Chapter 100: Territory developing rapidly! Fiscal revenue increased!

The alliance between Vanguard Valley and the Stone Hammer Tribe was like an east wind, bringing unprecedented vitality to this nascent territory.

The construction of the mining area, under the personal guidance of several experienced dwarf craftsmen sent by Dwarf Patriarch Bagelumu, progressed rapidly.

Those dwarves seemed born to deal with rock and soil.

Their judgment of the direction of the mineral vein and their discrimination of the quality of the ore far exceeded human cognition.

The originally somewhat extensive mining method of Vanguard Valley became refined and efficient under the training of the dwarves.

The smelting furnace fire burned day and night.

The unique smelting technology of the dwarf race could maximize the extraction of the essence from the ore and reduce impurities.

The iron ingots produced as a result were far from comparable to the past in terms of both purity and toughness.

A brand-new forging workshop rose from the ground in the core area of Vanguard Valley.

Dozens of huge melting furnaces stood side by side, and thick smoke with the smell of sulfur spewed out from the chimneys.

Inside the workshop, human craftsmen and dwarf craftsmen worked side by side.

At first, the human craftsmen were still somewhat in awe and uncomfortable with these short, stocky, and hot-tempered dwarves.

But the amazing craftsmanship of the dwarf race in forging soon conquered them.

Those seemingly clumsy dwarves were as flexible as dancers when they picked up the forging hammers.

Every strike was precise, and the force was just right.

They hummed ancient dwarf ballads, and the hammers in their hands seemed to carry a certain mysterious rhythm.

The flames burned fiercely in the furnace, burning the iron blocks red.

Sparks splashed, reflecting the faces of the craftsmen covered in sweat.

The sound of metal collision, the whistling of the bellows, and the singing of the dwarves intertwined into a symphony full of power. Pieces of weapons flashing with cold light and sets of heavy and sturdy armor gradually took shape in their hands.

These newly forged pieces of equipment were upgraded by more than one level compared to Vanguard Valley's previous products in terms of both sharpness and toughness.

At the same time, trade caravans from the Red Leaf Forest Territory were continuously transporting timber, herbs, and various daily necessities to Vanguard Valley.

Viscount Zewen kept his promise, not only providing the most favorable prices but also prioritizing the supply of Vanguard Valley.

The warehouses of Vanguard Valley gradually became full.

Food, cloth, medicinal materials, and various materials were piled up like mountains.

The marketplace of the territory also became increasingly prosperous, and the traveling merchants brought news and goods from all over.

The specialties of Vanguard Valley, especially the improved wheat seeds and the strong liquor brewed with the assistance of the dwarves, were even more sought after.

In the study of the Lord's Mansion, the soft sunlight passed through the clear window lattice and spilled onto Roko's young but increasingly steady face.

His fingertips tapped rhythmically on the smooth mahogany table.

Spread out before him was the fiscal report of the territory that Martina had just submitted, as well as population statistics.

"Martina, the fiscal revenue this month has increased by a full 30% compared to last month."

A smile of satisfaction that was hard to hide curled the corners of Roko's mouth.

His eyes, however, still maintained a clear-headedness that could see through everything.

Martina's snow-white fox ears shook proudly a few times.

Those clear white eyes also carried a hint of joy that could not be hidden.

"Hmph, that goes without saying."

"The addition of the dwarf race did not just improve our military industrial level."

"Their demand for strong liquor is simply like a bottomless pit."

"I have already let the brewery expand its scale by three times."

"Specially formulated several exclusive strong liquors for those dwarves; they feel uncomfortable if they don't drink it for a day now."

She said this, her tone carrying a hint of small laziness.

And a little bit of cunning that only Roko could detect, belonging to a little fox.

Fula stood behind Roko, watching motionlessly.

Her silver-gray cat ears stood up slightly, capturing the slightest sound in the study.

Her heterochromatic pupils, where deep blue and shattered gold intertwined, reflected her master's figure gently as always.

She could clearly feel her master's pleasure at this moment.

In the air, there seemed to be a relaxed and warm atmosphere.

Roko nodded slightly, giving full affirmation to Martina's business acumen.

"Well done."

"The cooperation with the Stone Hammer Tribe is indeed a brilliant move we made."

However, his tone changed quietly at this moment.

A hint of imperceptible depth flashed in his eyes.

"However..."

"The more things seem to be going smoothly, the less we can afford to be careless."

"The situation in the Black Kingdom is still like a huge quagmire, chaotic and unbearable."

The smile on Martina's face also converged a bit.

She was intelligent, so she naturally understood the deep meaning in Roko's words.

"Are you worried that the power struggle in the Royal Capital will eventually affect our Xin Feng Province?"

Roko sighed gently, his voice carrying a hint of heaviness.

"Xin Feng Province is, after all, territory opened up by the Kingdom only in the last few decades."

"The foundation here is still too shallow compared to those old provinces that have been managed for thousands of years."

"Once the power balance in the Royal Capital is completely lost, those losers or ambitious people are likely to cast their eyes here."

"By then, Xin Feng Province will likely become a chessboard for various forces to compete."

He didn't like this feeling.

The feeling that his destiny might be manipulated by others at will, and the territory might become a battlefield.

Just then, outside the study, came a series of somewhat hurried footsteps.

"Young master!"

The slightly hoarse but full-of-energy voice of Scout Captain Bake sounded.

It was just that this time, there seemed to be a hint of unusual urgency in his voice.

Roko's brow twitched imperceptibly.

"Come in."

The door of the study was pushed open.

Bake's tall and sturdy figure appeared at the door.

He was still in his scout attire, covered in dust.

His dark face carried a hint of solemnity that could not be hidden.

He walked quickly to the desk and knelt on one knee, his movements crisp and neat.

"Young master, Lady Martina, there is urgent intelligence!"

Martina's snow-white fox ears stood up vigilantly instantly, like a frightened little deer.

"Speak."

Her voice was short and cold.

Bake took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm his breathing that was somewhat disordered due to the rapid journey.

"The Temple of Light is becoming more and more active in Xin Feng Province."

"The arrest warrants they issued before, targeting the so-called 'Poison Scorpion Society members', have not only expanded in scope recently, but the bounty amount has also increased quite a bit."

"And, I have carefully compared the descriptions of the characteristics of the 'Poison Scorpion Society members' on the new batch of arrest warrants."

"It seems, it seems to point more specifically to some of the characteristics of our Vanguard Valley."

Roko's eyes suddenly became as sharp as an eagle's the moment he heard this sentence.

"Oh?"

"Tell me specifically."

Bake lowered his head slightly, trying hard to recall every detail on the arrest warrant.

"For example, the arrest warrant mentions that some Poison Scorpion Society members are good at using a special kind of flame Battle Qi."

"And, they act secretly, usually occupying dangerous mountain valleys as their nests."

"Although the arrest warrant does not directly name us, combined with the previous encounters of Father Chris and Knight Carlo in Vanguard Valley..."

"It is hard not to link the two."

Martina's face also sank instantly.

"It seems that those hypocrites of the Temple of Light have not given up their suspicion of us because of the deaths of Chris and Carlo."

"They are just temporarily unable to mobilize large-scale forces to enter Xin Feng Province because the magic teleportation arrays within the Kingdom have been destroyed by the Poison Scorpion Society."

Fula's hand had already subconsciously moved toward the hilt of the thin sword at her waist.

Cold light flickered in her heterochromatic pupils, and murderous intent was rampant.

It was as if as long as Roko gave the order, she would transform into the most lethal phantom to tear apart those enemies who dared to covet Vanguard Valley.

Roko waved his hand lightly, signaling Bake not to pause and continue.

"Are there any other intelligence reports?"

Bake nodded, the expression on his face becoming even more solemn.

"It's about the Poison Scorpion Society."

"According to secret reports from our eyes and ears planted in the area around the Royal Capital, the activities of the Poison Scorpion Society have become increasingly rampant recently."

"There are even confirmed rumors that they have successfully infiltrated the core of the forces of some great nobles in the Royal Capital."

"And, they are very close to some princes who are competing for the throne, seemingly having reached some kind of secret agreement."

"The situation in the Royal Capital is probably more chaotic and dangerous than we previously imagined."

"Poison Scorpion Society, princes..."

Roko repeated these two keywords in a low voice, a complex and difficult-to-understand thoughtful light flickering in his deep eyes.

He keenly sensed that this muddy water was much deeper and murkier than he had originally imagined.

"Also."

Bake's voice lowered even more, as if he was afraid of being heard by some existence outside the wall.

"Recently, some strangers with strange behavior have also appeared within our Xin Feng Province."

"?"

"They are dressed differently and their identities are unknown; they don't look like ordinary traveling merchants or mercenaries."

"It's more like they are deliberately inquiring about certain specific news or looking for certain specific people."

"I have secretly sent people to tail them several times and found that they have shown unusual interest in the defense deployment of various territories and the background of the lords' strength."

"I seriously suspect that among them, there may be people from the Poison Scorpion Society acting in the dark."

The atmosphere in the study became somewhat oppressive because of this series of bad news brought by Bake.

The relaxation and joy just brought by the vigorous development of the territory had vanished at this moment.

Replacing it was a heavy feeling of a storm about to come.

Martina's snow-white brows were tightly knitted together, forming a shallow "chuan" character.

"The threat of the Temple of Light has not been completely lifted, and the Poison Scorpion Society is stirring up trouble in the dark."

"Our Vanguard Valley is now like a small boat in a stormy sea, in danger of capsizing at any time."

Her voice carried a hint of worry that could not be hidden.

However, what was unexpected to her was...

Roko's face did not show the slightest panic.

Instead, his expression carried an unusual calmness, a silence on the eve of a storm.

He slowly stood up from the comfortable Lord's chair and walked to the window with steady steps.

His gaze was cast toward the scene of the vibrant territory outside the window.

In the distant fields, the people of the territory were working diligently, their faces full of longing for their future lives.

In the direction of the mining area and the forging workshop further away, there came a rhythmic clanging sound.

That was the sound of dwarf craftsmen and human craftsmen working together, full of power and hope.

"Martina, you are right."

Roko's voice was low and powerful, giving people a sense of inexplicable stability.

"Our Vanguard Valley is indeed like a small boat now."

"But even a small boat, as long as its keel is strong enough, its sails are tough enough, and its helmsman is steady and calm enough..."

"Then, it may not be impossible to break through this stormy sea that seems insurmountable."

He turned around slowly, his sharp gaze sweeping over Martina, Fula, and Bake who was still kneeling on one knee.

"Temple of Light or Poison Scorpion Society, it doesn't matter."

"If they want to treat our Vanguard Valley as a piece on their chessboard and manipulate it at will, they have to see if I, Roko Raymond, agree!"

"We seem to possess a rare vacuum period for development now, but this vacuum period may be broken at any time due to changes in the outside world."

"Therefore, we must race against time and spare no cost to improve our own strength!"

His gaze first fell on Bake.

"Bake, starting from today, further strengthen the alert level and intelligence collection efforts."

"Especially monitor the movements of the Temple of Light and the Poison Scorpion Society 24 hours a day without interruption."

"Once there is any movement, no matter how big or small, it must be reported to me immediately!"

"Yes! Young master!"

Bake replied in a deep voice, his voice resonant and full of determination.

Roko turned his gaze to Martina, his tone carrying unquestionable trust.

"Martina, the internal affairs of the territory are still fully your responsibility."

"The allocation of resources, the settlement and management of the population, and the expansion and deepening of commercial trade must be done in an orderly manner without any mistakes."

"In addition, the cooperation with the Stone Hammer Tribe must be implemented and deepened as soon as possible."

"We need more fine weapons and armor forged by the dwarves themselves to arm our army."

Martina nodded solemnly, her snow-white fox ears twitching slightly.

"I understand."

"I will do my best to make Vanguard Valley stronger and more stable in the shortest possible time."

Roko's gaze finally fell on Fula.

His eyes carried a hint of softness and expectation that others could hardly detect.

"Fula, in the coming days, I'm afraid we have to practice even harder."

"Only when our own strength is strong enough can we cope with all unknown challenges." ===== CHAPTER 101 =====