Starting as the Baron of the Lonely Island

It was the end of March, the height of the spring planting season on Black Forest Island.

After Duane left the castle, the fields on both sides of the road were filled with laboring farmers.

At this time of year, everything from road construction to castle building had to make way for farming.

Even some of the Guards and Militia would work in the fields to make up for labor shortages in their families.

Duane stopped to observe for a moment.

The rice thresher had solved the difficulty of harvesting, but the difficulty of plowing the fields remained a prominent issue.

The number of water buffalo and draft horses on Black Forest Island was limited, and with so much new wasteland having been reclaimed, they were now stretched thin.

Although Agricultural Officer Haien had already made arrangements, coordinating the sharing of draft animals and labor through work-exchange and mutual aid.

Yet, some fields were still being tilled by people pulling the plows themselves.

Duane had no good solution for this problem.

Buying water buffalo in bulk was out of the question—it would be too strenuous, time-consuming, and expensive.

And while a water buffalo breeding program had been implemented on the island, it would be a long time before they saw any results.

After all, you couldn’t make calves pull a plow.

Duane thought of two possible solutions.

The first was to use the Level 2 Earth Attribute Magic, Earthquake Technique, to till the land. But this method was doomed to fail on a large scale; after all, there were hardly any Mages on Black Forest Island.

The second was to build a magic-powered tiller.

After his [Basic Manufacturing] Skill reached Perfection, Duane had obtained the method for creating Magic Energy Puppets.

However, creating a freely moving puppet required him to be at least a Level 9 Grand Mage, a level that was worlds away from his current state.

But he could soon begin experimenting with the "Power System" involved in the process.

’I just don’t know how to make Rune Coils or Magic Net Energy Field Reaction Runes.’

Duane’s brow furrowed as he muttered to himself, "If I can find a solution for these two hurdles, I can create a Magic Energy Engine. And with that, I can build a tiller."

With a power source, he could make blades rotate, which would be more than enough to turn over the soil in the paddy fields.

’Perhaps once the Messenger Passage is established, I should write a letter to Natalia and ask her to help me look into it.’

Natalia specialized in making Magic Potions; he wasn’t sure if she knew anything about Enchantment.

However, the Kennedy Clan had a professional team of Mages. Asking Natalia would certainly be far more effective than fumbling around on his own.

In the past half-year or so, the road from Broken Wave Bay to the Hot Spring Mountain Range had been extended significantly. Especially after the workforce from the Silent Shore began to arrive, progress on road building, tree felling, and housing construction had become very rapid.

Now, Duane could ride his horse for ten li without interruption.

Similarly, the tracks for transporting iron ore now stretched for eight li. The combination of the road and the tracks made transporting iron ore and iron tools from the mines to Broken Wave City much easier than before.

The saved manpower could be redirected to mining or other tasks, significantly increasing ore output.

"It’s almost time to pick the spring tea."

Duane walked over to a Hot Spring Mountain Tea plant by the roadside. Tender new leaves were already sprouting.

"Keep a close eye on the growth of the Hot Spring Mountain Tea, and have Haien organize a crew to pick it at the right time."

"Yes, sir!" Owington immediately jotted it down.

After a journey of stops and starts, Duane finally arrived at the mining camp.

Compared to his first visit, the environment here had improved considerably.

At the very least, the miners were now paying attention to the hygiene of their personal quarters after work, making it less likely for them to fall ill from the damp conditions.

"My Lord, you’re finally here!"

Yanger, the head blacksmith of Black Forest Island, walked up with a wide grin. "The Black Vine fuel you brought is incredible! I barely even need to use the bellows, and I don’t need to add any flux. The iron ore melts into molten iron in no time!"

Duane had already witnessed how fiercely the Black Vine burned, so he wasn’t surprised it could smelt iron ore.

"Come, take me to see."

The two of them went to the smelting room together.

The iron smelting technology in this world wasn’t bad. At least they could use techniques like coke and bellows to produce molten iron, rather than just sponge iron.

When Duane arrived, the apprentices were already tossing a bundle of Black Vine into the furnace.

Instantly, the furnace roared to life, and the temperature inside climbed dramatically!

"Since we don’t need the bellows, I’m planning to reduce the furnace’s height and increase the thickness of the firebricks. It’ll make it easier to operate."

The temperature in the smelting room was rising, and sweat beaded on everyone’s bodies. Duane, in contrast, remained cool and composed, as if he didn’t feel the heat at all.

He walked over to the blast furnace, picked up a firebrick lying nearby, and asked, "The clay quality around here is pretty good?"

Yanger nodded as if it were obvious.

"My Lord, you might not be familiar with this, but the clay near iron mines is usually high-quality. The bricks fired from it are hard and fire-resistant."

"I was wandering around nearby a while ago and found a place called Red Mud Mountain in a gully up ahead. The clay quality there is also quite good."

Duane’s eyes lit up.

While he was grinding his Basic Painting Skill to Perfection, he had drawn many buildings with brick and tile structures.

Building a kiln was something he had been planning to do.

Since Yanger had experience making firebricks and was very familiar with the properties of clay, he was the perfect person for the job.

"I have a task for you."

"Name it!"

Duane explained his plan to build a kiln, which could be summarized in one sentence: Black Forest Island needed red bricks—a lot of them.

"My Lord, thank you for your trust."

Yanger was full of confidence. "Just assign me the manpower, my Lord, and setting up the Red Brick Factory will be no problem at all!"

Duane nodded. A brick factory would require more people during the initial construction phase, but the labor needs would decrease afterward.

"Very well. I hereby appoint you as the director of ’Hot Spring Mountain Red Brick Factory One.’ Once it’s operating smoothly, I will reward you with one hundred mu of farmland!"

A brick factory might seem simple, but it involves numerous details.

For example, there’s the clay processing: if it’s too sandy, the bricks will crack; if the iron content is too high, they’ll warp easily.

Beyond that, demolding, drying, and firing all required Yanger’s experience and guidance.

After the Red Brick Factory was built and operational, a reward of one hundred mu of land was not excessive.

Yanger was thrilled to hear this.

He was already the head of the island’s blacksmiths and respected by many.

Now, he was also the director of the Red Brick Factory, personally appointed by the Lord. And upon success, he would receive a reward of one hundred mu of fertile farmland!

Yanger felt a little giddy hearing this.

He could foresee that as long as he worked hard for the Lord, he would surely have a place among the wealthy merchants of Black Forest Island in the future.

Next, Duane described his expectations for the Red Brick Factory, painting a grand vision for its future.

Before they knew it, more than half an hour had passed, and molten iron was already flowing out.

"Quick, pour the cast!"

Yanger immediately ordered.

The blacksmith apprentices were clearly experienced. They collected the molten iron and poured it into clay molds.

After it cooled, they broke the molds, and just like that, a farming hoe was made.

Yanger explained, "If we were smelting with coke, a hoe cast like this would be quite brittle and prone to cracking."

"But using the fuel you brought, its hardness and toughness have increased dramatically. It requires almost no forging and can be taken directly to the fields for use!"

Duane couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.

Back then, in the Secret Realm, he had tested it with his Big Ring Saber. Although the tip of the blade had been deformed, its hardness seemed to have increased.

He had thought it was just his imagination, but now it was confirmed.

"My Lord, I was wondering, how much more of this black firewood do we have?"

As Yanger spoke, he glanced at the pile of black firewood stacked to the side.

What little was left was probably only enough to make two or three more hoes.

"If we had enough, and if you were willing, my Lord, we could go full throttle making farm tools. If we sell them at a low price, you could definitely earn a fortune!"

"Even for forging weapons and armor for ordinary Warriors, we wouldn’t need to hammer them as much as before. That would also save a lot of cost and time. We could probably earn even more Gold Coins than with farm tools!"

Duane nodded slightly. "I understand what you’re saying, but we don’t have much of the black firewood at the moment."

Then, his tone shifted. "However, there will be more later."

Duane was planning to find an opportunity to visit the Secret Realm again. This time, he wouldn’t just cut down the black vines and bring them back; he would cultivate more of them within the Secret Realm.

Such excellent fuel was too good to pass up!