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

Chapter 268 Storage Space
……

……

Perhaps it was because they sensed the unusual activity in the wasteland.

The anticipated ambush on Makuru did not occur, and the scouts accompanying the caravan disappeared after the caravan entered the wasteland.

Makuru returned to Frostleaf Town unharmed and immediately went to the manor to report to Rhodes.

"Good day, Lord."

Makuru took off his hat, bowed, and said, "You're finally back."

Makuru let out a long sigh of relief and said with a smile.

"I don't know why, but even though I haven't settled here for long, I feel very at ease when I come back."

"Seeing the fields along the roadside makes me feel relaxed."

“I’m happy to hear you say that, Makuru.”

Rhodes looked Makuru up and down. "It seems you've had a tough journey."

"I didn't suffer too much physically."

Makuru looked distressed and explained, “I’m worried about being cheated every day, and I’m also afraid of encountering bandits on the road in the wild.”

"At this point, I must apologize to you."

Makuru bowed again, "These things forced me to return early, so this time I only brought back two hundred and thirty slaves."

"this is not your fault."

Rhodes smiled and comforted him, "Being cautious is the right thing to do; preserving the supplies we have is the most important thing."

"This time I'm back to stay longer and spend time with my family."

"Next time I will provide you with stronger guards, so you won't have to worry so much."

"Thank you for your concern and generosity."

Makuru bowed again, then took out a parchment scroll and respectfully presented it to Rhodes.

"Here is a detailed battle report from the south."

"very good."

Rhodes nodded and got up to take it himself. "You've worked hard. Leave the goods and slaves to Lawrence. Go and rest."

"Yes, Lord Lord."

Makuru bowed and then turned to leave.

Rhodes then opened the scroll and examined it carefully.

Night Whisperer would send messages back regularly, so Rhodes had some basic understanding of the southern battlefield.

The Shattered Rock Empire launched a counterattack, and the situation gradually improved, with many noble lands being reclaimed.

But there is a lot of additional information in Makuru's battle report.

The story revolves around a noble alliance that suddenly disappears, the occasional appearance of skeletons and ghosts behind the battlefield, and the resurrection of nobles seeking revenge.

These all sound like unreliable folk tales, which is why they didn't appear in the Night Talk Club's briefing.

But for Rhodes, the undead were no joke.

I personally slew a necromancer dragon (or rather, half of one), and the necromancer's handbook is still on the shelf.

"What a coincidence!"

After reading the battle report, Rhodes couldn't help but stroke his chin and ponder.

Is there some kind of conspiracy involved?

Are the undead merely a means of attack for the Western Alliance, or are they, like the Lizardman Great Shaman, used to resurrect some powerful being?
It can't be such a coincidence... It's a pity we don't know what the Western Alliance's strategic objective was in launching this war.

Rod felt a little uneasy, sensing that the Western Conference was brewing something big.

But I felt I was being a bit of an unfounded worry, after all, I was just a minor lord in the northern wastelands.

"Looks like I need to start making plans soon..."

While it's true that if the sky falls, there are tall and strong people to hold it up, I'm afraid even the strongest person in the world can't be relied upon.

Upon learning the news, Rhodes immediately dispatched his guards to instruct Allece to seize the time and forge the magic steel armor with all his might.

As soon as the guards left, Avril walked briskly over, lifting her skirt.

Seeing her beaming face, Rhodes smiled and asked, "Looks like there's some good news."

Rhodes then turned to Vivian, "You didn't even tell me."

"Eh?"

Vivian was a little surprised and quickly looked down to check. "Okay, I just saw it."

"I didn't contact Vivian specifically; I just wanted to surprise you!"

Avril opened her slender, fair hand in front of Rhodes, revealing the badge she had previously found in Longwinter Town.

However, unlike its previous worn and antique appearance, the badge now has a brand new look, as if it has been carefully washed.

"Guess what this is?"

Perhaps she was genuinely happy, Avril tilted her head playfully, her fine eyelashes trembling slightly.

Rod reached out to touch her, but Avril grabbed his other hand.

"You're not allowed to use your mental power to sense it!"

"I really couldn't have guessed that at all."

Rhodes smiled and shook his head.

There are many types of alchemical badges, both defensive and offensive, making it difficult for Rhode to guess which ones they are.

"However, you should have been able to break through the mental defenses above."

"Of course!"

Avril said happily, "All the wizard apprentices joined forces and took turns probing and attacking, and then they broke through the mark!"

"Okay, you guys have figured out how to use the gauntlet strategy."

Rod smiled and nodded, saying, "Alright, then tell me what this is for."

Avril didn't explain, and casually picked up a wad of scrap paper from the table and placed it on the badge.

The waste paper vanished in an instant.

"Ok?"

Rhodes frowned, staring intently at the badge, then suddenly realized, "This is a storage badge?"

"Uh-huh!"

Avril nodded vigorously, "Even in ancient times, this was an extremely precious piece of spatial equipment!"

Rod stared incredulously at the badge in Avril's hand.

I never imagined that such a small town as Changdong could have such precious items!
I've never even seen it inside the Sea Abyss Wizard Tower!
However, upon closer reflection, it's likely that Sloan himself didn't know what this was either, given the mental barrier involved.

But Sloan hid it again, which means the badge has a certain history.

Rod reached out and picked up the badge, gently stroking it.
"How do I use this? Do I connect with it using mental power?"

"Ah."

Avril explained, "Place the badge on the item you want to store, then use your mental power to connect with the badge, and you can store it inside."

"Then, as long as you remember what you put in, you can directly retrieve it using your mental power."

"But if you don't remember, you'll have to keep pouring your mental energy into the badge and search carefully, which will be very slow."

"Then I'll try."

Rod imitated Avril by picking up the crumpled paper and placing it on the badge.

With a slight movement of his mental energy, the paper ball vanished instantly.

"It's so amazing!"

Rhodes sighed, his mind stirred slightly, and he took out the crumpled paper again.

"Let me play with it!"

Vivian stretched out her hand with expectant eyes, and Rhodes casually handed it to her so she could experience it.

Vivian quickly gripped the badge and began trying it on everything on the table.

"There is no permanent mental imprint left now. Anyone can use it as long as their mental strength reaches the threshold of a wizard apprentice."

Avril explained, "Once you spend some time leaving your mark on it, no one else can use it anymore, just like before."

"But you need to strengthen the mental imprint regularly, otherwise it will disappear."

How big is this space?

Rod asked, "It can't be a person, can it?"

"I tested it with my mental power, and it's about two meters long, wide, and high."

Avril explained, "This kind of item can be further expanded when your mental strength is strong enough."

"It can't hold people, animals, or even the dead with souls."

"understood."

Rhodes nodded. "That's still very precious."

This space is large enough to hold about a month's worth of rations for an army of 100.

Of course, wizards don't use their spatial storage like that; instead, it's filled with all sorts of spell scrolls, crystals, and potions.

This way, when encountering enemies, they can readily unleash a large number of lethal weapons.

This is what makes wizards so terrifying, and it's why legendary knights, who are roughly equivalent to high-ranking wizard apprentices, can still be killed by wealthy mid-ranking wizard apprentices.

As for the rest of the living arrangements, storing various research equipment, such as crystal balls and spellbooks, goes without saying.

All of this made the wizard apprentices incredibly carefree and relaxed.

"Great job!"

Rhodes cupped Avril's face and kissed her hard, then instructed, "Make some commonly used potions tomorrow, and stuff the badges full."

"Also, we need to hurry up and make potions with healing effects."

Rod looked at Avril. "I should head over to your house now."

This is another reason why Rhodes asked Makuru to postpone his business trip.

Avril was visibly taken aback, then nodded slightly.

"Uh-huh."

……

……

Before setting off, Rhodes needed to settle matters in the territory.

Granting the Seed of Nature, preparing the Knight's Roar Potion, inheriting the Fine Forging Edge attribute, and so on.

In addition, Rhodes also needs to complete the tasks that he previously asked Labette to prepare.

Inside the cave dwelling.

The stone stove crackled and popped as the flames burned, and waves of heat rolled incessantly.

Wearing casual clothes and a work apron, Rod rolled up his sleeves.

"I didn't invite you here today to watch the show,"

Rhodes looked at the snow rabbits and the dozen or so human slaves surrounding him.

"Watch carefully and learn well. I can only teach you once."

"Yes, my lord!"

Everyone responded in unison, their faces full of tension.

"Go and bring the materials over."

Rod gave the order, and Labette quickly led his men to deliver the sifted river sand, soda ash, and limestone.

So-called soda ash is the product of crushing, filtering, and drying wood ash; it is actually an alkali.

Sand has a high melting point, which the furnace temperature cannot reach. The main function of soda ash is to lower the melting point, while limestone is used to harden the glass.

Glass can also be made directly from plant ash, but the product is not as pure and the dosage is difficult to control.

The initial proportions and results were uncertain, so they started the experiment with small doses. Rhodes scooped out 10 spoonfuls of sand, two spoonfuls of soda ash, and one spoonful of lime using a wooden spoon.

The flames licked for a long time before Rhodes took the refractory crucible out of the furnace to examine it.

The edges of the sand began to shine, revealing translucent glass particles with a moist sheen, as if some of the sugar had melted.

"My goodness, sand can become this beautiful?"

Labette stared incredulously at the melting substance in the crucible.

Rhodes said calmly, "This is just the beginning."

The sand in the crucible is still a viscous semi-solid, like coarse syrup. It cannot be scooped up and stretched into threads, let alone blown on.

It looks like there isn't enough baking soda ash.

Proportioning by volume is not very accurate.

Rod added a tiny bit of baking soda ash.

After a long time, the sand in the crucible finally melted completely, turning into a viscous, flowing liquid with a glossy sheen unique to glass.

Rod tested it with an iron rod, and now the liquid in the crucible was like a pot of translucent honey syrup, which could be easily stuck together and stretched into threads.

"Remember the proportions."

Rod whispered to Labette, "If it doesn't melt, add more ash."

"Yes, my lord!"

Labette nodded repeatedly, taking it all to heart.

Then, Labette looked curiously at the contents of the crucible.
"What should we do next?"

Rod didn't say much. He picked up an iron rod, inserted the tip into the crucible, and slowly rotated it to make the molten glass evenly adhere to the tip of the rod as it entered the crucible.

Soon, a small clump of molten glass hung on the iron rod, like a large drop of hot honey.

Rhodes then took out the iron bar and spun it continuously.

The molten glass gradually swelled and slowly became rounded.

It's still far from being a truly round bead.

Rhodes gently placed it in the prepared wet wooden mold and rolled it around continuously, producing a hissing sound.

Under everyone's breathless gaze, the glass sphere gradually approached its perfect spherical shape, its surface shimmering with alternating golden-orange and transparent light.

"My God!"

One of the slaves couldn't help but scream.

His companion reacted quickly and immediately covered his mouth.

Rhodes selected only the most intelligent and quick-witted individuals to learn from, and they all reacted very quickly, covering their mouths to avoid disturbing Rhodes with any sound.

Once the beads were in the right shape and had cooled slightly, Rod handed one end of the iron rod to Labette.

Labette looked nervous. "My lord, I... I can't do it! I can't afford to break something so beautiful..."

"It's alright, just hold onto it."

Rod smiled and forcefully shoved it into Labette's hand.

Although it's not common in this world, in Rhodes's mind, the glass ball wasn't anything of great value.

As for the test samples, if they break, they break.

After saying that, Rod used pliers to clamp the end of the iron bar, picked up another iron bar, and gently tapped the point where the bead and the bar made contact.

With a soft "click," the glass bead landed steadily on the wooden board.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their eyes widening as they stared intently at the glass ball.

As it gradually cooled, the orange-red glass sphere became crystal clear, just like crystal.

Despite the presence of tiny air bubbles, it does not diminish its beauty in this world.

"It's so beautiful! Is this the legendary crystal?"

Labette lowered his body and asked in a low voice.

After he spoke first, the other slaves couldn't help but chime in as well.
"I never imagined that crystal could be made by burning sand..."

"Magic, it must be magic!"

"My lord, may I touch it?"

……

"Don't touch it."

Rhodes warned, "This glass sphere isn't stable yet; it might explode."

If you want to actually make a finished glass product, you have to put it in an annealing furnace to cool it slowly, otherwise it will most likely shatter.

"Alright, that's enough looking."

Rhodes's gaze swept over everyone. "Now it's your turn to make it."

"Labet, you go first."

"I?"

Labette pointed to herself, looking at Rod in disbelief.

Just as he was about to speak, Rod reached out and interrupted him.

"From now on, these kinds of things will be handled by you. Don't be afraid of failure, try with confidence."

Mature technologies are built upon a foundation of failures, and besides, the materials themselves are practically worthless.

"Pick two more and get started as soon as possible."

"Yes, my lord."

Labette turned around, chose one of his own people, and then a slave. The three of them immediately began practicing.

……

……

For the next five days, Rhodes stayed in the cave, leading Labette and the others in making glass.

Making glass balls isn't the difficult part; the key is blowing glass containers—that's what changes lives.

This also requires a high level of skill; you need to control your breath very well.

If blown too hard, the glass ball will shatter because its walls are too thin.
If not enough air is blown in, the inside will become too heavy due to the lack of air, causing it to collapse.

Rod practiced several times before he finally managed to blow out a small glass bottle the size of his palm.

Then, after annealing and cooling, and waiting overnight, I harvested this first, not-so-beautiful, glass bottle.

"My lord, this should fetch a good amount of gold coins, right?"

Having seen the glass ball, Labette was much calmer, but she still couldn't help staring at the glass bottle.

It is round and smooth, transparent and clear, and can refract layers of gorgeous colors when held up to the sun.

A light tap with your fingertips on it produces a series of crisp and pleasant sounds.

If this were in his former tribe, Labet believed it would be a treasure kept in the elders' chest.

"We should be able to sell some gold coins now."

Rhodes nodded slightly. "But it's just a water bottle."

"To store water? You mean you want to use this to store water?"

Labette couldn't believe it. "It's such a waste to put water in such a beautiful bottle..."

In a past life, someone used it to hold urine.

Rod couldn't help but say it to himself.

Of course, Rod understood Labette's surprise and smiled, saying, "Once you do it more often, you'll find that this thing isn't so magical."

Glassmaking existed in ancient times, but it wasn't recorded in any ancient texts.

Because wizards also look down on this simple technique.

"You need to practice quickly and master the blowing technique as soon as possible."

Rod took the bottle, wrapped it in a cloth, and instructed, "Once you're proficient at these, there will be new tasks."

Although Rhodes thought glass was worthless, the other nobles did not think so.

Rod wants to seize the opportunity to make a quick profit from glass crafts and jewelry, in particular.

"Yes, my lord."

Labette reluctantly withdrew his gaze, bowed, picked up the iron pipe, ran back to the furnace, and began practicing blowing.

Rod did not linger in the cave; he took the bottle back to the manor.

Avril has learned from Vivian that Rhodes is making glass.

But when I saw it with my own eyes, I couldn't help but feel excited.

"Did you just make this, darling?"

Avril held it up to the lamplight and examined it carefully.
"It's just as beautiful as the glass cup that Manxiu gave me, and even more translucent."

"The glass cup he gave me must have had other metals added, which caused it to change color."

Rod smiled and said, "The materials and processes are not difficult. They can all do it once their skills are perfected."

Glassmaking doesn't involve any particularly advanced techniques, but to create beautiful finished products, the craftsmen's skills must be up to par.

"Does that mean I can have everything I want?"

Avril's eyes were filled with surprise.

"of course."

"Then I want a complete set of glass goblets, as well as glass bottles for preparing potions, and I'll replace the lampshades with glass ones too."

Avril was thinking about it very seriously.

"No problem, take your time thinking about it."

Rod then took out a few more glass marbles and handed them to Avril.

These were all products of experimentation. In order to let the slaves learn the process completely, they all underwent annealing and cooling in the annealing furnace, and were considered finished products.

Because Vivian liked it, Rod thought Avril would like it too, so he took it back.

Girls will always be girls; they can never resist something sparkly.

Avril Lavigne is the same.

While Avril was playing with it, Rhodes changed the subject and asked, "Is the healing potion ready? Vivian and I should get going."

"It's finished, but the materials we have are only enough to make the most basic healing potion."

Avril sighed softly, "It seems that Father's body was severely injured due to practicing the breathing technique. I wonder if ordinary healing potions would be effective..."

"Prepare first, and we'll deal with any problems that arise later."

Rhodes comforted him, "If all else fails, perhaps we can ask the Dawn Society for help."

"Uh-huh."

Avril nodded vigorously and immediately stood up. "Then I'll go prepare it for you?"

Rod noticed Avril's urgency and patted her lower back. "Okay, go on."

Avril nodded and turned to get busy.

Watching Avril's retreating figure, Rod couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Rhodes wanted to take Avril to the Red Griffin family, but he was worried about Avril's safety.

Moreover, Black Pine Ridge needs someone to stay and guard it. Avril and Vivian must each stay so that Rhodes can keep track of the territory's situation in real time.

In comparison, Vivian is more suited to go with Rhodes to the Red Griffin family.

Even on occasions where Avril Lavigne needs to appear, Vivian is sufficient to play the role.

However, this is the most rational choice.

Emotionally, Avril also wanted to see her father.

“Baron, my sister seems a little down... it’s a complicated feeling,” Vivian suddenly said.

"Ok, I know."

Rhodes nodded.
I will comfort her before I leave.

　Thank you to the reader "心已老去" for the 500-coin reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)