Having a territory, but no citizens within its bounds, was like eating meat without salt– bland and flavorless!

Those barefoot farmers and citizens were of practically no help to the Crimson Clan. They even wasted much of the clan's time and effort to help them develop a living. However, out of consideration for the long term, this was one step across the iron threshold that had to be taken!

Where did adepts come from?

They could be recruited or hired, but such adepts would always be outsiders. It was difficult to cultivate such adepts and turn them into loyal clan adepts of the Crimson Clans. They needed to recruit a suitable number of artisans and civilians, establishing an orderly rule and selecting apprentice adepts with exceptional talents.

It was the only way to produce individuals that could be trusted. There was no need to doubt apprentices that came from the clan's territories, for all they owned and all they were would be bound to the Crimson Clan's prosperity. That was the only way to cultivate clan adepts that were truly loyal to Greem.

There were tens of thousands of outside adepts. They chased the benefits and, naturally, would leave for benefits. If the clan were to ever run into a crisis that demanded overcoming a sacrifice, the only ones that could step forth would be those clan adepts.

That was why the Crimson Clan had no choice but to establish the clan's system for new blood, one step at a time, even if the price for cultivating clan adepts was immense!

Now the clan already had a territory of its own, with no opportunistic enemies around them. It was the best time to recruit en masse and establish their banner. Meryl couldn't wait to start discussing the matters of the population with Snowlotus immediately after taking control of White Tower.

It was actually a problematic issue!

Icewind was already a bitter wasteland of snow and frost. To make things worse, it was right next to the Black Forest and did not have the protection of an adept's tower. That was why the total population within several hundreds of kilometer did not exceed a hundred.

Trying to establish the foundations of the Icewind clan territory with so few people was practically impossible.

To sum it all up, Icewind lacked population. Severely so!

There were plenty of legendary stories of Northern Witches of the past who cut through the thorns and led their population to establish new witch territories in the Black Forest. However, the legendary witches in those stories weren't setting up shop from scratch like the Crimson Clan was doing.

They either had the support of clan forces or witch branches. They had the workforce when they needed the workforce and the military force when they needed the military force. Even so, it took them hundreds of years and many conflicts that went back and forth to even have a chance at seizing a piece of land from the powerful magical creatures to establish a stable and peaceful territory where they could flourish.

Moreover, the number of civilians that died during the process to harsh environments, plagues, poison mists, wild beasts, and magical creatures was uncountable. It was only through the accumulation of human lives and the determination of the witches that they had obtained success in the end.

In contrast, the Crimson Clan had a tower and had the adepts. They only lacked large numbers of people that could inject life into the region.

"Lady Snowlotus, could I inquire what plans the Northern Witches in the past used when they wanted to recruit civilians?" Meryl waited until only Snowlotus and the diligently working Vanlier were left before unhurriedly asking the question.

"Civilians are the most valuable resource of every witch branch; they will not easily be given up for sale. If Lady Meryl desperately requires some civilians, I can return to the few inherited territories of the Fate Witches and forcefully conscript some for you. However…"

Snowlotus couldn't help but pause for a moment when she reached this part.

"The environment here is too harsh, and there are no daily resources as well. Even if I were to conscript some civilians, they would probably have a hard time surviving here. We can't possibly let those farmers and merchants live in the adept's tower as well, after all!"

Even Meryl, the manager, couldn't help but be troubled after listening to Snowlotus' complaints.

It was true! Even if they conscripted the civilians, how they would manage to survive in such a land of snow and ice was a severe problem! Were they supposed to get a bunch of civilians and just let them idle about with nothing to do? Was the Crimson Clan supposed to pay for their living expenses instead?

"What about we find a way to move some goblins over from the Goblin Plane to work as temporary civilians? They have the smarts, the techniques, and can help the tower with some maintenance and management work." Meryl suggested doubtfully.

"Meryl, there's something I need to remind you of. If there are too many members of other races in a territory, it will make it even more difficult to recruit wandering travelers and free men looking for a place to settle." Snowlotus kindly reminded.

Meryl couldn't help but be dejected.

She could easily imagine such a scenario.

If there were too many non-humans in a territory, it would affect the perception and sense of safety of the human civilians. If they were to hesitate because of such concerns, the population of Icewind would stagnate and never increase. If these human civilians were all scared away, what were they supposed to do? Recruit goblin apprentices, ogre apprentices, and dwarf apprentices instead?

"Then…Lady Snowlotus, apart from ordinary civilians, are there any other ways that can allow us to obtain a large number of civilians in a short amount of time?" Meryl couldn't help but ask hesitatingly.

"You mean to say, human slaves, don't you?" Snowlotus showed a faint smile.

"Indeed! I want to know if there's a way to obtain a large group of cheap human slaves in the Northern Lands."

"Battles between witches very rarely happen in the Northern Lands. Even when there are conflicts, most of them are resolved in the Witch Council. As such, there are no such things as slaves of war here."

Meryl's face couldn't help but turn solemn.

"However, Zhentarim is a festering land of war and conflict. The disagreements between the various adept clans are always ongoing. If you really need civilians, I can purchase some slaves from Central under the name of the Fate Witches."

"Oh, there was such a thing?" Meryl's eyes instantly lit up, "If you were to purchase these slaves, how many would you be able to get? And what is the price?"

"If a clan war breaks out in the central area, then there will possibly be a loser. The civilians of the defeated clan will likely be taken away and sold to other adept clans. We Northern Witches also have representatives there and can take a share of such slave trade. The approximate number of slaves circulating in the market in a year is around two to three thousand. We Northern Witches can get around four to five hundred of those slaves. The price is about five hundred magical crystals per slave."

"That's a very reasonable price! I want them all." Meryl raised an eyebrow as an expression of glee appeared on her pretty face.

Snowlotus laughed and shook her head, "I meant the Northern Witches, as an entirety, can get four to five hundred of the war slaves. When it is split up into the individual branches, my Fate Witches can only get twenty to thirty slaves."

"Only twenty to thirty…" Meryl couldn't help but deflate when she heard this.

At such a slow rate of injecting new blood, the Crimson Clan would not be able to establish a complete frame of development even if they were to toil for another hundred years.

"If you think that's too little, then go and catch the people you need! Wars might not be allowed between the witch clans in the Northern Lands, but it's not the same at Zhentarim. As long as you have a good enough reason, those old fogeys of the elder council can only watch on, even if you were to exterminate an entire clan. When that happens, the opposing clan's population and resources will be all yours, wouldn't it?"

Meryl rolled her eyes. Snowlotus' words might sound sarcastic and crude, but the logic was there. If they had no other choice, they could give this method a try.

After politely ending this pleasant conversation with Snowlotus, Meryl brought Vanlier and the organized materials along to consult her teacher.

Meryl finally met her busy teacher Greem in his room on the thirteenth floor.

Over the past few days, Greem had been busy forging his adept set piece.

He had obtained the fire dragon's hide, but he needed to tan the hide through a complicated process. It was the first time Greem was dealing with such high-quality magical materials. The smoothness of the dragon's hide would be severely affected if any problems cropped up during the tanning process.

Moreover, the most valuable thing about the fire dragon's hide was the strange fire elementium powers contained within it. Greem had to find a way to draw out this power to ultimately bring out the value of this expensive material.

It was important to note that grandmaster-level tanners were equally as precious as alchemists in major adept organizations and clans! After all, the hide or skin of a powerful magical creature could only unleash its fullest potential after perfect and proper treatment.

Such technique and methods were also rare alternative knowledge!

"What did you say, population?" Greem's mind was still immersed in his magical equations and experiment. It took him quite a while to finally understand Meryl's intention in visiting him.

"Yes, teacher. Our territory is severely lacking in people right now. We need to find a way to obtain a large number of civilians as soon as possible!"

"Mm. In the long term, civilians are a must!" Greem fell silent for a bit and a sort of composure that only the long-lived possessed appeared on his face, "However, the facilities of our territory are not yet complete. The civilians will have a hard time surviving even if we manage to recruit them. So, in the short term, it's best to bring some goblins over from the Goblin Plane to fill in the numbers for the moment."

Meryl opened her mouth in shock. To think her teacher would have such a comprehensive and detailed thought process, despite only being a few years older than herself. The matters he addressed matched those of Lady Snowlotus.

"But…teacher, if there are too many non-human civilians, it will affect our recruitment of human civilians in the future." Meryl explained her thoughts with some frustration.

"It won't happen." Greem smiled and said, "Make sure to have the majority of the goblins we recruit this time be technicians and engineers. Once they arrive, their main mission will be to construct housing and village models for other civilians to come. Then, they will build processing factories."

"Processing factories?" Meryl was utterly confused. She felt as if she couldn't quite keep up with her teacher's ideas.

"Of course. Processing factories are a necessary existence!" Greem casually continued, "Icewind is too cold. It's not suitable for farming or herding. Yet, we must provide the civilians we recruit with a stable living. My idea is to organize adepts and apprentices to hunt and gather in the Black Forest. Then, the hunted spoils and gathered plants will undergo the necessary processing in the clan factories. We can then have the new civilians learn to become craftsmen with specialized skills."

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