The Shire, a region inhabited almost exclusively by hobbits, could be considered one of the few truly peaceful places remaining in all of Middle-earth.
It was also the kind of life Eru Ilúvatar had originally intended for His children when this world was first sung into being. But in this age, very few could enjoy such a life.
Even those at the pinnacle of powe, the royal families and great nobles, were often so troubled by powerful enemies or the forces of darkness that they could hardly rest at night, let alone indulge in any form of leisure.
However, now it seemed that west of the Misty Mountains, more and more people were beginning to live in peace and happiness once again.
The small caravan returned smoothly to Wayfort, bringing back a cartload of goods.
As soon as they arrived, a large group of people gathered around the wagon, searching for the items they had commissioned, creating quite a lively scene.
"This doesn't seem like a bad idea…"
Sitting on a bench beside the road, Garrett observed the small caravan thoughtfully.
The role of a merchant caravan wasn't limited to merely exchanging goods, it also helped spread influence, showcase the unique culture of the territory, and establish connections.
All in all, it was beneficial.
Besides, there were more supplies than they could use anyway. Instead of letting them sit idle, why not take them out for trade?
Having reached his decision, he established an official trading caravan the very next day. The team expanded from the original eight to twelve people, adding four residents who had either practiced archery or possessed some martial ability.
These new members were all recommended by other townspeople and were themselves interested in the caravan work and willing to accept the responsibility.
Four of them were appointed as merchants, responsible for inventory and sales, while the remaining eight served as guards.
The merchants wore signature wool garments or leather clothing of Wayfort and carried basic weapons for self-defense. The guards, in addition to warm clothing, were all outfitted with armor forged using elven techniques and armed with longswords and bows.
The number of wagons increased to three, all of them large, pulled by sturdy horses from the stronghold's stables.
There was no choice, faster horses risked overturning the carts.
The caravan's main route was set westward, passing through Bree, the Shire, and Lindon, finally reaching the Blue Mountains where the dwarves had settled, before returning.
Safety on this route wasn't much of a concern. For one thing, there were few enemies in that region; as long as they stayed on the main roads, they should be able to travel safely back and forth.
For another, each horse in the caravan wore barding, making them appear formidable and battle-ready. Combined with the fully armed guards, it was easy to foresee that unless facing a considerable threat, few would risk confronting them.
And finally, just before the caravan departed, Garrett personally crafted a banner on the spot and inscribed his name in the Common Speech upon it, to declare that the people under this flag were under his protection.
Thus, the newly expanded caravan set off. Everyone was dressed warmly, with cloaks to shield them from wind and snow.
They would bring goods, rare for the season, to the people of Middle-earth. And at the same time, announce the presence of Wayfort to the outside world.
"If you come across any homeless wanderers or refugees along the way, you may bring them back," Garrett instructed at the gates.
"But remember, Wayfort doesn't accept rogues or freeloaders. Those who refuse to work but expect to enjoy benefits, let them go wherever they want. Just don't bring them here."
"I understand, my lord," said the merchant at the front.
"I swear on my honor that I will carry this out faithfully."
"As will we all," the others in the caravan echoed.
Nodding in approval and watching the caravan depart, he turned to the snow-covered landscape outside the stronghold and assigned a new task to the townspeople.
Ice harvesting.
Other work could be accomplished at any time, but ice could only be gathered during winter.
Following Garrett's instructions, the labor distribution changed. A small group continued harvesting vegetables from the gardens, while half of the remainder went to work in the mines, and the other half used precision ice-cutting tools provided by Garrett to position themselves by the frozen ponds and extract ice.
Priority was given to ice harvesting, with mining being secondary.
The goal was to keep the ice harvesting fully staffed first, any extra manpower could go to the mines or elsewhere.
The quantity of ice blocks began to steadily accumulate. Although the workers couldn't mine as quickly as Garrett himself, the advantage was that the work could continue without interruption, freeing him to do other projects.
For example, the Nether.
---
Whoosh.
Crossing the twisted portal and checking his location on the map, Garrett marked the area where construction was about to begin.
Then he returned to the warehouse, retrieved a large amount of materials, and began work along the marked path.
This was to be a dedicated Nether express route between Wayfort and Dale.
For various reasons, he planned to build three pathways: the first was a packed ice road, which for now remained unused due to an insufficient supply of ice blocks; the second was a pathway for easy horseback travel; and the third was a minecart railway.
Though called a minecart track, it was essentially a stretch of railway laid alongside the road for bulk transportation, or for him to ride leisurely in a minecart when he didn't feel like walking.
The total distance spanned 140 kilometers in the Nether, a massive undertaking by any measure.
But once completed, it would be a true high-speed route: no obstacles, no curves, just head straight and you'd reach your destination.
Even without the ice road, horseback travel could cover the entire journey from Wayfort to Rivendell in just two hours. In terms of the overworld equivalent, that would be like traveling over 1,100 kilometers in two hours.
Once the packed ice road was finished, that time could be cut in half.
Building it was laborious, but once completed, it would be incredibly useful.
Thus, a highly time-consuming project officially began.
On this predetermined route, he worked on all three road types simultaneously. But because the route was so long and required a massive amount of materials, he first had to manufacture a large number of transport minecarts. He filled them with cobblestone and other fire-resistant blocks, and had them move with him along the road, constructing while resupplying at the same time.
Eventually, he even began emptying the contents of his ender chest to use it as additional material storage.
Time passed steadily.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, half a month went by.
By the time Garrett had completed one-tenth of the planned route, and had just exhausted his supply of packed ice, Wade came to see him.
It was about the residents.
"My lord, during this time, many people have achieved breakthroughs, they're now able to access the storage chests."
"That's good. Keep it that way," Garrett replied while placing blocks into his inventory.
"This means they're now qualified to be permanent residents here, as long as they can maintain their current state."
"Contributions can increase, but they can also be reduced. If someone stops working or producing, their contribution will gradually fade, unless they are no longer capable of labor."
Wade straightened and took the matter seriously.
"I will remember your words, my lord, and so will the residents."
Garrett nodded and continued, "Those who officially become recognized residents may also use the transport minecarts. We'll be needing those for iron ore extraction soon."
"For now, since the mine tunnels haven't been dug through, just keep doing things as you have been."
After filling another inventory section with construction materials, he paused in thought and added, "I'll be quite busy for a while, but on the first day of every month, I'll stop my work. That's when you can come to me with updates or feedback."
"Understood, my lord."
Wade gave a respectful bow and returned to his duties.