Chapter 51: The Plan for the Ironwood Workshop

Luoning had already thought it through: as long as the idea of crafting armor and weapons from Black Iron Wood could be realized, he would first equip every Guard in the territory with a set, thereby strengthening their defensive and combat capabilities.

Although in front of a Transcendental, ordinary Guards do not have much use.

But the number of Transcendental is limited after all; in a situation where forces are evenly matched, ordinary Guards can also play a key role.

And do not forget, there are savage tribes living in Wubei Woodland and Wudong Woodland. If Luoning wants to conquer them, after eliminating their Transcendental, tasks like management and control will still require ordinary Guards to complete, so strengthening their combat power is very necessary.

Of course, that is a matter for later.

What Luoning is considering now is that if the carpenter William can bring out the value of the Black Iron Wood as scheduled, he will set up an Ironwood Workshop to produce Ironwood Armor and weapons at full capacity, and gradually attempt to sell them externally.

Although the pay for craftsmen is relatively high—a skilled carpenter like William usually has a daily wage between 10 and 20, which is higher than the Steward in the castle—the value they can create is not low.

Luoning has considered that besides carpenters, the Ironwood Workshop will also need to recruit several strong young men to work as lumberjacks.

The Black Iron Tree is not an ordinary tree; for ordinary people, felling them is definitely a labor-intensive job. It is necessary to ensure the lumberjacks have sufficiently robust physiques, so the investment in this aspect will not be small.

Besides this, Luoning also needs to prepare iron tools like axes, machetes, and saws. He surely cannot expect the lumberjacks to slowly grind through Black Iron Trees using tools like Stone Axe or bone knives, right?

Therefore, purchasing tools is also a must for this trip to Muma City.

During the dinner, the busy Magician Aierlong finally appeared in the castle after two days.

Recently, he was either treating people or on the way to treat them; his Magic Power had never been full.

At first, the residents of the town were fearful of him, but as the news of him healing others spread, Aierlong did not even need to go around visiting; people would automatically invite him over for treatment.

Consequently, the diligent Magician ran about, treating the wounded while actively promoting the benevolence of the Lord.

He told the residents that his power came from the Lord Luoning, and it was the Lord's benevolence and compassion that eased their pain.

After a few days, Aierlong became a Holy Physician in the hearts of the residents, and as the person whom even a Holy Physician must pledge loyalty to, Luoning's image in the hearts of the residents became increasingly mysterious and lofty.

Sometimes the public found it strange: Pulinsite had managed them for so many years, and although he maintained a high-pressure stance that made them very resentful of Pulinsite;

After Luoning arrived here, he did not issue policies like reducing burdens, but only sent out a Magician and recruited twenty Servants, yet the residents developed a good impression of him.

"You've worked hard these past few days, Aierlong!"

Luoning raised his wine glass and said to everyone with a smile: "Let us toast to our Holy Physician, may the light warm us!"

Maiken and the others hurriedly raised their wine glasses, "May the light warm us!"

Aierlong smiled, raised his glass, and drank it in one gulp, "May the light be with you all!"

The taste of the beer in this different world was not much different from that on Earth; Luoning could not tell the difference, nor did he have much of a preference for it.

But whether it was Maiken or Aierlong who were present, they were all very interested in the liquor.

It got to the point where half of the high-quality beer left behind by Pulinsite had been drunk, and the penny-pinching Chahar could only bring out medium-quality beer to entertain everyone.

It was better to keep those high-quality beers in storage; what if a distinguished guest arrived at the castle one day and could only drink sour beer? Wouldn't that be a loss of face for the Lord?

He was also planning in his heart to see when he could propose to the Lord to recruit a full-time brewer for the castle.

After the meal, Luoning began to arrange plans for everyone.

"The inspection of the territory has been completed over these two days. Everyone prepare tomorrow; the day after, I will take Maiken, Aierlong, Tangmu, Jialun, and four Guards to Muma City."

As he spoke, he glanced at Chahar and Dawei, "The two of you stay in Shanlin Town. Chahar, you are responsible for the castle, and Dawei, you take the Guards and coordinate with the Administrator Wilson to be responsible for the town's public security."

Chahar and Dawei hurriedly agreed.

Although not being able to go out on business with the Lord made them feel a bit regretful, they also knew that the Lord letting them be responsible for guarding the territory was, in a sense, out of trust in them.

As for the surrendered Tangmu, he could actually be taken or left behind. However, considering that Dawei's strength was slightly weaker than his, Luoning ultimately chose to keep Tangmu by his side; with his face covered, he was not afraid of others recognizing him.

"Baron Leisen of the Sain Territory left Swamp Town a few days ago to go to Black Python City to celebrate the birthday of Earl Haide, so there is no need to be particularly worried about the threat from that side for the time being."

Luoning said to Dawei: "Mainly keep an eye on whether the savage tribes in the western and northern woodlands are making any moves. If there is an accident, take the Guards and retreat to the castle; our things are all stored here."

Dawei guaranteed with firm determination, "Rest assured, my Lord, even if I die, I will not let that group of savages step half a step into the castle!"

"Hahaha~"

Luoning laughed: "It's not that serious. I estimate that those savage tribes don't have the guts to attack rashly."

Once the instructions were finished, the dinner was completely over.

Except for Maiken, the others either went for night training or to practice Refining Magic Power.

"Come on, Maiken, we haven't had a proper spar in two days; my bones are feeling sluggish."

Luoning took out his longsword and led Maiken toward the Inner Castle courtyard.

"Gladly!"

Maiken followed.

One a Primary Stage Knight, one an Intermediate Stage Knight, the gap in strength and footwork was quite large.

In the sparring between Luoning and Maiken, the latter controlled his force and also limited himself to exchanging moves.

For certain attack patterns, Maiken would even stop to specifically explain the purpose of the attack and how to resolve it.

For Luoning, Maiken was not only a Guard Officer but also served as a melee mentor.

This sparring and exchange lasted for over an hour; even though the mountain nights were quite cool, Luoning still had sweat running down his back.

"My Lord, your combat skills have improved again!" Maiken said with a smile.

He had the most intuitive feeling about Luoning's improvement, "Compared to Dawei, your speed of progress is truly visible to the naked eye."

Luoning was in a good mood, so he did not stand on ceremony: "Of course, if I were worse than Dawei, how could I be his master?"

Taking the towel handed over by Beila, Luoning wiped the sweat from his face, "Beila, go prepare water for me; I want to take a bath."

"Maiken, today's practice ends here. I won't delay you from your own business."

"Then I wish you a good night, my Lord!"

Maiken carried his sword and left the Inner Castle.

There is nothing more comfortable than taking a hot bath when covered in sweat, and Luoning also enjoyed this process very much.

Soaking in the warm water, every cell in his body was enjoying a moment of relaxation.

"Knock, knock, knock~"

The bathroom door was knocked upon.

Galun's voice came in, "My lord, Administrator Wilson is outside saying he has something to report to you."

Luoning raised an eyebrow; for this guy to come and report work so late, could it be that he has been working overtime until now?

Has the matter of the census been completed?

"I know, I will go over once I have finished washing."

Luoning thought for a moment and said, "Galun, ask Wilson if he has eaten dinner; if not, have the kitchen prepare something."

He was a good boss who cared for his employees working overtime.

(End of this chapter)