Chapter 480: Planning

The night was deep and dark.

After a day of bustling activity, Castle Wushan had finally quieted down, and along with it, Ronin's wedding chamber fell into silence.

Blanche had already fallen asleep in Ronin's embrace.

Though she was a high-level mage, a transcendent being, the physical constitution of a mage was inherently not strong. Coupled with the busy day, she was exhausted and could hardly keep her eyes open.

Ronin felt the smoothness pressed against his body, gazed at the exposed, fragrant shoulder, and involuntarily recalled the passionate moments that had just passed. A faint smile crept onto his lips.

He gently kissed her forehead, then rose softly and walked to the window.

Outside, the stars shone brilliantly, seemingly within reach.

Ronin took a deep breath, savoring the coolness of the night and the faint scent of flowers drifting in the air. A surge of bold emotion welled up in his heart.

"Now I have truly established myself in this foreign world."

Though his strength was only at the ninth level, it was impeccable at least on the continent of Orlant.

Beyond strength, he not only held the titles of a kingdom's Marquis and the king's son-in-law but also had allies who supported him.

The various nobles of the Wushan region were, of course, steadfast supporters of Lulanis. Now that Lulanis fully backed Ronin, they naturally followed suit.

The minor nobles surrounding Moonlight Valley maintained decent relations with nobles like Ferens, but fence-sitting was always characteristic of minor nobles.

Unless major upheavals occurred on Ronin's side, they would not easily rupture relations with him. After all, who would want to oppose wealth and resources?

Among the top nobles, Ronin also had supporters and collaborators.

Firstly, the kingdom's most powerful Grand Mage, Berola, had agreed to cooperate with the Northern Wushan region. In subsequent conversations with Sophia, she even expressed intentions to venture to Crescent Continent and Dawn City.

Secondly, thanks to Elron's visit, the Principality of Gistanar had already partnered with the Northern Wushan region on a joint cultivation project for Blaze Grass.

Moreover, under Elron's suggestion, Duke Valgis agreed to entrust his frail grandson, Gano, to Elron for personal care and arranged several knights to attend to matters in the Northern Wushan region.

Such arrangements conveyed the intimacy of their relationship to the outside world.

Under these combined circumstances, the Principality of Ferens, the Principality of Vera, and Screaming Island likely would not act as recklessly as before.

With the situation stabilized, Ronin could devote himself wholeheartedly to development.

Early on, he focused on porcelain and silk. These two items had already appeared in many settings and gained favor among nobles. For their subsequent promotion and sales, he could entirely delegate them to the commercial officials within his territory.

At this stage, compared to these commercial matters, Ronin was more concerned with the application of steam engines.

This was the foundation of the industrial revolution and the beginning of territorial industrialization.

Apart from steam ships, steam trains, and transport railways, which were already slated for construction, the use of steam power in textiles, mining, and metal smelting also needed exploration.

Not everything required Ronin's personal involvement. With the ideas laid out and the first steam engine already built, Simon, Sophia, and even the mages and scholars from Crystal City could propose modifications based on this groundwork.

Most common folk at the lower levels were illiterate, but the elites at the upper levels had minds of their own.

However, the sole challenge was that the core components of the steam engine could currently only be produced by Ronin, Sophia, and Karlos. Simon and other craftsmen still lacked the precision for such work.

Only after the craftsmen's technical skills and manufacturing equipment improved could Ronin and others be freed from this task.

Besides development, preparations for war also needed to be addressed.

For Ronin, sending troops to the Kingdom of Trexia was not only to elevate his rank and gain attribute points, nor merely to lay groundwork for establishing a kingdom in the future, but also to eradicate the alien races that had already rooted themselves in enemy territory.

To counter the threat posed by the latter, Ronin had already held detailed discussions with Redar and Sophia. They decided to dispatch Knight Hamon, skilled in concealment and intelligence gathering, to leave Moonlight Valley and travel to the Principality of Molten Fire to investigate the specifics. Meanwhile, they would establish an intelligence network for the Northern Wushan region within the Kingdom of Trexia.

This way, should any circumstances arise, Ronin and others would not be left blind, relying solely on intelligence from the royal family.

Lulanis had already suffered once from false intelligence; Ronin did not wish to suffer a second time.

"Ronin, why aren't you sleeping? What are you thinking?"

Blanche's soft call drew Ronin's attention away from his thoughts.

He turned and saw the beauty on the bed propping herself up, revealing large stretches of snow-white skin, particularly captivating.

"I'm thinking, when we might have a child."

He walked over as he spoke. "Maybe we should cultivate a bit more?"

Blanche shyly lowered her head, clutching the bedsheet. "I... I'm a bit sore, I can't really go on. Maybe tomorrow, tomorrow?"

"Hahaha~"

Ronin returned to the bed, embracing her as they lay down. "Just teasing you. There are many days ahead. Let's wait until you recover."

They embraced and slept.

The next morning, after breakfast, Dianne accompanied Blanche and the steward in tallying the congratulatory gifts sent by the nobles.

Such tasks Ronin always entrusted to territorial officials. He only needed to know the final outcome.

But now, with a lady in charge within the territory, it was fitting for her to oversee financial matters.

Moreover, Blanche was a princess by birth, educated from childhood with far higher standards than those outside. Her abilities in all aspects were certainly not inferior to those of Wilson and Chahar, who had entered these roles midway.

Her willingness to manage these matters reassured Ronin and allowed him to enjoy ease.

Meanwhile, Ronin, accompanied by Lulanis, convened a territorial assembly at the fortress of Castle Wushan.

In fact, the banquet the previous night was not only to celebrate Ronin and Blanche's wedding but also to provide a platform for the many nobles of the Wushan region to interact with Ronin.

Their desire was simply to collaborate with Ronin.

After all, Moonlight Valley was vast, with abundant idle land and housing. Ronin could open his embrace to cooperate with other nobles, and surely would not exclude the various nobles of the Wushan region.

Ronin naturally agreed to this.

For him, collaborating with anyone was possible.

Ultimately, what he needed was more grain and more labor. As long as the people arranged by the nobles could obey his commands and mobilization, a foundation for cooperation existed.

However, after negotiations, Ronin increasingly felt that this societal structure, where nobles controlled all affairs and even populations within their territories, somewhat constrained his development.

Imagine if the populations of all towns in the Wushan region could be freely mobilized—how splendid that would be?

Ultimately, it was the feudal mode of nobility that limited such operations.

Thus, Ronin pondered repeatedly: if he were to grant feudal rights later, certain powers would not be delegated.

Best would be to adopt a system of stipendiary estates, granting nobles or meritorious servants certain lands, allowing them to enjoy the proceeds from these lands, but without political sovereignty or administrative rights over the region.

However, reforms were not accomplished overnight. Currently, Ronin could only adhere to the existing social framework. Later, when his power was more stable, or when he established his own kingdom, he would gradually advance these deeper transformations.

Time was abundant for him. After all, a Sun Knight theoretically had a lifespan of two centuries; he was not rushing for quick success.