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

Chapter 349 Rune Standards

……

……

After regaining his strength, Rod had Vivian bring in the clothes.

Avril and Vivian walked into the training room together, their eyes sparkling.
"Success?"

Avril's voice trembled slightly, full of anticipation.

"Ah."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

System authentication requires no testing, and Rhodes was able to give a positive answer.

"so amazing!"

Avril hugged Rhodes happily, "A legend as young as you is extremely rare, even in ancient times!"

Rod smiled and patted Avril's hair without saying a word.

But he knew in his heart that with such a method, legendary knights from ancient times would surely be everywhere.

Excluding the special amplification effects brought by the special attributes, relying solely on the normal cultivation system.

As long as a person possesses above-average knightly talent, and is further aided by various enhancement potions and alchemical items concocted by wizards.

The path from apprentice knight to legendary knight is difficult, but it is definitely not as unattainable as it seems now.

Legendary knights may have simply been a standard feature of the military organization of that era.

Rhodes is now very curious about what kind of path he will take after becoming a legend.
Is this where the Knights' journey ends?
Can the physical body be further strengthened?
Rhodes had many questions in his mind.

But he didn't think much of it. Coming to his senses, he got dressed with the help of Vivian and Avril.

As I walked downstairs, it was already getting dark.

Rhodes entered the training room at noon.

The promotion process seemed quick, but it actually lasted for half a day.

Celine and Falfolk were enjoying tea at the stone table in the garden when they saw Rhodes arrive and both stood up.

"It's unbelievable."

Celinesa smiled as she looked at Rhodes, "Such a young legendary knight has appeared in our time."

"There will be more in the future."

Rod said very seriously, "This will be the only way."

With so few legendary knights, how could this empire, or even the world, possibly rise to prominence?

"You're right."

Celine nodded and asked, "Would you like to test your strength after the advancement?"

“My students Orton and Wright are happy to help you.”

Celinesha said, "They've wanted to experience the power of a legendary knight for a long time."

“I thought you’d want to give it a try with me,” Rhodes said with a smile.

Celinesha shook her head. "I'm not good at fighting."

Rhodes was skeptical that someone who claimed to be a high-ranking wizard apprentice was not skilled in combat.

However, Rhodes didn't discuss these things too much, and said calmly, "Not today. I still need to adjust after my promotion."

"Okay, you can come to them anytime if needed."

Celine sat down again and changed the subject, saying, "Let's discuss the locations of the alchemy workshop, the wizarding academy, and the Imperial Arcane Guild that you mentioned."

As she spoke, Celine pushed the map on the table toward Rhodes.

"The Arcane Guild and the Wizarding Academy are located inside the palace, and the royal family here will be asked to leave in the future."

Rhodes stated without hesitation, "There will be many manors available at that time. After a simple renovation, they can be used by the wizards."

Celine and Falfolk nodded, their smiles growing even wider.

No one expected that these people would one day live in the imperial palace.

"The alchemy workshop should ideally be located in a place with water; the location needs to be carefully determined."

Rhodes' idea was to connect the blacksmith shops and alchemy workshops together, eventually forming a large military industrial zone, which would require a large amount of land.

“In that case, we need someone who knows this city to do it,” Celinesa said.

Rhodes thought for a moment and then instructed the guard beside him, "Summon Atreus to help with the selection."

"Yes, my lord."

The guard nodded and immediately went to fetch Atelier.

After Atley arrived, she listened to Rhodes's request and nodded indifferently.

“There’s a river to the southeast that should meet your requirements,” Atreus said.

"Then I'll leave this to you. After you've made your selection, compensate the people living there and get them to move out."

Without hesitation, Rod ordered, "If you need men and gold, tell Durant."

"Okay, I'll try it."

Atresia nodded instinctively, then realized something was wrong.

"Wait, why should I do things for you?"

Why can't you do things for me?

Rhodes countered, "You have knowledge, ability, and experience, so why can't you work for me?"

Rod looked Atley up and down, frowning slightly. "She may not be pretty, but I value ability more."

"What's wrong with me?!"

Artrie's voice suddenly rose, but she quickly changed her tune the next second.

"No, what I mean is that I am the Rockbreaker Queen. Aren't you afraid I'll sabotage your plans behind your back?"

"Because you are the Rockbreaker Queen, countless eyes are watching you."

Rhodes said calmly, "If you make any unusual move, those nobles who fear the dragon's breath will betray you."

"Also, everything I do now is to make the world a better place."

Rhodes handed the map on the table to Atreus, saying, "I think you, with your knowledge and wisdom, shouldn't do something so foolish."

Atreus instinctively reached out and took the map.

Rod's tone wasn't exactly gentle, but every word he uttered was a compliment to Atreus.

From childhood to adulthood, Artrie felt she had heard plenty of praise and should be indifferent to it.

But for some reason, those words coming from Rhodes's mouth made Atreus feel a little restless and eager to show off.

“Miss Artrie, Duke Rhodes’ wishes do not lie here.”

Celine chuckled and said, "Perhaps you could broaden your perspective; that would allow you to see the world more clearly."

"What do you mean?" Atre asked, puzzled.

Celine didn't explain further, but simply said calmly, "I hope you remember who killed your father."

"Of course I remember, it was a necromancer sent by the Western Alliance."

Atreus's gaze turned cold as she said, word by word, "The Church of Dawn is among them."

At this moment, Atreus suddenly realized something and turned to look at Rhodes, "You will avenge my father?"

"That was just something I did on the spur of the moment."

Rhodes said calmly, "What I want is a peaceful life, but I can't sleep until some people die."

"Okay, I'll do it."

Atreus rolled up the map and put it away. "Since you trust me, I'll handle it."

Atreus didn't say much, took the map, and turned to leave.

"Duke Rhodes, you are truly remarkable. Even the former Empress works for you," Falfolk exclaimed.

“These things are just right for her.”

Rhodes didn't pay much attention to this matter and said to Celine, "I need thirty learned wizard apprentices to go to the North to establish an academy."

"You want to establish two wizarding colleges?" Celinesa asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, two wizarding academies, one in the north and one in the south."

Rhodes nodded slightly and explained, "I can't expect all apprentices in the North to leave their homes and come here to study."

If it weren't for the initial shortage of manpower, Rhodes would have even wanted to open four academies.

"We cannot place all our hopes on one place, otherwise it will be a disaster if something unexpected happens."

"The two colleges, one in the north and one in the south, can study the nearby ruins that have been discovered, which would be more convenient."

Rhodes said with a smile, "I also plan to establish a work point reward system to make the two wizarding academies in the north and south compete with each other, so that neither of them will slack off."

"Won't this cause both sides to refuse to share knowledge?" Celinesa asked.

"Sharing is always a win-win situation. As long as work points are used for trading, there will be no problem."

Rhodes said. No one would share top-secret information casually, not even the Dawn Society could fully share it now.

What Rhodes wants is results.

As long as there are enough results to show, whether or not they are shared is not important.

When one party cannot complete a task independently, they will naturally cooperate.

Celine nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll make the arrangements."

"Let me know if you need anything."

After Rod finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something else.
"By the way, I discovered a problem in the Imperial Treasury."

With that, Rhodes held out his hand to the guard beside him, "Give me your sword."

"Yes, my lord."

The guard drew his longsword from his waist and presented it to Rhodes with both hands.

Rhodes picked up the sword and placed it on the table. "Enchanted longswords all have runes on them, right?"

“I have found enchanted weapons with damaged runes in the family vaults of some nobles, and even in the imperial vaults.”

Rhodes asked, "Can damaged runes be repaired? Like this broken one."

“It’s a little difficult.”

Celinesha shook her head slightly, "Because everyone's control over magic is different, the runes they draw are not exactly the same."

"Unless we can find the original enchanter and have him fix it."

Falfolk nodded in agreement.

"This is not a good thing."

Rhodes shook his head slightly. "It might be okay against ordinary weapons, but if the opponent is also using enchanted weapons, then it will be easy to damage them."

"The same applies to enchanted armor, even if the runes are inside the armor."

"That's really a problem."

Celine nodded thoughtfully.

“But it’s always been like this, even in ancient times,” Falfolk said.

"We don't necessarily have to learn everything from ancient times."

Rhodes frowned, pondering, and said, "Could we engrave those sharp, sturdy runes onto metal sheets or pillars of uniform size to create standard parts?"

“Standard…parts?” Celinesa looked puzzled when she heard this new term.

"Like the wheels of a carriage, they can be replaced with new ones at any time."

Rhodes held the sword and pointed to the hilt, indicating, "For example, when the blacksmiths were forging this sword, they left a groove here."

"Runes made into metal sheets or metal pillars can be directly embedded into grooves to enchant the sword."

"When this sword is destroyed, the standard rune parts can be directly removed and then inlaid into other swords."

After Rod finished speaking, the garden fell silent.

The wise Celine was the first to react, asking in surprise, "Like a staff inlaid with gems?"

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.” Rhodes nodded.

Falfolk understood, took a deep breath and exclaimed, "My God, this is a brilliant idea!"

Seeing the shocked yet delighted expressions on their faces, Rhodes pressed, "So, you can do it?"

"it should be OK!"

Celine nodded and lowered her head to think.

She then muttered to herself, "We can change the target of the rune's effect from itself to the target it contacts, and manually activate it by injecting magic when the two are connected."

"Just like a shield spell, you can cast it on yourself or on others!"

"That's right!"

Falfolk immediately chimed in, "Moreover, each rune can be engraved on a separate metal post, and as long as there are no conflicts between the runes, you can insert whatever you want into the sword!"

"Wait, this method can be used for more than just enchanted weapons!"

Falfolk's eyes widened, and he exclaimed excitedly, "Wands, magical trinkets, anything goes!"

"We put the spell model inside a standard 'part' and then attach it to it!"

“Magic trinkets are more difficult to make,” Celinesha said.

"But it's entirely possible!"

Falfolk exclaimed excitedly, "As long as the standards are set, magical trinkets and wands can be used interchangeably!"

……

Celine and Falfolk began a heated discussion.

Compared to ordinary craftsmen, wizard apprentices are clearly more intelligent.

After Rod introduced the concept of "standard parts," the two began to have endless imaginations.

Magical items are no longer bound by form; they can all be disassembled into "parts" and combined together.

"Oh my god, how could I not have thought of this!"

Falfolk grabbed Rhodes' shoulder and exclaimed excitedly, "Rhodes, you're a genius!"

"Cough cough cough!" Celinesha coughed twice, covering her mouth as a reminder.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Your Grace."

Falfolk quickly released Rod, "I was too excited, I'm sorry."

Falfolk apologized not because Rhodes was a duke.

Instead, Rhodes can transform into a red dragon.

Who would dare shake a red dragon's shoulder? They'd have a death wish!
Rhodes ignored Falfolk's agitation and said calmly, "Since this method is feasible, then you two should arrange for someone to study it."

"Once we have achieved some results, we will ask the blacksmiths in the city to cooperate and see if we can make the finished product."

“Okay, sure.” Celinesa nodded.

"It's getting late today."

Rhodes looked at the rising moon in the sky. "The banquet hall has prepared a feast. Let's go and try the Imperial chef's cooking."

……

……

The Imperial chefs are very skilled; all their dishes taste better than those of Martha in Frostleaf Town.

But what impressed Rod more was the presentation of the dishes.

For example, chicken liver is mashed and mixed with spices, shaped into a castle, and then brushed with gold leaf.

For example, a giant pie baked into the shape of a crown.

Rhodes wasn't interested in any of that. After he finished eating, he discussed the royal family's handling of the situation and the academy's plans with everyone.

A portion of the royal family would be transferred to the North, where they would live out the rest of their lives in peace.

Some capable young men from collateral branches would be transferred to the west to assist the council in supervising the nobles.

Without noble lords, many villages and towns could be combined together.

Especially in the plains, all the farmland can be connected together and planned into large tracts of farmland.

Food is always the most important thing, and Rhodes felt that at least ten "large granaries" should be planned in the empire to produce food.

Stockpiling enough food means you won't panic even in the event of a disaster.

Rod usually leaves these things to Auto, but since that guy isn't here, he can only have Atelier write them down.

In addition, resource development, such as the development of iron ore and silver mines, also needs to be planned in a unified manner.

This kind of thing gives Rod a headache just thinking about it.

The crux of the problem is that the aristocratic feudal system lacked such a systematic national plan, and therefore had no specific officials to manage it, resulting in great chaos.

Fortunately, Frostleaf Town has a simple official system that Rhodes can directly adopt.

Rhodes wrote down the names of the various departments and the personnel needed, and let Avril choose from among the nobles.

As for the department head, Rhodes plans to transfer him from Frostleaf Town.

Wizarding academies also have many things to deal with.

Wizard apprentices not only need to learn knowledge, but also need to practice, which naturally requires training grounds and experimental areas, all of which need to be established at the same time.

More importantly, there is also a herb garden.

Rhodes instructed Falfolk to search for a suitable location in the mountains outside the city to establish a place where magical plants could be grown in large quantities.

The banquet turned into an imperial meeting, and Rhodes felt no relief after finishing his meal.

After the banquet, Rhodes did not rest but stepped into the training room to begin practicing his breathing technique.

This time, as Rhodes controlled the frequency of his breathing, what flowed through his body was no longer air, but pure, scorching energy.

(End of this chapter)