svetikya Page 54
Page 54
"But even if we know there's an iron ore deposit, our territory currently lacks the technical personnel for mining, as well as smelting equipment, blast furnaces, and the like..."
"In that case, we can consider bringing in merchants from other territories to manage these operations."
Niu Zida had long considered this issue. Relying on the limited manpower of the Dore Territory, it would take forever to undertake large-scale construction. It would be better to appropriately cede some of the internal economic benefits to external capital and bring them in to help with development. Moreover, if a community of interests could be established with external merchant groups, it would be more beneficial for the future development of his territory.
"So where can we find such a merchant?"
"This inevitably reminds me of an old friend."
Although the cooperation with the Kamisato family ended without a result in Altaïr, at least some contact was made. I can negotiate with them again to jointly develop the iron mine next time. Or, instead of going to the Kamisato family, I can go to Haiji Island and have Rokusuke, the trusted merchant of Kokoro, develop the iron mine there. I have many options. However, the most important thing now is to clear up the location of the iron mine and find evidence to confirm that there is indeed an iron mine before anyone will come.
"Amelie, was the location of the iron mine previously registered in the land records within the territory?"
"Of course, after all, all the minerals within the territory theoretically belong to the lord. Even the land of a knight-lord, in terms of mineral ownership, belongs to the lord who granted them the fief. It's just that, generally speaking, if minerals are developed on their land, they will be given a certain share of the profits as compensation."
"Oh, if that's the case, it might solve a lot of my problems."
Upon hearing Amelie's explanation, Niu Zida suddenly had a new idea. He then asked Amelie to send someone to bring him the land register so he could examine it carefully and look for an opportunity.
For the next two days, Niu Zida spent all his time, under the care of Aponia and Amelie, researching the land data within his territory. He even ate and slept with his desk on. He left the work of supervising the excavation to Joel and the others. When he was tired, he would let Aponia hold him and sleep for a while. If he wanted to do something, he would let Amelie and Aponia satisfy his desires. With such tireless efforts, Niu Zida actually found some things that he had not discovered before.
"So there are iron mines in the Echeberia territory, in addition to the iron mines in the western part of the territory."
Niu Zida then noticed the mineral resources of Echeberia. No wonder the Duchy of Hetherink had always exerted influence over this region. Besides its geographical proximity, the area was also rich in iron ore. Moreover, considering that the area was one of the few mountainous regions in the eastern part of the Dore territory, the Dasos Mountains, and the Dasos Pass formed in the middle of the Dasos Mountains became the gateway to the northeast corner of the territory. However, the Dasos Pass was currently in the hands of the Grand Duchy of Hetherink, giving them the strategic initiative.
If he were to develop the iron mines within the Echeberia territory, would it provoke any action from the Heatherlink side? Was now the time to start a war with them? Niu Zida thought about it carefully and realized it wasn't the right time yet. His forces were still somewhat weak, so it seemed he couldn't attack the Echeberia territory for the time being.
“Master, we should be cautious about the Echeberia issue.”
Amelie also advised Niu Zida, saying that although the territory was developing well, it was better to avoid conflicts with neighboring countries. The power of the Duchy of Hetherink was far greater than that of the knight rebels within the territory who could only muster a hundred or so men.
"Hmm, it seems that it would be better to deal with the demi-human tribes near the iron mine first, and then we can discuss the rest later."
Niu Zida was originally considering whether to use the iron ore issue in Echeberia to lure disloyal forces within his territory to come forward, thus allowing him to gain a legitimate reason for his actions.
Chapter 173
It's a legitimate strike, but if it involves the Duchy of Heatherlink and escalates the problem beyond control, we might end up being the ones who suffer.
"Master, why don't you let me go with you this time to clean up the demi-human tribe? It's so boring to always leave me alone in the territory."
Niu Zida's original plan was to take Yorimitsu Shizuku Kuroyukihime out with him, while Aponia remained in the city. However, this time Aponia asked to go out with him to relax, and Niu Zida couldn't refuse such a request...
Chapter 149 Iron Mine Area
Chapter 149.
“Alright, since my wife Aponia wants to follow my master, how can I refuse? Let Joel take care of things in the city.”
With Joel in the city, there shouldn't be any major problems. Right now, Joel and Aponia are the two maids that Niu Zida trusts the most, so whenever he goes out, one of the two maids must be chosen to stay behind.
When Niu Zida went out to inspect the iron mine, he decided to take Amelie with him. After all, as the regent of the territory, she was the highest leader in reality. Having her with him would make it easier to subdue the demi-human tribes.
Three days later, Niu Zida took Aponia, Amelie, and Kuroyukihime out, while the other maids stayed in the city. Meanwhile, everything in the city was under the control of Yoel.
According to Amelie's previous description, the western mining area is located about 80 kilometers west of the Dorei territory. In reality, it is strictly outside the control of the Dorei territory. It is only nominally still part of the Altaïr Kingdom's territory. In fact, it is more like an area that no one controls, so they mark it as their territory on their own map. Anyway, there are no other human forces nearby. As for the actual management of this large area, it is all demi-humans. How could Altaïr possibly have the energy to manage it? It is just a matter of establishing a name in law.
Before setting out, Niu Zida reviewed the elite goblins that had recently spawned after returning to his territory. Originally, there were 5 elite goblins, 3 goblin magic swordsmen, 2 goblin assassins, and 1 goblin lightning elemental shaman in his territory, totaling 11 elite goblins.
When Niu Zida returned, he gave birth to 2 Goblin Swordsmen, Kuroyukihime gave birth to 2 Goblin Swordsmen, Lilulu gave birth to 1 Goblin Priest (Enhanced Type), and Shenben Yuanjia also gave birth to 1 Goblin Priest (Healer Type), so there are a total of 17 elite-level goblins in the territory.
Unfortunately, although Aponia was very much loved and had sex with Niu Zida almost every day after returning home except when she was pregnant, she never gave birth to any new elite-level goblins. As for giving birth to elite-level goblins, Shizuku Misato was the most successful, giving birth to one almost every one or two months.
This time, Niu Zida still traveled by carriage, and the number of goblins he took with him was no longer small. This time, Niu Zida mobilized a goblin army of 300 people, as well as a single lightning elemental shaman, two goblin assassins, one goblin healing priest, and two goblin swordsmen, for a total of six elite goblins.
"Master, do you really think we can persuade those demi-humans?"
"Of course not. If we encounter someone we can't persuade this time, we'll have to deal with them physically. After all, this area is going to be developed into a mining area, and there's no room for compromise with these demi-humans."
Amelie tentatively inquired about Niu Zida's reasons for this military expedition. It was clear that this time, unlike the earlier year's expedition which involved recruiting demi-humans to migrate into the territory, the destination was not a demi-human settlement adjacent to human settlements. Instead, it was a demi-human tribe in the mountains with almost no human contact, a tribe that was completely wild. Niu Zida would naturally not be so polite to these people. Whether one is a good guy or just pretends to be one depends on the situation. One absolutely cannot be lenient when dealing with these untamed and uncivilized tribes. Otherwise, delaying would only make them feel that they are not strong enough, and they would be even less likely to submit.
"But, wouldn't excessively harsh measures provoke even fiercer resistance from these demi-humans? After all, although that area was nominally under the lord's direct control, my husband never actually managed it."
“It is precisely because there has been no prior management that a tough approach is needed. It is possible to persuade those who are subhumans who have interacted with humans in border areas.”
Niu Zida pinched Amelie's large breasts, still insisting on his opinion. Amelie, who was curled up and kneeling, naturally couldn't say much. She could only hug Niu Zida, hold his head, and let her large breasts press down on him so that he could play with and lick them.
Thinking that this trip was quite far from the territory and in the mountains with rugged roads, Niu Zida and his party only traveled more than 20 kilometers on the first day before setting up camp. Because of the bumper harvest, Niu Zida could carry enough supplies for this battle, so they didn't travel fast. They considered it a reward for themselves after more than a month of hard work supervising the construction of the new city, and took the maid out for a trip.
It's already early November, and the nights are getting colder. When sleeping at night, Niu Zida makes Amelie and Aponia wrap their bodies around his body with strips of flesh to keep him warm. Then, Kuroyukihime takes Niu Zida's huge member into her mouth. He can satisfy his lust with Kuroyukihime's tender red mouth all night long, and he can even save himself from urinating.
Along the way, the few goblin tribes encountered were easily subdued by Niu Zida using goblin bone whistles. They even came across a village where orcs and humans lived together. With Amelie, as the lord of the Dorrey, guaranteeing their safety, this...
Chapter 174
After hearing that land could be allocated, the orcs and humans in the village agreed to migrate into the territory.
In fact, most of the demi-humans who live near the human settlements of the Dorei territory are quite accepting of humans. If it weren't for Amelie's husband's tyrannical exploitation of the territory for war, they wouldn't have wanted to move to the relatively barren mountainous area to make a living. After all, the land here is too infertile, and nothing else can be grown except potatoes, oats, and corn.
On the third day, Niu Zida and his group finally entered the mountainous area rich in iron ore. Further west from here was an area that no one in the Dorei territory had ever been before, and even the nobles in the Dorei territory did not know what kind of people lived in this area.
At first, Niu Zida was cautious. He first blew the goblin bone whistle around the area, but found no goblins. Niu Zida led his men to wander around the area for two more days before discovering that what was more eerie than danger was that there was nothing in this area. There were no goblins, let alone humans fleeing famine, orcs, half-orcs, goblins, elves, dark elves, or any of them. In fact, not to mention these relatively intelligent races, there were hardly any large wild animals to be seen. It was as if this area was a dead zone.
"This is too strange. Even if this area is a barbaric land that humans have never been to, there is no reason why other races would not live here. Although the land here is not very good, it is not much worse than the demi-human settlements we encountered before."
After a few days, Niu Zida finally couldn't help but doubt the current situation. It felt as if the area had been completely emptied out, with nothing left.
Chapter 150 The No Man's Land
Chapter 150.
"This is too abnormal. Where have all the demi-humans in this area gone?"
"Wouldn't it be better if there were no demi-humans?"
"It's not so much that there are no demi-humans, but rather that there's nothing in this area at all, or perhaps it's just strange?"
Niu Zida wandered around this area for two days without finding any trace of humans, demi-humans, or even goblins, the species with the strongest reproductive ability. He blew the goblin bone whistle several times but received no response. This was too strange. Although the living environment in this area of the iron ore zone was not good, it was not so bad as to be almost "barren". Especially further into the iron ore zone, only gravel could be seen, and the vegetation was much sparse. Niu Zida and his group even had some difficulty getting water.
"It seems that people have given up living in this area because of the harsh natural conditions. That's good, it will make managing this area easier in the future."
"Is it really?"
Niu Zida felt there was something strange about this area. The gravel layers revealed iron-red soil, indicating the presence of iron ore. But why was this area only recorded in the initial territory registration without being developed? If there was no one here, they could have easily sold it to merchants from other regions and let them develop it. Why didn't they? Niu Zida had initially thought there must be many demi-humans here, and that Amelie's husband was too incapable of pacifying the area to care. But now, bringing people here, he saw that it wasn't like that at all. Where was the danger? It's always been like this, okay? Don't talk nonsense. Has there been any re-exploration all these years? You should really reflect on your actions.
After blowing the goblin bone whistle again to no avail, Niu Zida finally gave up. He never imagined that goblins, which are hated by humans and dogs, could live near areas with human activity. In fact, he couldn't find goblins in places where humans never go. In a sense, goblins have become like rats in a symbiotic relationship with humans.
That night, the group camped on a high ground. Even though they didn't see any living people or demi-humans, Niu Zida still had Chunxue, who had come with them, scout the area from the air before setting up camp. He only chose this place after confirming that there was no danger in the surroundings. Niu Zida was always this cautious, no matter where he went.
After setting up camp and arranging sentries, Niu Zida rested in his tent with his maids Aponia, Amelie, Lilulu, and Kuroyukihime. Lilulu was brought along for an important purpose: if they encountered a rare group of elves, she could be responsible for communication. However, they didn't expect that this time, they hadn't encountered a single ghost, let alone any elves.
"This journey is so strange, it's even a little creepy."
"Was the area where you used to live this desolate, Lilulu?"
"Of course not. There are still many demi-human villages nearby, and they exchange goods and engage in simple trade. There are even some scattered human settlements... except..."
"Except what?"
"Apart from the fact that you hate goblins, right?"
Kuroyukihime added coldly from the side. Although she wasn't as sharp-tongued as Shizuku Misato, her cold and detached statement of the facts demonstrated her own stance.
"Ahem... Well, it's all a misunderstanding..."
"Alright, Master, now is not the time to dwell on this. We've been searching this area for the past few days and haven't found anything. This is really strange."
"What I'm worried about is the existence of some unknown dangers. It would be too late if we only discovered them when we started mining the iron ore."
If any trouble arises and the introduced capital turns against us, we don't know how much we'll lose. So, to avoid future problems, it's best to conduct a more detailed exploration soon. We can't afford to offend anyone in this early stage of development.
Chapter 175
Capital—that was the unspoken message in Niu Zida's mind.
"But it's also true that there's nothing here now, and I don't think it will be easy to find anything in the next few days."
Kuroyukihime expressed her opinion, and Niu Zida shook his head in rebuttal:
"No one ever came to this iron ore area before, there wasn't even a record of it. Besides being far from human settlements and very remote, another possibility is that the dangers that appear in this area probably don't come very often, but once they do, they are irresistible. Either those who see them never come back, or no one sees them at all. That's why there are hardly any people living in this area now, including demi-humans and even goblins."
Niu Zida's conjecture was reasonable, and Amelie and Aponia agreed. In other words, according to Niu Zida, this group of people would stay here for a while longer.
"If I stay in a place like this for too long, my hair will get dried out."
The pretty Kuroyukihime muttered a dissatisfied remark, seemingly even less inclined to continue wandering around in this mountainous area. After all, the climate here was dry and cold, and the wind was strong, which could easily cause her hair to split. Moreover, there weren't many skincare products available here, which could easily make her skin rough.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of you during this time. After all, the best skincare product for women is a man's essence."
"Master is talking nonsense again."
"This is not nonsense. Watering too much can make you pregnant and stimulate the secretion of estrogen, which is certainly good for skin care."
After Niu Zida finished speaking with a smile, he told Kuroyukihime to come and serve him in bed that night. Naturally, he would thoroughly torment this pretty little girl in bed, filling her up completely, turning her into a cream puff, so he could give her a beauty treatment. When Kuroyukihime woke up the next day, she was walking with a limp. Haruyuki noticed and thought that Kuroyukihime was injured somewhere, so he asked her. Kuroyukihime just blushed and was too embarrassed to answer.
For the next day or two, nothing was found in the area. Niu Zida decided to continue westward for another twenty or thirty kilometers. Just as the group continued westward and entered the valley, Chunxue suddenly picked up a strange, brown, spindle-shaped object, resembling a silkworm pupa, but for an insect pupa, it was enormous, almost half the size of a watermelon. Niu Zida's expression turned serious upon seeing it, and he asked:
"Haruyuki-kun, where did you pick this up from?"
"I picked up this thing over there not far away, thinking it would be quite troublesome, but it looks big, but it's actually not that heavy."
"Take me to see this..."
Niu Zida looked at the familiar pupa and a sense of foreboding washed over him. It seemed to suddenly explain why there were so few living creatures around here. However, this conjecture was too terrifying for Niu Zida to believe, which was why he wanted to verify it first...
Chapter 151 The Monster in the Sand
Chapter 151.
Haruyuki Arita led him to the place where the pupa was found. Ushiko arrived there in Aponia's arms, only to find that there was not just one, but more than a dozen scattered along the roadside.
"Could these be the eggs of some large animal? But if so, why didn't I see them? Generally, these things shouldn't be far from their nests. Well, does being by the roadside count as their nest?"
Chunxue noticed that Niu Zida's expression was off and began to defend himself. In fact, Niu Zida did not blame Chunxue. On the contrary, he felt that Chunxue had helped him solve a mystery. Why were there no demi-humans here, and even large animals were rare? The existence of this pupa made sense, because it was not the pupa of other animals, but that of a sandworm!
No wonder we haven't seen any large living creatures. How could there be humans, demi-humans, or other large animals daring to move around in a place with sandworms like this? It's also normal that Haruyuki's aerial reconnaissance couldn't find anything, because sandworms live on the ground. From the very beginning, they were looking in the wrong direction, only caring about finding targets on the ground and not considering what was underground.
"This thing is a sand pupa. It seems that this is the nest of sand worms. No... that's not accurate. Rather than saying this is the nest of sand worms, it's more accurate to say that this whole place is the territory of sand worms. They don't care where their nest is. These things live underground and can attack any creature through the surface. No one can resist them."
"Huh? You mean?"
"Haruyuki-kun, if you were the only person on the entire island, would you care whether you were wearing clothes or not?"
Although Niu Zida's analogy was a bit abstract, Chunxue understood his meaning. Aponia, holding Niu Zida, said with some concern:
"If this sandworm is really that scary, it would be dangerous for us to stay here."
Before Aponia could finish speaking, a loud bang came from underground, the ground began to shake, small pebbles started to jump, and the whole earth began to tremble, as if an earthquake had occurred.
"Oh no, sandworms are coming! It's probably because we got too close to the sandworm pupae. Everyone, get out of the way!"
When Aponia heard Niu Zida say that, she quickly grabbed him and hid on higher ground. Chunxue also quickly flew into the sky. When she looked down from the sky, Chunxue couldn't help but gasp. She saw that the sand and gravel on the ground were surging and rolling like waves of the sea. A huge object was vaguely appearing on the ground, stirring the whole earth like boiling porridge.
The giant object circled around the bottom.
Chapter 176
.
Seemingly searching for the best target, it probably sensed the presence of Niu Zida and his group and charged towards Niu Zida. Fortunately, Aponia was carrying Niu Zida to a higher place, which allowed her to dodge the attack. When the giant object burst out of the ground, it knocked aside the large rock where Aponia was standing. Even so, Aponia was taken aback and almost lost her balance.
The behemoth did not give up after one failure, but repeatedly charged at the large rock where people were standing. After a few attempts, it shattered the rock beneath Aponia's feet. Aponia had to quickly carry Niu Zida away. After several more charges, Aponia finally saw the shape of the giant insect clearly. It was over ten meters long, with green scales, and its head was a huge drill covered with pores that could release wind-erosion projectiles to attack enemies.
Having dodged the wind-erosion projectiles, the sandworm relentlessly pursued Niu Zida, following him no matter where Aponia ran. Niu Zida quickly warned him:
"This thing determines our location based on sound and ground vibrations."
"No wonder it took them so long to notice us after we were talking in the same spot..."
However, even so, Aponia has already been locked onto by the enemy, and she can't just stand there and wait for the sandworm to pass by. Moreover, the sandworm doesn't seem to be stupid. Even if she stops in this area, it will aimlessly push aside all the rocks that humans might be able to step on. This exhaustive attack method makes it impossible to escape its attack by passively waiting.
"This thing is really annoying."
Niu Zida didn't have any good ideas either, and he couldn't let Aponia escape too far, otherwise it would be bad if the sandworms discovered his camp not far away and attacked the goblins there.
Just when all other options seemed exhausted, Chunxue stepped forward and, in mid-air, used a stone to strike the head of a sandworm that was leaping out of the sand sea to attack Niu Zida and the others. The sandworm was somewhat annoyed, so Chunxue deliberately lowered her altitude to attract its attention and lure it to follow her. This diverted its attention, and then Chunxue flew low in the opposite direction of the camp, making a loud noise to lure the sandworm to attack her. She then released wind-erosion projectiles and flew for about two or three kilometers before finally breaking free from the sandworm and returning to the camp, where Aponia was already holding Niu Zida, waiting for Chunxue's return.
"Well done, Haruyuki-kun."