I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 121 The Marquis's Covetousness

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Linda brought Rod a large amount of cotton and fabric this time.

There were also some spices, honey, and thirty sets of chainmail, which were also intended to cater to Rhodes's needs.

Rhodes was very curious. Their equipment seemed to be produced in an endless stream, like a flowing river, and the quality of the equipment was quite good.

Last time they took out twenty sets, and this time they took out thirty sets. It's impossible for a small blacksmith shop to forge so many pieces of equipment in such a short time.

Rod tried to ask Linda, but she didn't say anything directly.

Linda simply stated that they had a group of people they were working with, and that only a small portion of what was delivered to Rhodes was actually given to them.

Rod sensed something was amiss there and tried to ask, but Linda remained silent.

Rod stopped being curious and didn't bother to investigate further.

Anyway, since I'm in a harsh and cold place like the Northern Wasteland, no one will come to rob me.

Now, many of Rhodes' products are produced and sold in-house.

Previously, some of the herbs could be sold, but now Rhodes has also researched some useful ones and keeps half of them for his own use.

Only a small portion could be sold, and Rhodes kept most of the animal hides because of the winter.

Rhodes will not sell minerals or food.

The only things Dawn can take away are Rhodes's paper and salt.

They would sell the paper along the way, but they would take the paper back for their own use.

Rhodes prepared eight thousand sheets of paper for Linda, which amounted to forty-eight gold coins, plus ten thousand catties of salt.

On this trip, Rhodes didn't spend a single copper coin, but instead received twenty-two gold coins.

Paper has indeed become a major force in the local economy.

It's more profitable to serve wealthy people like spellcasters and nobles.

Realizing this, Rhodes immediately instructed Lawrence to build two more fireplaces in the paper mill to ensure that production would not drop too much in the winter.

How many armies do you intend to build?

Linda, who came to the manor to say goodbye to Rhodes, asked with a smile, "Would you like me to bring you this kind of protective gear next time?"

“Okay, I also want the artisan slaves.”

Rhodes looked at Linda curiously and asked in a low voice, "Perhaps you have some powerful magical equipment?"

"Sorry, we don't plan to sell magical equipment at the moment..."

Linda realized she had said the wrong thing and stopped talking abruptly.

Her statement implies that Dawn will most likely be able to craft magical equipment herself.

The correct answer should be that magical equipment is too rare; she herself has never seen it before.

Unfortunately, Linda isn't used to lying.

Ugh.

Linda sighed and, without hiding anything, said frankly, "You can't afford it in your current situation."

"Hahaha!"

Rod couldn't help but laugh.
"Actually, I wanted to ask what conditions are required to make magical equipment, and what materials are needed?"

Rhode felt that the pelt of that fire-breathing giant bear should be a good material for magical equipment.

Just touching it makes it feel warm.

Although only a small amount of coal is being mined, the establishment of the mine will take some time.

But Rhodes had to build the blast furnace ahead of schedule.

Construction will become difficult once winter arrives, so these things must be done properly before the ground freezes.

Rhodes personally led thirty slaves to Blackrock Mountain to collect clay and stones nearby to build the main body of the blast furnace.

Compared to a typical one-time blast furnace, a blast furnace is nearly three meters high, and the foundation must be flat and hard to keep the blast furnace stable.

The blast furnace has an inverted conical tower-shaped structure, which can also be understood as a "frustum with the mouth of the bell facing upwards". Iron ore and charcoal are put into the top in a ratio of 1:2. In the future, the ratio of coal mines will probably be 1:1.

The blast furnace has symmetrically installed bellows on both sides, which are operated alternately, and there are small holes at the bottom for slag to flow out.

The molten iron flows out from the taphole on the side wall of the blast furnace near the ground.

The taphole is sealed at the beginning and will only be opened when the iron smelting is almost over.

Under Rhodes's supervision, three blast furnaces were quickly built, rendering Rhodes's iron ore mines unnecessary.

"My lord, we've been having some trouble mining lately; we're bringing out less and less ore every day."

After the blast furnace was completed, Jess stood next to Rhodes and reported.

Rhodes, oblivious to these details, asked with some curiosity, "Did you encounter a monster?"

"No, no, there aren't that many monsters."

Jess explained with a laugh, "It's mainly because we're digging deeper and deeper."

"As everyone went deeper and deeper into the mine, they had to spend a lot of time transporting the ore out."

Sometimes we also have to clear away the rubble inside, and everyone is getting more and more tired, but the amount of ore we bring out each day doesn't seem to increase at all.

Rhodes nodded slightly. "Okay, I understand."

This mine shaft was originally quite deep, nearly fifty meters deep.
Now, with the continuous excavation, it is getting deeper and deeper, and is now nearly two hundred meters deep.

This is because the miners expanded in different directions.

"I will solve this problem."

Rhodes made a promise to Jess, and then added:
"But don't forget to add more support in the mine while you're digging, just like you would when building a cellar."

Rhodes didn't want to see a landslide occur in his mine.

"Yes, my lord, I will assign someone to handle this matter."

When it comes to the lives of miners, Jess dares not be careless.

After finishing everything at the iron ore mine, Rhodes took the opportunity to wander westward for two days, essentially inspecting his territory.

He has already inspected the southeast area and has discovered most of the basic mineral resources.

However, no time had been allocated for patrols and searches in the northwest, which led to the accidental discovery of the coal mine.

With the appearance of the fire-breathing giant bear, Rhode dared not be careless. Rhode, along with his hunting party and Frost Lightning, patrolled the area.

Rhodes was well aware of his own strength; if he encountered a magical beast, he might not even have a chance to escape alone. There were also many mountains and lakes to the west, and a proper patrol would take a considerable amount of time.

Within two days, Rod discovered some large stone quarries, and mostly clay deposits near the pond.

With much to do, Rhodes wasted no time and went straight back to the manor.

He gave the blueprints for the windmill forging workshop to the old carpenter Waller so he could try to build it, and then Rod began to study ways to improve the efficiency of transporting ore.

— Mine railway.

Trains were a very distant concept in this era, since there were no steam engines and trains could only be pulled by animals, which was impractical.

But Rod thought this technology could be used in mines.

No machinery is needed; it can be pulled by people or animals, which is much less strenuous than transporting it separately.

Alternatively, a pulley system can be installed at the other end of the track, allowing people to pull themselves out directly from outside the mine.

The key point is that the design and construction of the railway minecarts in the mine are not difficult, and Rhodes completed the blueprints in three days.

Rhodes planned to have Waller send two carpenters to make some wooden track bases, and then a blacksmith would forge iron bars based on the bases, stretch them out, and nail them to the surface.

The mine shaft is laid with two parallel tracks, with a gauge of about half a meter, according to the standards for mine cars.

The mine car is about half a meter wide, about 1.2 meters long, and about half a meter high, with iron-clad wooden hub wheels at the bottom.

Each vehicle has a ring at the rear, which can be linked together with iron chains and hemp ropes when needed.

To prevent excessive speed when going downhill, Rod also installed a speed limiter under the vehicle, which was a simple braking device made of wooden wedges.

However, the carpenters didn't have time to take on this new project; they were busy researching Rhodes' new windmill.

Before the windmill could even be erected, glistening snowflakes were the first to grace the northern border.

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border town.

Snowflakes filled the sky, drifting and scattering like willow catkins.

The once vibrant rose garden now seems to have been draped in a wedding gown.

In the manor hall, the fire crackled and burned in the fireplace, dispelling the winter chill.

Marquis Hanren was sitting at the long table, leisurely enjoying his dinner.

He was surrounded by exquisite dishes, and the rich aroma filled the room.

Lady Rose sat gracefully beside her, with two maids quietly attending to her.

Marquis Hanren picked up the golden wine glass and gently swirled it.

The amber-colored liquid rippled in the glass, but he didn't drink it; he put the glass down.

"I heard,"

He spoke slowly,
"The Earl of Falcon suffered a minor loss."

Lady Rose, a slight smile playing on her lips, nestled into Marquis Coldblade's arms.
"Hmm, besides you, who else could bring that eagle down?"

"That little guy you praised last time, Rod did it."

Rose's eyes lit up slightly.

Marquis Hanren took a sip of wine, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"The scouts reported that it was a matter concerning the people, and a minor conflict arose."

"That Falcon guy was looking for someone to vent his anger on, wanting to tear a piece of flesh off that little guy, but he kicked a rock."

"I didn't gain anything, and instead I broke a tooth."

Marquis Hanren added with a smile, "His nephew Harun was also arrested."

"This time, Earl Falcon disregarded the dignity of a high-ranking lord and did not take a single copper coin as ransom."

"His nephew paid for everything himself."

Marquis Hanren snorted, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes.

He wasn't smart to begin with.

Lady Rose said, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have refused your kindness."

She tilted her head and glanced at Marquis Coldblade, tentatively asking, "Do you still want the Falcon family's support?"

Marquis Hanren raised an eyebrow, his smile carrying a deeper meaning.

"I want it, but it doesn't necessarily have to be him."

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and gazed into the distance.

The Counts of the Falcon family are not static.

"I'm just curious how that little guy managed to make the falcon lose its way."

"He seems to be more capable than I thought."

Lady Rose blinked, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Even you don't understand?"

Marquis Hanren leaned back in his chair, his fingers tracing the rim of his cup.

"That guy is very wary."

"The caravan has gone, and he only lets people loiter around the inn, forbidding them from mentioning a single word about the territory."

He squinted at Lady Rose in his arms and ordered, "Help me bury a few nails in there."

She tilted her head and thought for a moment, then asked, "So what do you want me to do?"

Marquis Hanren put down his cup, his eyes flashing.

"He bought slaves from you, didn't he?"

Mrs. Rose nodded: "I've bought it."

“Place some people among the slaves directly and sell them to him,” Marquis Hanren said in a deep voice.

She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously reminded him, "It's not good for slaves to pass on messages."

"Besides, he hasn't come to buy anything in a long time."

Marquis Hanren frowned. "Then let your caravan sell them."

"Or think of another way, like reaching your hand in."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, gazing at the snowflakes outside the window.
"In short, I need to know just how strong this guy really is."

(End of this chapter)