How to Survive in the Roanoke Colony-Chapter 69: Growing Pains (5)

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Walter, please step aside for a moment."

"Yes."

"Eleanor, please hurry a bit. Where was the painkiller?"

"It's here."

"Thank you."

"..."

"..."

"..."

This place is a hospital. Since Margaret was sent to London to establish a clinic for the poor in Southwark, others have been taking turns playing doctor.

...Let me briefly summarize the situation.

First, the English people, unable to tolerate the "Saint" Eleanor being insulted, beat up those self-proclaimed French explorers.

Then the natives urgently intervened, asking why people were being beaten to death, and we managed to move them here.

"Ugh, urgh... cough..."

"Hick... hiccup..."

All four are unconscious, and fortunately, there don't appear to be any serious external injuries. At least for now.

What if one of them has serious internal injuries? What if they die?

A foreign expedition dying in our community? Wouldn't that be a problem?

"Are you alright?"

"...I don't think I am. But thank you for asking, Eleanor."

Phew.

I was stunned after suddenly being hit with an unexpected variable. Let me gather my thoughts first.

Suddenly, a French expedition came here. There was certainly no such content in the game catalog.

That could mean these people weren't important in the original history.

Or, the existence of this expedition itself might never have happened in the original history.

...Somehow, I think it's the latter. No, all the names and routes of expeditions sent by 16th century England, Spain, France, etc. were definitely listed in the game catalog.

Which means...

'Is it because of the butterfly effect?'

What did I do?

...Come to think of it, I saved a failed colony, converted Walter Raleigh, created a new sect, treated the London plague, and distributed aluminum, fruit, and various luxury goods to England.

I've done a lot.

I was able to quickly understand, unlike a book-transmigration protagonist who monopolizes all the opportunities and then says things like, "Strange... the growth of the main character's party is too slow."

Given what I've done so far, butterfly effects are more than plausible.

The likelihood that France would set its sights on the New World earlier than in the original history after seeing the fruits I had sown was more than sufficient.

Right. I've roughly grasped the situation.

Now the question remains, "So what will you do now?"

Should I... just convert them too?

No. With Walter Raleigh, the opportunity was right, and I had plenty of time and resources to invest in converting just one Raleigh.

Not now. Thanks to the population explosion, there's nothing I can do immediately.

What could I do for them anyway? Should I make prophecies like I did with Raleigh? But having altered history so much, what if I make some clumsy prophecy and it turns out wrong?

I also question whether there's any benefit to enticing them. Raleigh was the queen's favorite, but these people? Aren't they just explorers?

Moreover, France is in the midst of civil war, and I don't even know which faction these explorers serve. I decline investments that might fail after putting in all that effort.

For now, avoiding them seems to be the best strategy.

"Walter, I've hidden the Hijet, so I'll be leaving now. I'll leave their reception and surveillance to you."

"Understood."

So I left the hospital. As soon as I walked out, I heard screams erupting behind me, suggesting they had woken up.

...I've delegated to Raleigh, so I won't worry about it anymore.

I already have plenty to do and am busy.

==

After a few days, François recovered.

His slightly dislocated jaw returned to normal, and the bruises on his beaten nose and swollen face gradually subsided.

Still, remembering the beating he took, he cautiously wandered around the lodging area... until he eventually overcame the trauma and was able to examine various parts of the settlement under the "guidance (and surveillance)" of the English.

"So... you're saying the population here has only recently increased this much?"

"Yes. Originally about 10,000 people lived here, but suddenly within a few months, natives started pouring in, and now it's doubled."

"Ha! Interesting."

His eyes only caught the vulnerabilities of this settlement.

Although dozens of houses were lined up in rows, most of the gathered population had no place to stay and had settled in tents or the flimsy huts typical of savages.

There also didn't seem to be proper fields for farming, as most of the population appeared to be surviving day by day by planting crops densely in narrowly divided plots.

The situation of this settlement, which had forcibly increased its population recently, was apparent to anyone.

Had they arrived a few months later, the splendor of this "fake empire" with its tens of thousands of inhabitants might have been more evident, but it was too late as he had already arrived.

That wasn't all.

Swarming.

"Excuse me, what's happening there?"

"Ah... it seems more tribes are pledging allegiance."

"They're offering treasures?"

"Voluntarily, yes."

Natives bringing suspiciously large amounts of treasures to submit themselves, and it's "voluntary"?

Nonsense.

Whether he couldn't properly investigate because he was confined here, it was clear that the English were continuing their conquest. Or they might be using food as a weapon during the famine.

Forced migration, plunder, and conquest.

Watching these three things happening simultaneously—things the English claimed they never did—François couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Is this their peaceful "civilization"? Is this their moral "evangelization"?

"Wait, you cannot go outside today."

"What's the matter?"

"...You just can't."

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Above all, occasionally the English would arbitrarily confine them to their lodgings.

And a few days later, when they came out, strange things would have happened—tens of acres of forest would have disappeared, or tens of acres of new fields would have been plowed.

It was clear.

Forced labor.

It was evident they were enslaving the natives and working them harshly. Otherwise, it would be impossible to clear such vast forests and develop wildlands in such a short time.

François finally concluded.

"My nephew, I think we've gathered enough information. We can leave now."

To which Samuel replied:

"What? But there's still so much to see!"

Hmm? More to see?