"My lord, the people we recruited yesterday have been waiting outside the castle since before dawn!" Lina reported quickly, her voice filled with urgency.
Kent added, "They made quite a commotion outside, which alerted Barron and the others in the store. Worried that something might be wrong, Barron informed Jon and the rest of the soldiers who were resting in the barracks. The men immediately armed themselves and are now guarding the castle from the inside.
"We didn't dare leave your door and still don't know exactly what's happening outside!" Rubin added.
dicken and Chris nodded in agreement, their faces tense with concern.
After listening to their reports, Jason Liu finally understood the situation. He was still somewhat worried, so he sent Kent to check the situation firsthand.
Letting Lina and dicken inside, Jason sighed, realizing that he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. He got up, washed his face in the bathroom, and returned to his table, where Lina quickly poured him a glass of water.
Before long, Jon returned with Kent.
Jon was dressed in a black stab-resistant suit, a sword fastened to his waist. His handsome face remained as serious and composed as ever.
"Jon, what's going on outside?" Jason asked, his concern evident.
Jon answered in his usual calm and measured tone, "The villagers gathered early because they were worried about being late. So many people standing outside the store made quite a racket, which alarmed us. But it was just a misunderstanding."
Hearing that there was no real threat, Jason Liu finally felt relieved. Since everyone in the castle had already been woken up, he decided to take action.
"We might as well take advantage of this early start," Jason said, thinking aloud. He quickly ordered his people to load the dozens of cauldrons prepared the day before, along with sacks of flour and vegetables, onto the carriages.
His plan was to take all 2,000 recruited workers to the wasteland south of Winterfell, provide them with breakfast, and then get straight to work.
The castle immediately burst into activity.
Barlow hitched two extra horses to a small wagon, preparing for the heavy load.
Barron and his 30-man solar energy installation team, who had not yet been deployed to install lamps in the castles of the northern lords, lent a hand in the store.
Within moments, they had loaded the flour and vegetables from the castle's food warehouse onto wooden carts.
Among the supplies, the most noticeable were the more than 30 large iron cauldrons. Jason had purchased them from Winterfell's market the previous day. However, since there weren't enough in the local blacksmith shops, he had sent men to inquire further.
Fortunately, Winterfell had a stockpile of such cauldrons, and Director had generously sold him several more. In the end, they managed to gather more than 30 in total.
These massive iron pots were ideal for cooking large quantities of food. A single batch of vegetable soup could be prepared in each, then another immediately after. This ensured that all 2,000 workers would get a proper meal.
Meanwhile, in town, Torrant was rudely awakened by soldiers knocking at his door. Groggy, he learned that the recruited workers had already arrived and that Lord Easter had ordered an immediate departure for the logging site.
Rubbing his eyes, Torrant looked up at the still-dark sky, feeling somewhat helpless. But since the lord had given the order, there was no choice but to obey.
After bidding a quick farewell to his wife and sons, he went around town, knocking on doors to wake the other stonemasons. Before long, over a dozen men had gathered, ready to move out under Torrant's lead.
Outside the castle gates, Easter's men had already finished loading the carriages. Soldiers stood in line, maintaining order among the restless villagers and ensuring that none of them approached the castle or disturbed Lord Jason.
When Jason Liu and Lina finally emerged from the castle in a small four-wheeled carriage, they were met with the sight of a dark mass of villagers standing with all sorts of farming tools in hand.
The moment the villagers spotted his carriage, they quickly bowed in greeting.
Jason spoke briefly with Jon, dicken, and the other guards riding alongside the carriage.
Immediately, Kent, McCann, Bud, and Marbu barked orders to the gathered villagers, while the soldiers lit their torches to illuminate the path.
With a deep rumble, the small four-wheeled carriage carrying Jason Liu led the way toward the southern outskirts of Winterfell. Bright lamps glowed at the corners of the carriage, lighting the dark road ahead as it was escorted by 30 cavalrymen.
The soldiers walking behind, torches in hand, guided the massive group of villagers.
Slowly, the noisy crowd began to move.
The wooden wheels of the carts creaked and groaned against the uneven dirt road, making a teeth-grinding noise.
After standing outside the castle for so long, the villagers were relieved to finally be on the move. Their spirits lifted even further when they saw the sacks of flour and baskets of vegetables loaded onto the Easter family's carriages.
When word spread that they would be served a proper breakfast before starting work, their excitement grew even more.
The exhausting journey to Winterfell had taken several hours, but their fatigue vanished at the thought of food.
Many quickened their pace, eager to reach the site and enjoy their meal.
The memory of the all-you-can-eat white bread and vegetable soup from the day before still lingered in their minds, making their stomachs rumble in anticipation.
Meanwhile, inside Winterfell, the sight of more than 2,000 people marching through the city caused quite a stir.
Hundreds of Winterfell soldiers were startled awake. Rushing to dress and arm themselves, they scrambled to the walls under their captains' shouted orders.
Even Maester Luwin was jolted from his sleep. Squinting and rubbing his eyes, he reached for the switch in his room, flipping on the energy-saving lamp that had recently been installed.
Under its bright glow, he hastily threw on his academic robe and hurried out, heading straight for Lord Eddard's chambers, puzzled by the sudden commotion.
However, before he could reach Eddard's room, the Lord of Winterfell was already awake.
Quickly dressing and grabbing his sword, Eddard instructed his wife, Catelyn, to calm the children. Then, accompanied by his fully armed guards, he ascended the walls of Winterfell.
By the time he reached the battlements, the city watch captain informed him that the disturbance had been caused by Lord Easter's recruited workers, who were merely marching south to build a lumber mill.
Realizing there was no attack or imminent danger, Eddard Stark let out a long breath of relief. However, as he gazed down at the endless procession of workers following Jason Liu's carriage, he found himself at a loss for words.
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