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

Chapter 172 What is a Surprise?
……

……

"Yes, Your Majesty the Prophet!"

The leader of Eagle Feathers hurriedly responded.

The White Frost Prophet looked at the Eagle Feather leader with a stern face, "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and give it to me!"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

The Eagle Feather leader quickly responded, then ran to the left side of the cave entrance and started walking forward along the entrance.

"One step, two steps, three steps... ten steps."

When they reached the tenth step, the Eagle Feather leader squatted down and began digging a hole with his hands, just like a snow rabbit.

In the blink of an eye, a thick tree branch appeared in the pit. The Eagle Feather leader picked it up, carefully cleaned off the dirt, and twisted off one end of the branch.

Only then did everyone realize that the branches were hollow.

The Eagle Feather leader then took out a leather bag from inside, reached in and carefully pinched a white gemstone out.

"Revered Prophet, this is the heirloom of the Eagle Feather Tribe..."

"very good……"

The White Frost Prophet slowly stood up, and a smile finally appeared on his stern face.
"With this, your people will never lack food again."

"Really, really?"

The Eagle Feather leader was filled with delight.

Six members of the clan have died this winter, all of them elderly people.

But this began to highlight his incompetence as a leader!
"Eagle Feather, have your people pack their bags now, as quickly as possible," the White Frost Prophet hurriedly ordered.

"No problem, Your Excellency Prophet!"

The Eagle Feather leader, beaming with joy, cautiously approached the White Frost Prophet and reminded him, "Prophet, my name is Kaku LS Da..."

"Forget your name. The Holy Lord doesn't like such long names."

The White Frost Prophet carefully put away the inheritance pearl and instructed, "From now on, you will be called Eagle Feather. Don't displease the Holy Lord."

"That's...ok."

The Eagle Feather leader was somewhat helpless, but when he thought that he would no longer have to worry about food, the name didn't matter.

He was originally the leader of Eagle Feather, so there was nothing wrong with being called Eagle Feather.

"Then I'll go and inform the clansmen first."

Yingyu said something and ran out of the cave.

White Frost Prophet turned to Wolf Hoof, "Send two people to lure them out of the mountains. Once outside, the Holy Lord's soldiers will meet them."

"Should we send them out now?"

Wolfhoof asked, somewhat puzzled, "Aren't we going to other tribes?"

"Wouldn't it be more convincing if the Eagle Feather Tribe followed?"

"Yes, but the Holy Lord needs these Eagle Feather Tribe people."

The White Frost Prophet abandoned his arrogant expression, his gaze becoming profound. "If they can awaken successfully, we savages will become the Holy Lord's most important subjects."

Wolf Hoof was even more puzzled.

"Isn't it most important that we can all contract with Steppenwolves and patrol the wastelands for our lord?"

"You are useful, but you can still be replaced."

The White Frost Prophet gazed at the busy Eagle Feather Tribe savages outside and spoke slowly.
"But once they awaken, they are very difficult to replace."

……

……

Inside the manor hall in Frostleaf Town.

Rod sat at the table, holding a quill pen.

"Go ahead and say it, I'm ready."

"Then I'll begin."

Vivian closed her eyes and began to mutter.
"After placing the iron block and the sea-patterned magic iron on either side of the furnace fire, the master Behemoth of the progenitor turtle clan told us that the iron block weighed thirteen times as much as the sea-patterned magic iron."

"Master Behemoth told us that the closer the proportion is to this, the better the quality of the magic steel will be."

"Wait a moment, Vivian."

Rod raised his hand to interrupt, "Can you just break down the process and tell me directly, instead of reading it like a diary entry?"

"These are all the memories my sister has."

Vivian opened her eyes and shrugged helplessly. "Just bear with it, it'll be over soon."

"Alright, let's continue."

"Master Behemoth first heated and melted the iron block in a crucible, then cut the sea-patterned magic iron into pieces and put them into the crucible."

"Continue heating to completely melt the Sea-Patterned Magic Iron."

"Next, stir well."

"Wait, what do we use to stir it?"

Rod asked.

“Stir quickly with the sea-patterned magic iron rod,” Vivian replied.

"In that case, the temperature can't be too high."

Rhodes wrote it down.

A solid sea-patterned magic iron rod will not melt even if placed in molten iron for a short time.

"Once the two are fully overlapped, energy is injected."

"Master Behemoth told us that any form of energy is acceptable, including magic and elemental energy."

"But be careful, you need to infuse different energies into weapons for different spellcasters."

"As energy is continuously injected, the temperature is gradually reduced until it is completely cooled, thus forging it into Lapis Lazuli."

"Wait a minute, any kind of energy is fine?"

Rhodes frowned and asked, "When I injected fire energy earlier, I encountered some resistance."

"Let me ask."

Vivian responded with her eyes closed.

After a moment, she replied, "When it is melted, energy is injected to make up for the shortcomings of the Wraith Iron, reshaping it, and then the Wraith Iron will have specific property preferences."

"When forging weapons with magic steel, extraordinary gems can be inlaid to enhance the magic steel, but they must be inlaid according to the energy injected during forging."

Vivian continued, "For example, if fire energy is used during forging, it is best to inlay a magical gem or a fire gem."

Rhodes nodded slightly, understanding in his heart.

The reason is simple: if the energies are not of the same type, there will be conflicts when using them.

Vivi paused for a moment, then, as if remembering something, added, "And quenching. When forging weapons and equipment, it's best to use seawater for quenching."

Rod nodded; this was the same as what Bedor had said.

"And that's all?"

Rod looked at Vivian and asked.

"Apart from that, it seems we don't need it for the time being..."

Vivian hesitated for a moment before saying, "The sea-patterned magic steel forged in this way can be enchanted and become an enchanted weapon."

"It is also possible to inscribe spells on the Seaweed Steel weapon to make it a magical weapon, but it is very difficult."

After reciting the text as if it were a memorized lesson, Vivian looked at Rhodes and asked, "But we don't have any enchanters or alchemists right now, do we?"

"Yes, you're right, we really don't need it."

Rod smiled and sighed.

Alchemists and enchanters require both talent and a large accumulation of magical materials, which is still a long way off for Rhodes.

Rhodes has only just begun to explore the extraordinary; he has a long way to go.

"Let's go to the blacksmith's shop and try smelting this sea-patterned magic steel ourselves."

Rhodes stood up and eagerly led Vivian toward the blacksmith's shop.

Rhodes was a regular at the blacksmith's shop; everyone knew that the lord liked to forge things himself.

So even if Rhodes suddenly appeared, it was not unexpected.

But when they heard that Rhodes was going to smelt magic steel, their eyes were full of anticipation.

"Yes, let's call it Magic Steel!"

Bedor was extremely excited, "My lord, have you found the method to make it?"

"Do you need my help?!"

"No, this matter is not simple, and we don't need you for the time being."

This time, Rhodes personally took charge.

Rhodes had both experience and knowledge, and the process was not complicated.

The key is that energy needs to be injected later.

“Alright, my lord.” Bedor said somewhat disappointedly.

Rhodes patted Beddo on the shoulder, “But you and Hamobad can stand by and learn.”

"Thank you for your generosity!" Bedor immediately perked up.

If the lord is willing to teach, it means that forging will be possible in the future.

Rhodes cannot stay in the blacksmith shop to participate in smelting magic steel forever; in the future, these tasks will have to be handed over to other spellcasters.

Then the molten metal would have to be processed by blacksmiths like Hamo.

However, there was no need for ordinary apprentices to waste their time learning; Rhodes let them continue working, leaving only a few of his most trusted blacksmiths behind.

The blacksmith shop had ready-made iron ingots and sea-patterned magic iron ingots, which Rhodes weighed, sliced, and smelted directly.

After working for half a day and watching both melt, Rhodes reached near the crucible and began to channel the scorching energy in his body into it.

I followed the tutorial exactly, and everything went smoothly.

Rhodes went all out this time, pouring most of his scorching energy into the magic steel.

"Very good, now it's time to forge my second greatsword."

Rhodes held the magic steel ingot between his fingers, his eyes full of anticipation.

The newly forged magic steel ingots are no longer the deep blue of sea-patterned magic iron; in particular, the patterns have transformed into a fiery orange-red, as if flames were flowing inside the metal.

The blacksmiths also looked at the magic steel ingot in Rhodes' hand with great anticipation.

If the magic steel hadn't been still hot, they would have already started handling it.

“My lord, what do you want to forge next? Let me help you!” Bedor offered. Hamo and Bard were also eager to try, but since Bedor spoke first, they didn’t ask.

Rod's blacksmith shop was relatively harmonious; these rough men were focused on forging iron and their minds were not complicated.

"No need, I want to forge this weapon myself from the first magic steel ingot."

Rod smiled and instructed, "You all go ahead and get busy."

The first magic steel ingot was infused with scorching energy, so Rhodes naturally wanted to forge it for himself.

Rhodes ignored the groaning blacksmiths and went straight to his forging table, placing the magic steel ingot on it.

He took off his shirt and tossed it to Vivian, revealing his muscular upper body.

Sweat glistened in the firelight, and muscle lines rose and fell slightly with each breath, exuding a steady strength.

Rod picked up his hammer from the corner—

The hammer felt as light as a toy in his hands, so he didn't use the windmill forging hammer.

The magic steel ingots glowed red-hot, and then Rhodes swung his hammer, smashing them down one blow at a time.

"clang!"

The crisp metallic sound echoed in the shop, sparks flying everywhere.

The movements were fluid and precise, each strike perfectly executed.

Rhodes is now preoccupied with all sorts of things in Frostleaf Town every day, drawing up various design plans and planning for the future; his mind is never idle.

The simple physical labor of wielding a hammer allowed him to clear his mind, making him feel exceptionally relaxed and at ease.

Rod even couldn't help but hum a tune from his past life.

Vivian leaned against a wooden pillar, arms crossed, and looked at Rhodes with great interest.

She tilted her head, her gaze darting up and down, and couldn't help but sigh softly, "Baron, I never imagined you had such strong and beautiful muscles hidden under your clothes."

"Oh?"

Rhodes glanced at Vivian, then continued swinging his hammer.

"Haven't you seen this before?"

“Never seen it before,” Vivian replied without hesitation.

"That's not right, is it?"

A mocking smile appeared on Rod's lips as he walked over to Vivian and asked in a low voice, "Don't you share memories with your sister? Haven't you seen her before?"

"No!"

Vivian's face flushed red, burning from her ears to her cheeks.

She immediately stood up straight, her neck stiff, and loudly protested, "I never peeked!"

The blacksmiths all turned to look, and Vivian quickly leaned back against the pillar.

Rod laughed and said nothing more, turning back to continue hammering the metal.

Vivian turned and glared fiercely at the blacksmiths beside her. The blacksmiths quickly lowered their heads and continued working, pretending not to have heard the conversation between the two.

Vivian turned around, feeling indignant, and said, "I saw it and nothing happened. My sister didn't stop me from seeing it."

"I didn't mean to stop you from seeing it."

Rod smiled and straightened up. "You're free to look around."

Vivian seemed to have come to her senses as well, and looked at Rhodes without any hesitation.

Not satisfied with just watching, he then came up with a towel and personally wiped the sweat from Rod's body.

After all this, Vivian felt relaxed and not embarrassed at all.

"Your Excellency, the weapon you forged is exceptionally sharp. After you finish this one, would you like me to have my embroidery needle reforged?"

The "embroidery needle" that Vivian mentioned was actually the rapier she used, specifically for assassination.

She paused, then added, "Oh, and a dagger!"

"Okay, you speak first, then I'll make it for you."

He paused, his tone becoming somewhat serious.
"It's a good time to remake the Felsteel Bars; you can infuse them with your energy."

“Great!” Vivian’s eyes lit up.

Rhodes said no more, turned around and carefully inserted the freshly forged magic steel bar into the salt water.

blah blah-

The water boiled instantly, white steam rose, accompanied by the crisp sound of metal cooling.

Just then, a guard rushed into the blacksmith's shop.

"My lord, Us, who was providing support outside the Blade's Edge Mountains, reports that they have made contact with the first savage tribe!"

"Oh?"

Rhodes was somewhat surprised. "The Frost Prophet is quite swift; he's conquered the first tribe so quickly?"

Did they say what his name is?

"The Eagle Feather Tribe is a Beast Spirit Tribe."

The guard reported, "The soldier who led the way also brought back the words of the White Frost Prophet, saying that you will definitely like this Eagle Feather tribe."

"like?"

Rhodes raised an eyebrow. Had the White Frost Prophet prepared a surprise for him?

After the guard said that, Rhodes became somewhat expectant.

"Alright, have Us bring the people back as soon as possible. Let me see what I like about the Eagle Feather Tribe."

"Yes, Lord Lord!"

The guard immediately went to deliver the message, while Rhodes reheated the steel ingot and continued forging.

Two days later.

Led by Us, the Eagle Feather chieftain and his tribe appeared outside Frostleaf Town.

The Eagle Feather tribe has very few people, totaling 100 to 34.

Their clothing was simple, mostly robes made of animal hides, adorned with feathers and bone ornaments.

After being rescued by Us, these savages had plenty of food and were no longer as dizzy from hunger as before, but they were still emaciated.

Upon seeing a human town for the first time, the savages of the Eagle Feather tribe were filled with curiosity, just like before.

But instead of being wary, they were filled with longing.

The abundance of food they had received over the past few days had convinced them that these people were indeed sent by the Holy God to guide them.

"I will take care of all these people."

Lawrence stood at the town gate and, without saying a word, said to Us, "The master is waiting for you in the manor hall. Hurry up and don't keep the lord waiting."

"Yes, Lord Lawrence."

Us nodded in response and quickly turned to call out to the Eagle Feather leader.

Eagle Feather imitated Us's bow to Lawrence, and quickly followed Us's gesture.

"Lord Us, who was that just now?"

Eagle Feather asked in a low voice.

Us thought for a moment, unsure how the steward would translate, and said directly, "He is the Holy Lord's most trusted servant."

"He is also a revered prophet?" Eagle Feather's eyes widened.

"No, he is not a prophet."

Us explained, “The greatness of the Holy Lord lies in the fact that the people of the Empire are equally willing to submit to him and serve him.”

"Ah, I know this!"

Eagle Feather nodded hastily, then thought for a moment and asked, "Then should I call him the Holy Lord's Envoy?"

Us's eyes lit up. "Yes, that's a very suitable way to address you."

Us couldn't help but sigh, "This title still requires a real savage."

"From now on, when you see the messenger of the Holy Lord, you must be respectful, for he controls the food supply for all of you savages."

"Yes, yes, I will be very respectful!"

Eagle Feather quickly assured him.

He knew in his heart that food was the foundation of everything, and this messenger was even more powerful than the White Frost Prophet.

“Eagle Feather Chief, I must remind you one more time.”

Us suddenly said seriously, "The Holy Lord cannot be judged by common sense. Never use your ignorance to challenge the Holy Lord, and do not use such a foolish standard as age to judge the Holy Lord's abilities."

“You have offended the Holy Lord, and even the White Frost Prophet cannot help you.”

"I understand, thank you for reminding me!"

The Eagle Feather leader solemnly assured him.

Us nodded in satisfaction and led the Eagle Feather leader toward the manor.

The guards all recognized Us, but they still carefully checked the two of them before letting them into the manor.

In the manor's hall, Rhodes sat at the head of the long table, with Vivian standing quietly beside him.

Us pushed open the door and entered, followed closely by the leader of Eagle Feather.

The leader's steps were steady, but his gaze locked onto Rhodes the moment he entered. He stopped, bowed slightly, his movements revealing a hint of respect, yet not a lack of pride.

"Good day, my lord."

Us bowed respectfully and introduced, "This is the chief of the Eagle Feather Tribe."

The Eagle Feather leader immediately knelt down.

"Thank you for your mercy and generosity, great Lord!"

"We are willing to disband our tribe, submit to your protection, become your subjects, and dedicate our lives to you!"

"Hmm... the White Frost Prophet taught you quite a bit beforehand."

Rhodes sized up the tall, thin savage and asked, "The White Frost Prophet said you could give me a surprise. What is it?"

"Like the Wolfhoof Tribe, we are a lineage of beast spirits."

The Eagle Feather leader took out a cloth bag from his robes, opened it, and offered the white gem inside with both hands.
"This is the heirloom of our tribe."

"We are the ancestors of the Eagle Feather Tribe who were once able to tame eagles and make them our eyes."

"Oh?"

Rhodes' eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what the White Frost Prophet's surprise was.

If the Eagle Feather Tribe can truly awaken the beast spirit contract with the falcon, then what secrets does Black Pine Ridge still hold in front of Rhodes?

Any team that wants to set foot in Rhodes territory will have nowhere to hide under the eagle's eyes!

(End of this chapter)