...

...

This time, Linda brought Rod a large quantity of cotton and fabrics.

There were also some spices and honey, as well as thirty sets of chain armor, which were intentionally catering to Rod's needs.

Rod was very curious, as these supplies seemed to be endless, like flowing water, and the quality was quite good.

Last time, they directly provided twenty sets, and this time another thirty sets; a small-scale blacksmith shop couldn't possibly forge so many pieces of equipment in such a short time.

Rod tried to ask Linda, but she didn't speak directly.

Linda only mentioned that they had cooperative groups, and what was handed to Rod was just a small portion of what was transported.

Rod always felt that there was turmoil where they were, and upon inquiry, Linda fell silent.

Rod then stopped being curious, unwilling to delve deeper.

After all, in the Northern Wasteland, such a cold and harsh place, no one would come to seize anything.

Now, a lot of Rod's supplies were self-produced and consumed.

Previously, some herbs could be sold, but now Rod was also researching some useful ones, and half of them were kept for his own use.

Only a small portion could be sold, and due to winter, most of the animal hides were also kept by Rod.

Rod wouldn't sell ores and grain.

The only thing the Dawn Society could take away was Rod's paper and salt.

They would sell them along the way, only bringing the paper back for their own use.

Rod prepared eight thousand sheets of paper for Linda, which amounted to forty-eight Gold Coins, plus ten thousand pounds of salt.

On this trip, Rod didn't spend a single Copper Coin; on the contrary, he earned twenty-two Gold Coins.

Papers truly became the economic mainstay of the territory.

It's more profitable to serve wealthy spellcasters and nobles.

Rod realized this, so he immediately had Lawrence build two more fireplaces in the paper-making workshop to ensure that winter production wouldn't decrease too much.

"How large an army do you plan to build?"

Linda, who came to Rose Manor to bid Rod farewell, smiled and asked, "Should I bring you more of these protective equipment next time?"

"Yes, and I need more craftsman slaves."

Rod looked curiously at Linda and asked in a low voice, "Perhaps you have some powerful magic equipment?"

"Sorry, we are currently not planning to sell magic equipment..."

Linda realized she misspoke, and her voice abruptly stopped.

Her words meant that the Dawn Society could likely produce magic equipment themselves.

The correct answer should have been that magic equipment is too rare, that even she hasn't seen any.

Unfortunately, Linda wasn't used to lying.

Sigh.

Linda sighed and didn't conceal the truth, openly stating, "You can't afford them under your current circumstances."

"Hahaha!"

Rod couldn't help but laugh,

"Actually, I wanted to ask, what conditions and materials are needed to make magic equipment?"

Rod thought that the giant fire-breathing bear's pelt should be a good material for magic equipment.

Just touching it felt warm.

Although the coal mine has only been partially mined, the establishment of the mine would take some time.

But Rod had to build the high furnace ahead of time.

Once winter arrives, construction will become difficult, so these things must be taken care of before the ground freezes.

Rod personally led thirty slaves to Black Stone Stronghold, gathering clay and stones nearby to build the main structure of the high furnace.

Compared to an ordinary disposable low furnace, the high furnace is about three meters tall; the foundation must be flat and sturdy to keep the high furnace stable.

The high furnace is an inverted cone tower-shaped structure, also understood as a "trumpet-mouthed round platform," where iron ore and charcoal are input at the top in a ratio of one to two; in the future, the coal mine ratio would be about one to one.

Bellows are symmetrically installed on both sides of the high furnace, operating alternately, with small holes below for slag to flow out.

While the molten iron would flow out from the iron outlet on the side wall of the high furnace near the ground.

The iron outlet is initially sealed, to be opened when nearing the end of the iron smelting process.

Under Rod's supervision, three high furnaces were quickly constructed, and no more would be needed at Rod's iron mine.

"Lord, recently we've encountered some difficulties in mining, and the amount of ores brought out daily is decreasing."

After the high furnace construction, Jess stood by Rod's side reporting.

Rod hadn't been focused on this; curious, he asked, "Have you encountered monsters?"

"No, no, not so many monsters."

Jess laughed and explained, "Mainly, we're digging deeper and deeper."

"As we continuously go deeper, the mine shaft extends further, requiring more time to transport the ores out.

Sometimes we also have to clear out the debris inside, making everyone more exhausted, and the ore brought out daily doesn't seem to increase."

Rod nodded slightly, "Alright, I understand."

The mine shaft was already deep, nearly over fifty meters,

and as the excavation continued, it reached nearly two hundred meters.

This was because the miners widened it in different directions.

"I'll solve this problem."

Rod promised Jess, and then instructed,

"But don't forget to add more supports in the mine tunnel while digging, like building a cellar."

Rod didn't want to see a collapse at his mine.

"Alright, Lord, I'll find someone responsible for this."

Concerning the miners' lives, Jess dared not take it lightly.

After finishing everything at the iron mine, Rod wandered around the western side for two days as a territory patrol.

He'd already patrolled the southeastern side, and the basic mineral resources were mostly discovered.

But he never had the time to patrol and search the northwest side, which led to the unexpected coal mine discovery.

With the appearance of the flame-breathing giant bear, Rod dared not be careless, patrolling with the Hunting Team and Frost Thunderbolt.

Luo De was well aware of his own strength; if he encountered a magical beast, he might not even have the chance to escape on his own.

There were quite a few lakes on the western hills, and it would take a lot of time to truly survey them all.

In two days, Luo De discovered some large stone mines, and besides those, there were mostly clay pits beside the ponds.

There were still many things to do, so Luo De didn't waste time and went straight back to the manor.

He gave the blueprints for the Windmill Forge Workshop to the old carpenter Waller to let him attempt making them, while Luo De began researching ways to enhance the efficiency of transporting ores.

— Mine Railway.

Trains were a distant idea in this era; after all, without steam engines, trains could only be pulled by livestock, which rendered them unusable.

But Luo De thought this technology could be used in mines.

Without machinery, it could be pulled by humans or livestock, both of which were more labor-saving than transporting alone.

He could also set up a pulley device at the other end of the track, so people outside the mine could pull things out directly.

The key was that designing and constructing iron tracks and mine carts in the mine wasn't difficult; Luo De finished drawing the blueprints in three days.

Luo De planned to have Waller send two carpenters to process some wooden track bases, then have the blacksmith forge iron bars according to the bases, lengthen them, and nail them on the surface.

Inside the mine, the tracks were laid in parallel, with a gauge of about half a meter, based on the standard of the mine carts.

The carts had a width of about half a meter, a length of about 1.2 meters, and a height of about half a meter, equipped with wooden spoked wheels encased in iron at the bottom.

A hook was installed at the back of each cart, allowing them to be linked together with iron chains and hemp ropes when needed.

To prevent excessive speed when going downhill, Luo De also set a speed limiting device under the cart, a simple brake made of wooden wedges.

However, the carpenters didn't have time to take on this new project, as they were studying Luo De's new windmill.

And before the windmill went up, crystalline snowflakes first graced the Northern Territory.

...

...

Border City.

Snowflakes filled the sky, drifting like willow down.

The once-vibrant Rose Manor now seemed to be draped in a wedding dress.

In the manor's main hall, the flames in the fireplace crackled, dispersing the winter chill.

Marquis Cold Blade was sitting at the long table, leisurely enjoying his dinner.

Exquisite dishes were laid out before him, the rich aroma filling the room.

Beside him, Lady Rose sat gracefully, two maids quietly attending by her side.

Marquis Cold Blade picked up a golden goblet and gently swirled it.

The amber liquid swayed in the cup, but he didn't drink, setting the goblet down.

"I heard,"

he spoke slowly,

"Hawk Count suffered a minor setback."

Lady Rose smiled slightly, snuggling into Marquis Cold Blade's embrace,

"Hmm, who else but you could make that old hawk stumble?"

"That little fellow you praised last time, Luo De, did it."

Rose's eyes lit up slightly.

Marquis Cold Blade took a sip of wine, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"The spies reported it was an issue with the residents, a small conflict arose."

"That Hawk fellow wanted to vent his anger, wanted to tear a piece off that little fellow, but ended up kicking a hard stone."

"He didn't gain anything, instead, he broke a tooth."

Marquis Cold Blade added with a laugh, "His nephew Harun was even captured."

"And this time, Hawk Count couldn't care about the dignity of an upper lord, not a single Copper Coin as ransom was received."

"He made his nephew pay for everything himself."

Marquis Cold Blade snorted, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

"He was never too bright."

Lady Rose said, "Otherwise, he wouldn't have refused your goodwill."

She tilted her head, glanced at Marquis Cold Blade, and tentatively asked, "Do you still want the support of the Hawk Clan?"

Marquis Cold Blade raised an eyebrow, smiling meaningfully.

"I want support, but not necessarily from him."

He picked up the goblet, took a sip, and gazed into the distance.

A count of the Hawk Clan isn't set in stone.

"I'm just curious how that little fellow managed to make Hawk suffer."

"He seems more capable than I imagined."

Lady Rose blinked, a bit surprised, and asked, "Even you couldn't figure it out?"

Marquis Cold Blade leaned back in his chair, his fingers gently rub the rim of the cup.

"That guy is really cautious."

"When the caravan went, he only let people hang around the inn, not a word about the territory matters."

He squinted at Lady Rose in his arms, instructing, "Help me plant a few nails in."

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and asked, "Then what do you want me to do?"

Marquis Cold Blade put down the cup, his eyes flashing.

"He bought slaves from you, right?"

Lady Rose nodded, "Yes, he did."

"Directly place some people among the slaves, sell them to him," Marquis Cold Blade said in a deep voice.

She hesitated for a moment, cautiously reminded, "Slaves don't convey messages well."

"Besides, he hasn't come to buy for a long time."

Marquis Cold Blade frowned, "Then let your caravan go sell."

"Or think of some other way to get involved."

He paused, his tone emphasized, gazing at the snowflakes outside the window,

"In any case, I need to know exactly what kind of strength this fellow possesses."

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