"So, the wood elves need more ores, ironware, grain, and timber? Hmm... and amber," Ryan summarized the wood elves' requests after listening to their needs.
"Yes, we need more amber and ores, but the most important are grain and ironware," the woodland lord Dalina urgently emphasized, seeing Ryan's reluctance. "The price is negotiable."
Dalina told Ryan about the infamous Shadow Beast Horde that reappeared in the Aisoloran Forest this winter, led by the notorious Beast King "Shadow Beast" Mogul. The beastmen horde, consisting of thousands, attempted to approach the Era Oak, also known as the World Tree to humans.
The elves and beastmen waged a brutal war, with some woodlands turning to ashes after changing hands multiple times. The harrowing tug-of-war caused immense suffering to the wood elves. During the cold winter, the treants and dryads fell into slumber, and the king and queen of the forest died in a fire, marking the forest's most vulnerable time. The wood elves had no choice but to rely on themselves.
The vast resources traded from Ryan and the finely crafted armor from the dwarves played a crucial role. Despite their reluctance to admit, the wood elves acknowledged that the dwarf-made armor and rune weapons were far superior. The continuous grain trade ensured no wood elf starved during the winter, preserving their vitality in the difficult battle.
Eventually, as the ice and snow melted and life renewed, King Olica of the forest was reborn from the Era Oak. Discovering the tragedy of the forest, Olica blew the horn of the hunting god, Kunos.
The wild hunt began!
After paying a heavy price, the Shadow Beast Horde was defeated. The Shadow Beast Mogul was injured and fled by the famous wood elf hero, woodland lord Alaros the Brave.
The war left behind a forest corrupted, countless beastmen corpses, and wood elf spirits. Even King Olica had to admit the necessity and usefulness of trade with humans. Otherwise, it would take the elves twenty to thirty years to recover from the war.
Woodland Lord Dalina, bearing King Olica's goodwill, hoped to expand the trade posts in Ryan's territory to obtain more urgently needed resources.
Ryan mused that wood elves, who do not farm and seek harmony with nature, naturally faced shortages in food and timber, with hardly any ores in the forest and relying entirely on imports from Ryan.
Clearing his throat, Ryan smiled and said, "Lord Dalina, it's not that I don't want to help, but as you can see, our workshops have limited output, with orders backlogged till winter. As for grain, I will discuss with the Duke and see what can be done. We have plenty of ores to meet your needs."
"Can't production be increased?" Dalina inhaled deeply, the woodland lord asked in a negotiating tone, "I understand your difficulties, but the forest really needs sufficient dwarf-made fine armor and weapons. The Shadow Beast Horde severely damaged the Val Iron Anvil woodland, and the forest's ore veins were depleted centuries ago. We also face a severe shortage of food, with many of our kin starving, forcing us to ration food in many areas."
"Expanding production takes time, my forest friends. We'll do our best," Ryan nodded, "We've always cooperated happily. Please convey to His Majesty the King of the Forest, to give us some time."
"Please rest assured, Lord Ryan, our king also told me to inform you that you are the only trade partner of the elves outside the forest. Those greedy and cunning knights have been thoroughly cleansed by us; they won't believe a word from the elves," Dalina said proudly.
This time, the woodland lord brought hundreds of troops from the forest, escorting dozens of carts filled with dwarf products, grain, and ores. They left behind large quantities of wood elf wine, magical jewelry, exquisite handicrafts, precious elf medicines, and pottery. These goods were snatched up by numerous dukes and even southern countries and empires as soon as they were put on the shelves.
"No wonder Duke Parlawen Castellan is jealous of me," Ryan complained to his steward, Carsenborg, on the way back. "Just the trade with the wood elves brings me thousands of kroner in taxes a year, not to mention the priceless elf medicines."
Carsenborg, walking half a step behind Ryan with his hands behind his back, his face showed sincerity and admiration, "The wood elves, isolated and absolutely solitary, my baron, it is your glory and prestige that brought these wood elves out of the forest to trade with us."
"The most important thing is strength, Carsenborg," Ryan chuckled, "Do you think the wood elves didn't want to increase trade before? Obviously, they also knew about my defeat of the Nagaou Great Demon. Strength is the capital for further cooperation and increasing trade volume. First, I gained their trust, which is very important, and then showed my strength, which is also important."
"Indeed, but I still think it's related to the baron's personal charm. As far as I know, Lord Francois also tried to contact the wood elves, but the pointed-eared proudly refused to trade, firmly stating that the forest is self-sufficient and does not need to trade with the duke," Carsenborg continued seriously, "So I still think, the baron is special, whether it's dwarves or elves, they are willing to contact the baron."
"Arrange the goods the wood elves need as soon as possible. As for the grain, I remember there is a lot in Winfort, it should not be difficult to trade some from Lord Francois. It's time to expand production in the dwarf workshops. Also, about the tower in the castle..." The summer sun was very strong, Carsenborg quickly sweated, but Ryan, in full baronial attire, showed no signs of being overheated, instructing one thing after another, surprising his subordinates with his vigorous energy.
"Miss Veronica's wizard tower is still laying the foundation, only the first floor is built..." Carsenborg took out his booklet and continued.
"I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the tower built in the valley behind the castle," Ryan shook his head, the summer air filled with dry heat, breathing a few times made the lungs feel dry.
"That tower? I'm sorry, my baron, because you haven't named the tower yet," Carsenborg finally realized what Ryan was talking about, "That tower can be completed in up to three months, but... may I say something? My baron?"
"Go ahead," Ryan turned around, and the two found a shady spot, almost all the serfs greeted the baron warmly along the way.
"We've spent a lot of manpower, material, and effort to build this tower, but... my baron, you're not a spellcaster, why build such a masterless tower?" Carsenborg took the opportunity to ask a long-standing question.
"The tower will have a master, dear Carsenborg," Ryan's expression remained unchanged, "All you need to do is build the tower well, and afterward, the benefits it brings us will definitely be worth more than the cost."
"I understand, so the tower is not for Miss Teresa?" Carsenborg nodded, understanding.
"Yes, it's not for Teresa," Ryan gently touched the bark of a large tree, "As long as you understand, that's enough."
The Fairy Tower by the Lake is bound to bring tremendous benefits to Ryan's territory, not to mention, just from what Ryan knows, the high elves' Horus White Tower in Ossuan brings immense benefits to the high elves, powerful to an astonishing degree.
Crops near the Horus White Tower can mature 6-10 times a year.
It's like cheating! It's outrageous! This was told to Ryan by the Lady of the Lake herself, and at the time, Ryan was astounded.
Carsenborg went on his way, leaving Ryan alone under the shade of the trees to ponder the future. It took years of hard work to earn the title of baron, and even after two major accomplishments, he was still some distance from becoming an earl.
The road ahead is long, and no progenitor has ever faced so many threats in their youth—greenskins, chaos, undead. He cannot steamroll like a barbarian because he is a guardian of order. Bloody conquest pleases the gods of murder and deception, but it consumes the precious strength of mortals.
...
In managing the territory, time flies, and by early October, the tower was finally completed.
The tower, built of white giant stones, has six floors and is about twenty-five meters high. Under Ryan's no-expense-spared strict adherence to the Lady of the Lake's design scheme, the interior of the tower was decorated with the most expensive materials and various luxurious furnishings. The tower was built in a small valley behind Ryan's castle, accessible only through a corridor extending from the castle walls. Since the completion of the tower, some kind of mutation has occurred in the valley. A dense forest covers the area, and thick fog rises from the valley, making it impossible for ordinary people to glimpse the whole picture.
Ryan declared this area a forbidden zone, prohibiting anyone from entering. In fact, ordinary people cannot enter this place; they lose their way in the fog, and after circling around, find themselves back where they started. Unwelcome visitors disappear forever.
Since the day the tower was completed, the serfs of Baron Gene's territory were pleasantly surprised to find the crops in their fields thriving, with output increasing by nearly 50%. Both river and well water became clearer, and divine power lingered in Baron Gene's territory. The whispers of the goddess resounded in people's hearts.
Many knights and Grail pilgrims began to come to Baron Gene's territory, seeking guidance from the Lady of the Lake.
The Lady is generous. Although only a small fraction of them received a response, they were ecstatic. The presence of questing knights began to appear in the baron's lands, requiring Ryan to spend a lot of time and energy hosting them.
In early October, on the Day of Lily, the birthday of the Lady of the Lake, a grand celebration was held in the baron's territory to celebrate the glory and faith the Lady of the Lake brings to the kingdom of knights. Ryan announced the opening of the granaries, taking out the old grain to feed the serfs a full meal: "Cheer, my people, this is the gift from the Lady!"
"Thank the Lady! Praise the Lady!" The serfs lined up to receive their grain benefits, with enough black bread for everyone. Registered households could also receive a piece of sweet cake, a cup of apple cider or malt beer, and a piece of roasted meat.
The serfs' lives were getting better and better, and Ryan continually emphasized that everything was a gift from the Lady.
The baron's devotion and generosity earned him almost fanatical adoration from the serfs. Court musicians and wandering poets hired from Winfort played the lyre, singing Ryan's story. The glory of the Grail intoxicated the serfs and knights eager to make their mark.
In dark times, Ryan's territory became a sanctuary.
The celebration of the Lady of the Lake's birthday lasted from morning to afternoon and then into the night. The festive atmosphere in the town pleased the lord. At this time, a great merchant brought even better news.
It was the chairman of the Luigi Commerce Guild, Hadrian, a magnate from the southern lands who had shifted his business focus entirely to Marlinburg and Ryan's territory. Investing in the construction of dwarf workshops made him a fortune, and more importantly, Hadrian's ore mines found a direct outlet. Internalizing the trade significantly reduced the costs for the great merchant, and his cooperation with Ryan ensured his goods were always in demand.
"Happy holidays, my baron. This year's mithril has already been shipped here by sea. Duke Boldro is very friendly to us," Hadrian, wearing a brand-new silk suit, smiled apologetically at Ryan.
"Good, thank you for making the trip yourself, Mr. Hadrian," Ryan shook hands with his business partner. "How's business lately?"
"Not so good, my baron," Hadrian looked at the revelers and shook his head with a wry smile. "Whether it's the Axebite Pass or Parlawen, they are imposing tariffs on goods from the Empire. The two dukes must be desperate, always bullying us poor merchants, taking away our meager profits."
"It's very normal for those two passes to have high tariffs. After all, both the Duchy of Montfort and Parlawen are small in area and poor in land. Most of their income comes from tariffs," Ryan stood in the open air outside the castle, looking at the bustling town. The baron suddenly maliciously said, "Being constantly in debt to Schultz, the two dukes must be having a hard time, right?"
"Hehehe~" Hadrian laughed unscrupulously. "They are having a hard time. At least from what I know, ever since it was known that the Duke of Montfort and the Duke of Parlawen were not on good terms with Lord Ryan, Schultz has been sanctioning them. Now, Marlinburg's caravans are trading more by sea with the Duchy of Connet and the Duchy of Boldro, avoiding land routes."
"The less they use land routes, the lower their income. The lower their income, the higher the tariffs they impose. The higher the tariffs, the less likely Marlinburg's merchants are to use land routes. It's a vicious cycle," Ryan nodded, pondering the consequences. If this continues, the most likely outcome is war.
Marlinburg has the Empire's backing. Although Ryan is reluctant to see a civil war among humans, sometimes it's necessary to flex some muscle.
"Ryan~ my champion," as the baron pondered the causes and effects, the voice of the Lady of the Lake suddenly echoed in his heart, "Come to me, to my tower~"
"My Lady?"
"Yes, my champion, Ryan, today is my birthday. Hurry, come to my tower~" The soft and beautiful voice of the Lady of the Lake continued to murmur in Ryan's heart, "My champion, come over."
The protagonist's territory finally has its first landmark building. Seeing how powerful the Fairy Tower is, how about giving some votes?
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