Chapter 466

The fox girl Qing Ling handed another blueprint to the dwarf queen Awei.

There are still many long-range weapons on the Gods' Continent.

Such as trebuchets, heavy crossbows, and enchanted bows.

And this kind of ballista.

These are standard offensive weapons; divine weapons and those used by high-rank mages have even greater ranges.

"The enchantments on their ballistae are mostly done by Fourth or Fifth-Rank mages, right? After my god's Lava Fire enchantment, the range will certainly be longer than theirs. Hmm, the ballista's structure also has flaws, and the materials aren't good—I'll modify it, and it should at least double the range."

The dwarf queen, unsurprisingly a master smith, instantly spotted several flaws in this ballista.

"And this ballista must be cumbersome—it probably requires at least One Fourth-Rank warrior to pull it. Even we need a Bear Warrior to pull it; it's too cumbersome. We must add assistive magic runes so even a One First-Rank warrior can pull it."

The dwarf queen muttered to herself.

She took the blueprint and walked off eagerly, determined to redesign the ballista so it would no longer be cumbersome and could achieve greater range.

This is the purpose of enchantment.

The magic runes applied are naturally not just one type.

There are those that increase range.

There are assistive ones that make pulling easier.

There are those that improve accuracy.

Additionally, the ballistae of the Hutton Kingdom only have penetration, no area damage.

Such ballistae may look fierce, but in terms of area damage, they're inferior to even a Third or Fourth-Rank mage—only their longer range gives them an edge.

But Yan Kingdom is different.

They have Explosive Flame!

When arrows fired from such ballistae carry Explosive Flame, the area damage becomes immense.

Mounting such ballistae on the bow and flanks of flying ships gives those ships excellent long-range attack capabilities!

After the dwarf queen's modifications, the ballista's range can reach at least six to seven kilometers; if fired downward, the range will be even greater. For ballistae with Explosive Flame, as long as they can reach the target, the Explosive Flame can unleash its maximum effect.

Princess Lodi of the Cat Tribe has been following the dwarf queen closely lately; this little cat-eared girl has nearly become Awei's assistant. But Lodi's research direction is different—she studies not the manufacturing process, but the underlying principles—the deeper mechanics.

The winged girl Mia is training more winged warriors to give them formidable combat power.

In short, Lin Yan's holy maidens are all busy with their own tasks.

And after over a month, the Hutton Kingdom has stabilized rapidly.

Commoners, having reaped benefits from the land-reclamation edict, warmly welcomed the new regime.

The commoners' faith has risen swiftly.

To these commoners, the Lord of Flame killed their former god—this proves the Lord of Flame is stronger than their old deity!

Especially those commoners who witnessed the battlefield—they saw with their own eyes the colossal flames that burned their god to ashes. The Lord of Flame's power left an unforgettable impression; for these witnesses, worshipping the Lord of Flame was only natural.

As for ordinary commoners, though they once worshipped that god, they won't foolishly seek revenge after his death.

Moreover, since worshipping the Lord of Flame, their lives have improved manyfold!

Each commoner can reclaim ten mu of land, and they can receive seeds of Divine Beans from the church. After planting these ten mu with Divine Beans, they can not only eat their fill but also sell surplus beans to earn Qian Cai.

For them, this is a life they never dreamed of.

Having their own land, enough to eat, and no fear of war—that's all these commoners need.

Their desires are simple.

As for the nobility, they too stabilized quickly.

The trade edict brought them substantial gains.

Of course, some nobles remained restless.

For instance, some nobles opposed the land-reclamation edict and wanted larger plots, so they illegally reclaimed extra land or seized commoners' fields.

Others secretly plotted mischief.

But these unruly nobles were swiftly exterminated by Luo Ying's beastman army!

Luo Ying's methods were harsh.

She had already granted these nobles ample benefits.

Should any noble seek more or deliberately cause trouble, they would face the iron hooves of the centaur warriors!

The centaur warriors do not hold back.

After three nobles were wiped out in succession, the nobility of the Hutton Kingdom fell completely into line.

No one dared to stir again.

These nobles finally understood—they had no right to negotiate terms.

Immediately after, Luo Ying convened a meeting in the former royal capital of the Hutton Kingdom.

All nobles of the Hutton Kingdom were required to attend.

"The Lord of Flame treats all his faithful equally. You, too, can amass great wealth through trade, as the nobles of Xiling Kingdom have done—but only if you offer sincere faith to my lord and obey our rule. We are about to open a trade route with the Eternal Night Empire; each of you may participate in trade with the Eternal Night Empire!"

Luo Ying announced this major news.

It was the original plan.

Nobility is a double-edged sword—it all depends on how you wield it.

Used well, it can prosper a nation.

The nobles of Xiling Kingdom have already joined trade with the Hunhe Duchy and reaped massive profits.

Of course, after gaining these profits, these nobles spent most of their gold coins on consumer goods.

After reclaiming their own land, the commoners of Xiling Kingdom, when participating in national construction, receive gold coins as payment.

See? Gold flows back and forth.

But everyone benefited.

The royal family, the nobility, the commoners.

This is economy!

Only when it flows is it economy; stagnant water is a dead end.

It is quite advantageous for the nobles to engage in trade—they are numerous and possess the strength to conduct transnational commerce.

Therefore, according to the plan set by Lin Yan and the several Holy Maidens, the nobles of the Hutton Kingdom will be mobilized to establish trade with the Eternal Night Empire.

At this stage, the main export to the Eternal Night Empire is still potatoes!

The Eternal Night Empire is vast in area, populous, and produces considerable grain, but potatoes will still have a huge market because they are cheap.

In addition, milk, horses, diamonds, sorghum liquor, and certain forest specialties from Yan Country will be the primary trade goods.

As for what to purchase from the Eternal Night Empire, it is mainly various ores, resources, and magical artifacts.

At this meeting, Luo Ying painted a large pie for these nobles.

This is the carrot and the stick.

These nobles all rushed home to prepare their caravans.

"Auntie, the situation in the Hutton Kingdom is largely stabilized, and I have already reached Seventh Rank—there is little danger now. Go to the Four Provinces of the Eternal Night Empire and secure the trade permits."

Princess Luo Ying said to the Crown Princess.

The Crown Princess nodded and left the Hutton Kingdom the next day; she would return to Wang Cheng to gather extensive materials before obtaining the trade permits from the Eternal Night Empire.

And Princess Luo Ying would continue to hold the Hutton Kingdom for some time!

Having reached Seventh Rank, she had found no presence within the Hutton Kingdom capable of threatening her!

(Crossbow Trivia: During the Song Dynasty, there was a three-bow crossbow with a possible range of 1500 meters, requiring thirty men to draw, and its arrows delivered astonishing power—extremely formidable!)