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

Chapter 317 Digging the Canal (Bonus Chapter)
Roman calculated that the army had gained seven hundred new apostles.

The way to improve is to invest resources!

It's just like smashing grain.

Pour in as much resources as you can!

An apostle can be considered a first-tier knight if one or two of his five attributes reach the D-level.

All five attributes have been upgraded from E-level to D-level.

The total consumption was one pound of refined gold, two pounds of mithril, four pounds of magic stone, eight pounds of oriental copper, and one hundred pounds of magic steel.

Roman uses adamantite to enhance his attack and magic steel to enhance his physique.

The resources he currently possesses are sufficient to upgrade approximately five hundred apostles.

But it doesn't matter, once this year is over, he will be able to promote all the apostles to first-tier knights.

The more blessings he bestows, the higher the loyalty of the army becomes.

Because of the recruitment drive, Roman stayed in the basin for a while longer.

He witnessed firsthand how the army was gradually becoming stronger.

It is now able to intimidate all sides.

Unfortunately, their family fortune was too meager.

The army is too small to support operations on multiple fronts.

Insufficient food reserves prevent us from undertaking a long expedition.

Putting everything else aside, just take Plenty of City as an example; it's definitely on the right track.

But a complete withdrawal was impossible. Roman sent a thousand standing troops to garrison the city, just in case something happened and he was caught off guard and unable to summon the army from Origin City.

While the City of Abundance is developing, the City of Origin is developing even faster.

Roman began a special project.

Dig a canal!

Origin City is a hundred kilometers away from Coal and Iron Town, and dozens of kilometers away from Salt Town and Meadow Pasture.

Roman discovered through the large map that if a canal could be dug, resources could be mobilized extremely quickly.

It can also serve as a flood discharge facility and greatly help to divert population.

There are many benefits.

In any case, the scale of land reclamation in Origin City has reached its limit.

The further outwards the land is cultivated, the more strenuous the work becomes.

Because there is no longer any easily cultivated wasteland.

It will take at least four or five years to double the area of ​​arable land.

But it's different in other places.

The basin is crisscrossed by winding rivers that flow freely.

By following the canal and finding habitable areas, towns can be built, and land and swamps can be reclaimed directly on the spot.

What are you waiting for?
Dig!

This canal is segmented.

The total length is about 40 to 50 kilometers, and the width is about 20 meters.

After all, only small cargo ships pass through, so the waterway doesn't need to be too wide.

If there is a real demand, we can expand on it in the future.

After completing their farming tasks, the farmers, who were in their twenties and above, had other things to do.

Men were responsible for digging the riverbed, while women were responsible for logistics and transportation.

In total, more than 10,000 laborers could be mobilized.

Upon receiving the order, those people unanimously stopped their land reclamation tasks.

In this crisp autumn season.

They carried hoes, shovels, and picks and rushed to the battlefield.

Roman and Guillermo del Toro stood on the hillside, witnessing a rare and spectacular scene. Although, for the former, even larger spectacle was within his capabilities.

But only when the working people gather together can there be that earth-shattering feeling.

"Roman, there are so many people!" the girl exclaimed. "It's like..."

“Like a flock of sheep,” the young king said quietly.

They're all heading in the same direction.

“I gave them the target,” the king said, “otherwise they wouldn’t have any clue.”

"It's so kind of you."

“It’s great! Gweil, I’m greater than anyone else! I gave them goals, I led them forward, without me they’re just a bunch of rabble…”

"So we can't live without you, Roman, just like all things can't grow without the sun..."

"Ugh……"

On that warm autumn day, Gweil couldn't remember how Roman answered her; he seemed to say something, yet also seemed to say nothing at all. Only many years later did she suddenly recall that soft sigh.

But at that time, she was inexperienced and short-sighted, and did not know the weight behind that sigh, only that it contained many complex meanings.

Unbeknownst to her, the future was shrouded in a thick fog. In that ethereal destiny, the two paths beneath her feet were already clear: one led to a distant horizon, and the other to an even more distant horizon.

……

On the eve of Roman's departure from Origin City.

The caravan has returned from Iceland.

Returning with a full load, autumn is the harvest season, and Iceland slaughters sheep on a large scale to prepare for winter. They directly transported back tens of thousands of kilograms of wool, which can be described as a grand undertaking.

Roman was also very pleased to hear this.

Once this wool is spun, it can make clothes for tens of thousands of people.

More importantly, Morey also purchased hundreds of Icelandic sheep and shipped them over as well.

"You did a good job."

Morey said awkwardly, "Your Highness, before I could say anything more, His Majesty Yarman agreed to do business with us."

Yarman is the real name of the King of Iceland.

He went to meet the King of Iceland with the mindset of Tang Ju not failing his mission, but when the latter heard his purpose, he simply waved his hand and let him take away hundreds of thousands of catties of wool.

Of course, his cargo was left there as well.

But this situation is quite bizarre, it feels like punching cotton.

"As long as we can complete the mission, that's good." Roman nodded.

“Your Highness, he thinks we’re in league with the Black Iron King,” Morey said.

"They were always in cahoots." Roman looked at Morey strangely. He had transported tens of thousands of shields and weapons to Blackburg this year. Wasn't he a staunch loyalist?

The latter was speechless. "I just got back and heard that you recruited 3,000 soldiers. With your strength, why are you still mass-producing troops? I would have thought you were going to rebel against the Black Iron King."

“Oh, right, there’s one more thing…” Morey winked at the caravan.

A disheveled, somewhat disheveled figure staggered out of the line. Roman heard Morey introduce him somewhat embarrassedly, "This is my good-for-nothing brother..."

Roman recognized Hoss as well. According to Morey, the witch failed to kill the Holy See, and Perea's forces scattered when it fell. Hoss knew on the spot that he was doomed. With the idea of ​​seeking survival in the face of death, he headed north and slipped away to Iceland.

But the north wasn't safe either. One day, Hoss woke up to find all the merchant ships had been taken away by the guards. The guards clearly had no intention of fleeing with him; they were plotting to plunder the ship. Fortunately, there was some bond between master and servant, and they didn't stab him before leaving.

Without a boat and without money, Hoss was left to wander in Iceland, where he was brought back by Morey.

"Your Highness." Hoss bowed and scraped before Roman, his former arrogance completely gone after more than a year of hardship.

“Then let’s stay here,” Roman said, having no objections to Hoss. When Morey was trapped on Bucks’ high ground, it was Hoss who tipped Roman off. The tables have turned.

"Thank you for your kindness..." Hoss almost burst into tears. He had gained the friendship of many nobles in the past, but only when disaster struck did he realize who he could rely on.

Roman didn't say much and was about to leave when he heard Hoss say, "I went to Iceland to find my and Morey's father, Selin... and our sister, a witch named Cassandra, but I was too late and couldn't find them. They must have gone to the Land of Ego."

Roman frowned slightly: "What is Selin going to the Land of Igor for?"

"Go find the legendary Conqueror's Treasury. Cassandra is a witch with a certain status in the Witch Forest. She and Lord Isabella both possess prophetic powers. She has deciphered the family treasure map and claims that the Conqueror's Treasury is located in the land of Ego."

I've been under a lot of pressure lately, so only one update today. Nine chapters to go.
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(End of this chapter)