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

Chapter 198 An Even More Powerful Enemy

Chapter 198 An Even More Powerful Enemy
……

……

Bain took the turtle shield from Hammer with both hands and took a deep breath.

"Don't feel pressured."

Rhodes looked relaxed and said with a smile, "It's okay even if we fail."

It's worth mentioning that the forging manual Avril brought out contained records about tortoise shields.

These turtle shields contain sea-patterned magic iron, but it's inside the shield, similar to a central spine.

The main material of the turtle shield comes from a low-level magical beast called the two-faced turtle in the deep sea—it's not an exaggeration for Rhodes to call it a turtle shield.

Blacksmiths forge the inner spine of the shield, which wizard apprentices then press into the shield.

This type of turtle-shield Rhodes cannot be replicated yet, but fortunately there are enough of them.

"Yes, my lord."

Bane nodded emphatically, holding the shield in one hand and pressing the other hand on the center of the shield, once again activating the flames within his body.

A red light began to emanate from the center of the shield, spreading outwards like ripples.

The shield vibrated slightly, emitting a low hum.

This time it didn't break.

The crimson light spread along the shield, turning the original black and blue patterns crimson and gradually disappearing into the shield.

"Success!"

Bain shouted excitedly.

Rhodes nodded. According to the description in the inherited memory, if the flames disappeared but the shield did not break, then the tempering was successful.

The effects are unknown simply because the materials are different.

If there's no flame or glow, it's probably an ordinary item.

"Bane, here you go, I'll try it."

"Yes, my lord."

Bane gripped the shield's back handle with both hands.

Rodin brought out another harpoon made of sea-patterned magic iron.

The tortoise shield already has high defensive capabilities, and ordinary sword blades cannot leave any marks on it.

To test the effect of tempering, a sharper harpoon is naturally needed.

Rod gripped the harpoon tightly and stabbed it fiercely.

"Ding!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out, and countless sparks suddenly exploded on the shield, spraying like fireworks straight at Rhodes' face!
"My lord!"

"My lord!"

"Rod!"

Exclamations erupted instantly in the blacksmith's shop. Vivian rushed forward first, and Bane dropped his shield and charged over.

"Rhodes, how are you?!"

Vivian looked nervously at Rhodes' face and reached out to check, but Rhodes stopped her.

"I'm fine, this little flame can't hurt me."

Rhodes held Vivian's hand. "Don't worry, I can hold the burning charcoal in my hand."

"Oh yes."

Vivian took two steps back, her expression returning to normal.

Bain and the others were unaware of Rhodes's special status, but seeing that his personal bodyguard, Miss Vivian, was no longer worried, none of them went forward.

At that moment, Durant entered with several Winter's Iron Guards.

"Your Excellency!"

"It's okay, don't worry."

Rod spoke first, silencing Durant.

Durant paused for a moment, then said, "Oh, yes, Your Excellency."

"Then I'll withdraw first."

Durant nodded in greeting, but was stopped by Rod as soon as he turned around.

"I can't test the shield's effectiveness."

Rhodes smiled and said, "Since you're here, why don't you help me try out this new shield?"

……

"call……"

After thrusting a few harpoons at the shield, Durant let out a long breath.

"We can't win, Your Excellency."

Durant shook his head. "If my opponent has a shield like that, it will be very difficult for me to play against him."

"Unless I can swing my sword faster than he can raise his shield."

Rhodes nodded slowly and asked, "You can't even open your eyes, is that right?"

"Yes!"

Durant said with a hint of complaint, "Whenever the swords clash, they spark a lot of fire."

"These sparks didn't cause any harm; they only caused burns when they landed on you."

"But when these sparks come at me, I can't help but close my eyes."

"In one-on-one battles, the opponent will definitely seize the opportunity to launch an attack when I am distracted."

"But on the battlefield, if I lose focus, a spear from the other side could pierce my chest."

"Hahaha!"

Durant's words made Rod burst out laughing.

Rod could picture the scene Durant was describing.

On large battlefields, soldiers wielding long spears would often follow behind shield formations, propped up on the shields.

"It's alright, these kinds of shields are produced by our blacksmith shop."

Rod patted Durant on the shoulder.

"We cast it?"

Durant looked at Rod with surprise and delight.
"Then, your Winter Iron Guard can also be equipped?"

Rhodes nodded. "Of course, I will have Bain expedite the production so that they can be equipped as soon as possible."

"That's wonderful! Thank you for your generosity!"

Durant exclaimed excitedly, "Now we don't have to fear the Earl of Falcon's invasion anymore!"

Durant's words were full of confidence.

Leading the Winter Guard, equipped with a full set of standard plate armor and such shields, Durant is not afraid of any number of infantrymen sent by the Earl of the Falcon!
"There's something wrong with your thinking, Durant."

Rhodes shook his head, his expression somewhat serious.
"You shouldn't target Earl Falcon as an enemy."

Durant looked surprised. "Weren't we on bad terms with Earl Falcon...?"

"I'm not telling you not to treat Earl Falcon as an enemy."

Rhodes explained, "It's just that Earl Falcon is not worthy to be your target right now."

“The territory of Earl Falcon is in a mess right now, while our Black Pine Ridge is growing stronger and will no longer need to worry about Earl Falcon’s invasion in the future.”

Rhodes told the blacksmiths to keep working, pulled Durant aside, and whispered, "You're going to treat stronger people as your imaginary enemies now."

Durant lowered his head and thought for a while.
"...Marquis Hanren?"

"Yes, but it's not big enough."

Rod looked at Durant solemnly, "You are the person I trust most, and you know that there are many novel things and goods in our territory."

"I'll tell you without hesitation that even rarer things will appear in the future."

"The emergence of those things will affect the interests of some individuals and even organizations, causing them to suffer huge losses."

"what do you mean……"

Durant's eyes widened, and he was speechless for a moment.

Durant believes in his Baron, and that's why he has created many incredible things.

That's why Durant was even more shocked.

Is there someone even more powerful than Marquis Hanren?
Duke? Royal Family?
Even the churches in the land of the gods?

Durant doesn't even want to think about it.

What are those novel items that the Baron is talking about?
Durant really wanted to ask, but ultimately held back.

"I understand, Your Excellency!"

Durant nodded emphatically.

The initial excitement and budding arrogance were instantly suppressed by the heavier responsibility.

"Then, shall I select another fifty Winter Guards?"

"A hundred, maybe, and even more in the reserves."

Rod gave the order with a smile.

Durant nodded, then said, "I can start training, but could you distribute the armor in batches this time?"

"What I mean is, I can select suitable soldiers to join the Iron Guard first, so we don't have to wait as long as this time..."

Rhodes didn't reply, but stepped out of the corner and looked at Bard by the shelf.
“Bard, Durant thinks you’re forging too slowly.”

"Now tell him how long it will take to get one hundred sets of standard plate armor."

Rod shouted with a laugh.

"My lord, Lord Durant, if we need a hundred sets, the materials will last for a month."

Bard straightened his chest. "If the lord could provide another one of his new machines, it would be even faster."

"Did you hear that, Durant?"

Rhodes turned around, put his arm around Durant's shoulder, who was staring blankly, and asked, "One month, my most loyal knight, can you make a hundred recruits wear this armor?"

……

Unless one is exceptionally gifted.

Otherwise, how could one get used to moving around freely while wearing a metal shell weighing over 50 pounds for a month?

Durant never imagined that one day the speed of forging armor would be faster than training new recruits.

With no time to waste, Durant quickly ran back to select a new Winter Iron Guard.

Fortunately, the blacksmiths needed to repair and adjust some of the unsuitable plate armor, which gave Durant more time.

After sending Durant away, Rod returned to Bane's side.
"What's this enchantment called? Is it the 'Starfire Splash' enchantment effect?"

"Yes, my lord."

Bain answered honestly, "It's the lowest level of enchantment effect, my lord."

"That last sentence is really unnecessary."

After listening to the Snow Rabbit's translation, Rod immediately added to it.

It wasn't a rare material to begin with; the shield was just something the wizard threw into the warehouse as consumables. It's already good enough that it can be enchanted.

"Yes, my lord."

Bain responded honestly to Rhodes' joke.

"Alright, your job now is to refine the remaining shields."

Rhodes instructed Bane, "If any of your people still wish to awaken, they can come to me."

As soon as the snow rabbit finished translating Rod's words, the busy yak people next to him stopped moving instantly.

They dared not look directly at Rhodes, but they had already pricked up their ears, carefully listening to every word the snow rabbit translated.

"My lord, who, anyone is acceptable?"

Bain asked cautiously, "Do you have any requests?"

"I have no demands, but you must make demands."

Rhodes stared at Bain and said solemnly, "I can only bestow this favor on one person per week. You'd better choose the most qualified and persevering member of your tribe and not waste the opportunity."

To awaken the yak-man's ability to forge and refine with flames, it would require consuming half of Rhode's body's scorching energy.

Even if Rhodes is able to meditate now, it will take him almost a week to recover.

—This level of mana consumption is already Rhodes' limit; Rhodes cannot allow himself to run out of mana.

"As you command, my lord, I will choose carefully."

Bain answered with utmost respect.

Rhodes nodded.
"Keep working on your job. After you've dealt with those turtle shields, there are other things to do."

"Yes, my lord."

Bain quickly responded and then led his people to move the tortoise shield.

Rhodes could see that the yak-man had approached Bain, whispering expectantly as if pleading for something.

But Rhodes ignored it and returned to his forge to continue hammering Vivian's embroidery needles.

Rhodes also needs to forge a few arrows made of sea-patterned magic steel to see if he can temper and enchant them.

……

The weather in the frozen spring month is like the temper of a woman on her period, unpredictable and changeable.

One day it may be sunny and bright, but the next day it could be bitterly cold.

Rod had to predict the next day's weather every noon and then inform all the farmers cultivating the fields to adjust their clothing accordingly.

Catching a cold during this period would severely disrupt spring planting.

There was no wind or snow, and the snow in the fields had gradually melted, revealing the dark brown earth.

Rhodes had already arranged many things for spring planting and was using some time to practice archery in the open space of the manor.

"I've been too busy, and my archery skills have gotten a bit rusty..."

Looking at the arrow slightly to the right of the center of the target, Rod couldn't help but sigh.

I still have the same old problem.

It can shoot far, but it's inaccurate.

It always shoots outside the target, never hitting the bullseye on the first try.

Rod felt he couldn't let his skills go to waste, so he fired a few more shots.

"Your Excellency, we should head to the blacksmith's shop."

Vivian, who was standing nearby, reminded her, "My embroidery needles can be sharpened."

"Shoot again."

Just as Rod was regaining his footing, the arrow whizzed through the air and hit the bullseye.

"Okay, let's go."

Rhodes handed the bow and arrows to the guard.

Just as I took a step, Otto rushed over.

"Lord Ri'an, as you instructed, the pea seeds have been prepared."

"We have prepared 50,000 jin of seeds for 3,000 mu of land."

Otto reported with his head down.

Peas are a common crop in this era.

It can be eaten and also used as livestock feed.

Peas are cold-resistant and have a short growing season, making them well-suited for poor soil.

However, Rod doesn't like peas.

It doesn't taste good, and it makes you feel bloated after eating it.

It's not as easy to store as rye, and the crop itself is more susceptible to disease.

Peas are considered the most basic crop for solving the problem of food and clothing.

So last year, Rodríguez didn't choose peas; the focus was still on rye.

But this year is different.

Rhodes has the Crop Lord stat bonus, which enhances the crops' resistance to diseases and pests, and peas are less demanding.

What Rod values more is the ability of peas to improve soil.

As is well known, rhizobia in legumes can fix nitrogen and effectively improve barren soil.

Those low-rated plots of land are perfect for growing these peas, so they don't go to waste.

Even if Frostleaf Town has enough food in the future, peas can be used to make feed to develop Rhodes's livestock farming.

"Were the 50,000 jin of seeds selected?"

Rhodes pressed on with the question.

“I’ve made a rough selection…” Otto replied, head down.

"That won't do. Let's buy another 10,000 jin."

Seeing Otto's somewhat troubled expression, Rod said, "Just say it's my order to tell Lawrence not to be too stingy with money."

"Besides, the selected beans can be used occasionally to improve the slaves' diet."

Peas can be used to make porridge, stews, or mashed into a paste. Pea powder can also be mixed into flour to make pancakes.

However, the soybean flour ground by stone mill has larger particles, a certain grainy texture, and a relatively rough taste.

If you don't handle it carefully, and the shells aren't removed completely or some bean skin fragments are mixed in, it will become even rougher.

We eat this occasionally, a meal to remind us of the hardships we endured and appreciate the present.

"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."

Otto hurriedly replied, "But... we couldn't distinguish between tall and short stalks, and we only managed to buy a very small portion..."

Rhodes frowned slightly.

Pea stalks are relatively soft, and the Northern Wilderness is windy all year round, making taller varieties prone to lodging in the later stages of growth.

"Separate them up, mark them, and plant them separately. Find some land with sufficient moisture. That's all for now. We'll talk about it next year."

They didn't specifically set aside pea seeds with short stalks, and Rod couldn't do anything about it.

"Yes, my lord."

Otto acknowledged the greeting, bowed, and withdrew.

Rod didn't stop and continued walking towards the blacksmith's shop.

Just then, Gala rushed over.

"Sigh, there's been a lot to do today."

Rhodes sighed.
"what happened."

Gala bowed and reported, "The watchtower reports that a group of alien races has crossed over from the western mountains."

"Ok?"

Rhodes frowned slightly. "Crossing the Razorfen Downs and coming straight through the mountains and forests?"

"Yes, Holy Lord."