Trade (2)
The workshop district was developing rapidly.
Once home to nothing but run-down blacksmith shops, this area was now being equipped with relatively state-of-the-art facilities.
Although the blast furnaces were not yet fully operational, advanced kilns and molds for the mass production of weapons were nearing completion.
Buildings were rising quickly. Alongside the blacksmith shops, workshops for manufacturing crossbows and arrows were being constructed in the adjacent block.
It was a truly remarkable transformation.
The laborers working here sweated profusely.
Although autumn was just beginning to set in, the daytime temperature still hovered around thirty degrees Celsius.
Jeron visited the active construction site and met with the general manager, Mr. Kang.
"You're working hard, Mr. Kang."
"Ah, you're here? Every day feels like heaven, so I wouldn't call it hard work."
Mr. Kang's face was filled with absolute happiness.
His ultimate goal—reuniting with his daughter—had been achieved, and he felt immense professional satisfaction as a natural-born engineer.
For Mr. Kang, who possessed an almost obsessive level of focus, completing the workshops he was directing and developing was equivalent to achieving his life's purpose.
Lately, he had even been cutting back on sleep to work.
Jeron walked through the workshop with Mr. Kang and asked, "If you need anything, just let me know. I'll do whatever I can to help."
"This is more than enough. I am living the happiest moments of my life. I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to you for creating this environment."
"No need for gratitude. Just do what you want to do. That alone is help enough for me."
"I appreciate you saying that!"
Mr. Kang's eyes blazed with intense determination. He looked as if his hands were itching to swing a hammer right away.
In one corner of the workshop, crossbow production was in full swing.
These were standard-issue crossbows. Since they would soon have to subjugate the red orcs, a select group of workers was manufacturing the individual parts.
Although they were standard-issue, they were still mechanical crossbows, meaning strict confidentiality had to be maintained.
To ensure this, Mr. Kang had implemented a division of labor.
He had the workshop technicians manufacture only one specific part each, while the assembly was handled solely by Mr. Kang and his daughter.
Since the laborers did not have access to the blueprints, they had no way of knowing how to assemble them. It was a clever way to maintain security.
"Ahem, Mr. Kang. I have a favor to ask."
"A favor? Between us? Just give the order."
Jeron felt a bit guilty asking for another favor when Mr. Kang was already working like a man possessed. However, it was absolutely necessary for the development of the fief.
"I need a potion factory."
"A potion factory? That doesn't sound like my area of expertise."
"I have separate specialists for the potions themselves. What I need from you is the construction. The people of this era lack advanced architectural techniques."
"If that's all, don't worry! With this much labor, it'll be up in no time."
Just as Mr. Kang said, the fief was currently overflowing with labor.
They had acquired one thousand slaves from Viscount Rebion, and they were still hiring fief citizens by distributing large quantities of food.
Perhaps due to the influence of the New Territory Movement, everyone moved with extreme agility, constantly muttering "hurry, hurry." Building a single structure was child's play.
What Jeron wanted from Mr. Kang was that very construction expertise.
As Jeron was about to leave for another site after finishing his business at the workshop, Mr. Kang asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"By the way, how do you make potions? I applied some to a cut I got, and the effect was incredible. I might be able to improve it."
"Improve it?"
"Just a bit of tweaking."
"Do you have a background in chemistry as well?"
"You know how it is. To survive in that ruined world, you end up dabbling in all sorts of things."
Jeron's eyes sparkled.
Mr. Kang spoke as if he simply wanted to see if there was room for minor adjustments, but to Jeron, it sounded like much more than that.
Two days later.
While Jeron was focusing on the affairs of the fief, a message arrived from the barbarians.
"They are ready already?"
"Y-yes! Word spread in the Great Snowfield, and many barbarians have c-come down."
The barbarian messenger stammered as he spoke in the continental common tongue.
According to him, the barbarians living in the settlement had spread rumors back to their homeland in the Great Snowfield that the kingdom was trading food for their local specialties.
Upon hearing this, the barbarians had rushed to gather materials.
Jeron wasn't sure of the exact quantity, but it seemed they would need to use at least fifty thousand of the one hundred thousand sacks of food they had recently brought in.
Hearing the messenger's words, Cain could not hide his joy.
Since they stood to make more than ten times the profit, an enormous amount of wealth was about to flood into the fief.
"This is wonderful news! The food is already prepared!"
"Already?"
"Yes! We have enough to cover wages for over a month without any issues. The second shipment of food is scheduled to arrive in a week, so we will be able to trade with the barbarians continuously."
Jeron nodded at Cain's words.
Currently, the barbarians were said to have prepared a massive quantity of ice troll carcasses. To them, ice troll carcasses were abundant, and leaving them outside in the cold meant they wouldn't rot anyway.
They had also prepared various herbs and even mana stones.
Mana stones. This is a jackpot.
The barbarians referred to mana stones as 'mysterious stones.'
Jeron had heard that the mana density in the Great Snowfield was higher than in the inland regions, and it seemed low-grade mana stones were indeed abundant there.
Mana stones were a raw ingredient for potions.
Due to the depletion of mana in the world, high-quality mana stones were rare, but even low-grade ones could serve as ingredients for high-grade potions.
The principle was to grind the mana stone into powder and mix it with the potion to amplify its effects.
By adding mandragora root, which acted as an anticoagulant and preservative, and putting it through a few processing steps, a high-grade potion would be complete.
"We trade tomorrow morning."
"Good! I will tell the chiefs!"
The barbarian messenger's face brightened. They had been on the verge of starving to death, so being able to obtain food in exchange for useless ice troll carcasses and stones was an incredibly lucrative deal in their eyes.
After sending the messenger back, Jeron immediately summoned James and Jenald.
"You called, my Lord!"
"Assemble the knights and soldiers immediately. We will need at least twenty knights and two hundred soldiers."
"Yes, sir!"
They headed to the plains beyond the Great Wall.
Although it was only the beginning of autumn, thin ice had already begun to form here.
It took a full day's travel to reach the Lemberin River. The journey took time because they were transport wagons, but it was a testament to how much their territory had expanded.
James marveled as he looked out over the vast plains.
"To think this vast land beyond the Great Wall belongs to our fief. I still cannot believe we expanded our territory without lifting a finger."
"It is nothing but a barren wasteland where no one lives."
"If we eventually absorb the barbarians, this place can be cultivated as well."
"As a long-term project, yes. Your job is to devise a strategy to rule them indirectly. We will proceed with full absorption only after indirect rule is established."
The knights nodded with solemn determination.
The barbarians had always been a thorn in the side of the Farrow family. The ignorant brutes would frequently raid for plunder, causing significant losses.
Since their raw strength surpassed that of ordinary knights, it was far better to absorb and utilize them.
To this end, Jeron drew up a grand plan.
His plan was to colonize the Great Snowfield, the land of the barbarians.
By providing food and acquiring valuable goods for next to nothing, they would establish a colonial relationship.
Once the wool workshop was completed, they could also import hides and animal fur from them, manufacture textiles, and export them back.
This is exactly how colonization works.
The barbarians probably had no idea they were being exploited, but Jeron and his vassals knew they were taking them for a ride.
The fief army traveled for a day to the Lemberin River, camped out overnight, and arrived at their destination the following morning.
The riverbanks were frozen enough to step on, but the center of the river was deep and had not yet frozen over.
The barbarians had even constructed a temporary bridge for the trade and were waiting for them.
"Well, look at that. For a primitive civilization, they build decent bridges."
"They must cross the Lemberin River to come down from the Great Snowfield, so it is only natural that their bridge-building skills developed."
"So they developed the technology to build bridges just to raid us."
"Indeed."
James explained dryly.
They must have been waiting anxiously, as they had set up mobile tents and were waiting. In front of the tents, countless silver-furred ice trolls were piled up.
And that wasn't all.
Piles of mana stones hummed with energy, and bundles of mandragora roots and various herbs were scattered everywhere.
To Jeron, these were all incredibly expensive items that made his eyes widen, but the barbarians left them lying around as if they were worthless trash.
Before crossing the bridge, Jeron issued a strict order.
"Everyone, stay calm. Do not let them see that we are ripping them off. Pass the word to the soldiers."
"I will make sure they understand, my Lord!"
A large quantity of food was transported across the temporary bridge.
For now, they would trade like this once every three days, but in the future, they would establish a permanent market to exchange goods.
Jeron met with the chiefs he had seen a few days ago.
"We meet again."
"We have been waiting until our eyes went dry."
"Is that so? The wait will be worth it."
"Who will negotiate?"
"Lady Leila here will handle it."
"Hmm, a woman."
"In our kingdom, women can be great warriors as well."
The barbarians looked displeased, but it was none of their business.
Whether the barbarians ignored her or not, Leila proceeded with the negotiations with her signature cold expression.
"We will exchange one ice troll for one sack of wheat. One glowing stone for one sack of wheat, and the same goes for the rest of the herbs."
"...!"
Leila declared her intent to take an exorbitant profit without a single change in her expression.
The chiefs seemed to ponder this deeply.
Jeron and his vassals struggled to keep their faces straight.
Exchanging one mana stone for a single sack of wheat? Will they actually buy that?
Except for Leila, who was conducting the negotiation, everyone was desperately holding back their laughter.
What Leila was doing now was setting the market price. Since this trade would determine the prices for future market transactions, it was a crucial task.
If anyone laughed now, the deal would be ruined.
The chiefs pondered a moment longer and then spoke.
"Are you sure that is acceptable?"
"Is there a problem?"
"We just feel these terms are far too favorable to us."
At this, even Leila's eyes trembled slightly. However, she maintained her poker face.
"We shall agree on these reasonable terms."
"Good!"
Watching the scene unfold, Jeron and his vassals cheered inwardly.
What absolute suckers!