Chapter 26: Building a Castle! Discovering a Gold Mine!

After a moment of silence, Martina took a deep breath, seemingly having made some kind of compromise.

"Fine! Then, then I want better treatment!"

She gathered her courage and looked at Roko again.

"Can't treat me like an ordinary slave! I want a clean room, a soft bed, and good food!"

Looking at her little appearance of trying hard to fight for rights, Roko felt somewhat funny.

"Can do."

He nodded.

For a future talent who possessed SS-Rank talent and showed extremely high intelligence, giving some preferential treatment was only right and proper.

Getting Roko's promise, a trace of imperceptible joy finally appeared on Martina's face.

Although she didn't gain freedom, at least she fought for some due respect.

"Then, from now on, the management of the territory's daily affairs will be handed over to you."

Roko delegated power very simply.

Martina: "..."

Her little mouth opened slightly, seemingly not expecting Roko to "trust" her so much.

This wasn't preferential treatment at all, this was clearly exploiting child labor!

But the words were already spoken, and she really couldn't stand Roko's "rough" plans, so she could only pinch her nose and accept it.

In the following days, Vanguard Valley changed quietly.

The construction site that was originally somewhat chaotic became orderly.

The allocation of resources was more reasonable, and the arrangement of manpower was more efficient.

Even those Goblin and Chailangren prisoners, under the management method of carrots and sticks formulated by Martina, worked much harder.

Although one could occasionally hear Bloodaxe's rough roars and curses, the number of times the whip was swung was significantly reduced.

The progress of clearing farmland accelerated, and simple irrigation canals began to be built.

Even the sanitary conditions of the camp had significant improvements.

Hart, Luoen, and others all looked at this little fox girl who looked delicate and petite but possessed astonishing intelligence with new eyes.

And Roko completely became a hands-off manager.

He invested most of his energy into his own cultivation, as well as his guidance for Fula.

Occasionally, he would watch with great interest as Martina, like a little adult, stood with her hands on her hips, directing those craftsmen and soldiers who were much taller than her.

Whenever this happened, Martina would always glare at him angrily, then throw herself into work even harder.

Roko was happy to be idle, watching the territory flourish under Martina's management, and he began to ponder another more important matter.

Building a castle that truly belonged to him.

The current wooden houses and fences were ultimately just temporary residences, lacking sufficient defensive power.

In this chaotic border, a sturdy castle was the foundation of survival.

He gathered all the craftsmen in the territory, including those few Dwarf blacksmiths, and some people with relevant experience picked out from the slaves.

Everyone sat around on the open space, discussing the simple castle draft drawn by Roko, talking all at once.

"Lord, according to this scale, at least ten thousand qualified stones are needed."

A Dwarf blacksmith said in a muffled voice.

"In terms of manpower, it also needs to be increased, especially skilled stonemasons."

"Timber consumption is also a big problem; the trees nearby probably aren't enough."

"And the defensive design, the height of the city wall, the position of the arrow towers, all need careful consideration..."

The discussion lasted for an entire afternoon, and finally, the site selection and general plan of the castle were initially determined.

Roko listened to everyone's opinions and modified and perfected the draft.

Then, he handed the final blueprint, as well as the power to supervise and coordinate, to Martina again.

Martina looked at the heavy castle construction plan in her hand that related to the future of the territory, her little face wrinkled into a ball.

She really wanted to shout at Roko's back, "You lazy, skinning Lord."

But in the end, she just silently complained a few times in her heart, then accepted her fate and began to study the blueprint, thinking about how to put this grand plan into implementation.

Under Martina's near-omnipotent planning and scheduling, Vanguard Valley seemed to have pressed the fast-forward button, entering a stage of high-speed development.

The quarry worked day and night, and the logging team went deep into the more distant forest.

Chailangren and Goblin and other slave consumables were constantly squeezed for potential.

About half a month later.

The prototype of Vanguard Valley had initially appeared, and the foundation of the castle had also begun to be laid.

This day, Hart found Roko, who was supervising the construction of the castle foundation, in a hurry.

His face carried undisguisable excitement and agitation.

"Young Master! Good news! Heavenly good news!"

Hart's voice was even trembling.

Roko turned around, looking at this steady guard captain of his.

"What's so exciting?"

"Gold mine! Young Master! We discovered a gold mine!"

Hart lowered his voice, but the wild joy in his tone could not be covered up at all.

"The scout team discovered a bare gold mineral vein in a hidden valley about a hundred miles to the west!"

"According to preliminary scouting, although the scale is not large, it belongs to a small gold mine, but the quality is quite good!"

"It is an ordinary-level gold mine, much higher in value than our inferior iron mine!"

Gold mine!

Roko's heart jumped abruptly, and a bright light instantly erupted in his eyes.

In this world, gold is not only hard currency, but also the foundation for purchasing various cultivation resources, magic materials, and fine equipment.

A gold mine, even if it was just a small ordinary gold mine, its value was enough to make any Pioneer Noble go crazy.

It meant a steady stream of wealth, an accelerator for the territory's development, and the confidence for future expansion!

"Gather manpower immediately!"

Roko made a decisive decision.

"Hart, you lead the team yourself, take twenty of the strongest Knights, and go with me to scout!"

"Yes, Young Master!"

Hart immediately took the order and left.

Soon, an elite team was assembled.

These twenty Knights were all the old foundation who followed Roko earliest.

After the basic breathing method cultivation bestowed by Roko during this period, as well as the supply of sufficient meat.

The worst had already reached the late stage of Quasi-Knight.

A few with better talent had even reached the Knight level.

Roko took this team, rode on warhorses, quickly left Vanguard Valley, and galloped toward the direction Hart mentioned.

After half a day of trekking, they arrived at that hidden valley.

The valley mouth was narrow, covered by dense vegetation, and if it weren't for the scouts searching carefully, it would be extremely difficult to discover.

Entering the valley, Roko immediately saw the golden mineral veins clearly visible on the rock wall, flashing with alluring luster.

He stepped forward himself, prying down a small piece of ore with a dagger.

The golden particles shone in the sun, the texture was pure, and there were few impurities.

It was indeed an ordinary gold mine of good quality!

After confirming the existence and quality of the gold mine, Roko's mood also became exceptionally comfortable. ===== CHAPTER 27 =====