Chapter 354: Resources of Megalith City

After Corien was defeated, though the wealth within Stonekeep had been nearly stripped bare, some enterprises remained.

For instance, the Pigeon Management Station on the western edge—no one was foolish enough to roast the scrawny messenger pigeons for meat.

Now, Stonekeep, Redmount Town, Shorehold, and Wushan Keep could all communicate via messenger pigeons, enabling Macken and Ridal to liaise instantly.

Should an emergency arise, contact with the Wubei Region could be established through Wushan Keep.

Yet this “relay” method was still cumbersome. Ronin intended to have Stonekeep’s pigeon administrator devote effort to establishing a direct avian route between Marshkeep and Stonekeep.

Not long after, Macken galloped back on his warhorse, followed by Dandi and the administrator Selin.

“My lord, you’ve finally arrived!”

Macken and Selin dismounted swiftly and bowed deeply to Ronin.

Ronin studied them both—after months apart, he saw in them a newfound independence.

Clearly, managing Stonekeep’s affairs alone during this time had forged them.

“You’ve become figures of real authority now. Well done.”

Macken grinned sheepishly. “My lord, you flatter me.”

Selin bowed slightly. “All I am today is due to your trust and support.”

He had once served Baron Raisen of Marshtown; after Raisen’s death, Ronin had not discarded him—on the contrary, he had elevated him, assigning him to serve as administrator of Stonekeep.

Now that Stonekeep had stabilized, Selin had entered the inner circle—an outcome he had never dared dream of.

The more he cherished it, the more fiercely he guarded it.

“Enough standing out here.”

The three exchanged a few pleasantries before entering Stonekeep.

Though Ronin had never set foot in the castle since becoming lord of Stonekeep, his private quarters had been preserved.

In the reception hall, Macken and Selin reported the city’s principal conditions.

After the initial wave of panic, the city had largely settled into calm.

Though occasional violent clashes still erupted, since Macken formed a knightly squad, such incidents had grown increasingly rare.

“Our knightly squad is not strong overall,” Macken said. “Besides myself, there is only one senior knight and two mid-rank knights; the remaining six are novices.”

“But with these men, plus archers, infantry, and cavalry, maintaining order within and beyond Stonekeep is more than sufficient.”

Though numbering only 118, the squad held absolute superiority over ordinary civilians.

As long as no massive mob violence occurred, this force was more than adequate.

Yet Ronin said, “One knightly squad is not enough. Expand as circumstances demand.”

According to the structure of ten squads per knightly regiment, Ronin planned to station three squads in Wubei, two on Gushui Island, and five jointly between Stonekeep and Redmount.

Shorehold already housed one knightly regiment from Wushan Keep, and with Ronin’s five additional squads, the southwestern defenses of Wushan would become formidable.

But assembling so many squads could not be achieved overnight.

Even with Ronin possessing his own iron mines, blacksmiths, and timber from Ironwood Grove to supply arms, the horses for cavalry, plus logistics personnel, wages, and grain—all required careful coordination.

Blind, rapid expansion would bring serious problems.

Ronin then engaged Macken in serious discussion regarding recruitment and equipping forces in the Stonekeep domain. They agreed to prioritize training infantry first, while slowing the pace of cavalry and professional knight deployment.

Within two years, they resolved to fully equip and preliminarily train these five squads—that was their initial plan.

“My lord, here are the rosters and resource records of Stonekeep and Redmount.”

Selin returned, carrying several crudely bound notebooks—paper he had brought from Marshtown, now nearly exhausted.

“Grain, paper, and other shortages in Stonekeep and Redmount may be sourced from Wilson and Chahar, but all transactions must be recorded.”

As Ronin took the books, he said.

Though these riches were, in essence, his, he did not personally manage every ledger.

Thus, detailed inventories of resource flows between domains remained essential.

“Understood, my lord!”

Selin replied respectfully. “The Rogna’s Transport Guild’s caravans return between Wubei and Stonekeep. Whatever we need, they usually bring it over.”

No sooner had Ronin opened the roster than a line of text shimmered before his eyes:

【“Conquest and Occupation” achievement unlocked. Attribute points +1000. Energy Essence +2000】

This signified that the towns under his control, now numbering over ten thousand souls each, had met the achievement’s requirement of five.

Ronin glanced at the achievement interface.

He had intended to check how many cities were needed for the next stage—but the description of “Conquest and Occupation” had changed:

【Conquest and Occupation】: Possess one city with a population exceeding 100,000. Reward: Attribute points +2000. Energy Essence +4000.

The reward was substantial—but so too was the demand.

One hundred thousand souls, by modern standards, barely equaled a modest county town—but in this world, such a population was exceedingly rare.

The primary reason? Insufficient grain yields, limiting population growth. Poor medical care and constant warfare were equally decisive factors.

Ronin remained confident he could achieve it.

Wubei’s four towns already totaled fifty-five thousand souls. Once the new city of Wubei was built near the port, absorbing these four towns, the gap to one hundred thousand would shrink to just forty thousand.

Even without importing new settlers, the current policies encouraging childbirth, coupled with farmers’ growing surplus grain, would steadily swell the population.

Reaching one hundred thousand was merely a matter of time.

Returning to the present, Ronin flipped through Selin’s resource records of Stonekeep.

Compared to Wubei, its resources were comparatively meager.

Selin had surveyed the farmland: the mountainous plots yielded barely enough grain for self-sufficiency, let alone to feed Redmount Town.

Yet the towns of Sari and Kassiel, near the Althai River, produced abundant grain—and their lords, Philip and Thorstein, had fought alongside Ronin. Purchasing from them should pose no difficulty.

Beyond grain, Stonekeep’s greatest asset was its stone.

Yet the locals preferred wood for construction—easier to harvest—so the stone quarries held little perceived value.

Ronin examined them closely: all were non-metallic ores—common granite, limestone, quartz, and colored minerals.

“Stonekeep still holds great future value.”

Stone might one day become a revenue stream.

He wondered if phosphorite deposits existed here—if so, later he could consider producing phosphate fertilizer to boost grain yields.

Though Wubei already had organic and marsh fertilizer, their efficacy paled beside chemical fertilizer.

Alas, manufacturing fertilizer was a complex, precisely controlled chemical process.

Perhaps, in the long arc of years ahead, he might replicate it in this world—but for now, compost remained the dominant method.

Ronin closed the resource ledger and said to Selin, “Have Jim, the potter from Greyearth Village, come to Stonekeep when he has time. There should be mineral deposits here suitable for glaze.”

Selin’s eyes lit up.

Porcelain, glaze—he had heard Wilson speak of them, knew they were specialties of the Wu Bei territories, lucrative goods.

If the stones of Giant Rock City could aid in the making of porcelain, then this place would surely gain a new source of revenue. (End of chapter)