Chapter 349 - 101: Prospects of Heavy Industry
Chapter 349: Chapter 101: Prospects of Heavy Industry
After delivering Robson’s people, Knight Commander Elon and his men spent a night in the Affleck Domain before departing in a hurry the next morning.
Peace was always the exception.
In truth, the eastern front was only peaceful because Robson had experienced a sudden burst of power and steamrolled the Beastmen. The other fronts were all embroiled in fierce battles.
More than half of the Fengman Knight Order’s Knights had already been dispatched, and another Recruitment Order from the kingdom had arrived in the northeast.
If it weren’t for the construction projects beyond the pass that required the Fengman Clan’s support, Valentino would have likely been back on the battlefield within a month. The Fengman Clan was a long-standing noble family from beyond the pass, famed for its military achievements. Even before a formal military faction system existed, the Fengman name was synonymous with martial glory.
None of that mattered. The Fengman Knight Order wasn’t about to help Robson defend against the Beastmen anyway. At least for now, Valentino wouldn’t do something that wasted so many resources.
The core of this contingent was still those settlers.
Although it had been raining continuously for the past few days, Robson hadn’t stopped the construction of houses.
After all, the young men of the Lord’s Guard were all Extraordinary Soldiers. And although they had less aura, their bodies seemed much stronger, and they weren’t as susceptible to illness.
Upon arriving in the domain, the settlers were immediately moved into the houses under the arrangement of Gerard and Ais.
Robson had Gerard do a count and was surprised to find that there were over four hundred artisans in the group!
Coincidentally, the first phase of land development in the domain was mostly complete. It was now time to consider the matter of mining.
As a border noble, his domain could never be completely peaceful.
Official subsidies from the kingdom would only come when the Beastman Empire formally invaded from the south. Affleck was right across from the Beastmen, and in the foreseeable future, a war between Affleck and the Beastman Empire was bound to be a major affair beyond the pass.
Under such circumstances, not having a weapons production line in the domain was a fatal weakness.
Valentino had likely considered this when she sent so many artisans.
Having figured this out, Robson immediately summoned Falan, Ais, and Claude.
The Water-powered Machine No. 1 had truly given Robson a powerful demonstration of what productivity in another world was like.
If magic could be used in agriculture, why not in industry?
’Magic is the true key to high productivity!’
To apply Magic to mining and smelting, he would definitely need Falan to conduct a field survey. Affleck’s medium-sized iron mine seemed to still be in the hands of the Kobolds.
Robson prepared to take Falan with him to check it out.
For one, he was idle anyway. For two, Robson had long heard of Kobolds being natural-born miners.
To be honest, for such natural-born beasts of burden who loved to stay in mines and dig, he, Lord Robson, was desperately seeking their talent.
No one in the entire domain had any experience in persuading Beastmen to surrender. If he casually dispatched a troop, and they were only interested in military merit, his natural-born laborers would be gone. Robson needed to set an example for his other commanders.
However, before setting out, there was one more urgent matter to resolve.
....
"Really, I’m not trying to trick you. See? I’ve already got my domain all set up!"
"Let’s be frank, you staying here doesn’t do me any good, does it? What if one day, while I’m gone, you burn down my domain? It’ll be too late for regrets. Just come out. I’ll let you go."
"And my coming out would be good for you? Tell you what, you go on your way, rest assured. Your Uncle Long isn’t a dragon without a conscience. I promise not to touch a single hair on your people’s heads.
You like to swear oaths to that... what’s-his-name, the Lord of Dawn, right? I’ll swear on the Dragon Ancestor. How about it?"
"At least give me my sword back! Do you think I can’t do anything to you just because you won’t come out? The Frank Kingdom is full of capable people. If that’s not enough, I have some influence in the Human Alliance too. I might not be able to handle you right now, but what happens when I find a Legendary Great Mage? Will you still have a place to hide?"
"Then go find one. Your Uncle Long has some face within the Demon Beast Mountain Range too. Why don’t you just move your domain sooner rather than later? That way, you won’t have my friends coming to find you. I get my freedom, and you get safety and the friendship of a red dragon."
’Fuck, I’ve met my match.’
Robson stared at the swamp. Even at Thermopylae, he had never felt this powerless.
This red dragon, using some unknown method, was able to move freely within the swamp.
Unfortunately, he, Lord Robson, had no such ability. If he went down into the swamp, while he wouldn’t sink and suffocate, his combat effectiveness would be drastically reduced. He might not be able to defeat this red dragon.
’Do I really have to go ask a Legendary Mage for help?’
It wasn’t that there weren’t any. As far as Robson knew, the Edward family had one, and so did the royal family. These two were essentially the kingdom’s Great Mages. The Frank Kingdom was still dominated by Knights; among the legendary powers, there were comparatively more Warriors, like Marshal Grantham, and the leaders of the military merit and northern factions.
’There probably isn’t any distinction between public and hidden powers of this level. After all, as powerful as the Legendary tier is, it doesn’t function as a strategic weapon. Anyone who has such an asset would definitely make it known.’
The Fengman Clan used to have one, too, but he sacrificed himself on a campaign with Valentino’s father to preserve the Fengman Knight Order. This was one of the reasons the Fengman Knight Order still maintained such a large scale.
’But knowing they exist is one thing; actually inviting a Great Mage over...’
’No matter who it is, a Great Mage is bound to be kept hidden. Most of them are ancient treasures of their families.’
’As for the one from the Edward family, even Marquis Oscillate would probably have to show some deference.’
’This isn’t even a question of how high the price is anymore. It’s a question of whether I’d even get the chance to ask.’
"Sigh... Alright, have them come over," Robson said, looking at Ais.
"Haha! Kid, you’re not actually going to call a Legendary, are you? Your Uncle Long isn’t easily frightened, I’ll tell you that! That trick won’t work on me!"
As he said this, the red dragon’s voice clearly lacked some of its previous confidence.
’Looks like he is afraid of Legendaries after all.’
This time, it was Robson’s turn to ignore him.
Before long, the sound of horns echoed from all around. Accompanied by the horns, a regiment of soldiers rushed forward in full armor. The Glory Archers of the Lord’s Guard were also present, holding their Magic Crossbows, their bodies radiating an intense aura.
Even the Mage Team was participating, with Master Kosen among them.
"What’s this? Haha! You don’t even dare to come down yourself. You don’t really think these guys can accomplish anything, do you? Don’t make your Uncle Long laugh."
Robson still didn’t reply. He only watched as the Mages cast their Magic, forming some shelters from the rain. Falan also stepped forward and began to scatter the ashes of demon beast hides, preparing the environment for a Magic Array.
Robson didn’t expect the soldiers alone to be able to make the red dragon in the swamp submit. These soldiers were mainly for surveillance.
With a regiment plus one hundred Glory Archers, even a Golden Ninth Tier at full strength would have a hard time. This force was more than enough to deal with the dragon in the swamp.
Since he had to leave, the domain’s security had to be guaranteed.
Just as the red dragon didn’t believe Robson’s oath to the Lord of Dawn, Robson didn’t believe the red dragon’s oath to the Dragon Ancestor. In this respect, the two were surprisingly in agreement.
As for the Magic Array, it was a simple Solidification Technique, as well as an Imprisonment Magic Array.
This was the solution Robson had come up with. Since the red dragon refused to come out, then he, Robson, would simply remove the swamp.
It would just take a rather long time. Judging by the scale of this swamp, it would probably take about ten years.
’The only shame is all this mud. I’d heard that swamp soil could be used as fertilizer and wanted to give it a try.’
Seeing that Robson wasn’t responding, the red dragon in the swamp also fell silent.
As for that group of Mages by the lakeside, he couldn’t understand what they were doing.
The red dragon had no talent for magic.