Chapter 97: 98 Return Journey

Chapter 97 98. The Return Journey

The next morning, Romon took McCann and, guided by Juwitt, arrived at the Ashen Earth tribe, now renamed Ashen Earth Village.

This place truly lived up to its reputation as the strongest of the three-way alliance; being the very frontline facing the enemy, its slightly larger population was merely a surface observation.

The proportion of light laborers here was immense, while the elderly population over the age of fifty was extremely low, though whether they had all perished or had been transferred to Green Bamboo Village and Purple Fruit Village remained unclear.

To Romon, the more young and able-bodied people here, the better, as they could manage Ashen Earth Village efficiently without requiring him to redeploy men from Mountain Forest Town.

In addition to the population, quite a few defensive fortifications had been erected in Ashen Earth Village.

Particularly where Slayne resided, it truly resembled a noble’s castle to some extent; though slightly smaller in scale, it possessed an outer palisade constructed of timber, as well as sturdy towers and strongholds built of mud and stone.

Had it not been for the intelligence and strategy provided by Jenny to lure Slayne and his men out for battle, conquering this stronghold would have indeed required considerable effort.

Upon arriving at Ashen Earth Village, under Rydal's arrangements, Romon dined with everyone for lunch.

Once matters here were concluded, he would return to Mountain Forest Town, leaving the management of all dwellings in Ashen Earth Village to Rydal.

In truth, it was not merely defense; any matter arising here could be entrusted to him.

In Romon’s heart, a man possessing Radiant-tier talent who was utterly incapable of betraying him was well worth cultivating deeply.

Allowing Rydal to gain experience in Ashen Earth Village now meant that once his territory expanded in the future, he could entirely appoint him as a "Governor of the Frontier."

Indeed, not only Rydal, but Elrond and McCann could also assume such roles.

By employing these three, Romon had absolutely no need to worry that they would grow powerful and begin to distance themselves from Black Mountain Castle, as Orson had done.

Of course, Romon was merely entrusting the management of Ashen Earth Village to Rydal, not enfeoffing it to him.

Whether he would need to grant fiefs and titles to his followers when he became a Viscount or an Earl in the future was still a question that merited careful consideration.

To tell the truth, compared to enfeoffment, he preferred centralized authority.

After noon, through Rydal's prior arrangements, Romon met with all the subjects of Ashen Earth Village in his capacity as a noble and their master, ensuring this crowd knew precisely to whom they owed their allegiance.

At the same time, having accumulated experience in Mountain Forest Town, Green Bamboo Village, and Purple Fruit Village, he could now quite naturally deliver a series of stirring speeches before these new subjects, which not only calmed the apprehension and unease in their hearts but also kindled in some an anticipation and longing for the future.

In truth, the thoughts of these people were not complex; with a change of masters, so long as they were not sold, not killed, and had food to eat, everything else was easy to manage.

As for whether they would work diligently or slack off later on, that was a matter for another day.

"My Lord, this is the place where the gray earth is produced."

Following his meeting with the subjects, Romon arrived at the northeastern side of the village under Rydal's guidance.

"I have conducted a brief survey; starting from this hilltop and extending several miles northward, if one digs a mere four or five meters into the ground, these clods of earth can be seen, which is precisely the kaolin you spoke of."

During his leisure time over the past two days in Ashen Earth Village, and considering Romon's interest in the gray earth, Rydal had carried out a simple reconnaissance.

Although digging four or five meters deep was somewhat difficult for ordinary men, he was still able to accomplish it by utilizing his battle aura and longsword.

"Which means this clay deposit extends for at least several miles."

Romon gazed out at the hilltop; though it did not sound massive, it had not been fully surveyed after all, and many uncertain factors remained.

But regardless, kaolin of this current magnitude was already sufficient for Romon's initial development.

"When there is time later, conduct a proper survey to see exactly what the length, width, and depth of this clay deposit are," he commanded.

"Understood, My Lord."

Rydal had learned from Juwitt how highly the Lord valued this kaolin, yet as to what specific use this soil possessed, they were entirely ignorant and equally curious.

"My Lord, how do you intend to utilize this soil? Are you preparing to make pottery?"

Romon smiled mysteriously. "If it were merely used to make pottery, it would be far too wasteful. Just wait and see, Commander; its value is beyond your imagination."

Rydal only felt that the young lord before him possessed boundless knowledge hidden within his mind, and it seemed the function of this kaolin belonged to yet another domain beyond his comprehension.

"Since this earth is so vital, we ought to protect it; should we therefore halt the cultivation of the wheat fields adjacent to it?"

Romon pondered for a moment. "Halt it within half a mile of this area; if it does not involve the clay deposit, the arable land should still be used wherever possible."

"Furthermore, arrange for several men to pack a few more sacks of kaolin; I wish to bring them back to Mountain Forest Town for research."

Romon knew the general method for creating porcelain, but between "knowing" and actually producing it, there were still many obstacles he needed to attempt to resolve.

Once he had cleared the path, he would establish a porcelain manufacturing base here, creating the Jingdezhen of this otherworldly realm.

"After I return, the matters here will be entrusted to you."

Romon exhorted, "In a while, I will arrange for people to come and implement new farming techniques, and you must cooperate when the time comes. Additionally, you can replicate the construction teams, logging teams, and manure collection teams here by following our example."

As he spoke, he gestured toward the area. "You can first construct a batch of higher-quality houses near the kaolin vein; we shall have use for them later."

Romon informed Rydal of the tasks Ashen Earth Village was to undertake next one by one, instructing him to have men refer to the methods of Mountain Forest Town; the efficiency could be slightly lower, but the foundation must be laid.

Furthermore, Ashen Earth Village possessed three carpenters and two masons; Romon left one of each behind, taking all the rest back to Mountain Forest Town.

The carpenters would be deployed to the ironwood workshop and the fabrication of curved-shaft plow frames, while the masons were brought back to Mountain Forest Town specifically to construct houses. Regardless, from a geographical standpoint, Mountain Forest Town connected to the outside world, and prioritizing its development was beyond question.

Regrettably, although his territory now boasted a population of three thousand, the number of artisans remained scarce; he could only require these existing craftsmen to train more apprentices.

For the next three days, Romon remained in Ashen Earth Village, on one hand inspecting the environment surrounding the tribe, and on the other, walking about more frequently to stabilize the people's hearts.

Beyond this, he also spent a day traveling to the southeast of the village, scouting the Black Collar tribe from a distance.

As a place where the Baron of the Thayne Territory had laid his hands, the Black Collar tribe was far more rigorous than the three-way alliance; before Romon had even reached their perimeter, he discovered several watchtowers situated at intervals along the way, likely intended to guard against surprise attacks from the alliance.

With such defenses, coupled with the fact that stronger fortifications than those of Ashen Earth Village were certainly built within, it was highly prudent of Romon to choose to suspend his offensive temporarily in the absence of sufficient intelligence.

He had now accumulated over two hundred points of energy essence; once he became a level-four transcendent, he could bestow points upon Rydal and McCann, allowing their strength to increase further after breaking through to the Bronze rank.

When the time came to assault the Black Collar tribe again, the difficulty would decrease significantly, and losses would be minimized.

On the second of October, having concluded his inspection of Ashen Earth Village, Romon began his journey back.

Upon returning to Mountain Forest Town this time, besides resting to recuperate and digesting the spoils of war he had obtained, Romon also needed to make a trip to Black Mountain Castle.

A month had already passed since his father, Earl Wiggins, had been wounded; presumably, matters at Black Mountain Castle should be relatively calmer by now.

Regardless, in the eyes of outsiders, Romon remained Wiggins's son; returning to visit a month late allowed him to concoct some excuse, but delaying any further would be excessive.

Romon had no intention of severing ties with the other party.

Although the mansion of Black Mountain Castle was on the verge of collapsing, it had not collapsed yet after all, and leaning against a great mansion still yielded many benefits.

Moreover, the blood of the Black Mountain family flowed through Romon’s veins; no matter what he did, he could not draw a clear line between himself and Black Mountain Castle. Should Black Mountain Castle truly fall, it would likely bring him no benefit.

Therefore, after settling things slightly upon his return, Romon prepared to set out for Black Mountain Castle.

Of course, visiting Wiggins was merely one of the objectives; he could seize this opportunity to see if he could extract more resources for Mountain Forest Town.

Money, artisans, labor, and the like—he required them all.

Thanks to Qinghe Sanren for the reward, thank you, master~

(End of Chapter)