The appearance of the large lake

He could not help but give a small smile when he heard their joyful tones. This was an achievement he would not forget any time soon. 

Everywhere he walked, the villagers greeted them with smiles. Gresvin responded in kind. 

The cries of roosters and the cackle of hens sounded in the morning. The village had all but recovered since its loss, and now it could even be considered to be stronger than before, only because of the recruits that stood guard around it.

The village elder was inside his own house when he heard a knock on his door. He stood up from his table and opened the door. Gresvin greeted him with a warm smile and bright hazel eyes. "Good morning, elder!"

"Ah! Gresvin, good morning to you as well," he responded after a moment of surprise. "Please come in," he gestured the way. Gresvin did not refuse and stepped into the house without hesitation.

Once inside, the elder said, "Well, it's strange for you to come to my house. So what can I do for you?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"I know we have already discussed the upcoming food and water problems, and for the most part, we can manage the next few weeks, but Elder, I do not believe it would be enough." Gresvin shook his head. Thus, I will continue to use the forest as our provider, but in the near future, we should start setting our eyes on the areas surrounding the village," he suggested.

The village elder frowned slightly when he heard Gresvin's words. He remained silent and carefully considered them. He had all the reasons to refuse, but he knew that if Gresvin's army was truly as big as he said it was, then they would certainly have issues.

"Now, I know it has certain risks but if we are able to claim larger land and resources we could use them quicker. In doing so we will be able to have a larger harvest in less time than usual." Gresvin tried to persuade the elder further by adding in.

"Mm, sigh!" the elder sighed, "Then what is it you propose?" he asked, his eyes turned to meet Gresvin's. "Well, I have already spoken with my men, we will guard the village for one more week. If no bandits were to arrive, then after seven days, I would start to send out scouting parties with a few men. They will be able to give us more details about the surroundings; not only will it give us the location of resources but also the movements of bandits," he added.

"Very well Gresvin, if that is what you believe to be right, then I shall trust you." the elder agreed.

"Thank you elder!" Gresvin said happily.

***

And just like that, the week passed uneventfully. No bandits or raiders appeared during this time, and the village enjoyed the peace the warriors brought.

The early morning sun gazed over the distant rolling hills, bringing with it the warmth of the day. The villagers had already awoken and went on with their days. Meanwhile, in the center of the small cabins before the forest, a small group of men had gathered.

Gresvin and his men were having a meeting about the planned exploration, and Gresvin had come to understand that although the villagers had some knowledge of the surroundings, it could been better.

Their knowledge is limited to the forest behind the village and a few miles beyond their fields; that is all. Gresvin was flabbergasted by the limited amount of knowledge the village possessed, but thankfully, due to their plans to scout the surrounding areas, he would be able to gather much more information.

"Good, since we gathered, I have already said that I want to send out a few scouts from this week on. Now excluding me we have… 8 Imperial Recruits. Some have to stay behind and some should go out, I propose for this week we only send out 3 men, any objections?" Gresvin asked while glancing at the men around him.

The one recruit called Marcus spoke up, "No my Lord!" Gresvin nodded in satisfaction while thinking silently, 'It seems he will become the general in the group.' Based on the last few weeks, Marcus had shown impeccable leadership skills, and every single recruit that came listened to him.

Gresvin did not have the slightest idea how that worked or why, and he did not intend to interfere with the process. 

"Then that settles it. Marcus, you take a few men and head out. For today, you do not need to search too far. Scouting for natural resources will be the priority. If you have news regarding bandits, I want you to return and report first, unless you believe you can take them down." Gresvin listed a few of his concerns and a few suggestions regarding their route.

Before long, the party had set off. They traveled on foot and headed east, the opposite direction from where Gresvin had appeared when he arrived at the small village of Coedwig.

Gresvin watched as the three men disappeared beyond the horizon; he could only hope they would return safely. When Gresvin could no longer see them, he slowly turned around and made his way down the steps of the watchtower; he wanted to report to the village head.

The village head was in his home, busy writing at his desk, when Gresvin came in, "Morning Elder," he greeted warmly, "O! Good morning to you, Gresvin," the elder replied.

"What brings you to my home this early in the morning?" he asked curiously, knowing full well Gresvin would go into the woods to train or hunt beasts.

"Mm, well you see, this morning i have sent out a few of my men to scout the surroundings, three to be exact. I wanted most of them to be on standby here in the village if something were to happen." Gresvin explained.