Minor Crises
The road back to the territory looked vastly different from the one they had taken to the county.
Thirty thousand sacks of wheat were loaded onto a long train of wagons, and their escort had grown to five hundred men.
Count Hanes had even attached a portion of his own knight order to the caravan.
Naturally, this caused quite a stir throughout the county.
The rumor that the bond between Count Hanes and the Farrow family was exceptionally deep would soon spread across the entire northern region.
The Count had lent them one of his three knight orders in its entirety, along with hundreds of soldiers. As if that weren't enough, he had even gifted Jeron his own former carriage, claiming Jeron's current one was too worn out.
The interior of the carriage was lavishly decorated, and the seats were incredibly plush.
Of course, that was only by the standards of this world. To those who had lived on Earth, it was still dreadfully uncomfortable.
Mr. Kang clicked his tongue.
"I knew medieval carriages were primitive, but I didn't expect it to be this bad."
"Is that so? This is actually considered extremely comfortable. It's the Count's personal carriage, after all. The one our family used to have would numb your backside after just an hour's ride."
"The next time we cross over to Earth, I'll have to bring back some suspension parts and tires to fix this up. Good grief, wooden wheels. Even the Stone Age must have had better rides."
"Suspension and... tires?"
"The ruins are practically littered with those kinds of parts, aren't they?"
Jeron's mind began to spin rapidly.
Car parts?
While they couldn't use air suspension like they did on Earth, standard mechanical suspensions were scattered all over the ruined streets.
Tires were even more abundant.
Jeron wouldn't have had the slightest clue how to adapt them, but now that he had a mechanical engineering expert with him, retrofitting them would be a breeze.
This was a massive business opportunity.
"We could make a fortune just selling upgraded carriages," Kang Yu-jung said, instantly reading Jeron's mind.
"My thoughts exactly. The only question is whether the modification is feasible."
"How hard could it be? Don't worry. This barely even qualifies as a modification," Mr. Kang scoffed.
"Really? You're sure?"
"Don't you trust me? It's child's play."
"Yu-jung! Let's get the inventory ready."
"On it!"
Just like that, a new business item was born.
They only needed to solve one minor issue before they could commercialize it.
"It all sounds great, but with the roads in this state, won't the tires wear out too quickly?"
"Off-road vehicles were built precisely for this kind of rough terrain. Their tires are incredibly tough. And if all else fails, we can just mount tractor tires, can't we?"
"Ah, I suppose that's true."
Jeron realized he had been thinking too narrowly.
The technological gap between this world and Earth was over a thousand years.
He had momentarily forgotten just how advanced Earth had once been.
As Mr. Kang said, even a tractor tire would be a massive upgrade over what they had now.
As they continued to talk, the ideas kept expanding.
According to Mr. Kang, it might even be possible to build a rudimentary automobile.
"The real issue is the weight limit. Just because I can go to Earth doesn't mean I can bring back whatever I want," Jeron noted.
"There's a limit?"
"I can only stay for half a day. The weight limit for brought-back items is about a hundred and twenty kilograms, and I can only bring up to two people with me. On top of that, I can only cross over every other day."
"Well, I suppose it would be too cheat-like otherwise."
Still, it was a massive improvement compared to the beginning.
Since Jeron had acquired mana, the Golden Key had evolved rapidly to reach this point.
Once his mana circle split into a 2nd Circle, he would likely be able to transport even more goods.
But for now, there was a clear limit to how much heavy material they could bring back.
Ultimately, Mr. Kang realized they would have to manufacture most things locally.
"Once we arrive at the territory, what do you want me to build first?"
"Anything would be fine."
"Just tell me what you have in mind."
"Hmm."
Mr. Kang seemed almost obsessively driven to repay Jeron.
It was as if he had already adopted the mindset of a loyal vassal, unable to bear the thought of receiving help without giving back.
Then again, that was just his nature.
Jeron thought about their most urgent needs.
"First is the armament of our soldiers. As you've seen, the weaponry of this era doesn't even match Earth's medieval standards."
"Equipping them with a mechanical crossbow would make a world of difference."
"Indeed. A mechanical crossbow would be an absolute game-changer in this world. But there's another problem. The forging technology here is so primitive that they still mix strange metals with bronze. The steel produced here is lower in quality than basic cast iron."
"It's less ductile than cast iron?"
"Yes. It shatters easily."
In actual combat, it was common for weapons to break.
If a blade chipped, it was manageable, but if it snapped clean in half, a soldier was left holding a useless metal stick instead of a sword.
And what about bows?
Their effective range was barely a hundred and fifty meters. Compared to modern compound bows that could fly for hundreds of meters, they were laughably primitive.
Crossbows existed, but their destructive power and range were so negligible that they were rarely used in warfare.
After listening to the explanation, Mr. Kang let out a dumbfounded sigh.
"Good grief. The quality of these weapons sounds worse than what they had during the Three Kingdoms period."
"In some aspects, yes."
Mr. Kang fell into deep thought, calculating how to proceed.
"We'll need to mass-produce crossbows as standard issue. For swords and armor, we should set up a casting system for mass production. Even with basic casting, it will be far superior to the ironware of this era."
"I would be incredibly grateful for that."
"Is there anything else you need for the territory itself?"
"We need threshing machines and grinders."
"Ah, those are simple enough."
Simple?
Jeron felt a cold sweat break out.
He would have to see how quickly the territory actually developed, but introducing such rapid technological advancements could easily alarm their neighbors—and the entire kingdom.
Because of this, they had to maintain strict security and control the pace of development.
Jeron now fully understood why modern military research facilities were kept hidden deep underground.
Throughout the journey, Mr. Kang kept asking questions, eager to learn about the local level of technology, the primary minerals used, and the general lifestyle of the people.
The Farrow Barony.
They had crossed several territories on their way back from the county.
The southern part of the barony was bustling with activity. The canal and road construction projects appeared to have made significant progress.
Across the vast stretches of newly cleared land, the peasants were sweating profusely under the hot summer sun, working to develop the territory at a rapid pace.
Mr. Kang's first impression of the land wasn't bad at all.
"They're digging roads and canals. The castle walls are being repaired, and the people are working hard. It's not as bleak as I expected."
"I introduced a system from Earth."
As they traveled further, villages began to appear.
A noble's territory in this world did not consist of a single city. Even a barony typically comprised two small cities and several surrounding villages.
The peasants who farmed far from the main castle preferred village life over the city.
In fact, villages in the safer rear regions were often considered better places to live than the cities themselves.
The roads in each village were being widened, and the houses were undergoing repairs.
Mr. Kang recognized the pattern immediately.
"Is this the Saemaul Undong?"
"I call it the New Territory Movement."
"A perfect fit! Whatever political criticisms that era faced, the Saemaul Undong was a truly brilliant reform."
Mr. Kang nodded in approval.
Kang Yu-jung agreed.
The greatest strength of such a large-scale reform was not just the visible physical progress, but the psychological shift it created in the people.
It fostered an environment where laziness was socially frowned upon.
By creating an atmosphere where hard work was the only way to thrive, the populace naturally became diligent and productive.
The entire territory was operating under this mindset.
Before they knew it, the walls of the barony's castle came into view, looking significantly taller than before.
The introduction of cranes had clearly accelerated the construction process.
However, as they passed by one of the cranes, Mr. Kang clicked his tongue.
"That is an incredibly rudimentary crane. Did you design that?"
"Well... yes."
"I think the cranes should be the first things we upgrade."
"That would be excellent."
Jeron felt reassured that he had brought back a true expert.
Mr. Kang was about to show this world what happened when modern engineering met the Middle Ages.
And Jeron was more than ready to provide him with all the resources he needed.
In front of the castle, Jeron bid farewell to the knights from the county.
"Thank you for your service. Please convey my deepest gratitude to the Count."
"Of course, my lord! It was an honor to escort you."
"This is a small token for your journey back."
"We accept with gratitude."
With the success of his trading ventures, Jeron's pockets had grown quite heavy. While developing a backward territory would require astronomical funds, his financial situation was incomparably better than before.
As the county's troops departed and Jeron prepared to enter the castle, a massive knight came rushing toward them in a flurry.
It was Garcia, as boisterous as ever.
"My loooord!"
"Can you not walk for once, Sir Garcia? You look like a child running around like that."
"Oh, my lord! We have a crisis!"
"A crisis?"
Garcia panted heavily as he explained what had transpired during Jeron's absence.
Until just a few days ago, the territory had been busy with reconstruction. However, monsters had suddenly mobilized from the northwest and launched an attack.
While monsters were a constant nuisance in this era, this time, a horde of five hundred red orcs had raided, resulting in dozens of casualties.
Fortunately, the heightened walls had allowed them to repel the attack without devastating losses.
Currently, the knights and soldiers were stationed at the northwestern wall, preparing for a potential second wave.
But that wasn't the only issue. Trouble was brewing with the barbarians as well.
"It appears the barbarian tribes are gathering their forces again."
"Again? We only just subjugated them recently."
"There is a famine this year, after all. Since they have nothing to eat, they seem to be preparing for a raid."
"Timed right around the harvest season, I assume."
"Yes, my lord!"
It was understandable why Garcia was making such a fuss.
While it wasn't a disaster capable of toppling the barony, to the people of this world, it was a significant crisis.
Jeron, however, wasn't overly concerned.
He already had countermeasures prepared for the barbarians, and the same went for the orcs.
If he simply raided Mr. Kang's warehouse back on Earth, they could easily wipe out the threats.
"Who is currently in charge of the border?"
"Sir Jenald, my lord."
"Summon all the vassals. We are holding a meeting immediately."
"Yes, my lord!"
Garcia scurried off to deliver the orders.
Watching the knight rush away, Mr. Kang asked with concern, "Jeron, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing major. Just some barbarians and monsters acting up. Around here, it's practically an annual event."