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

Chapter 222 Establishing a Caravan
There's a bonus chapter above, featuring updated maps, my little treasures.

……

……

Inside the manor hall.

"Good day, Your Excellency."

Makuru's voice trembled slightly, tinged with respect.

What are your orders?

Makuru lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly, and dared not look Rhodes in the eye.

"Makuru, you did a good job on the last mission."

Rhodes' tone was flat.
“You not only brought those refugees safely to Black Pine Ridge, but you also did a detailed count. Lawrence said you saved him a lot of trouble.”

"Thank you for your recognition, my lord!"

A hint of joy appeared on Makuru's face, but he still clutched his clothes with some fear.

Makuru didn't know what was wrong with him; he couldn't suppress his nervousness and excitement.

Rhodes waved his hand, and the guards quickly carried up a box of animal hides and two bags of grain.

“There is no gold or silver in Black Pine Ridge, so I will give you some everyday items and goods as a reward.”

Rhodes smiled.

"I also asked Lawrence to arrange a separate residence for you, so you can bring your family over later."

"Thank you for your generosity, Your Excellency!"

Makuru hurriedly bowed in thanks, his throat tightening, and he hesitated before saying:
“But, my lord, I… I still have my own house in Auckland Town…”

Makuru's voice grew softer and softer, as if afraid of angering Rod.

“Makuru, you need to understand the difference between temporary accommodation and home.”

Rhodes frowned and waved his hand to interrupt him.

"You've been here quite a while now, so you should understand how fast Frostleaf Town is developing, right?"

"Yes, my lord, your abilities are truly astonishing!"

Makuru nodded repeatedly, "No one can make a territory look like this in such a short time!"

“These are not important, Makuru.”

Rod said earnestly, "The important thing is that many people have gained opportunities that they might never encounter in their lifetime during this process."

“And you, Makuru, only if you move to Black Pine Ridge can I give you more opportunities.”

"Or rather,"

Rhodes leaned forward. "You don't care at all about the opportunity this could give you a chance to rise to power?"

"I understand what to do, my lord!"

Makuru swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and said loudly, "I will sell everything in Oakland and use the proceeds to bring supplies to Frostleaf!"

"Ah."

Rod leaned back in his chair, which creaked.
"You said before that your caravan was destroyed and the people scattered."

Rod casually said, "I'll handle the shipping and manpower; you'll be in charge. Your salary will be 20% of the profits."

Makuru's eyes suddenly lit up.

You only need to run trade routes, without having to supply your own goods, and you can still get 20% of the profits?
His lips parted slightly, but he could barely speak.

"If you do a good job, I'll give you an extra bonus."

Luo De's tone was slightly cold, "But if you treat it casually just because it's not your cargo, then it's not just about the gold coins."

"Understood, Lord!"

Makuru quickly agreed, solemnly promising, "I will definitely be even more serious than before!"

"In addition, I will give you a shopping list so that you can purchase the goods you need when you come back."

Rhodes's gaze deepened.

“There is something even more important, Makuru.”

"I want you to gather refugees along the way, especially the young and capable ones, and bring them back."

Makuru was taken aback. "That's no problem at all, but... are you really willing to share the food with them?"

"Black Pine Ridge, Razor Plain and other vast lands, as long as they can work, they won't starve."

Rhodes' voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.
"They will start as slaves at the very bottom, and after making enough contributions to Black Pine Ridge, they will have the opportunity to become commoners."

"I understand what you mean."

Makuru bowed deeply.

Makuru has learned a lot about Frostleaf Town these past few days.

The slaves here are fed no worse than the commoners in other noble territories, so they don't have to worry about what to eat every day.

Life became easier for ordinary people.

There's no need to worry about the land's harvest or bear any risks; all you have to do is work diligently for the lord.

The specific pathways for slaves to rise to the status of commoners are also detailed.

For example, being selected for the army reserve or having special craftsmanship skills were opportunities to escape slavery.

The only restriction was that slaves were prohibited from moving away after being promoted.

Who would want to leave such a wonderful place?

As Makuru fell into thought, Rod gestured for Vivian to produce a list.
"This contains the supplies that Frostleaf Town needs, as well as seeds needed in the summer and autumn. Let's bring them back on this trip."

"Okay, Lord."

Makuru stepped forward, respectfully took the list, and carefully put it away.

"When do you think I should leave?"

"ASAP."

Rhodes commanded, "Lawrence and Durant will assist you with the preparations."

"Yes, my lord, I will go and prepare now."

After bowing respectfully, Makuru slowly withdrew.

……

……

In addition to gathering refugees, Rhodes had Lawrence send a message to purchase some slaves.

Due to the Southwestern War, the price of slaves also plummeted.

The slave traders' costs were mostly in transporting slaves.

Of course, since he was buying slaves, Rhodes would definitely want them to be of good quality.

The golden age is between thirteen and twenty-five years old.

For manual labor, people aged 15-25 have the greatest strength, the strongest recovery ability, are less prone to illness, and are most efficient.

Servant, especially women, aged twelve to eighteen, are easy to tame and train, have high learning efficiency, and are highly obedient.

Apprentice-type slaves were even younger, between twelve and sixteen years old, and had to be intelligent and talented.

Then there are skilled craftsmen and soldiers; Rhodes doesn't want anything else.

In times of war, human life is the least valuable thing.

Rhodes couldn't let the slave traders be taken advantage of.

After settling these trivial matters, Rod took Otto and drove all over the eastern lands.

The stronghold near the salt mine in the Blade's Edge Mountains has been established.

Starting from this Blade Mountain stronghold, Rod explored and expanded outwards, discovering another 8,000 acres of land.

However, these lands were completely uncultivated wasteland.

Rhodes allocated another three hundred slaves to Otto, but estimated that they could only produce two thousand acres of land in a month.

Rod didn't intend to cultivate all 8,000 acres at once.

—After ensuring a good harvest in spring planting, the Ministry of Agriculture can take its time with the rest.

Rod didn't have time to plan the farmland regularly.

Of course, some of the planned farmland is forest.

Rhodes had thought it through very clearly.

Frostleaf Town uses wood everywhere, and in winter, it consumes a lot of firewood.

Instead of cutting down trees in the forest, it would be better to cut down all the trees suitable for farmland, which would kill two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, they were downstream of the Azure River Bay, so there was no way to cut corners in transporting the timber; they had to haul it away truckload by truck.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rhodes, guided by the White Frost Prophet, took a stroll through the Blade's Edge Mountains.

Rhodes wasn't just wandering around.

An iron mine and a copper mine were discovered in a valley in the Blade's Edge Mountains, and the two mines were located very close to each other.

Those who accompanied Rhodes into the mountains, besides the White Frost Prophet, included Gonle, Aleya, the White Wolf, and Sao. They were all Rhodes' confidants, so Rhodes no longer needed to hide them from him as before.

Mark it down directly, and start mining once the second iron ore mine is stable.

"Only Your Majesty could find such a blessed land, discovering two mines so close together!"

The White Frost Prophet prostrated himself on the ground, praising the might of Lord Rhodes.

During his time in exile in the Blade's Edge Mountains, the White Frost Prophet not only had no complaints, but became even more devout upon seeing Rhodes.

Rhodes was completely unaware that it was the effect of his own pseudo-dragon slayer attribute.

It is faith that drives people mad.

Rhodes felt that he had been overly cautious in response to the White Frost Prophet's reaction.

It's enough for this idea to just flash through your mind.

Rhodes calmly raised his hand, gesturing for the White Frost Prophet to rise.
"Alright, the planning for the Blade's Edge Mountains is almost complete. Further inland, the mountain roads are too far and not suitable for transportation."

Rhodes turned around and ordered the guards, "Make the arrangements. Let's head back."

"Yes, Lord Lord."

The guard responded respectfully and immediately went to convey the order.

Rod is no longer traveling in a small group like before.

The Blade's Edge Mountains have a complex environment, and wild animals inevitably roam freely.

The hunting party, the Winter Guard, the knight squad, and the savage spearmen all accompanied the guards.

"Oh, right, Bai Shuang."

Rhodes glanced at the White Frost Prophet beside him, who was bowing low.
“I think many of the savages I gathered from the Blade’s Edge Mountains have neither beast spirits nor nature spirits.”

"The names of their tribes don't have any specific meanings. They're just ordinary names like Black Grass or Dense Forest. What's going on?"

Rhodes is now reorganizing the savage tribe.

Tribes like the Wolf Hoof and Eagle Feather tribes need to ensure their bloodlines are clean and cannot be separated.

Especially those who have awakened their talents, these Rhodes only allow marriage within their own tribes.

Their lover, Rod, didn't care, but he had to ensure the purity of the child's bloodline.

Of course, education remains public, and specific taboos and customs are diminished.

“Great Holy Lord, you can think of them as ordinary people in a savage tribe.”

The White Frost Prophet hurriedly explained, "Their ancestors were of lowly ability and were scattered and enslaved by other tribes."

"Or they were expelled for violating tribal rules and had no fixed lineage."

"They united together and became a new tribe."

After speaking, the White Frost Prophet straightened his chest, a hint of arrogance flashing in his eyes.

“They don’t have a unified ancestral spirit like we do, so the names of their tribes are very mixed up.”

Ignoring the White Frost Prophet's arrogant demeanor, Rhodes pressed on, "So, those savages without ancestral spirits are hybrids?"

"Ah...you're right!"

The White Frost Prophet echoed, "You are the wisest..."

Rhodes interrupted the White Frost Prophet's flattery.
"So those savages have all sorts of bloodlines and might awaken other abilities, but the possibility is relatively low, right?"

"Yes, yes, great Holy Lord."

Having received a positive answer from the White Frost Prophet, Rhodes nodded slightly, then turned to look at Vivian.

"Remember to remind me when you get back,"

“Gather those savages who have no lineage, and I will give them an awakening test one by one.”

Since they could have any bloodline, they could also be from the Beast Spirit or Eagle Spirit tribes.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Vivian immediately wrote it down.

The group did not linger and walked out of the valley.

The team had already started a fire to prepare lunch, and Aleya volunteered to join in.
"My lord, may I take my hunting party to hunt some game to supplement your meal?"

Rhodes nodded and readily agreed.

The army carried mostly dried meat and dry bread.

Eating it a few times is fine, but after a week everyone gets a bit bored.

After all, this isn't exactly a march, so there's no need to force yourself to endure hardship.

Aliya nodded and bowed, then called a few people and disappeared into the nearby woods.

However, Aleya had only been gone a short while when she rushed back, looking very anxious.
"My lord, there seems to be a magical beast."

As soon as Aleya finished speaking, everyone stood up in unison, and White Wolf also stood up immediately.

……

……

The cold wind of Han Gu Ridge sounded like a mournful wail, echoing the shouts of the Deer-Headed Man.

The Bloodscale Legion's lizardmen poured in from all directions, reaping the lives of the deer-headed men like the Grim Reaper.

This is a tribe of three hundred deer-headed people, which is quite a large number.

However, they are mild-mannered and not good at fighting or hunting.

They can survive even by eating grass and are not used to being enemies with other people.

Such a tribe is no match for the Bloodscale Tribe.

The tall male deer-headed man was powerless against the heavy spiked club, and could only lie on the ground and wail helplessly after being smashed down.

The sharp spears were unstoppable, piercing the air with a sharp whistling sound as they pinned the deer-headed men to the ground.

If we can't handle Black Pine Ridge, surely we can handle a small deer-headed tribe like yours?

The ferocity of the Bloodscale Tribe exceeded the Deer-Headed Man's imagination; in an instant, the Deer-Headed Man was slaughtered and scattered.

The male deer-headed men could not resist and could only use their bodies to block the lizardmen's advance, giving the children and women more time to escape.

Unfortunately, the Bloodscale Tribe was already prepared.

They had completely surrounded the Deer-Headed tribe and, without any mercy, slaughtered them all.

In the time it takes to eat a meal, the once cheerful and lively Deer People tribe was completely transformed into a mountain of corpses.

The camp was in ruins, the straw tents were torn to shreds, and the totem pole of faith had fallen and broken in two.

"Take them all away, leave not a single corpse behind!"

Gaka, carrying a spiked club, searched for survivors in the ruins while shouting commands.
"Stop dawdling! There are still four tribes ahead that we need to clear out!"

"We must wipe them all out before they can react!"

"Yes, Chief Gaka!"

The lizardmen responded to Gakka's commands sparsely.

Gaka didn't care, as long as he could complete the task assigned by the Great Shaman.

At this moment, Gaka's second-in-command rushed over, holding an animal hide in his hand.
"Chief, this looks like a map!"

Gaka took the animal hide, held it in his hand, and examined it carefully for a few moments.

"Yes, that's right, it's a map."

"The location of the human settlement in the Frozen Wasteland is also up there!"

A satisfied smile spread across Gaka's scarred face, making him look even more ferocious.

He kicked over the jar on the ground.

"No wonder there are so many things from the human world here. It turns out this deer tribe trades with humans."

"This saves us a lot of trouble!"

Ga-ka happily gave the loud command.

"Hurry up, collect these corpses and transport them into the mountains. Let's see what this human territory is like!"

"Yes, Chief Gaka!"

Urged on again by Gakka, the lizardman immediately sped up his movements.

Gaka carefully put the map away, then suddenly frowned and twisted his neck in pain.

"Hiss, hiss, hiss—"

"Chief, what's wrong?" the deputy asked nervously.

"do not know!"

Gaka was getting impatient. "It's been like this for days. Quick, get me some fresh flesh and blood!"

"it is good!"

The deputy hurriedly responded and quickly dragged the deer-headed man's corpse over from the side.

Gaka didn't care about anything else and immediately transformed into a wild beast and pounced.

(End of this chapter)