Chapter 488: There are still many good people out there

Just as Luo Yan was inspecting the "Muddy Swamp City" construction site, a series of crisp, dense gunshots echoed across the swampy land not far away.

A group of Campbell soldiers, dressed in thick cotton-padded clothes and clutching brand-new equipment, were undergoing rigorous training in the cold wind.

Raman was one of them.

This young man in his early twenties was not tall, and his dark fingers were covered in calluses—not from the friction of a trigger, but left behind from his days doing carpentry.

Like the fate of many Campbell people, his life trajectory was full of variables, much like the ever-changing Lei Ming City.

At sixteen, having come of age, he inherited his father's carpentry trade and went to the outskirts of Lei Ming City to make a living. Unfortunately, back when Grand Duke Aaron was still around, the industrialization of Lei Ming City was already in full swing, reaching its peak the very year he came of age.

Several newly opened furniture factories had cornered the market for tables and chairs for Lei Ming City's citizens, and they made them both sturdy and beautiful. A young carpenter with mediocre skills like him, possessing neither the strength nor the reputation, had no choice but to enter a factory to work.

In the years that followed, he first went to work at the docks, then later entered a cannery and a textile mill, and even worked on construction sites.

But none of these jobs satisfied him, and the competition was unusually fierce. The growth rate of jobs in Lei Ming City could never keep up with the constant influx of population; it wasn't just the landless serfs who wanted to enter the factories, but refugees from the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng were also fighting them for work.

However, in the end, he found the job that suited him best—becoming a glorious Campbell private, dedicating his loyalty to the Grand Duke and Ailin, and preparing to march to the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng to save his compatriots there.

To be honest, that was actually secondary.

The real reason that prompted Raman to make up his mind wasn't a desire for fame and achievement, but because once, while drunk, he heard someone say there was a lot of wood in the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng.

His Majesty the Grand Duke promised in the mobilization order that anyone who fought for the Campbell Duchy would receive a piece of land during the reconstruction of the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng.

Raman couldn't help but fantasize that if he could follow Princess Ailin to save those poor people from the Green Forest Army, perhaps he could be allotted a forest of his own after the war. When that time came, he could return to his old trade and be a wealthy carpenter.

Thinking this way, he clearly forgot that the fact he couldn't be a carpenter had nothing to do with a lack of wood; it was purely because his skills were too poor.

However, everyone has the freedom to dream.

In order to own a forest of his own, Raman trained diligently every day, and before he knew it, he had become an elite in the eyes of his officers.

Although he wasn't skilled at carpentry, he could measure the gunpowder poured into the gun barrel down to the gram; this eyesight and dexterity were truly remarkable.

The officers were reluctant to put him on the front lines, saying they wanted to form an elite unit, so they kept him and those other equally excellent young men back, time and again.

The "Jäger" unit gave them a taste of success; while firepower and organization on the main battlefield were certainly important, unexpected surprise tactics were also necessary.

Just like that, Raman waited until the war ended, watching with a miserable expression as the head of "Green Turban" Kailan appeared in the newspapers.

His forest had been snatched up by someone else.

Immediately afterward, the "Quartermaster" Silas also died.

The main force of the Green Forest Army was completely defeated outside Twilight City, and before it was even his turn as a new recruit to reach the front lines, everything was over.

It was said that the first batch of privates who followed Ailin north had already sung songs as they laid down their arms and returned to the fields, picking up hoes on the plains outside the Raging Torrent Pass.

It seemed some had been allotted timberlands; those woods had indeed belonged to nobles before, but now they couldn't find their owners.

Raman had originally thought he would return just as confusedly as he had arrived, carrying his meager military pay and discharge allowance, to find another job to scrape by in that new industrial zone in Lei Ming City that puffed out black smoke.

However, Grand Duke Edward's Viceroy, Gode Wilson, did not lift the mobilization order as everyone had expected.

They acted as if they hadn't seen the newspapers, continuing to work in an orderly fashion, and turned around to pull the young men from the recruit training camp to this desolate southwestern swamp.

Beside this "Muddy Swamp City" that had risen from the ground, they were re-issued brand-new rifles and cotton-padded clothes, switching from autumn gear to winter gear, and continued to undergo training.

Usually, Campbell privates could go to the battlefield after two weeks of training, but this time, for some reason, they had been training here for nearly two months, and they still hadn't seen where the enemy was.

It was mid-winter, and it was cold and damp here.

Raman, wrapped in thick cotton-padded clothes, was often shivering all over from the bone-chilling cold. Many comrades had developed frostbite on their feet because their boots were soaked in icy mud all day, and every day after training ended, the camp was filled with cursing.

But Raman didn't care about that.

He was a person who could endure hardship, coming from the poorest village in the Campbell Duchy, unlike those pampered citizens.

Working for Count Derek only meant one meal, and it wasn't even enough to be full; in winter, he had to keep a bit of dried pumpkin on him to gnaw on when he woke up hungry.

His Majesty the Grand Duke's mobilization not only provided money but also issued clothes. Although the citizens would also carry some pastries brought from home, and they also ate them secretly at night, it clearly wasn't to satisfy their hunger.

At least Raman didn't, and he wasn't going hungry either.

Besides being able to endure hardship, most of the bitterness in his heart was washed away by the excitement brought by the novel weapon in his arms.

He had liked tinkering with his father's bird-scaring musket since he was a child and was no stranger to firearms, but he had never seen such a powerful contraption.

Pulling the short metal lever beside the gun's action and blowing a light breath could eject the unburnt paper casing.

Then, inserting a paper-cased bullet wrapped in gunpowder and slamming the lever back in could complete the loading for the next shot.

This rifle didn't even need the barrel to be cleaned, nor did it need to be slowly poured with gunpowder; just closing the breech allowed it to fire!

Because the breech made a crisp "ding" sound when the lever was pushed and pulled, the soldiers privately nicknamed it the "Ding-Ding Rifle," while those mountain people, for some reason, called it the "Bull-Boy Rifle."

But no matter what others called it, Raman preferred its official name—the "Luo Ke Sai 1053 Rifle."

This name came from Prince "Luo Ke Sai Kelin," and it was produced by the Pangke Firearms Manufacturing Factory in Lei Ming City.

Fighting with the Prince's gun made him feel honored.

In the hearts of many Campbell soldiers, this generous, kind, and deeply devoted Imperial Prince, who was so in love with Princess Ailin, had long been regarded by them as one of their own, just like everyone's son-in-law.

In the hearts of countless Campbell people, that Highness was second only to their respected Grand Duke Edward and Princess Ailin.

"Look! His Highness the Prince has come to see us!" In the ranks, a soldier lowered his voice and shouted excitedly.

Raman looked up toward the distance, his eyes immediately showing an expression of surprise; he hadn't expected that the noble Prince would actually come to this swamp.

It wasn't just the young men undergoing training who saw the Prince; their Centurion clearly saw him too.

This guy, who was usually sloppy, now puffed out his chest, looking just like a proud rooster, flushed with excitement.

"All of you, perk up, Campbell lads! Stand tall!"

The Centurion shouted at the top of his lungs, pacing back and forth in front of the ranks, his loud voice echoing over the swamp.

"... Show His Highness the Prince what we practiced yesterday! Let the brothers of the Kelin Duchy see what their allies are capable of!"

Eyes widened like copper bells, and they responded with high-spirited shouts.

"Yes! Centurion!"

Shouting along with the others, Raman took a deep breath, held it, and adjusted the ammunition pouch at his waist again and again to ensure everything was foolproof.

On the high slope not far away, His Highness the Prince had indeed stopped there, holding a dragon cub in his arms, watching this side with a smile.

That young dragon also seemed to be opening its curious eyes, looking in their direction as if it were watching something novel.

"All soldiers!" The Centurion drew his command sword, exhaling hot air from his mouth, veins bulging on his neck. "Target, the wooden stakes one hundred meters ahead! Suppressive fire, prepare—"

Listening to the rapid drumbeats of the military musicians, Raman quickly raised his gun, set his sights on the thick wooden stake, and suppressed his accelerating heartbeat.

"Fire!"

Following the captain's order, Raman pulled the trigger.

"Bang—!"

Orange-yellow flames erupted from the front of the gun barrel, the sound of gunfire rang out in unison, pouring a rain of bullets toward the woods ahead.

His shoulder was slammed hard, but Raman didn't pause in the slightest, his fingers already skillfully hooked onto the lever.

Pull, insert bullet, push forward!

This time, the paper casing burned thoroughly, so the step of blowing into the chamber could be omitted, and re-aiming was done in one go.

"Ding—"

"Bang—!"

After the crisp breech sound, there was another gunshot!

The deafening sound of gunfire was like firecrackers being set off; it was no longer the scattered popping of beans from the past, but a continuous roll of thunder!

So-called "suppressive fire" was the latest tactic in Campbell Army training.

Unlike the "three-stage fire" and "advancing and firing" practiced in the past, they would keep their formation unchanged and continuously repeat the actions of loading and firing in an extremely short time, pouring a rain of bullets toward the enemy's position!

Raman's speed was shockingly fast.

He was a natural carpenter, his hands steady and dexterous, and he could fire one shot every two and a half seconds on average!

And beside him, a young man even younger than him was even more gifted; it was said he used to play the piano and could push this speed to one shot every two seconds!

In an instant, the entire training ground erupted in terrifying roars.

One hundred soldiers unleashed astonishing firepower in just one minute!

In the flickering flames that flashed one after another, the volley of bullets was like a continuous storm of steel, covering the targets with overwhelming force.

The wooden stakes acting as targets were almost instantly blown to pieces, with wood chips flying everywhere.

And the small woods behind the stakes suffered even more; under the dense sweep of bullets, they were torn to shreds, with countless broken branches and leaves splashing everywhere, as if they had suffered a baptism of artillery fire!

Not far away, the lizardmen who were helping to transport wood were scared out of their wits by this terrifying momentum, dropping their work one after another and lying in the mud, shivering.

Situated in the center of that storm, Raman felt his ears buzzing, and the gun barrel was already as hot as a branding iron.

"Cease fire!"

The Centurion shouted, sheathed his raised military sword, and, imitating the manner of a noble, bowed slightly to the Prince not far away.

Raman saw that the Prince in the distance seemed very satisfied, actually returning the salute to their Centurion of commoner origin.

Their Centurion clearly hadn't expected the Prince to return his salute.

The burly man, his face flushed with excitement, trembled slightly as his hand rested on his saber, as if he had just won a legendary, decisive battle and was standing on a stage awaiting a medal.

The Prince was busy and didn't stay here.

That gentleman nodded to the guards beside him, then, holding the dragon cub in his arms, turned and left.

Watching that gentleman leave, Raman's heart was filled with pride, and in the subsequent training, he pushed the lever until it smoked.

Although he hadn't been able to serve the Grand Duke on the battlefield, and hadn't been able to use the rifle in his hand to carve out a forest for himself, as a small person, he could stand here and demonstrate the martial prowess of the Campbell people to the respected Prince...

He thought that he must have helped His Majesty the Grand Duke as well.

The capital of the Kingdom of Lai En, Luo Lan City.

This was an inland city with no sea breeze and no harbor, with only a wide Raging Torrent River winding past the edge of the city.

This city wasn't as wealthy as Lei Ming City, but it was large enough, gathering the population and wealth of the entire Kingdom of Lai En.

Well-dressed citizens walked along the stone-paved long streets, the clatter of horse hooves urging on merchants coming and going, carrying cargo boxes unloaded from the banks of the Raging Torrent River to the bustling market, and the singing of bards could vaguely be heard from the taverns by the river.

Houses stood in rows like subjects crawling on the ground, surrounding the castle situated on the hills.

That was the castle of the De Wa Lu family, and also the royal palace of King Xi Ao Deng.

Deep in the palace, Xi Ao Deng De Wa Lu, leaning back on his throne, was holding a silver coin up to his face, examining it carefully.

The afternoon light crossed the high window, shining on the shining lion emblem of the De Wa Lu family, making the old king lose his focus for a moment.

This was the first time he had touched the silver coins he had minted himself; in all honesty, the wear and tear was indeed a bit severe.

But how could it be mocked as "Lai En Iron Shards"?

That was news he had heard from his spies; it was said that several bizarre and strange things had happened in his capital recently.

One was that an invisible hand was frantically buying up silver coins in the market with copper coins, taking whatever silver coins were offered, and at a ratio higher than 1:100.

The highest was said to have reached 1:120; even if he, the king, were ignorant of worldly affairs, he still felt these guys had problems in their heads.

As for the second, it wasn't something that happened in the capital, but from the neighboring duchy. Merchants had come from there, bringing news of Lei Ming City.

It was said that prices there were skyrocketing and the currency was in chaos.

Especially copper coins; apart from being able to buy bread subsidized by Edward, almost nothing could be bought, unless one endured even higher prices.

"This guy... what exactly does he want to do?" Xi Ao Deng whispered to himself, his withered index finger rubbing the edge of the silver coin, making a slight creaking sound.

To be honest, the threat of chaos wasn't enough to worry him, just as the evil dragon would naturally be dealt with by heroes. And even if the sky fell, the Empire wouldn't turn a blind eye; at most, some rootless duckweed would die.

However, the Campbell family was different.

They were holy roots just like the De Wa Lu family, and Edward's ambition was clearly aimed at the crown on his head.

Others couldn't see it, but he saw it clearly.

Not every king had to declare himself a king; a Grand Duke could also be called Your Majesty. As long as he bought off the chess pieces around him, he would be imprisoned in this narrow palace, unable to make a sound.

But this time, Xi Ao Deng really couldn't understand.

The silver coins issued by the Kingdom of Lai En had become more expensive, and one could exchange them for more copper coins. No matter how one looked at it, this was a huge good thing for him.

Although the spies said that gold coins had also become more expensive, the gold coins in his treasury were the most in the entire kingdom, wasn't this also a good thing?

Silver coins were a tool for the king to harvest his subjects, and now it was the copper coins privately minted by those small and medium nobles that were devaluing.

Of course, the nobles didn't lose anything either.

After all, they wouldn't hoard the copper coins they minted themselves; the only ones suffering seemed to be that group of chirping commoners outside the palace.

Xi Ao Deng was completely baffled.

This looked like a suicidal act by the Campbell Duchy; the citizens there should be wealthier, and everyone knew that was Edward's base.

He had already offended three counts of the duchy, and the northern vassals had already united with the Trident Knights to form a faction against him.

Just then, the door to the study was knocked on lightly.

His Minister of Economy, Baron Weiketon Weisilie, walked in.

"Your Majesty."

Xi Ao Deng's brow relaxed slightly, hiding the silver coin in his palm, instinctively not wanting to be seen by his subordinates playing with such a trivial thing.

"My dear minister, what is it?"

Baron Weiketon bowed respectfully; this capable and thin middle-aged man was currently carrying deep worry on his face.

"Strange things have been happening in the capital recently. The firewood and salt transported from the lower reaches of the Raging Torrent River to the capital are half of what they were in previous years, and a huge pile of copper coins has appeared in our market from nowhere. Citizens need to pay twice the price of previous years to buy daily necessities. Some people are complaining outside the government office, saying that firewood and salt have risen too fast, and many families probably won't be able to survive this winter."

Xi Ao Deng listened expressionlessly.

"I heard that the cotton-padded clothes in the Campbell Duchy are very cheap. Can't they just use less fuel and wear more clothes?"

"But... no matter how cheap they are, not everyone can afford them. According to my survey, many people in the outskirts of the capital have a monthly income of only 800 copper coins; they can't possibly use all that money to buy cotton-padded clothes."

"What about the coal from the Kingdom of Luo De? If they can't afford firewood, can't they just use coal?"

"That is indeed the case... I noticed that some rich people in the city have chosen to use coal instead of firewood, but what about those who were already using coal? Luo Lan City has no sea port, and the little coal imported from the northern trade route can't solve our urgent needs at all. Soon, coal will rise to the same price as firewood."

Observing the king's expression, Weiketon cautiously offered a suggestion: "Perhaps... we should issue an order, for example, letting the lords around the capital lift the winter logging restrictions to stabilize prices."

Those by the sea burn coal, those not by the sea burn wood; this was common knowledge on the Aus Continent, and he believed the king knew it too.

After listening, Xi Ao Deng's turbid eyeballs moved, but he didn't show the expression of importance Baron Weiketon had expected; instead, he showed a hint of fatigue.

"Baron Weiketon, you are the Minister of Economy; you know this better than I do. Since you have discovered the problem, then handle this matter yourself."

Weiketon was stunned.

A small baron like him was certainly above ten thousand people in front of commoners, but how could he command those counts and dukes who held fiefs?

"Your Majesty, but..."

"Take my oral decree and go find those nobles, tell them to open their forests, just say it's my order."

It's just issuing an order, isn't it?

There, he had issued it.

"Your, Your Majesty..."

Looking at Baron Weiketon, who still wanted to say something, Xi Ao Deng's voice became a bit more impatient.

"Is that not enough? Then take my butler, Sikelai'er, with you, and have him cooperate with you."

"Your Majesty! Your, your Mr. Sikelai'er is currently in the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng watching that Ailin for you, as well as the envoys from the Academy and the people from the Tribunal, we..." Weiketon couldn't help but use a slightly heavier tone, although he quickly slowed down cautiously.

He was truly anxious.

However, the king remained unmoved, just waving his hand wearily, as if those few sentences had consumed all his energy for the day.

"Then wait until he comes back to talk about it. That's enough, although I care about them, I am also very busy... don't bother me with such trivial matters."

Wait until Mr. Sikelai'er comes back... I'm afraid winter will be over by then.

Weiketon sighed in his heart and finally retreated respectfully.

The king always liked to do this kind of thing.

He let a baron manage counts he couldn't manage at all, then let out-of-control peasants fight arrogant and extravagant lords, and finally brought in the Tribunal to clean up the peasants who had made too much of a scene.

The feudal order in his hands was like building blocks, played to the extreme by this king who was skilled in power politics. Perhaps apart from the throne, there was nothing in this world he cared about.

Including Saint Xisi.

To him, it was just a tool.

Watching Baron Weiketon leave, the sleepiness and dim-wittedness in Xi Ao Deng's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a playful smile.

He really didn't care much.

If the citizens were poor, they could just get out of his Luo Lan City and go to the Twilight Saint Saint Xingsheng to be serfs. If they couldn't go that far, going to the manor in the outskirts to attach themselves to nobles would also work.

He just happened to feel that there were too many "lower-class people" in Luo Lan City.

These mud-legged people flooded into the capital, making the food in the city expensive, and the air had become smelly; it would be better for them to go outside and farm.

Even worse, when he had a whim and went for a walk by the river, the fishmonger squatting on the ground didn't even recognize his kingly face!

These guys who had no awe just made him feel annoyed.

Now that there happened to be an invisible hand helping him sweep the garbage from his doorstep, why wouldn't he be happy to do so?

It was best if they left on their own.

After all, he, Xi Ao Deng, still wanted to save face; he couldn't just have the guards throw them out like a spoiled brat, that would be too undignified.

Compared to whether the citizens of Luo Lan City could afford firewood, there were more things worthy of his attention right now.

With a flick of his thumb, he tossed the silver coin in his hand into the fireplace not far away, watching the flickering yellow and green flames in the fireplace, sneering to himself.

"... I'd like to see what tricks you're playing."

"Lai En Iron Shards" was undoubtedly a smear; the Lai En Kingdom mint used more copper, as well as some special alchemical minerals.

Mixing in iron was something the barons did when minting copper coins.

If Edward intended to challenge his authority in this way, then it could only be said that the young Grand Duke was still a bit naive.

No matter how he used the mouths of merchants to smear the authority of the Kingdom of Lai En, it couldn't change the fact that the Lai En silver coin remained strong; what seemed to be dying was the Campbell Duchy itself.

Soon that guy would realize that the crown was cast from human heads, and if he wanted to take it from his hands, he would have to trade it for human heads!

At this moment, a figure as light as black smoke appeared silently in his court, kneeling respectfully on one knee.

"Your Majesty, a letter from the Count of North Creek Valley."

The voice was low and hoarse, like a broken dead tree branch.

Xi Ao Deng said calmly.

"Present it."

"Yes."

The confidant kneeling on one knee stood up slowly, respectfully presenting a sealed secret letter to His Majesty, then bowed and retreated.

Xi Ao Deng opened the letter and took a look, a bright smile gradually appearing on his face, then he crumpled the letter paper into a ball and threw it into the fireplace.

Count Derek was ready to make his move.

He didn't reveal the timing of the uprising, but clearly told him in the letter—【Change is coming this winter, the Campbell people are ready to welcome a new spring.】

A gratified smile appeared on the old king's face, the light of the furnace fire replacing the setting sun, illuminating those dim and unclear eyeballs.

"There are still many good people out there."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 489 =====