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

Chapter 127 Patrol Team Mistakes
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For the next two days, Rhodes did not continue to study the mysterious stone door.

Instead, he stayed with Durant, watching as the soldiers dug out all the weapons from the cave floor.

The haul was plentiful, consisting of twenty-seven harpoons, as well as eleven hammers and other weapons such as spiked clubs.

These weapons are equally sturdy and durable, no less so than Rhodes' enchanted weapons.

Rhodes ordered his guards to carefully pack up all the weapons, preparing to take them back.

We need to study these weapons carefully.

Rhodes was filled with curiosity about these extraordinary items.

Rhodes must study.

As for extraordinary knowledge, Rhodes could only consult the Dawn Society.

Of course, he couldn't possibly tell the Dawn Society the whole story, saying something as stupid as, "There's a deep-sea ruin in my salt mine, come quick!"

Rhodes isn't that stupid.

He simply picked out a few non-adjacent words from the book, intending to ask Lusenlinda what language it was, what it meant, and if there was any information about it.

As for the reason, Rod had already thought of it: he would say that he found torn pages mixed in with the books he bought.

Linda had promised to give Rhodes a booklet on meditation, so she left him her contact information.

However, that place is quite far away, requiring crossing the border town to reach a remote mountain valley.

Having no other option, Rhodes could only send someone to deliver a message and retrieve what Linda had promised him.

After returning to town, the weather in the North cleared up again.

Temperatures have risen, and the snow has completely melted in some sunny areas.

This is late autumn in the North, with days that are hot and days that are cold.

It gets very cold after the snowfall, but the temperature warms up again after a few days.

Rhodes should not harbor any warm hopes.

Indigenous people all know that after the snow falls, the weather will get colder and colder.

Rhodes did not stay obediently in Frostleaf Town to wait for Linda's reply.

Taking advantage of the good weather these past few days, Rod led his men to the iron mine and began laying rails in the mine shafts.

Jess and the miners were filled with doubt as they watched Rhodes assemble the minecart with the carpenter.

The roads in the rugged caves were uneven, the ground was full of loose rocks, and it was uphill, so using vehicles for transportation seemed like a very foolish thing to do.

Using a cart is far less efficient than carrying it by hand.

But out of trust in Rhodes, everyone kept these questions to themselves.

The same goes for Jess.

When Rhodes was guiding everyone in laying the rails, Jess suddenly realized that the situation was completely different from what he had imagined.

The wheels of the mine carts are different from ordinary cart wheels; they have a groove in the middle.

The width of this groove was just right for it to fit onto the two rails that Rhodes had laid on the ground.

Jess, who had some mechanical talent, immediately understood the purpose of the design.

—If the cart is pulled along the tracks, then there's no need to worry about the rubble on the ground!
Jess was both surprised and delighted, and couldn't help but exclaim to Rhodes, "Sir, you are simply a genius!"

Rod smiled but did not respond, thinking to himself that he dared not call himself a genius.

I was merely borrowing knowledge that I had already learned.

Those pioneers who developed these technologies were the true geniuses.

Rhodes stayed at the mine for three days. After everyone was familiar with the laying techniques, he handed the work over to the carpenter and Jess, and then returned to the manor.

This project will take at least two weeks to complete, and Rod doesn't have the time to stay with it the whole time.

Upon returning to town, Durant immediately went to Rod's house to report the latest information discovered by the patrol team.

“Outside the White Rock Canyon in the southeast, a group of refugees began migrating in this direction, numbering about seventy people.”

Rhodes was a little surprised.

After that war, Earl Falcon surprisingly did not set up any fortifications at White Rock Canyon, allowing refugees to cross over.

Despite his doubts, Rhodes still sent a small team to investigate the refugees.

Refugees can easily turn into robbers, so they must be handled properly.

Rhodes's team quickly found refugees wandering the wasteland, who made no move to resist the fully armed soldiers.

The squad ordered them to stay where they were, and then brought their leader—the village chief named Kosei—to Rhodes.

Kosei was a little nervous when he first met Rhodes, and knelt down in front of Rhodes without daring to look up.

Rod sized up the middle-aged man in front of him. He didn't seem particularly special, and then asked, "Why did you come to Black Pine Ridge?"

"The harvest was already half of what it used to be, and most of it was taken away by the lord after the autumn harvest."

"As you know, there was a major war in our area this year, and everyone is suffering a lot."

"We're out of food, everyone's starving to death, we have no choice but to head this way."

Kosei replied with his head down, "I heard from businessmen that this place is very good for refugees, so I came here to find a way to survive."

Earl Falcon's losses must be compensated by someone. If Rhodes doesn't give it to him, he'll have to squeeze money from his people. A lord must protect his own interests before he can worry about his people.

For a lord like Earl Falcon, it doesn't matter if a few of his subjects starve to death.

"A merchant? That merchant is probably long gone, isn't he?"

Rod narrowed his eyes slightly. "You can't just blindly head this way, can you? You're all familiar with the roads to the southeast, aren't you?"

Kosai explained, "Someone in our village bought a map from that merchant before, and he did it to prevent people from starving to death."

Simon's death was not unjust.

He can sell all the roads in the southeast direction.

Rhodes snorted inwardly, but his expression remained calm.

Looking at Kosei, Rhodes continued, "So are all these refugees from your village? Did they cross from White Rock Canyon? Wasn't that area blocked off?"

"No, my lord."

Kosei explained, "We came from the mountain path outside the canyon, and we dared not let Earl Falcon's team find us. They won't let us leave."

"If Earl Falcon won't let you escape, why did you still try to escape?"

Rod frowned slightly. "You refused the food they offered you and insisted on coming to Black Pine Ridge?"

"No, sir, they don't give us any food at all!"

The old village chief smiled bitterly: "Sir, they don't care whether we live or die. Those soldiers will only tell us to stay here obediently, but they won't give us any food."

Rhodes was taken aback; he realized he wasn't as ruthless as the lords of this era.

If you don't give them food and won't let them run away, that's worse than robbery.

Do you know the rules here?

Rhodes did have enough food to feed the group, but he still couldn't just take them in.
“You can become refugees, and I will give you food, but for the first five years you must be my slaves and work for me for free.”

"Yes, my lord! No problem!"

The old village chief nodded hurriedly, his face showing excitement.

Refugees don't have many human rights; it's already good enough if someone is willing to accept them.

Having a place to eat and be able to live well is enough to satisfy anyone, and Rhodes's conditions are not unreasonable.

"Since you're the village chief, you'll come with my steward in a bit,"

Rhodes called Lawrence over and said, “My butler Lawrence, take him and record the information of every single one of you refugees. I need detailed information and to compile it into a book.”

"Also, I need you to walk along the mountain path through White Rock Canyon."

"No problem, sir, I'll tell you whatever you want to know!"

Kosai readily agreed, then added, "Most of the people in the team are my villagers, and I know them all. There are just a few refugees we met on the road who are not familiar with me."

"I don't care who they are, I just want their information clearly recorded and compiled for me."

Rod's tone left no room for argument.

"Wait a moment."

Rhodes frowned slightly.

Where did you meet the refugees fleeing famine?

"Mountain road? Black Pine Ridge? Or did we encounter it in Earl Falcon's territory?"

"At Black Pine Ridge, sir."

Kosei immediately replied honestly, "We had just crossed the White Rock Canyon when we encountered them, who were also fleeing famine, in the ravine."

"How many?" Rod asked.

Kosei waved his finger and replied, "Seven people, a couple with their child."

Rod waved his hand, signaling Kosei to step down.

Lawrence realized something and quickly pulled Kosei along to take a count of the villagers.

"what happened?"

Rod frowned and turned to Durant beside him, "Why weren't these seven people spotted by the patrol?"

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, I'll investigate immediately!"

Durant also realized the seriousness of the problem.

It's fine with two or three people, but now there are seven.

Rhodes absolutely refused to allow them to appear silently in Black Pine Ridge.

After all, there are patrol teams in the southeast and northwest directions, and there are also patrol teams on the roads leading to the border town.

Rod reached out and interrupted Durant.

"First, send someone to keep an eye on these seven people, then have Bai Shuang perform a divination to see if their arrival here is a good thing or a bad thing."

The White Frost Prophet cannot predict specific events, but the general trend of events is still somewhat of a reference.

"I'll get on it now!"

Durant responded and quickly walked out of the hall.

(End of this chapter)