Chapter 100: Entering the Hot Spring Mountain Range
Bard and Daniels must have known the approximate market price for iron ore.
For them to sell it at a low price rather than make more money, there must have been a reason.
Duane pondered for a moment and thought of a possibility.
In the eyes of many nobles in the Pruck Kingdom, Black Forest Island was not just a barren wasteland, but also a place fraught with danger.
They never would have imagined finding iron ore here.
If they’d known, this place certainly wouldn’t have remained unclaimed. Someone would have inevitably mobilized a larger workforce to begin mining.
With a sufficient labor force and increased production, the annual profit in Gold Coins would naturally be substantial.
Perhaps Bard and Daniels had realized this,
which was why they preferred to sell the ore at a lower price to merchants from the Starfall Islands, deliberately avoiding business with the nobility or merchants of the Pruck Kingdom.
After all, once a Lord arrived, resources like the iron mine would no longer be theirs to control.
In that scenario, forget making money—they might not even get the chance to work for the new owner.
As for the merchants from the Starfall Islands, they must have sensed Bard and Daniels’s concerns. That was why they could push the price down to rock bottom, completely unafraid of their supplier cutting them off.
"It’s June now. According to the schedule from their last visit, the merchants from the Starfall Islands are due to arrive in another three months."
The Pruck Kingdom had already signed a truce with the Akutas Kingdom, so trade between the merchants and nobility of both nations was proceeding as usual.
As the Starfall Islands were a territory of the Akutas Kingdom, it wouldn’t be illegal for Duane to sell goods there.
That was why, when Monbodt had earlier accused Bard and the others of treason for trading with the Starfall Islands, Duane had paid it no mind.
"Do you intend to sell the iron ore?"
Duane nodded. "If I’m going to sell, I can’t let it go for so little. All resources for sale, from the iron ore to the oak wood, must be sold at their proper market price."
However, Duane much preferred doing business with the nobility of his own kingdom.
After all, he was a Baron of the Pruck Kingdom. Doing business with his fellow nobles would do more to increase his own influence.
Of course, that was all for later. The most crucial task at hand was to manage his territory well.
"I plan to visit the mine the day after tomorrow to inspect the miners and the mining operations. Please make the necessary arrangements."
The iron mine was in the Hot Spring Mountain Range, a place far less safe than the city.
Moreover, Duane wanted to use this inspection as an opportunity to venture beyond the city and explore the Hot Spring Mountain Range.
After all, Black Forest Island currently had no internal strife, and for the moment, no external threats.
After a couple of years of development, once things were more established, Duane could begin to expand.
In his plans, Thorn Valley, south of Lingang Village, was perfectly suited for development.
The terrain was flat and water was plentiful, making it no problem to convert it into vast rice paddies.
Aside from that direction, the Hot Spring Mountain Range east of Broken Wave Bay was also under consideration.
While that area wasn’t suitable for growing rice or wheat, it held plenty of other resources.
For example, Vigorous Grass grew in the Hot Spring Mountain Range.
If Duane wanted to cultivate it on a large scale, he would have to clear fields in the Hot Spring Mountain Range.
Furthermore, once his Fire Source Beast Bone Soup Skill reached the Perfection level, he could add Red Sun Grass to enhance its effects.
Red Sun Grass also favored a warm climate for growth.
Duane had already sketched an image of Red Sun Grass and told his people to keep an eye out for it.
The Male Servant jotted down the Baron’s itinerary item by item. "My lord, who do you plan to have accompany you on this trip?"
In June, Duane had adjusted the military deployment in his territory.
After absorbing some members from the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association, he had established four new Guard Squads, led by Jack, John, Simone, and Gaius.
At the same time, to separate territorial defense from public security, he had specifically established a Police Department.
Jack and John were in charge of this department. In addition to their own squads, Duane assigned thirty militia members to each of them.
John was responsible for security in Broken Wave City, while Jack handled Lingang Village and the other surrounding areas.
It was a complex and demanding job, but both Jack and John were so excited they had barely slept for days.
They hadn’t expected to be promoted so quickly by the Baron and join the ranks of Black Island’s officials.
It was the kind of class-crossing achievement that commoners could only dream of, yet they had managed it at just sixteen or seventeen years old.
If their families in the Royal Capital heard the news, they would probably consider moving the entire household to Black Forest Island.
Besides the Police Department, Duane also established a Defense Army to defend the territory’s borders and prevent Demon Beast invasions.
Kaelon was in charge of the Defense Army, with Raymond serving as his second-in-command.
In addition to coordinating the territory’s defenses, they also needed to train new recruits and strengthen combat capabilities.
The Defense Army was divided into three groups and deployed to three key areas. Squad One, led by Raymond and Michele, was assigned to Thorn Valley, south of Lingang Village. The area east of Broken Wave Bay was covered by Simone’s Squad Five and Willie’s Squad Three. The direction of Forest Village and Hutou Village was handled by Gaius’s Squad Four and Evans’s Squad Two.
This arrangement also ensured that Gaius and the others who had surrendered were kept under watch, preventing them from causing trouble without Duane’s knowledge.
Duane thought for a moment. "Gaius is responsible for protecting the iron mine this month, so have Simone lead the escort for this trip. And bring Kaelon along as well."
With such a lineup, they wouldn’t have any trouble even if they ran into Demon Beasts.
Moreover, over the past month, Duane had raised his Cyan Snake Breathing Skill and Basic Breeding to the Skilled level, and his Basic Construction to the Entry level. He used the 0.5 attribute points gained from this to increase his Strength Attribute to 15—the maximum for a Middle Level Warrior.
Now, he just needed to raise his Spirit Attribute to become an Advanced Warrior.
Once he became an Advanced Warrior, he would be able to learn all the Combat Techniques he possessed, such as Breaking Army Slash, Storm Fist, and Vortex Slash.
His power would increase dramatically.
On July 1st, accompanied by Kaelon, Simone, and their men, Duane passed through Broken Wave Bay and headed toward the Hot Spring Mountain Iron Ore.
The mine was about twenty li from Broken Wave Bay, and its discovery was primarily thanks to Daniels.
Reportedly, he had entered the mountain range in search of Magic Plants and stumbled upon iron ore scattered in the wilderness.
By following the trail of scattered ore, Daniels eventually located the mineral vein.
However, the area was inhabited by several Iron-Devouring Beasts—Level 2 and Level 3 Demon Beasts with rhinoceros-like bodies and incredible defenses, which posed a great threat to Daniels.
That was precisely why the Holy Hand Association and the Broken Wave Gang had joined forces to seize the iron mine.
As soon as he entered the Hot Spring Mountain Range, Duane felt that the temperature here was a degree or two higher than outside, and the air had become much more humid.
These very conditions allowed both coniferous and broad-leaved trees to flourish here.
He had to admit, the timber resources on Black Forest Island were truly abundant.
After traveling just a few li, Duane had already spotted maple, pine, and fir trees.
In addition, he also discovered wild peaches, and even nearly ripe lychees and cherries.
In fact, these fruits were all grown on Black Forest Island, but most were confined to the farms of Daniels and Bard and were not widely propagated.
Many people on the island had never even seen what a lychee or a cherry looked like.
’Lychees and cherries... they could become specialty fruits for Black Forest Island. In the future, once I have ships, I could consider exporting them for sale.’
Therefore, before that could happen, he would need to promote the widespread cultivation of various fruit trees.
"Huh?"
Duane pulled on the reins, looking at a few clumps of one-to-two-meter-high green bushes in the woods to his right.
"What is it, my lord?"
Kaelon followed the Baron’s line of sight, thinking something was amiss.
But upon closer inspection, he saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"It’s nothing. I just found something interesting."
Duane smiled, dismounted, and walked towards the green bushes.