Gale did not stay long; he still had many things to do.
Most of Nordrassil was already built, and the remaining parts needed to be slowly expanded. The idle Kaldorei were either recruited into the navy or voluntarily went out to sea as fishermen.
Gale also began issuing pioneering orders, migrating some Kaldorei to surrounding towns and villages. Dozens of settlements like Heda'shal, Faranar, Felsoul Hold, Nordinil, Shal'Aran, Moonclaw Valley, Sas'tala, Antu'dara, Shala'nil, Twilight Hills, Riverbend, and Sharpshooter Camp were handed over to the Kaldorei to manage.
After the Well of Eternity exploded, many original inhabitants returned to these places. However, compared to the previous population, it was still far from enough.
Although they were also affected by Teldrassil, these newborns had only just been born. Even when they grew into adults, they would still be unable to fill the population gaps in these areas.
In fact, filling the population in these places was not very urgent. Gale's early action was for Black Rook Hold.
Kur'talos Ravencrest had rendered meritorious service to the Kaldorei Empire, and he was assassinated while serving as the commander of the allied forces. When Gale officially appointed Garrosh, he deliberately avoided Black Rook Hold, precisely to allow the Raven Case to return to Black Rook Hold.
During the War of the Ancients, the Raven Case also suffered heavy losses; its members either died in battle or went missing.
The first-in-line heir who could be found was Captain Ravencrest of Suramar.
Floyd Ravencrest was re-appointed as the Lord of Black Rook Hold by Gale. Gale re-drew the governing area of Black Rook Hold, with its northern border touching Dreamgrove, its eastern border reaching the Temple of the Moon, and its southern border facing Sas'tala across the river.
Due to the aftermath of the Well of Eternity's explosion, Salmon Creek, which encircled Black Rook Hold, turned Black Rook Hold into an island. Geographical limitations restricted the development of Black Rook Hold, so Gale left Salmon Town, south of Salmon Creek, to Black Rook Hold.
Salmon Town had flat terrain, suitable for growing grain. Moreover, there was a deep-water area by the sea, which could be developed into an excellent harbor. Gale instructed Floyd to build the port, and he would dispatch a coastal fleet to be stationed there to ensure the safety of the fishermen.
At the same time, Salmon Creek was rich in salmon. Coupled with the fish schools near the coast, it was enough to ensure Black Rook Hold's food self-sufficiency.
Currently, Black Rook Hold had a small population, so Gale could only allocate a thousand people to Floyd. After Black Rook Hold's population multiplied over several centuries, there would definitely be food shortages.
By then, other parts of the empire would surely have been developed, and food could be imported entirely through the port.
During the War of the Ancients, Kur'talos voluntarily withdrew from Black Rook Hold for the safety of the refugees. This action spared Black Rook Hold from the devastation of war. The demons only destroyed the walls and gates; the buildings inside were largely intact.
Floyd sent people to simply clean up, and then moved in. The damaged areas needed to be slowly repaired. The immediate priority was how to develop Black Rook Hold.
The farmland near Salmon Town definitely needed to be replanted, and the fishing operations in Salmon Creek also needed to be arranged.
In addition, the road leading to the Temple of the Moon needed to be repaired.
The priest presiding over the Temple of the Moon was now Nasha. Maiev's little sister had also become capable of handling things independently.
Although two years had passed since the War of the Ancients, the wounds in the hearts of the Kaldorei had not fully healed. At this time, faith became especially important. Moreover, not all of these people had come to Black Rook Hold voluntarily; many of them preferred Nordrassil.
It was just that they originally hailed from Black Rook Hold. Therefore, Gale handed them back to Floyd.
In this situation, faith became a tool for stabilizing emotions.
Only by stabilizing the Kaldorei could Black Rook Hold develop.
At the same time, Floyd also looked to Nordrassil as an example; whatever Nordrassil had, Black Rook Hold also needed to implement as quickly as possible.
After repairing the road to the Temple of the Moon, Floyd immediately began constructing a port south of Salmon Town. For this, he specifically wrote an invitation to Mejia, asking him to assist in building Salmon Harbor.
Mejia was busy creating liches and could not spare any time. However, he dispatched Delyana, accompanied by fifty lich apprentices.
Under Delyana's leadership, the lich apprentices quickly adapted to underwater spellcasting. Then, using the elemental spells they had learned, they solidified the underwater foundation of Salmon Harbor. They also quarried stones from the mountain west of Salmon Town and transported them to Salmon Harbor to build the docks.
In less than a month, the first dock was completed.
Floyd immediately reported the news to Gale, who kept his promise and dispatched a cruiser fleet to be stationed in Salmon Harbor. Not only that, Gale also sent craftsmen to help Salmon Town build fishing boats.
After the fishing boats were completed, Salmon Town's fishing operations immediately got on track.
Gale also sent a fleet of merchant ships, bringing the seeds and goods Floyd needed. The Kaldorei, whose living needs were met, gradually settled down in Black Rook Hold.
Floyd was very clever; he noticed that Tauren and Drogbar merchant caravans traveled long distances to Nordrassil for trade. Thus, he conceived the idea of forming his own merchant caravan.
He only had fishing boats, so he loaded goods onto them and traveled east along Salmon Creek, transporting the goods all the way to Thunder Totem and Doomed Cliff.
The Tauren and Drogbar were very welcoming to this doorstep merchant caravan; they were rough in nature and not suited for business. Although the prices of Black Rook Hold's caravan were slightly higher than Nordrassil's, it saved them the hardship of long-distance travel.
Moreover, Black Rook Hold's caravan accepted anything, and goods that were previously low in value and not worth bringing back along the original route were all sold. Accumulating small amounts, the total value of a large quantity of low-value goods even exceeded the price of what they bought.
After several centuries, they finally had a trade surplus, and the Tauren were overjoyed.
They had no idea that these materials were eventually sold by Floyd to Nordrassil, making several times the profit.
Relying on bulk goods and low-price sales, Black Rook Hold's merchant caravan earned a lot of gold coins. After these gold coins were converted into supplies, the quality of life for all the liege lords greatly improved, becoming much better than in Nordrassil.
Seeing the benefits, the liege lords no longer thought of leaving. Even some Kaldorei near Black Rook Hold rushed to join Black Rook Hold.
Floyd quickly set his sights on the Bearman of Dreamgrove; their population was much larger than the Tauren, and if he could trade with them, he would earn even more.
However, the Bearman had just settled in Dreamgrove and did not have much wealth.
To open up trade routes, Floyd brought many supplies and gave them to the Bearman for free. Later, after the Bearman settled down, they indeed became loyal customers of Black Rook Hold.
And Floyd, relying on his shrewd business acumen, quickly became the richest merchant in the Kaldorei Empire.
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