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

Chapter 226 Cancer and Delicious Fantasies

……

……

A strong, fishy stench followed the sound.

"Aleya, rocket!"

At Rhodes's command, Aleya instantly understood.

She immediately pulled out another rocket, lit it on the torch, and shot it toward the source of the sound.

The rocket traced an arc in the darkness, its orange-red light instantly illuminating the river's surface.

An enormous pincer slowly rose from the water's surface, its bluish-black shell reflecting the firelight.

"I rely on!"

Gunle exclaimed, "This is... a crab?"

"That's a Cancer!"

As soon as Rhodes finished speaking, the arrow fell into the river and went out.

But you can hear the violent splashing of water and the sound of stones rolling down, which is eerie in the darkness.

"Retreat back into the cave!"

Rhodes immediately gave the order to retreat with his men.

No one could see how big, what they looked like, or how many of the giant crabs in the underground river were, so they absolutely could not proceed rashly.

Everyone quickly retreated more than 300 meters into the cave, with Vika at the forefront, vigilantly observing everything ahead.

Cancer did not catch up.

"It seems that the cave spider demon was indeed moved up there later."

Looking ahead, Rhodes guessed, "They were probably driven up there by the giant crabs."

"too frightening!"

Gunle swallowed hard. "The pliers alone are almost the same size as Vika's!"

Rod nodded in agreement with Gunle's analogy, adding, "Well, at first glance, it looks at least four or five meters wide."

"Thank goodness, that Cancer shouldn't be able to get in."

Gunle breathed a sigh of relief. "This cave is at most four meters wide."

"But according to the proportions, it's only two meters long from front to back!"

Looking at Gunle's serious expression, Rod said, "Don't you know that crabs walk sideways?"

"what?"

Gunther scratched his head. "Is that so?"

"My lord, what is a crab?"

Aleya leaned closer curiously and asked cautiously, "Was it that monster from earlier?"

At this moment, everyone except Vivian was looking at Rhodes with curiosity.

Goodness, so none of you have ever seen a crab before, right?

Rod couldn't help but ask himself a question, but then he immediately realized what he had said.

That's right, how could they have met before?

There are no river crabs in the North, nor is it near the sea. In this era, there was no long-distance transport of seafood. Even the nobles in the interior had only ever eaten pickled and dried sea fish. How could these people have ever seen crabs?

It's likely that Gunther had only seen crabs in picture books and had never actually seen one in real life.

As Rod thought of this, a smile gradually appeared on his face.

When Gunle saw Rod staring at him with a smile, he lowered his head. "I've never seen a real crab before, please don't laugh at me..."

"No, I'm not making fun of you."

Rod patted Gunle on the shoulder. "I was thinking you guys are in for a treat."

The crab we just saw had no hair on its claws, and considering the direction of the river, it must have been a giant crab from the sea.

The crabs probably don't stray too far from the shore, at most three kilometers.

This means that if you keep following the underground river, the estuary will be right below you.

A port city means seafood!

Crabs, scallops, oysters, whelks, prawns, and delicious seafood!

This is the most popular among inland people!
The key point is that, once these things are processed properly, they become commodities!
Even the nobles in the interior rarely get to eat this, it's sure to excite everyone!
Now I can only pray that it's not an underground culvert, otherwise getting to the shore will be a real struggle.

At this moment, Rhodes had almost figured out how to prepare the seafood, but no one could understand what he was saying.

Rhodes didn't explain further, and pulled himself back to his senses.

"We need to investigate the situation of this underground river, get rid of this giant crab, and then we can talk about other things."

The crowd nodded blankly, awaiting Rhodes's instructions.

"Aleya, your hunting party should be able to reach the other side of the river, right?"

Rhodes looked up at Aleia.
“Use the grappling hook,” Rod added.

Aleya nodded.

"You can go."

"Well."

Rod looked at everyone seriously and gave the instructions:
"Everyone go back and prepare, make sure to prepare plenty of torches and rockets."

"I want you to put up torches around here to light up the area near the underground river, so that we can explore the surrounding area clearly."

Rhodes' voice echoed through the cave.
"Especially that Cancer crab, is there only one, or are there more?"

"We need to figure out these things before we can continue."

"Yes, my lord."

Everyone answered in unison.

"So, after we finish our investigation, how do we deal with that giant crab, sir?"

Gunle hesitated for a moment before saying, "If it's in the water, it seems like we won't be able to handle it..."

“I know, so we still have to deal with it in this cave.”

Rhodes thought for a moment, then turned to Vivian and gave her instructions.
"Go back and have Frostleaf prepare some chisels and picks for us. I want to dig holes on both sides of the cave, big enough to hide people."

Rod gestured simply with his hands, "Dig a little deeper, at least enough to fit two or three people."

"But the entrance must be narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time."

"Ok."

Vivian kept a record of every request.

"Forget it, let's go back to Frostleaf Town first. We need to make some proper arrangements to deal with this giant crab."

……

……

Crabs have very hard shells.

This enormous crab monster must have an abnormally hard shell.

Ordinary weapons are unlikely to be able to harm her; all weapons must be made by Rhodes.

And to be on the safe side, you must personally test whether it works.

Therefore, as soon as Rhodes returned to Frostleaf Town, he went to the blacksmith's shop and called Hamor and Bane to his side.

“Bring out all the harpoons made of sea-patterned magic iron, keep twenty, and melt down the rest.”

Rhodes ordered, "I want arrowheads and spearheads forged."

With the added bonus of the Sea-Patterned Magic Steel and the Refined Edge attribute, it is the strongest weapon in Black Pine Ridge.

If the Cancer can still hold on, then Rhodes will have to grind it down by himself with the Dragonbone Longbow.

Regardless, Rhodes will certainly not give up this estuary.

Hamor was visibly taken aback when he heard Rod's instructions, and lowered his head to speak cautiously.

"My lord, that harpoon still weighs about 800 pounds... It's not enough to make spearheads and arrowheads..."

Hamo's tone held a hint of reluctance, "Besides, didn't you say that the Sea-Patterned Magic Iron was precious and needed to be saved to equip your elite troops..."

“Very good, Hamo, I really like your thrifty attitude.”

Rhodes patted Hamo on the shoulder, "It's alright, just smelt it normally, and if you can't use it, make it into armor."

With the discovery of new sea-patterned fel iron ore, Rhodes no longer needed to be stingy.

"Huh?" Hamo was clearly taken aback.

"Execute the command, and you'll understand later."

"Very well, my lord."

Hamo nodded solemnly and called several apprentices to get to work.

Rhodes still has a lot to do.

Not only do we need to forge arrowheads and spearheads, but we also need to test the Wyrmite steel formed under different energies to determine which type is more suitable for making armor.

After testing, with the four elements and shadow energy combined, the strongest material was still the Lapis Lazuli steel, which was infused with the power of the earth and smelted.

Frannie also took on an additional task: infusing energy into the sea-patterned magic iron while Bain smelted it.

The arrows and spearheads used for hunting giant crabs were naturally infused with Rhodes's fire energy.

Rhodes worked tirelessly all day without a break, only dragging his weary steps into the manor in the evening.

Rod slumped back in the high-backed wooden chair without any aristocratic airs, leaning against the backrest, not even wanting to move a finger.

Avril then walked into the hall.

"Are you exhausted?"

Rhodes didn't speak, but nodded slightly.

I've been working on iron all day, and I'm really tired.

Seeing Rhodes's tired appearance, Avril stood behind him and gently massaged his shoulders with her fingers.

"I asked Leah to prepare hot water. Shall we take a bath first or have dinner first?"

“I don’t want to move.” Rhodes squinted.

"After a long day, you need to eat something, right?"

Avril smiled and spoke softly, as if soothing a child.
"You don't need to lift a finger. Vivian and I will serve you the food, and then we'll take a bath with you afterward."

After Avril finished speaking, seeing that Rhodes did not object, she waved to Leah.

Leah understood, nodded in response, and then went out.

Avril and Vivian flanked Rod as they led him to the restaurant.

Then the servants brought out roast meat stew, bread, and fruit one after another.

Vivian sat down next to Rhodes, cut the roast meat into small pieces, and then cut the bread open and spread jam on it.

"Have some soup first."

Avril scooped up a spoonful of soup and smilingly offered it to Rod's lips.

Rod twitched the corners of his mouth, opened his mouth, and put all the meaty soup into his mouth.

Then Rod stretched and sat up straight.
"Never mind, I'll do it myself." Rod was still not used to being fed bite by bite when eating, so he took the wooden bowl, scooped up a bowl of soup, and then gulped down half of it in one go.

After finishing the soup, he took the sandwich Vivian had made and began to eat it heartily.

Is it really a port city?

Avril's eyes gleamed as she stared intently at Rhodes.

"Ah."

Rod swallowed the sandwich without looking up, then took a sip of soup to smooth things out.

"It's pretty much confirmed that you'll be able to eat seafood from now on."

"Great!"

Avril pursed her lips, an irrepressible smile on her face, and clenched her little fists to massage Rod's legs again.

"Does that mean we can still see the sea?"

"Ah."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

"Ahhh, that's great!"

Avril cupped Rod's face, ignoring the breadcrumbs on his lips, and kissed him hard before letting go.

"You're amazing, darling! I've never seen the sea before!"

"It's pure luck. I've never seen it before either. Let's go together."

Rod had actually met her in his previous life, but not in this one.

The Tulip family lived far from the coast, and Rhodes, being an illegitimate child, naturally had no chance to see the sea.

"We still haven't figured out what that giant crab is."

"Wait me a moment!"

Avril got up, jogged into the bedroom, and quickly came out with a classic book.
"This is the information I found."

There may be three types of this crab.

Avril explained, "Coral crab, a variant of the spider crab, and a regular crab."

"Coral crabs usually live in the deep sea, so it shouldn't be them."

Avril flipped through the book and explained each one to Rhodes, “Spider-crab mutant, this is a creature modified by the gods, it rarely appears, and it doesn’t live by the sea.”

"Cancer is the most likely candidate, and it's also relatively easy to deal with."

Avril turned to the last appendix of the book, where a sketch of a crab was prominently displayed.

"Cancer crabs are just mutated ordinary sea crabs. They come in all kinds and have no magical abilities. They are no different from ordinary wild beasts. Their weakness is their lower abdomen, or you can kill them by breaking through their shell."

“Yes, just as I thought.” Rhodes nodded.

"But be careful, there may be more than one Cancer, two or three are possible."

Avril reminded her.

"Yeah, I remember."

Rhodes closed the book. "Let's eat quickly. We'll take a bath together afterwards."

Avril nodded, arranged her chair, and returned to her seat.

As she was cutting the meat, she suddenly turned her head and asked in a low voice, "Or, shall I go hunting this giant crab with you?"

"I now know two spells: Corruption and Chaos Bolt."

"No need, you just stay at the manor."

Rhodes rejected Avril's suggestion without hesitation, saying, "After we're cleaned up, I'll take you to see the sea."

"Ok."

Avril nodded and began to eat attentively.

The dinner proceeded quietly. After finishing his meal, Rod leaned back in his chair, waiting for the two ladies.

After Avril finished eating, Rod stood up forcefully.

"Let's go..."

The words had barely left his mouth when the crisp sound of guards' armor clashing rang out at the doorway.

Rhodes frowned slightly and looked over, and sure enough, he saw the guards enter.
"Your Excellency,"

The guard bowed his head and reported respectfully.

"Lord Durant and Lord Ryan request an audience."

Rhodes rubbed his temples and sighed.

"It's so late..."

Rhodes muttered something under his breath, but ultimately waved his hand.
"Let them in."

After Rod returned, he went straight to the blacksmith's shop without seeing the two of them, presumably because the two had something important to report.

Rhodes returned to the hall, and Durant and Ryan entered one after the other.

The two bowed in unison.

Good day, Your Excellency.

Rhodes nodded. "Have a seat."

The three sat down, and Durant's eyes held a hint of apology.
"My Lord, I apologize for disturbing you so late... I simply couldn't find the time to report during the day."

Rhodes nodded slightly, signaling them to speak plainly.

"Speak, what is it?"

Durant sat up straight, his gaze resolute.

"My lord, the soldiers' horsemanship has improved rapidly recently. I think we can start preparing a formal cavalry unit."

He paused, then his tone became more serious.
"But there are too few warhorses. Most of them are riding horses. There are only twelve warhorses that can be selected to charge on the battlefield, which is far from enough."

"Ah."

Rhodes frowned slightly.

After a moment's thought, Rhodes instructed, "I've already had Manxiu send it to me. I'll write to him again to urge him on."

"Also, have Lawrence issue the procurement notice later."

Rod looked at Durant with a hint of helplessness, "But as you know about the war in the south, warhorses will probably be hard to come by, and even if we manage to procure some, the quantity won't be large."

Durant nodded. "As long as we can gather five, no, three regular cavalry squads, that will be enough."

The cavalry selected the best soldiers in both horsemanship and archery; thirty men were already a formidable force.

Rod nodded slightly, signaling Durant to continue.

"anything else?"

"The rest are reports on daily training."

Durant delivered the report to Rhodes.

Rod didn't look, but turned to look at Raine.

Renn understood and reported, "Your Excellency, we have discovered quite a few soldiers skilled in archery among the reserves and militia."

"The overall archery skills of the army are improving significantly. I suggest that the bow and arrow be made the standard weapon for our soldiers."

Rod raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"No problem, you can discuss this with Durant and decide what to do. If you think it's feasible, then we'll equip you with the necessary equipment."

"Okay okay."

Renn nodded repeatedly, then said hesitantly:

“But… the workshop is short-handed right now. I went to Ward, and he said the carpenters are busy with farm tools for spring planting and can’t help with bow and arrow making for the time being.”

"Hmm, that is a problem."

Rod said in a deep voice, "That was indeed my order. Spring plowing is the most important thing."

"How about this, I'll have Lawrence assign some people to help you with some odd jobs."

"After spring planting is over, the carpenters will fully support the workshop, prioritizing the production of bows and arrows, how about that?"

Renn's face lit up with joy, a hint of gratitude flashing in his eyes.

"Thank you for your support, Your Excellency!"

"You are all working hard for Black Pine Ridge, doing a great job and putting in a lot of effort."

Rod praised the two of them.

"If there's nothing wrong, go back and get some rest."

"Yes, Lord Baron!"

Durant and Ryan exchanged a glance, rose together, bowed, and turned to leave.

Rhodes watched the two leave, then got up and stretched.

Avril walked into the hall and took Rod's arm.
"Let's go."

……

……

Outside the manor, the moon was bright and the stars were few.

Durant and Ryan walked out of the main entrance side by side, and stopped at the same time in a corner.

Durant glanced back at the hall, then turned to look at Ryan.

"Do you feel it?"

"Ah."

Renn nodded. "The lord is not surprised at all by the changes in the army; it seems he had anticipated everything."

"This proves that our previous guesses were correct, and it all comes from the Baron."

Durant couldn't help but smile, patting Ryan on the shoulder.

"See? It was the right choice for you not to resist and to obediently give up and join Frostleaf Town."

"Haha, I almost became a victim of blocking this path of destiny back then."

Renn chuckled a little sheepishly, then sighed as he recalled what had happened.

"Luckily, I made the right choice."

"However, if our lord really embarks on this path, we must be even more stringent in our demands on the army!"

Ryan asked.

Durant nodded, and the two walked and talked, "Yes, starting tomorrow, both the reserves and the regular army will have to do extra training!"

"Should we tell Gunther?"

Durant waved his hand and said in a low voice, "Forget it, let's not talk about it for now. He might blurt everything out after drinking."

"Right."

Renn agreed, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Then tell me, should I also apply for a bottle of Knight's Roar Potion and give it a shot?"

"I can't give you any advice on this."

Durant said casually, "But are you willing to miss such a good opportunity?"

(End of this chapter)