Dreams are beautiful; reality requires a down-to-earth approach.

Luo De spent a considerable amount of time and effort; apart from the millstone, the entire windmill was officially assembled.

When the last bolt was tightened, the windmill blades began to turn slowly under the push of the wind.

The gears meshed with each other, emitting a rhythmic clicking sound.

The sound of wood rubbing against wood was now the most beautiful sound Luo De heard.

Luo De walked out of the mill and stood atop the hill, his eyes admiringly fixed on the windmill, his heart filled with a sense of achievement.

The rotating windmill tower was exceptionally beautiful, becoming an exotic scenic sight under the sunlight.

Everything was operating as anticipated.

In the future, this mill would continuously grind out flour, heralding new changes for the Northern Wasteland.

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and felt the wind blowing across his face, the air filled with the fresh scent of wood.

This feeling was extremely wonderful.

Now, only the millstone was left; once it's made and installed, this windmill mill would be truly completed.

During this period, the carpenters worked day and night, utterly exhausted.

Luo De was not stingy; he directly gave them a day off and even instructed Lawrence to exchange work points for them.

So they could freely exchange food and daily supplies and then relax at the tavern of the Breath of Frost.

As for those carpenter slaves, Luo De did not mistreat them either.

Luo De had his servants prepare a sumptuous meal, allowing them to freely relax and rest.

While Luo De was immersed in the joy of completing the windmill, he received some displeasing news.

...

...

In a wooden house in the southeastern civilian area of Frost Leaf Town.

Lying on the bed, Or looked at the two people in front of him, his eyes gradually dimming, losing all hope.

He never thought that in less than two weeks, his wife Nisha would get involved with another man.

He now somewhat regretted it.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been tempted by the generous military pay and joined the Lord's army.

If he had honestly stayed a farmer like before, perhaps he wouldn't have ended up like this, at least still being able to protect his family.

But now?

He had lost his legs, his ability to support the family, and also... his once beautiful wife who stayed by his side.

"I'm sorry, Or."

Or's wife Nisha spoke in a calm tone, even with a bit of indifference,

"You can no longer support me; you are now a cripple, unable to earn work points anymore."

"Even with so much grain left from the work points, you've already started planning for the future?"

Or let out a bitter laugh, staring intently at Nisha, "I still have work points; I won't let you starve."

"You have them now, but you won't in the future."

Nisha glanced at him faintly, saying mercilessly, "The 700 pounds of grain at home will only last for a bit more than three months; your work points will be used up eventually.

What will you do without work points? Do you expect me to support you?"

Or's heart felt as if it was being squeezed tightly, making it hard to breathe.

His wife wasn't like this before, but ever since he came back disabled, she'd changed.

The man next to Nisha sneered, his tone filled with disdain: "Enough talking to this waste, what good does it do?

Or, you should go find your Lord, instead of dragging others down here."

"Shut up!"

Or yelled angrily.

"Huh, Or, I don't want to waste time with you; I can't keep taking care of you, and now you can't stop me from leaving either."

Nisha sneered,

"Perhaps you should do as Rand said and go plead with the Lord. But even the Lord won't support you for a lifetime."

Or gritted his teeth and said coldly, "The Lord has already cared for us disabled soldiers; he gave each of us 500 pounds of grain and 100 pounds of meat."

"Just that little, in exchange for your legs?"

Nisha waved her hand, "Forget it, it doesn't concern me anyway, since I'm not the cripple."

Rand wrapped an arm around Nisha's waist, smugly saying, "Stop talking, let's take the grain and leave."

"You want to take the grain?"

Or widened his eyes, looking at his wife incredulously.

She's not only abandoning him but also planning to take the compensation the Lord gave!

"On what grounds?!"

"Simply because you can't stop us now."

Nisha shrugged slightly, spreading her hands, "Don't worry, I won't take everything from home; I'll leave you a bag of grain to last you through the month.

Let's consider that the affection from these years of being husband and wife."

"Get out—"

Or picked up a cup beside him and threw it at Nisha, but she easily dodged it.

Or cursed through gritted teeth, his body trembling, struggling to stop them, but the pain in his legs left him powerless.

His wife showed no courtesy, packing up everything in the house with the new man and left without looking back.

As the wooden door closed, the room fell silent, save for Or's low, labored breathing.

His hands clutched the bedding tightly, his chest suffocating, as if his heart was about to tear.

Or felt like he was suffocating, yet had no ability to resist.

Thud, thud, thud.

Suddenly, there was a knocking sound at the door.

"Come in."

Or closed his eyes, adjusting his emotions, speaking in a low voice, "What else do you want to take... Gang Le!"

The wooden door was slowly pushed open, the brawny figure almost filling the entire doorframe.

—It was Gang Le.

Behind Gang Le were two soldiers carrying two heavy bags of grain.

Gang Le surveyed the room, his gaze falling on Or's thin face, he nodded slightly,

"Are you Or?"

Or knew Gang Le, but with so many soldiers, Gang Le hadn't trained them, so he didn't remember.

Or nodded, his voice a bit hoarse: "Yes, Lord Gang Le."

Gang Le waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to put down the grain, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone,

"This is your ration, 100 pounds of grain and 30 pounds of meat, this is for the first month."

"In the future, other soldiers will deliver it. If you have any other needs, just tell them."

"The Lord said you must not be treated unfairly."

Or took a deep breath, struggling to sit up, gratefully saying, "Thank you, Lord Gang Le, thank you for the Lord's mercy."

"I will convey your thanks; if there's nothing else, I will take my leave."

Gang Le nodded slightly, casually marking a check in his ledger.

As he turned to leave, Gang Le furrowed his brows slightly, "Why are you alone? Where is your wife? She should be preparing lunch at this time, right?"

At the mention of "wife," Or's expression stiffened, his eyes dimmed.

He let out a bitter smile from the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "She... left."

"What's going on?" Gang Le asked in a deep voice.

Or did not hide it, recounting everything that had just happened.

After hearing it all, Gang Le let out a cold laugh, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes, "Interesting, I will report this matter to the Lord."

Or did not speak, merely lowered his gaze, looking at the ground.

Gang Le looked at the warrior before him, remained silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Or, war took your legs, but that doesn't mean your life is over."

Or's body shook, he lifted his head, his eyes complex.

"The Lord has said he will not abandon any soldier who has fought for him,"

Gang Le's tone was calm yet carried an undeniable firmness, "You are his subject, and his warrior; once you recover, you still have other paths to take."

Or opened his mouth, but found himself unable to speak.

Gang Le didn't say more, turning to walk outside,

"Don't worry, the Lord will stand up for you."

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