A few days ago, at the old station north of Crow Candle Castle.
A month had passed, and the old station looked vastly different from before.
The collapsed half of the main house had its wooden beams raised once more, its roof covered with dark brown planks, and its broken doors and windows completely replaced.
The south-facing room on the second floor was fully repaired, though the walls had yet to be plastered, leaving them looking somewhat rough.
The rotten wood and debris in the yard had been cleared away, and the stables, well, and drainage ditches were gradually restored to use.
On the side close to the old road, two simple storage sheds had been built.
What was once a barely habitable ruin finally resembled a proper station now.
The number of people at the construction site had also grown from the initial ten to more than twenty.
Carpenters stood on the roof hammering wooden planks, masons led several day laborers to patch up the courtyard walls, and others pushed wheelbarrows to transport cleared gravel to fill the muddy ruts on the road.
Miles stood in front of the main house, carefully directing the construction on-site.
“Those pieces of timber can't be left there! If it rains tonight, they'll all end up soaked!”
“Toby, stop carrying stones for a second. Take two men and prop that timber up.”
Toby called out in response, quickly putting down his stone and waving over two nearby day laborers to help.
On the other side, a young man took advantage of a moment when no one was watching to lean against his wheelbarrow and catch his breath.
Spotting this, Miles strode over.
“We're still short three cartloads of stone today.”
The young man quickly stood up straight. “Brother Miles, I was just resting for a second, catching my breath.”
Miles glanced at his blistered palms and said, “Go find logistics and get that patched up before you come back to push the cart. If you get blood all over the wooden handle, how is anyone else supposed to use it?”
The young man was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded. “Thank you, Brother Miles.”
“Don't thank me. If today's work isn't finished, it's still going down on the ledger.”
Miles spoke harshly, but he still tossed a waterskin to him.
“Fill it up and return it to me in a bit.”
The young man caught the waterskin, a smile breaking out on his face, and quickly ran toward the kitchen.
The work here was by no means easy, but no one slacked off on purpose.
Because every ten days, the person in charge, Lia, would verify their attendance in front of everyone and hand them small cloth pouches filled with copper and silver coins one by one.
Those who did well could stay. Once they learned carpentry, cart repair, and road paving, their wages would even go up.
Many nearby villagers had initially come just to test the waters, but now they were proactively asking if the station would hire permanent workers in the future.
“Once this road is truly repaired, the caravans will definitely return,” a mason remarked casually as he smeared mortar into the wall joints.
“When that time comes, it won't just be the station that needs people. Repairing carts, feeding horses, hauling cargo—which of those doesn't need hands? The nearby villages will have an easier time too. It's much better than guarding a few patches of barren land that can't grow any crops.”
They didn't know if the Northern Route could actually be fully restored.
But the houses standing before them once more, the smoke rising daily from the chimneys, and the copper coins landing in their purses on time were enough to make them believe that this station might truly offer them a way to make a living.
On the second floor of the main house, Lia stood by a window that had yet to be fitted with glass, quietly looking down with the day's progress ledger in hand.
The three Miles brothers were already capable of independently arranging most of the work.
The three of them still bickered occasionally, and Ian still had minor flaws like slacking off and haggling, but over the past month, not a single tool had gone missing, and not a single copper coin had been withheld from the workers.
The task the young lady had entrusted to her was being completed exactly as planned.
Lia closed the ledger and continued to organize the upcoming purchases and work details.
In the evening, the last hammering sounds on the roof came to a stop.
The workers handed in their tools and left in small groups.
Some lived in the nearby villages, while others stayed temporarily in the newly built wooden sheds behind the station.
Miles confirmed that all tools had been returned and was preparing to lock the warehouse when Ian suddenly walked in from outside.
He had a strained look on his face.
“Big brother, someone outside is looking for us.”
“Who?”
“Someone we used to know.”
Miles put down the lock in his hand and followed Ian to the edge of the newly repaired old road, where he saw five men standing.
The leader had a scar running diagonally across the bridge of his nose, and the men behind him were all armed.
Miles recognized him; his name was Garey.
Ever since the Northern Route was cut off, these people had been robbing solitary travelers nearby and occasionally raiding villages.
When the three brothers had been driven to a dead end back then, they had even tried to join them, but because their gear was too poor and they didn't dare to actually kill anyone, they were driven away as useless deadweight.
Garey sized up the leather armor on Miles and clicked his tongue.
“Doing pretty well for yourself, huh? Back then, you couldn't even get a sip of hot soup, but now you're dressed like a decent person.”
Miles stood at the front, with Ian and Toby behind him. The three of them faced off against the group, the atmosphere tense.
“What are you here for?”
Garey jerked his chin toward the station. “I heard there's a noble backing this place? Since they have the money to repair roads, build houses, and even pay you wages, their pockets must be pretty deep, right?”
Miles's gaze darkened slightly.
“What do you want?”
“Don't play dumb.”
Garey lowered his voice and took a few steps forward. “We've already asked around. That noble has never shown their face. The one actually running things in the station is just a woman.”
“Help us grab her tonight and squeeze out where the noble lives. Once we pull off this job, we'll split the warehouse, the money, and the gear with you.”
Toby's face instantly paled. Just as he was about to speak, Miles raised a hand to stop him.
Garey sneered, “What? You've been working for them for a month, and now you really think of yourselves as their house dogs?”
“Carrying stones and fixing broken roads every day—how much can you make busting your asses like that? You're better off robbing them once. It'll be enough to feed you for years.”
Miles fell silent for a moment, then asked, “How many of you are there?”
Ian whipped his head around to look at him, while the smile on Garey's face widened.
“Counting the ones waiting outside as backup, nine in total. You just need to lure that woman out. We'll handle the rest.”
Miles asked again, “Where do we do it?”
“You choose. You've been working here for so long, you must know where there's no one else around.”
Miles thought for a moment. “There's an abandoned material yard west of the station. Road-paving stones used to be piled there. Steward Lia goes there every evening to check the remaining materials.”
“It's a fair distance from the station, so any noise won't carry back here.”
Garey nodded in satisfaction. “Good, you're smart. Bring her over tonight once the moon rises. Once it's done, we won't shortchange you.”
The men quickly departed. Only after they had gone far did Ian lower his voice:
“Big brother, do you really want to work with them?”
Toby also stared at him with wide eyes, unable to believe they were going back to being bandits.
Miles turned and walked back toward the station. “Let's go find Steward Lia.”
In the second-floor room, Lia didn't speak immediately after hearing Miles out.
Miles stood before her, his palms already slick with sweat.
“There are nine of them. I was thinking of agreeing first and luring them all to the old material yard.”
“There are still ropes and pit traps left there from before. If we prepare in advance, we can trap at least half of them.”
He paused. “But there is risk involved. If you don't agree, we'll recall everyone right now to defend the station.”
Lia's single eye stared at him as she asked, “Why didn't you agree to their proposal?”
Miles blanked for a moment.
“Because they didn't offer enough?” Lia asked calmly.
“No,” Miles shook his head. “Even if they did steal the money, they wouldn't share it with us. We've seen plenty of things like that before.”
At this point, he paused for a moment. “Besides, we rebuilt this station plank by plank, stone by stone. Our wages are paid on time, and we've never gone hungry. Once the road is truly open, we can live a stable life here.”
“I don't want to go back to robbing people anymore.”
Looking at Miles's earnest expression, Lia recalled the warning the young lady had given her before leaving.
Antidotes, food, and wages could make the three brothers obedient for a time, but they couldn't be truly trusted because of that.
Only when faced with the temptation of betrayal, if they still chose to stay, would it prove that the past month's investment had not been in vain.
That was why she hadn't alerted the enemy when she noticed someone contacting the three Miles brothers.
She wanted to see whether these three would bring Garey into the station or walk into this room of their own accord.
Now, she had her answer.
Miles hadn't rejected Garey out of loyalty to some noble he had never even met.
He was simply unwilling to let go of his wages, his lodging, and the future that was just beginning to take shape.
But to the young lady, this was already enough.
Lia nodded. “Then do as you planned.”
Miles was somewhat surprised. “Aren't you going to arrange for more men?”
“No need.” Lia picked up the progress ledger on the desk. “Since they want to know where the employer is, we can't let any of them leave.”
Rate on N.U.
