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The spring storm dispelled the chill of the autumn wind, a fresh breath quietly permeating the air.

Luo De pulled the animal skin blanket up to prevent the tired girl from being invaded by the cold.

Luo De's movements were very gentle, like a feather brushing over water, yet it still woke the sleeping girl.

The girl turned around and, in a sleepy haze, offered a clumsy morning kiss, her lips still carrying a sweet drowsiness.

"Are you getting up?"

Avril asked softly, with a tone full of attachment.

"No, today I'll sleep a bit more."

Luo De gently stroked her hair, the corners of his mouth lifted in a smile, and kissed her again.

Tasting the sweetness.

Luo De, who usually started his busy day before dawn, woke up late for the first time.

Of course, Luo De's late rising was merely at the time when the sun had just risen, right around breakfast time.

And Avril was still lingering in Luo De's bed.

Leia and Martha, who brought breakfast, had sweet smiles on their faces.

Seeing the two they had quietly gossiped about for so long finally together made them more excited than the couple themselves.

The other staff, noticing their lord's unusual behavior, shared knowing looks and didn't dare ask, only exchanging glances secretly behind his back.

As soon as Durant arrived, he hurried to report to Luo De on the events of the previous night.

Though there was no enemy attack, there were some security issues.

"Caught three thieves stealing, and six people causing trouble while drunk."

"One of them was a woman who pulled down the pants of the man next to her and pinned him to the ground..."

"These minor issues don't warrant the death penalty, handle them as you see fit."

Having listened, Luo De waved his hand, "If there's nothing else, send out the letter to Count Hawk."

"Yes, Lord Baron!"

Durant nodded, then his face broke into a smile,

"Congratulations, Lord Baron."

Having heard the morning's news himself, Durant felt like he had fulfilled his wish.

The Razor Plain finally belonged to the Lord Baron.

His eyes sparkled.

Luo De's lips curved into a slight smile, nodding slightly, "Go call Lawrence and Otto, there's something I need to instruct."

The sight of Avril shivering yesterday had stirred something in Luo De.

More preparations needed to be made for winter.

"Yes, my lord."

Durant quickly sent someone to call for Lawrence and Otto.

In the frigid north, keeping warm in winter is crucial.

Relying solely on fireplaces is inadequate; they can't make the house truly warm.

Just using stoves alone can't fend off the cold completely, so Luo De planned to bring something from his previous life to this world.

Looking at Lawrence and Otto in the hall, Luo De said, "Gather a hundred people immediately, I want to make heated kangs."

The heated kang, the most primitive yet practical heating method in the olden Northern regions.

This knowledge didn't come from the system, but was engraved in Luo De's memory like chiseling stone.

"My lord, what is a heated kang?"

Lawrence asked curiously.

"A more practical heating tool than your fireplaces."

Luo De smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about what it is exactly, just follow my instructions, and you'll naturally understand once it's made."

Lawrence nodded slightly.

The Lord had created many strange things, yet all were practical.

The principle of a heated kang is quite simple: using a flue to store heat, allowing hot air to pass through the kang body to heat the brick structure, and continue to release heat even after burning has ceased.

In the old days, the heated kang was mostly combined with a large stove, but here, Luo De planned to modify it, directly combining it with a fireplace.

The fireplace burns, then the smoke travels along the kang passage, continuously heating it.

Of course, this modification is not unique; there were similar combinations in the old days, though not as singular.

Since the heating relies on smoke, sealing is very important, and the best material for building the kang is still brick.

Luo De assigned these hundred people primarily to brick making.

The townspeople, who thought they could start resting leisurely, became busy again upon hearing that Lord Baron himself ordered the making of winter heating devices, and their faces lit up with excitement.

They had already passed the period of doubting the Lord, entering a state of complete trust in him.

Clay was also a kind of mineral resource, and during Luo De's last inspection of the eastern territory, he marked several places.

Under his command, everyone knew exactly where to dig without much effort, then transported the clay back cart by cart.

Luo De did not draw schematics; he directly shared instructions with the carpenters, who then made dozens of simple wooden molds as backup.

Luo De planned to build a temporary brick kiln, so it wasn't necessary to make the bricks in town; they started making bricks directly on a flat area convenient for water access.

After drying the clay for two or three days, it was crushed, mixed with fine sand and water to form a dough, and then straw was added to increase strength.

Once the consistency was suitable, the clay mixture was packed into the prepared wooden molds, pressed tightly and smoothed, then gently demolded to form bricks.

The bricks were then moved to sun-dry for a few days, with occasional flipping for even drying.

This process was quite simple, even the Wildmen learned after Luo De demonstrated three times.

The slightly more challenging part was the brick firing process, but there was no rush; construction could begin once the bricks dried properly.

More bricks needed to be made; otherwise, once winter froze the water, making them would become impossible.

Amidst his busy schedule, Durant came to report, "Baron Blom's men have brought over some slaves, and Baron Blom is ready to leave."

Luo De dusted off the earth on him and went back to the manor to change into a more formal outfit to see Baron Blom off.

Each lord was quite busy, and Luo De's territory was filled with various knowledge and skills, making it often inconvenient to entertain Baron Blom.

"I hope we can pass this winter peacefully."

At the town gate, Baron Blom smiled and said, "We'll rid ourselves of those annoying Alien Races together come summer."

Luo De nodded heavily.

Those Alien Races were a latent threat, and Luo De wished to eliminate them in the cradle before they suddenly emerged on some day.

Of course, it would ultimately depend on their actual strength by then.

"Thank you once again for your hospitality."

Baron Blom mounted his horse, "Next time, come to my place, and I'll host you."

"Sure."

Luo De smiled as he bid farewell, and Baron Blom immediately rode away with his men.

Returning to his tasks, Luo De became busy with his work once more.

The heated kang required not only the fired bricks; for sealing and easy assembly, smooth slate was needed to lay over the kang passage, and Luo De instructed the stonemasons to prepare them in advance.

A kang is quite hard, and one cannot sleep directly on the bare earth; some soft dried grass mats were needed to cover it.

The women were familiar with grass mats, and picking any fifty of them would suffice to make them.

Once the bricks dried, Luo De took the lead, guiding everyone in erecting a temporary brick kiln.

They dug a rectangular pit, laid a layer of crushed stone and compacted clay, constructed a firing chamber below, and arranged the bricks in a "井" shape above.

A hundred people worked tirelessly day and night, firing thousands of bricks daily, and though the quality varied, enough quality bricks could be selected for use.

During the daytime supervising brick making, at night Luo De began sketching the heated kang diagrams.

Breaking the final obstacle, Avril had already moved directly into Luo De's room, spending the nights in her pajamas with Luo De.

Without saying much, she quietly sat by his side, occasionally feeding him dried fruits and kneading his shoulders.

"We have almost all the materials; once the diagram is finished, we can start construction tomorrow."

Luo De stretched, "Once the heated kang is finished, it won't be so cold indoors this winter."

As a lord, Luo De was naturally not content with just one heated kang.

Luo De planned to layout the ground heating just like in his past life, directly installing a floor kang.

Avril wore a sweet smile, also anticipating the heated kang Luo De spoke of.

After all, this would be her first winter in the Northern Wasteland.

She still remembered March in the Northern Wilderness being colder than winter in Griffin Castle, uncertain of how winter would be.

With Luo De's assurance, she wasn't worried.

While Luo De's Winter Manor was filled with warmth and harmony, Count Hawk at Eagle Castle was raging with fury.

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