Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 219 Trade Progress
They thoroughly searched the haunted gold mine, looking through almost every corner, practically digging three feet into the ground.

After all, the Astrological Month is called the Gold Rush Month, so it would be a shame not to take some risks.

However, the output of this gold mine has already exceeded expectations, so we dare not ask for more.

Liliana led her vampire army into the North under cover of night, raiding several fortified cities. She didn't target large cities, but instead focused on raiding weakly defended resource-rich areas, draining their resources one wave at a time before moving on to another. Even with Levin's advanced reconnaissance skills, it was difficult for her to catch them.

Liliana's recent advancement to intermediate Necromancy, boosted by the Governing spell, grants her an 80% chance of necromancy success. She can basically gather enough necromancy by killing some centaurs and dwarves.

Once the skeletons have been converted to their full potential, retreat towards the ancient ruins. After leaving the area scouted by Isildor, return to the haunted gold mine.

The blame for attacking the fortress can only fall on the ancient ruins, since Leven would never have imagined that Kuraki had such a controlled undead army.

The reason why the undead miners don't need to leave too many people is because they need enough troops to boost the Yin energy and increase gold production.

The more haunted a cemetery is, the better its yield; perhaps gold prefers bones?

This kind of problem requires a seasoned necromancer to study, and Su Mu has no intention of figuring it out.

Having obtained the golden bag, Su Mu placed it directly into the Eight Kings' Hall of Prison Suppression, the best place for the sealed item, which could both benefit the hero and make reasonable use of the treasure.

The golden bag naturally belongs to Maggie. This treasure is a miscellaneous item, so it is not unique to wear. With Maggie's advanced dream financial management skills, she can earn 6000 gold coins every day, which is 42000 gold coins a week, directly increasing Kuraki's income by nearly 50%.

The gold bag seems to connect to a treasure vault, with a shower of gold coins appearing every now and then. The advanced dream investment further amplifies this effect.

This time, Kuraki really doesn't lack money. Su Mu even thinks that it would be enough to recruit soldiers for another city.

Having worked so hard to build his business and achieve this position, and even financial freedom, Su Mu felt it was no easy feat, and a sense of satisfaction naturally arose within him.

However, considering Elton's current predicament—driven back into the country by Isildur, surrounded by wolves like the Arcane Empire and the Savage Orcs—he has no chance to breathe. As the saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken; if the kingdom truly falls, a small plain will be powerless to save it.

Leaving aside the distant future, the inability to acquire boundary stones completely cuts off Kuraki's path to development. Powerful earth magic can seal the earth's spirits, causing a region to lose its ability to recruit soldiers; extraordinary astrologers can alter celestial phenomena, causing a small area to suffer calamities every month.

Isildur certainly possessed these methods, but Elton was too large, and the barrier was insufficient to withstand the powerful earth elemental veins, hence its ineffectiveness. If only a plain remained, Isildur had countless ways to trap them.

While the history of the hero world is filled with many legendary tales of ordinary people, this almost disappeared as we approach modern times. The in-depth study of magical powers and the widespread use of boundary stones made positional warfare and wars of attrition the mainstream.

In major wars between two nations, the outcome is often not determined by advanced military units, but rather by the strength of the nations themselves.

At present, Kuraki still needs to stabilize development, accumulate money and resources, act as a barrier for the plains, and be like a nail to restrict Isidore.

In fact, with the fall of the North, the status of the cities on the Shirin Plain instantly rose.

Previously, Parliament believed that Sumu's background was ordinary, and that his rise to nobility through military merit was too rapid. Some even felt that his control of Longlet Castle as a viscount, with Maggie as his personal possession, was somewhat presumptuous and needed to be curbed.

Now all that was put aside. There was only one requirement for him: by whatever means necessary, hold the Shirin Plain and prevent Isidore's army from occupying the central region again.

If that time really comes, the hill defense line will be a joke. The kingdom's army will be attacked from both sides, and the Emerald City's reinforcements will certainly not dare to penetrate deep. Eldon will hand over half of its territory, and it will truly be close to destruction.

"The Tribunal sent word that Congress will soon reward Kuraki for his meritorious defense of Bear Fortress, his resistance against the fortress, and his campaign to exterminate the undead. There is a high probability that he will be granted a title!"

As soon as Su Mu returned to Langlitburg, Maggie told him some exciting news.

Tribunal Priest Lean Regan had fought against the undead army and knew the power of the ancient ruins. Therefore, he reported it to the Church and Congress, and everyone realized how serious the undead calamity was in this place. It was already remarkable that Sumu and others were able to hold Bear Keep under the pressure of the fortress and the cemetery.

With someone speaking up for him and the situation changing drastically, requiring Su Mu to take on more responsibility, he finally received some benefits. Maggie slammed the letter on the table, quite dissatisfied: "The congressmen weren't saying this just half a month ago. They were cooperating with Rhodes to put pressure on us, even saying that if we didn't provide support, we would be charged with treason. But now they're showing this side of themselves."

No wonder Maggie was angry. During the defense of Bearhold, no troops came to help. When they reported the undead calamity, Parliament completely ignored them, only telling them to go north to provide support. Even when the Northern nobles were ambushed and warnings were given, the great nobles still wouldn't listen.

Looking at the results now, it was the right thing to do to hold back and preserve strength. Rhodes was just a lump of mud with no military capability whatsoever.

"The title is secondary; has Congress promised to grant us permission for the boundary stone?"

“A portion will be allocated, but it's still short of what the construction council needs. The council's intention is that if we can cut off Isildur's forces, there will be a special reward.”

Su Mu was well aware that the kingdom had a great need for boundary stones, so anything tangible would suffice; empty titles were useless. As for fighting Isildur, he would definitely go all out. Without the constraints of that idiot Rhodes, he could actually unleash his full potential. Sometimes, a stupid teammate can be more deadly than a godlike opponent.

Maggie glanced at Su Mu, her tone changing slightly: "The Parliament has heard that a certain young talent is still unmarried, and all the nobles are very interested in him. It is said that a princess from a duchy, the only daughter of a wealthy merchant in a trading city, and even some princesses are longing for him."

According to the customs of the Kingdom of Elton, men can get married after the age of 14. Judging from Sumu's age, he is already an older youth.

Of course, this was the age stipulated by the religion. Marriages between nobles had more political considerations and might be delayed. In addition, with the ravages of war, there were no strict requirements.

Previously, the nobles looked down on rural nobles like Su Mu, but as Cang Mu gradually became the overlord of the plains, Su Mu's status rose accordingly. Several dukes and marquises had extended olive branches to him, and some nobles even sent his daughters' magical portraits over, but Maggie threw them all away.

In the words of Marquis Maggie, "Ordinary women are not worthy of Su Mu. Only a princess or a noblewoman is qualified to marry Su Mu now."

Varadin repeatedly mocked Maggie, saying that she exercised the power of a mistress but did not do the things a mistress should do.

Now that princesses and noblewomen are actually casting their gazes at her, Maggie is finding it hard to resist.

Su Mu looked at Maggie pouting, looking aggrieved, and then remembered that this magically gifted marquis had only just come of age. If it weren't for the war, she would just be a young girl in her boudoir dreaming of princes and princesses, but now she was a fearsome dream master who traversed the battlefield.

He stepped forward and touched Maggie's soft blonde hair, his fingers gently brushing her forehead; her skin was smooth as cream. No matter how much skincare or allure she possessed, that only appealed to inexperienced virgins. For skin and figure, one had to be a bright and beautiful young woman.

"I'm not in a hurry; men become more charming with age. But Miss Marquis is growing up and it's time for her to find a husband. Does Miss Maggie have someone she likes?"

Or should I write to the Knight Commander and ask him to find a promising young man in the capital and bring him to you for your consideration?

Seeing Su Mu's nonchalant attitude, Maggie became even angrier: "Hmph! Mind your own business, I don't need you to tell me what to do!"

After saying that, she slapped Su Mu's hand away and left angrily.

Su Mu watched Maggie leave and smiled faintly.

With the war still raging and Isidore's army in the north, Kuraki could be annihilated at any moment, so he had no time for romance.

The nobles and aristocrats were merely engaging in political maneuvering and opportunism. Their goal was to make their daughters Kuraki's mistresses and influence his decisions.

Of course, there are also advantages. Those who dare to speculate now are all quite powerful, and Su Mu can rely on the power behind his wife's family to enhance his influence in the kingdom.

But Su Mu disdained to do so. If he cared about such small gains, he would never achieve great things. Compared to the assistance the nobles could offer now, he cared more about the influence the mistress herself would have on the future foundation. However, that was still a long way off. He needed to survive the war first; otherwise, everything would be in vain.

"My lord, Forrest invites you to the valley; he says a business deal is about to be finalized!"

Forrest is negotiating the boundary marker with the shipping company, and it seems that good things are on the horizon.

(End of this chapter)