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

Chapter 168 You are souls

……

……

"Painting?"

Durant looked at Rhodes with a puzzled expression. "Baron, you don't seem satisfied with Baron Harlan's reply..."

Durant had never heard of such a word, but judging from Rod's expression and the implied meaning, it didn't seem like a good one.

"Doesn't he want Frank Knight?"

"No,"

Rod smiled.
"Of course he wants it, and the price he offered is not low."

He held up one finger, speaking casually:

"One hundred gold coins, plus a thoroughbred warhorse from the Mosar Plateau."

Durant looked at Rhodes with slight surprise, then a smile appeared on his face.
"It seems that Baron Harlan really wants to get this knight back."

Rhodes nodded.

Rhodes had heard of the warhorses of the Mosar Plateau; they did not belong to the eastern continent, but rather came from the neighboring land of the gods.

The Mosar Plateau warhorses are large and muscular, stronger than ordinary warhorses, and are said to have some magical beast blood in their bodies.

They are more ferocious in battle; some even prefer to eat meat and will tear apart their opponents during fights.

Of course, such warhorses are also very stubborn, requiring not only professional horse trainers but also the ability to choose their owners.

Rhodes was surprised to find that Baron Harlan possessed such a rare item.

An ordinary warhorse costs around ten gold coins, a superior warhorse costs fifteen to twenty gold coins, while a warhorse from the Mosar Plateau can cost up to forty gold coins.

The key is that it is extremely scarce in the eastern continent.

Baron Harlan had only been in power for a little over a decade, and his father had only been in power for ten years.

Where does this rich family heritage come from?
Is it related to her maternal family or other families behind her?

Rhodes felt he needed to investigate.

"This price is indeed very generous; even a knight wouldn't need this much."

Durant hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Then, Your Excellency, were you praising Baron Harlan when you mentioned drawing a pie in the sky?"

"Drawing a pie in the sky" means promising something that doesn't exist yet, exchanging your current achievements for an uncertain future.

Rhodes explained, “For example, I don’t have any territory, so I let you follow me to explore new territories, but I don’t pay you a salary. Instead, I promise you a knight’s manor in the future.”

“If you told me this, I believe you.”

Durant said solemnly.

"Hahaha……"

Rod patted Durant on the shoulder.

"What if it was Baron Harlan who said it?"

"I will not fight for him," Durant said, his face still serious.

"This is just an example."

Rod said with a smile, then spread out the map and gestured.

"Baron Harlan made me a promise, saying that if he became Earl of Falcon in the future, he would give us all the land within ten kilometers of White Rock Canyon."

"But I don't really like this cake."

White Rock Canyon itself has some value; it can be used to build checkpoints.

Expanding further inland by another ten kilometers would not be very meaningful.

There are no special resources nearby, and no natural defenses to hold the village, so Rhodes cannot establish an isolated village there.

The townspeople and hunting teams naturally couldn't travel that far to fish or hunt.

Durant lowered his head, looked at the map, and thought for a moment before speaking.
"Actually, the price offered by Baron Harlan has already met your expectations, so this pie in the sky doesn't seem that important."

“You’re right, but since he likes to make empty promises,”

Rod muttered to himself, "Then we'll get a bigger one."

"You want to go another thirty kilometers in?" Durant asked.

Rhodes shook his head.

"Baron Harlan probably wouldn't be happy either."

“Then…” Durant looked at Rhodes curiously.

"We want a trade route and a 50-year tax exemption agreement."

"If we have a conflict with Marquis Hanren in the future, our caravan can at least enter and exit Black Pine Ridge through Eagle Ridge and Eagle Ridge."

After Rod finished speaking, Durant nodded in agreement.

“This route is more valuable than White Rock Canyon, and I believe Baron Harlan would not refuse to switch between the two.”

"replace?"

Rod raised an eyebrow.
"I want both of those conditions!"

……

……

Rhodes quickly sent a reply, in which, apart from the conditions mentioned later, he instructed Harlan to exchange as many gold coins as possible for stonemason and mason slaves.

Baron Harlan responded promptly.

Without any further words, he readily agreed to Rod's terms.

In fact, Rhodes knew that the additional conditions would not have a substantial impact on Baron Harlan.

If Baron Harlan were to become an earl, a trade route would be insignificant.

Rhodes believed that Baron Harlan would only promise more to others.

Moreover, Baron Harlan himself was very anxious and eager to complete the deal.

In his reply, Baron Harlan mentioned that at the same time the letter was sent, he had already commissioned a caravan to transport the warhorses.

Meanwhile, the White Frost Prophet, along with the white wolf, had already embarked on a journey to the Blade's Edge Mountains.

Rhodes provided him with some helpers, mainly savages from the Wolfhooves tribe, a total of ten.

These people already have Wilderness Wolf companions. Going with the White Frost Prophet will further prove to those tribes that the Wolfhooves tribe has successfully awakened its beast spirit under the guidance of the Holy Lord.

Rhodes has done all he could; the rest is up to the White Frost Prophet.

Subsequently, Rhodes also sent orders to Gunle, and Knight Frank was to be handed over to Baron Harlan directly in White Rock Canyon.

This way, there's no need to make a detour to Frostleaf Town.

……

……

Eagle Ridge, in a remote village.

On the snow-covered hillside, a gentle breeze swept by, swirling up snowflakes like grains of sand.

Frank leaned on his wooden sword, panting heavily, sweat dripping down his face.

He looked up at Gunle, who was standing opposite him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"I really do not know……"

Frank's voice sounded tired and confused.
"You're hardly a knight, so why do you have such... such boundless stamina?"

Frank wasn't flattering Gundle or saying nice things because he himself had been captured.

This man's fighting skills are inferior to mine, and his strength is slightly weaker, but he has good stamina and can hold me off.

Now it seems that even if I hadn't been drugged, I probably still wouldn't have been able to defeat the man in front of me.

Gonle stood on the other side of the hillside, hands on his hips, also panting heavily.

But compared to Frank, Gunle is in slightly better condition.

He casually flicked the wooden sword in his hand, as if it were as light as a twig.

"Nothing special,"

Gunle grinned, shrugged, and casually rambled on.
"It's because the food at Heisongling is good and the life is easy and pleasant that I have more motivation."

Frank frowned and let out a soft snort of disbelief.

Frank certainly didn't believe Gunther's words; he was more inclined to believe that this bear-like man had a special bloodline.

"What a pity, you weren't so lucky."

Gunle paused, a hint of mockery in his voice.
"Actually, if you could join our Black Pine Ridge and eat the same food as me, your physical strength would increase significantly."

Frank shook his head slightly.

He shook his shoulders, stretched his sore muscles, and said slowly,
“I have pledged allegiance to the Falcon family,”

His tone was firm: “Unless the Falcon family is destroyed, I will never submit to any other family lord again.”

"Okay, okay, I've heard you say it so many times."

Gunle waved his hand, looking somewhat annoyed.

But I don't actually dislike Frank's stubbornness; in fact, I admire it a bit.

He also hopes that one day he will become such an unyielding knight.

"This thing is too light, it's no fun."

Gunle casually tossed the wooden sword to the ground, cracked his knuckles, and changed the subject.

"Come on, let's go fist to fist!"

Frank paused for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and slightly raised the corners of his mouth.

Although he was a prisoner, he was not afraid of challenges.

"it is good,"

He responded in a low voice, threw down his longsword, and assumed a fighting stance.

"Then try it."

As soon as Gunle got into a fighting stance, the snow beneath his feet crunched under his feet.

Just as the two were preparing for hand-to-hand combat, hurried footsteps came from down the hillside.

Gunle's second-in-command ran up.

"Lord Gunther!"

The lieutenant ran to Gunle's side and whispered, "The lord has replied to us; the deal over there has been finalized."

Gunther turned around and took the letter from his deputy with both hands.

He lowered his head, unfolded the letter, and quickly scanned the words on it.

The letter was concise and clear: Rhodes instructed Gunle to escort Knight Frank to White Rock Canyon, where Baron Harlan's men would meet him.

Frank, on the other side, had already turned his back and stood on the edge of the hillside, gazing at the distant, rolling mountains.

He didn't look at the letter in Gunther's hand, nor did he try to eavesdrop.

Frank adhered to his principles as a knight, and he also followed the rules as a prisoner.

I will not struggle, I will not run away, and I will not do anything that would damage my dignity.

It was precisely because of this self-awareness that Gunther did not lock him in a cage, but allowed him to move freely on the hillside.

Gunle handed the letter to his deputy and whispered, "The usual procedure, burn it."

The deputy nodded, stepped aside, and threw the letter into the nearby fire.

The scorching flames quickly reduced the letter to ashes.

Gunther turned around, clapped his hands, and his gaze returned to Frank's retreating figure.

"Hey, Grand Knight Frank,"

Gunle's voice carried a hint of sarcasm, "Your life is really worth a lot of money; someone is willing to pay a high price to buy you back."

Frank slowly turned around, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

Baron Zane?

"If he's going to kill you, why would he ransom you?"

Gunther snorted. "Don't worry, you'll be happy to see the baron who ransoms you."

"Alright, the fight's over. Go back and get some rest. We have to travel tomorrow."

Gunther picked up the rope and swung it around. Frank stepped forward and offered his wrist to Gunther.

Gunther skillfully tied Frank up.

"Is it Baron Harlan?"

Frank suddenly asked.

If Zane wants to kill him, then the only one who can buy his freedom is Zane's enemy, Baron Harun.

"Yeah, you could have guessed that."

Gunle tugged at the rope and said, "Our lord knows you won't submit, so he's found you a good place to go."

"How about it? Isn't our lord considerate enough?"

Frank nodded. "Baron Rhodes is as wise as the rumors suggest."

"What's the rumor?" Gunle asked curiously.

"Knight Chris was arrested, Baron Harlan was defeated, and Knight Chris's family was taken away."

Frank explained, "These things aren't exactly rumors, but the knights of Eagle Ridge have all heard them."

"I had drinks with Chris Knight, how is he?"

"he……"

Gunle grinned and said jokingly, "He was chopped into pieces and became roast meat."

Frank gave a wry smile.

If you don't want to talk about it, fine, but this guy is just spouting nonsense again.

"Can my soldiers leave with me?"

Frank asked.

"No, the letter only mentions yourself."

Gunle shook his head. "They will all become slaves of Frostleaf Town."

"Oh, don't even think about it. Those soldiers all have families in Eagle Town. Do you think they'd follow you to join Baron Harlan?"

Frank nodded slightly.

"And what about my servant?"

"You can whip him a few times to vent your anger, I can make the decision on this matter."

Gunle said, "As for his life, it belongs to our lord."

"No, I mean, don't make things difficult for him."

Frank sighed softly, "Actually, he had no choice but to obey orders most of the time. The one who really hurt me was Baron Zane."

“Our lord said that the Holy Mother’s behavior is unacceptable.”

Gunther looked at Frank seriously: "A mistake is a mistake, there are no excuses."

"The term 'Saint Mary' means someone who stabs you in the back and you still defend them—you're a fool."

Gunle offered an explanation,
“That’s what our lord said.”

Frank smiled and nodded.
"Baron Rhodes is very young, but I didn't expect him to teach you so much."

“Our lord knows far more than you can imagine.”

Gunle moved closer to Frank.
"If you're curious, you can join Black Pine Ridge; it's not too late now."

Frank did not respond, but simply watched Gunther silently.

"What an old-fashioned person."

Gunther tossed his hand away, ignoring Frank.

After instructing the soldiers on guard to extinguish the fire, Gunle took Frank back to the village.

The next day, Gangle personally led the team to escort everyone back to White Rock Canyon.

After all, these soldiers were not like the ordinary civilians before, who were easy targets, nor did they possess the chivalry of Frank.

If you're not careful, those soldiers will try to escape, and a single squad can't transport them.

More importantly, the surrounding villages had been almost completely looted, and Zain had sent out even more men to deal with Gunle.

Gunle couldn't afford to confront them head-on, and being driven out of his warm village to spend the night in the wilderness in the dead of winter was no pleasant experience.

It would be better to withdraw on our own sooner, return to Baiyan Canyon to rest, and then wait for orders.

……

……

Frostleaf Town, on a high slope not far from the manor.

The biting wind, carrying fine snowflakes, lashed at people's faces, but no one seemed to care.

A dozen or so blacksmiths and apprentices from Frostleaf Town gathered together, their eyes fixed on the enormous creature before them.

Windmills are familiar to everyone.

But they had never seen a machine with such large rollers before.

"My lord, is this the windmill you mentioned that can improve the efficiency of plate armor production?"

Hamo rubbed his hands together, full of anticipation.

So far, the lord's things have been very useful.

Hamo was very curious about how this thing would help them.

The other blacksmiths also stared at Rhodes and the machine with great curiosity.

"Ah."

Rhodes responded softly, while also examining the machine.

The main body of the windmill is a sturdy platform built with a stone base and a wooden frame, with two thick iron-clad wheel axles embedded in the center, standing parallel to each other.

The roller surface is polished smooth and the edges are reinforced with rivets.

The gap between the two rolling rollers is adjustable, making it specifically designed for pressing iron materials of different thicknesses.

The roller is connected to a transmission system consisting of wooden gears and iron bearings, while the power is naturally provided by the windmill behind it.

The rotation of the windmill blades transmits torque to the ground through gears, driving the rolling mill to rotate continuously.

"However, whether it will work or not, we'll have to try it out."

Rod waved his hand, and the old carpenter Waller unlocked the windmill.

With a crisp click, the windmill slowly turned, gradually accelerating as it was propelled by the north wind.

Rod personally picked up the prepared iron ingot and heated it in the furnace until it turned reddish-white. He then carefully placed it into the inlet of the rolling mill.

The blacksmiths' eyes were all fixed on the rolling mill, and for a moment even their breathing became lighter.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, two enormous rollers, like gaping maws, slowly swallowed the iron ingot.

Cluck cluck cluck—

A harsh scraping sound rang out, as if a giant beast were chewing steel, and the floor of the room trembled slightly.

Rhodes held his breath, feeling the pressure in his hand, and slowly inserted the iron ingot.

Meanwhile, the iron block was slowly spat out, and Hamo helped catch it.

"The results were a bit worse than I expected."

Rhodes couldn't help but sigh, "Looks like we'll have to press it a few more times."

However, Rod could accept that this primitive rolling mill could not directly press iron ingots into iron plates like modern machines.

The iron block in front of us can at most be called an iron disc.

Even so, Hamo remained frozen in place.

"This this……"

Hamo clenched his fists unconsciously, his knuckles turning white from the force.

This is the effect he achieved after hammering for a whole day!

But I don't have the stamina to last a whole day!
Now this rolling mill can complete the process in one go?

The other blacksmiths stood there dumbfounded, speechless for a long time.

The young blacksmiths were alright; some of them didn't know how to forge plate armor yet, so they couldn't feel the power of the machines, they just felt they were very impressive.

The most affected were the old blacksmiths, such as Bard who came with Katie.

He had worked as a blacksmith his whole life, striking countless hammers and lighting countless furnaces, but he had never seen anything like this.

Bard carefully examined the iron disc that had been rolled out of the mill. Although there were some small ripple marks, it was much smoother than the one he had hammered himself!

It's fair to say they've completely outclassed me!
Finished!

Would the lord still need him then?

Bard stumbled backward, and accidentally sat down on his bottom!

In an instant, everyone's eyes fell on him.

Rod looked at him as well.

Seeing Bard's expression, Rod immediately understood his thoughts.

After all, it was Bard who was scared by the forging hammer back then.

"Don't overthink it, everyone. The rolling mill is just a tool to help you improve efficiency. The subsequent shaping will all be done by you."

"You are the soul of the rolling mill."

"Without you, this pile of iron is useless. You must learn to control it, and you will create equipment that is stronger than ever before."

Rhodes smiled and looked at Bard.

“Especially for an experienced blacksmith like you, you not only need to design, but also train more blacksmiths like you.”

"Yes, yes, sir."

Bud quickly got up and responded, his face flushed.

Rod clamped the iron disc, which had been pressed once, and put it back into the oven to heat it.

"The first time you use the rolling mill, you can probably press it to about 60%. After pressing, remember to reheat it."

As he spoke, Rod put the discus back in, and Hammer took it from the other side without needing to be reminded.

This time, the discus already resembled a hot plate, but it still wasn't enough.

"It seems we need to press again."

Rhodes pressed down again, and this time a complete iron plate finally appeared before him.

Rhodes nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems that at least three suppressions are needed to produce the iron plate."

No one inside the room responded.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, completely speechless.

Keep your eyes glued to the iron plate.

That's it?
Is the whole process as long as eating a meal?

Not at all!
This is too terrible!

For a moment, the blacksmith shop fell into a deathly silence, with only the creaking of the rolling mill remaining.

Hamo held the iron plate between his legs, his arm trembling slightly.

He suddenly remembered what Lord Rhodes had said about the professor forging his knowledge.

Hammer originally thought it was a blacksmithing tradition he was unaware of.

I never expected that this machine would surpass even a blacksmith's skill!

"Alright, stop staring blankly."

Rod spoke up to bring everyone's attention back, wiping his hands as he gave instructions:

"Bard, you need to move on to the next step and forge this iron plate into plate armor so I can see the effect."

"Hamo, you take these apprentices and teach them how to use the rolling mill today, including things like adjusting the plate thickness."

"Good good!"

Hamo responded repeatedly, and Bad quickly took the iron plate and began to work.

(End of this chapter)