Chapter 122: Trade Caravan Heading for the Pa.s.s
Nahrin Desert, Oasis Lookout.
The sun had just begun to rise, and the darkness of the night had yet to completely fade away.
It was dawn.
Last night’s banquet did not lower the soldiers’ guard, they were still very vigilant.
These outstanding soldiers from Swadia, Sarradia, and Vaegir, even after drinking, did not forget their duties. On the contrary, they were worried that the enemy would launch a sneak attack, so they did not sleep deeply.
The first rays of sunlight had just appeared.
On the arrow tower, the other soldiers took over the position of the Vaegir archers who were on night duty.
On the city wall, where an attic was built, the Swadian archers holding crossbows were on alert behind the shooting window.
The 50 Vaegir archers and 50 Swadian archers were scattered on the city walls and were not in a large number, but the interior of the Drondheim fortress was only half a hectare. If there was a problem, they could mobilize troops to provide support at any time.
Although the fortress was small, it was also convenient to defend.
Outside the Council Hall.
Kant walked out, full of energy. He no longer had the tiredness he had when he had just woken up.
Walking out of the room, Kant walked quickly to the right. At the same time, he asked in a deep voice, “Is everything ready?”
“Yes,” Manid was following behind him.
The two came to the sugar workshop.
The sacks of coa.r.s.e salt that were piled up on the street had all disappeared.
Brand new sacks were piled on the wooden shelves beside the city wall. To ensure that the surface of these sacks was clean, two layers of linen were placed on the wooden shelves.
These new sacks were filled with fine white salt that was processed last night.
The workers worked against the clock last night to process the salt.
“Lord Kant, Lord Manid.”
At the entrance of the sugar workshop, the peasant men and women who had not slept for the whole night quickly saluted.
Looking at the dark circles under their eyes, Kant knew that they had put in a lot of effort for this. Kant nodded and said, “No need to be so polite. You have been busy for the whole night. Have a good rest today.”
“Thank you for your kindness.” The peasant men and women bowed and left gratefully.
“Go and rest.” Kant smiled and nodded.
These people did this for him. He should definitely be kind to them.
They were no longer needed for the rest of the work.
Manid reported, “Lord Kant, if there is no other situation, I would like to pack up immediately and take off with the team before noon. If I estimated correctly, we will be able to come back with full supplies by next Sunday.”
“Okay, let’s do that.” Kant nodded.
It would take four days to travel from Oasis Lookout to the Stone Pa.s.s, even if they took the shortest route.
The team was made up of cavalrymen and carriages.
If it was just made up of infantrymen, it would take a longer time. It would probably be similar to the time when Kant first came to Oasis Lookout. They would have to trek through the harsh Nahrin Desert for seven days.
Time had no mercy. Kant did not have much time to waste.
Soon, the peasants moved the carriage over. It was pulled by two horses. It was the same carriage and the horse that Kant came with.
The peasant worked together.
The 20 bags of fine white salt that were piled on the wooden rack were all loaded onto the carriage.
Just beside the street, the other two carriages were also loaded with things, but they were the supplies needed for the team to cross the Nahrin Desert.
For example, fresh water and food for everyday consumption.
These could last for several days.
Ten Sarrandian Hors.e.m.e.n and 20 elite desert bandits were also ready.
After all, when Kant went to the Stone Pa.s.s last time, he encountered some bad things. To prevent Manid from encountering those situations again, the guards were indispensable.
Along with him were 10 Swadian recruits.
They carried hunting crossbows and wore iron-plated scale armor.
They also carried a wooden s.h.i.+eld and a two-meter heavy spear on their backs, with a combat shovel and a quiver hanging on their waists.
They wore a linen robe on the outside.
These were the 10 peasant soldiers Kant brought to the salt mine last time. After defeating several Jackalans, they were promoted to a higher level. Moreover, they could directly join the Swadian Militia. They were suitable to lead the team to the posthouse and take over the job of receiving guests and protecting the posthouse in the future.
Very soon, the three carriages were all loaded with supplies.
The soldiers were also ready.
“Be careful at the Stone Pa.s.s.”
Outside the city gate, Kant’s expression was solemn. He told Manid, “I think you understand.”
“I understand.” Manid nodded.
“Take care.” Firentis also came over to bid them farewell.
“Goodbye.”
Manid waved to the two of them, got on his horse, and began to set off with the team.
Six strong horses pulling the three carriages soon disappeared behind the vast dune.
Manid, as a Kant’s representative, would go to the Stone Pa.s.s to trade with the lord there, Baron Dylan.
If the table salt trade was successful, the Oasis Lookout would gain an ally that could protect them through most of the storms in the future. At the same time, they would also have a sales agent for a long time, it would be a win-win situation.
Kant stood in front of the city gate.
His face was very serious. Looking at the sea of sand in front of him, he said in a deep voice, “It’s up to Manid now.”
“He won’t let people down,” Firentis comforted him.
“Yes.” Kant nodded.
Manid, who came from a merchant family in the Kingdom of Nord, was a genius in the business world.
However, Kant was not anxious or worried about business. He only cared about whether there would be greater ostracism and counterattack against the historical legacy of the Stone Pa.s.s because of his ident.i.ty.
After all, the two groups of people he met when he left the last time still made his heart sink.
That was a sign.
Even after being exiled to the Nahrin Desert, many people were still very unhappy to see Kant setting foot in the Dukedom of Leo.
Thus, there was a robbery.
Baron Dylan’s va.s.sal knights led a group of armed militia to rob him. They made a fool of themselves. Kant led the cavalry to kill those who overestimated themselves.
Perhaps the robbery was just an accident. They were coveting the armor of his subordinates.
But the beautiful woman they met, who was playing a damsel in distress, was definitely not that simple.
Now that they thought about it carefully, they knew that it was a conspiracy.
A conspiracy against him.
Kant frowned, turned to Firentis, and said, “Get the troops ready. We’re now in a critical period before our transformation. Tell our soldiers not to relax. I don’t want to see anyone dropping the ball at such a critical time.”
“Don’t worry, Lord Kant.” Firentis’ expression was solemn.
“That’s it.” Kant nodded.
It was like the peace before the storm, the darkness before the dawn.
The expedition army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane.
If the Oasis Lookout could survive that, they would receive the best rewards.
For example, troops of the highest rank, a safer territory, and the hegemony of the Nahrin Desert would all be in Kant’s hand. They would become stronger on this barren land. They would build a castle so strong that it made the enemies’ hearts palpitate.
The castle would stand in this Oasis Lookout.
Kant returned to the Council Hall.
He began to plan and make arrangements for the future.
For example, there was a serious shortage of houses in the current Drondheim stronghold.
The soldiers could sleep in it the new attics on the city walls instead of in sandpits and tents.
However, there were still very few civilian buildings.
The most typical building was the Swadian-style houses, but there were only seven of them now.
“System, construct some buildings.”
Kant frowned and sat on his seat, giving the order regarding the buildings.
The system instantly showed a dialog box.
A dense list of buildings that Kant could build at the moment was in it.
However, he did not hesitate and said, “Build 43 houses.”
[ Ding… System’s notification ]
[ Each house costs 100 Denars. 43 houses will cost 4,300 Denars. ]
[ Yes/No? ]
The system gave a prompt.
“Build!”
Kant was sure about his decision.
It was costly, 4,300 Denars, a terrifying number, it was one-third of Kant’s current savings. But in reality, when 43 houses were built, it would be clear that the cost was worth it.
House could be built in seven days.
If they were all built at the same time, it meant that Kant would get 43 houses in seven days.
Including the seven houses that were existing, there would be 50 houses.
If each house could accommodate 10 people, 50 houses could fully meet the housing needs of 500 people.
This also meant that Kant could increase the number of civilians up to 500.
The background data of the house showed this property. When the number of houses in the town was larger than the number of civilians currently living there, refugees would be attracted to settle in the village, and in a short time, the number of civilians would reach the saturation point.
This was one of the reasons why Kant bought so much food.
More people meant higher food demand.
But it was not a waste of food.
The civilians were not a burden because Kant could recruit soldiers from these civilians at any time.
Cla.s.s 1 troop cla.s.s 1, the Swadian recruits, came from the civilians.
And when the enemies became stronger and more frenzied, causing Kant to lose his current troops, these recruits, who gained Experience Points after being in the battle for days and could be upgraded to a higher troop cla.s.s, would be valuable.
As long as there were civilians, Kant’s Oasis Lookout would have an endless supply of reserve troops.
Even if all the elite troops were wiped out, Kant would still have a chance to start over.
As the defender of the city, Kant wanted to gain a large number of Experience Points from the enemy’s siege. It was really simple. As long as these recruits, or even the peasants, kept transporting supplies during the battle, they could be promoted to a higher level because they had gained a huge amount of Experience Points.
“And, there’s also this thing,” Kant’s eyes narrowed when he looked at the other buildings on the building interface.
He suddenly discovered a very special building on the list of fortress’ buildings.
The bell tower.