You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 277 Twenty Thousand Slaves?
She used up all her strength again.

She hadn't fully recovered to begin with, and now she felt completely drained, her body as weak as a young animal.

That feeling is awful; nobody likes being weak, it's worse than having a cold or fever.

She fell into a deep sleep, waiting to wake up again.

Shasta took her from Roman again, wanting to say something, but gave up.

What should I say? Complain or blame?
She was not entirely unaware of the current state of Origin City.

As a close attendant, she had a high degree of freedom, and she saw firsthand what this place was like.

A brick house can be built in a day by a few bricklayers.

A road that is 100 meters long can be paved by dozens of pavers in a single day.

A hundred acres of woodland can be reclaimed by several hundred farmers in half a month.

During a basin-wide flood, more than 10,000 laborers brought the floodwaters down in just a few days.

They were more efficient than anyone else, and in that positive and uplifting atmosphere, hardly anyone slacked off.

Anyone who dares to slack off will be reported and then sent to the mine.

She had never seen the conditions in the mines, but she knew that the workload there was definitely no less than that in Origin City.

After all, she couldn't imagine how those mines could support everyone's steel needs.

Everyone is now undertaking efficient and clearly defined tasks, and behind this rapid construction pace, countless people are making sacrifices.

She lived to be nearly thirty and witnessed for the first time the power of the collective.

They each had their own roles...including Gweil.

The concept of child labor did not exist in this era. Some baker apprentices, horse groom apprentices, and even knight pagemen all started working from a young age, responsible for various odd jobs.

Besides, she's not a child anymore; she's no longer the little witch who looked like a quail two years ago.

Development is a long and arduous task that often requires the efforts and struggles of several generations to advance the entire civilization.

In that process, countless people's blood and sweat were crushed under its wheels.

Shasta didn't understand this.

Roman could understand Shasta, but he never expected Shasta to understand him.

……

He went straight to the grassland he had originally chosen as his ranch.

Pastures are absolutely necessary.

Although grazing increases the feeding cycle, it can expand the scale of breeding and reduce the number of management personnel.

When Yaki saw Roman, he immediately greeted him: "Sir, I've done the calculations. If this land is properly developed, it should be able to graze two thousand horses, three thousand cattle, ten thousand pigs, and twenty thousand sheep next year." He stated his projected goals.

After his limp was cured, he moved faster and his work efficiency improved significantly.

"How many people do you want?"

“A thousand men!” Yaki said. “Sir, give me a thousand men, and I promise to take good care of them.”

When the farm first took shape, it had the same number of people, but now it has to take care of ten times more livestock.

This is an advantage brought about by grazing.

"Will the renovations be completed this year?"

"It's a bit difficult," Yaki said awkwardly. They had a goal, but the path to that goal was going to be very difficult.

"How many people do you need?" Roman asked again.

"We need to plant tens of thousands of acres of alfalfa and sow hundreds of thousands of acres of pasture seeds here, which will require at least seven thousand people."

This is not just a simple number; it represents the basic needs of seven thousand people, including food, drink, shelter, and sleep, making logistical support extremely challenging.

After a moment's thought, Roman said, "Let's build the road first."

The ranch is fifty kilometers away from Origin City, located on the roadside leading to Coal Iron Town.

But the coal railway was no longer usable. It was a crudely constructed mud road, and after only two years, it was worn out beyond recognition.

Replacing it with a high-quality stone slab road can effectively improve the efficiency of transporting building materials.

Contrary to common sense, fertile grasslands are not suitable for growing staple crops, as even slight changes in the weather can easily lead to crop failure. Their ecological environment is more suitable for developing the grass industry.

It was suitable to develop into a separate livestock town, which could also divert some of the growing population of Origin City. Roman stayed here for five days, discussing specific issues with Aki and writing down a plan for future development, meticulously arranging all possible steps.

He returned to Origin Manor on the seventh day, his whole body aching, and his horse exhausted.

Before he could even catch his breath, he heard the maids' message: "Master, Lord Finn has been waiting for you for two days."

Roman wanted to rest, but upon hearing this, he had no choice but to meet with Scarface.

There were no other pirates with him, which suggests that Alex knew about what happened last time and didn't want to humiliate himself again.

"Your Highness, it is an honor to meet you. It is so good that you have not suffered any damage here," Scarface said, kneeling on one knee.

"Just state your purpose," Roman said.

"You're still as generous as ever. To be honest, there was a flood in the Pirate King's territory a while ago, so many people are now homeless."

Roman stared coldly at Finn.

Is it the flood or you who made them homeless?
He didn't ask that question.

This is a chaotic world, where human life is as worthless as grass, easily blown down by the wind.

Origin City welcomes homeless slaves who can't survive, as long as they don't exceed the city's capacity.

"How many people?"

"Ten or twenty thousand, I guess," Finn said with a fawning expression.

Tens or twenty thousand...right? Roman frowned deeply and said, "I'll take them all, but the price has to be 40% lower."

Finn quickly replied, "Your Highness, the Pirate King is genuinely interested in doing business with you."

“I’m being sincere, otherwise I would have lowered the price by half – the old market practices don’t apply now.”

Finn had to admit that the King of the Vale was right.

The price of any commodity will change as the situation develops.

The pirates can't support that many people right now. After the flood, half the food supply is considered good. Rather than letting them starve or cause trouble for the pirates, it's better to use the food for profit.

To put it bluntly, killing and massacring a village also takes effort.

Even a Northern Ice Battle Axe will become dull if you use it to attack too many people.

"...You're right, but there's a small problem. Some people might be infected with a disease...not anything serious..."

Roman interrupted him: "Those patients cost 20% of the price of ordinary slaves. If you're willing, send them to me."

"May the Dragon King bless them so that they may live on in the glory of the King of the Valley," Finn said in the ancient language of Ego.

He's sincere!
Damn it, heaven knows how a businessman feels when he encounters a buyer who wants anything and everything!

If he weren't worried about offending the young king in front of him, he would have loved to kiss him a few times!
Then, following the pirate king's orders, Finn tentatively asked Roman to exchange slaves for food.

But Roman looked at him coldly.

The look in his eyes and his expression spoke volumes.

roll!
……

Pirates were extremely efficient, thanks to their specially designed longships. Even when sailing against the current, as long as the rowers could hold on, traveling 100 kilometers a day was normal, and at the very limit, it could be 200 kilometers.

In Roman's view, the shipbuilding skills of the Igor people completely surpassed those of the Black Iron Lands.

No wonder Gale, despite having superior equipment and organization, failed to achieve a decent victory even after building low bridges and blocking the river to force the pirates into a head-on battle.

The pirate fleet consisted of over three hundred longships that arrived in Origin City. Due to the large number of people, Roman had to bring out his army to assist the residents in accepting the slaves.

This war may end this year.

After all, it had dragged on long enough; both sides were essentially fighting a terrible war.

Now that the flood has come, there's no time to delay any longer; we're forced into a final showdown.

If it were before, Roman might not have said so...

But now, the pirates have a higher probability of winning.

However, Roman was not concerned about the outcome of the war between the two sides.

All he knew was that the work on the ranch had been taken care of this year.

(End of this chapter)