Lords Manor.
Most of the rooms in Lords Manor have been used as offices for various departments. Paul is reluctant to move them out of his castle unless necessary, not because he is power-hungry, but because there are no telephones in this era. If he suddenly wants to ask someone about something or discuss something, it would be very troublesome if the other person is not around.
In addition, he also has to meet with people from all walks of life, including public representatives, industry leaders, local celebrities, and so on.
For all the reasons mentioned above, all sorts of people come and go from Paul's Lords Manor every day.
Clearly, it was inappropriate to place Catherine and the others in Lords Manor. Even without the reasons mentioned above, doing so would make them feel like they were living under someone else's roof.
So Paul chose a scenic woodland on the western outskirts of Lakeheart Town and built an exquisite manor there early on, very close to the main road leading to Port Franklin, making it very convenient to get to.
Now, he has given it to Queen Phyllis, who is about to become his mother-in-law, and it will also serve as a residence for the two princesses.
Queen Phyllis was very satisfied with and grateful for Paul's arrangements. After visiting Northwest Bay and seeing its various features, she grew to like her prospective son-in-law more and more. She had initially been somewhat dissatisfied with Rodney XVIII using his daughter as a tool for marriage, but now she felt that her nephew had done a great thing.
Although Erin has grown a few years older, she is still the same lively girl. When she ran away from home to Lakeheart Town in her early years, she bought a two-story house on the island as her home. Over the years, Paul has maintained the house very well, for which she is very grateful. It holds a free, joyful and fulfilling period of her life, and she has decided to take some time each month to stay there for a few days.
With the arrival of the royal family members, many of the Royal Army officers in Northwest Bay had already served for many years. It seemed inappropriate to send them to military academy as students to study for a few more years. After discussing with Catherine, Paul made the following arrangement: they would all be placed in the training regiment.
The Training Regiment is a newly established exemplary combat unit in the Alda Army, undertaking numerous tasks such as military training, tactical research, and standards development.
Of course, other military units also conduct military training and tactical research, but the training regiment has more professional, concentrated, and systematic functions in these areas. Moreover, it not only trains new recruits but is also responsible for training officers, non-commissioned officers, and other personnel at all levels. Its research and training results serve as guidance and demonstration for other units, hence the name training regiment.
Shortly after Catherine and the others arrived, Paul was greeted by another unexpected person— Mariana.
He had received a letter from Andrew saying that Mariana had appeared in Horn Bay and was with the Grand Duchess of Eaton. Helen has a close relationship with him.
Paul was not surprised by this. He had already learned from La Di about the teacher-student relationship between Mariana, La Di, and Helen. Based on this, he could infer that Mariana was definitely behind Eaton becoming the first country in the world to recognize the legal rights of Spellcasters, or perhaps the Arcane Society was behind it.
After much hesitation, he wrote a letter to Horn Bay and asked Andrew to pass it on to his mother.
In his letter, he mentioned that his wedding was approaching, without explicitly stating whether he would invite Mariana back for the ceremony. However, the meaning conveyed in his words was naturally not hidden from the experienced Crimson Flame Witch.
Mariana felt a mix of emotions. Although Paul still harbored resentment towards her for leaving him when he was a child, it was better than treating her like she didn't exist.
So after the Horn Bay War ended, she immediately set off north and returned to the place she considered home.
The other son, Nathan, seemed reluctant to come, but his mother forcibly dragged him to Northwest Bay, saying, "This is your brother's wedding; you can't be so indifferent!"
Mariana's arrival surprised Paul, or rather... delighted. He naturally wanted his loved ones to witness such an important moment in his life, even though he still felt a little awkward about his mother.
After careful consideration, Paul revealed Mariana's identity to his fiancée, excluding her involvement with the Arcane Society.
Catherine was utterly shocked. Paul's mother was still alive, and she was... a witch?! Oh my god!
However, after the initial shock, she took the initiative to ask to meet Mariana.
Paul arranged for them to meet, and to his delight, the two hit it off immediately, chatting about their childhoods and creating a very pleasant atmosphere.
But then, somehow, they started talking about orcs. I can only say that they are all career-oriented women.
The powerful army of the steppe orcs had penetrated deep into Aldor. Even though the Alda army won a battle, it had only defeated a small detachment of the orcs.
Seeing the concerns expressed by his mother and fiancée, Paul felt it necessary to give them some encouragement.
So he took Catherine, Mariana, and his younger brother, who was clearly trying to appear indifferent but insisted on coming along, to visit a nearby ironworks.
Unsurprisingly, all three were deeply shocked!
The towering ironworks, shrouded in smoke, showcases the magnificent beauty of industry.
The Coke process for ironmaking is widely used, with towering chimneys belching out thick smoke and huge water turbines roaring, providing a continuous power source for blast furnaces and forging hammers.
In the blazing blast furnace, molten iron gushed out like lava, its golden-red light illuminating the dimly lit factory, as if the blood of the earth were boiling.
Molten iron flowed slowly along the grooves, emitting a scorching heat, and the air was filled with the intense smell of metal and flames.
Workers used long-handled ladles to scoop up molten iron and pour it into molds, instantly sending sparks flying like a meteor shower in the night sky.
Beside the smelting furnace, people wielded iron bars, transforming pig iron into more resilient wrought iron. Molten iron splashed under the heavy blows, turning into specks of golden light.
Inside the enormous factory, mechanical gears meshed and turned, forging hammers rose and fell like thunder, and iron blocks gradually took shape under the heavy blows.
This place is not just a place for iron smelting, but also a symbol of mankind's conquest of nature and mastery of technology, showcasing immense power and infinite possibilities.
This presents not only a leap in technology, but also the birth of a new era.