Published: March 12, 2025
Chapter 365: Duke Ryan and the Budah Family
Zhao Hai and Laura returned to the Plum Fragrance Courtyard, then entered the spatial magic. It was only then that Laura and the others completely relaxed. Looking at Laura, Zhao Hai laughed and said, “I didn’t expect your swordsmanship to be so remarkable, Laura. Haha, impressive!”
Laura proudly lifted her chin and said, “Of course! Do you think I became a knight for nothing? I feel like I can break through to a sixth-level knight soon.”
Zhao Hai smiled and replied, “It seems that when we go to the grasslands, we need to find a magical beast for you to ride. By the way, Laura, how about using a Blood Eagle as your mount? After the recent upgrade at the ranch, the combat power of the Blood Eagle has improved. Riding one would make you much safer.”
Laura laughed and said, “Forget it, we can talk about that later. Right now, there are so many magical beasts in the space. I can choose from a flying Blood Eagle, a running Moonlight Lion, or a swimming Barracuda. If it doesn’t work out, I can also use Little Wen as a temporary mount. No rush.”
Zhao Hai couldn’t help but laugh. Laura was right; with so many magical beasts in the space, any one of them would make a fine mount, giving Laura plenty of options.
After a while, they got back to the main topic. Zhao Hai turned to Cai’er and asked, “Cai’er, how many vegetables do we have in the space now?”
Cai’er immediately responded, “Right now, all the vegetables combined exceed two million pounds, and the total grain exceeds one billion pounds. We have over fifty thousand pounds of milk wine and more than twenty thousand pounds of battle rations.”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “In the future, we should reduce grain cultivation in the space and increase the planting of vegetables. Also, once the first batch of scaleless fish is fully raised, we should raise more firefly fish to ensure we have enough vegetables and firefly fish.”
Cai’er acknowledged this. The farm was under her management now, and although the ranch was managed by Mu’er, he still had to listen to Cai’er. So Zhao Hai could speak directly to her about any matters concerning the farm.
Now Zhao Hai didn’t worry too much about the farm, and seeing that Cai’er agreed, he simply nodded and then returned to Iron Mountain Fortress with Laura and the others.
It was completely winter at Iron Mountain Fortress. Outside the castle, everything was covered in ice and snow, and the temperature inside the fortress was only around ten degrees, so people were wearing thicker clothing.
Overall, the situation at Iron Mountain Fortress was still quite good. Because of Cai’er's presence, the consumption of firewood had significantly decreased. Many Rice Bamboo and nut oil trees that came out of the space had been made into furniture by the slaves.
Although those slaves had never made such items before, don't forget that Laura had brought along several craftsmen. Plus, the things the slaves were making were just for their own use; how they looked didn’t matter as long as they were practical. So, there were indeed quite a few half-skilled carpenters at Iron Mountain Fortress now.
Zhao Hai was very pleased with this situation. He had freed those half-skilled carpenters from their status as slaves and told them that if they mastered their craft, they could be rewarded with land.
This sparked the enthusiasm of the slaves. Many of them started doing craftwork after finishing their shifts at the factory, and it turned out that a few truly talented individuals were discovered. Galen and the others prioritized training these individuals.
The things they made wouldn’t go to waste. Galen suggested that they should try to make as many items as they could without worrying about speed or aesthetics, as long as they were sturdy and practical. Even if they couldn't use these items themselves, they could be stored away. Don’t forget that when spring arrived, there would be a hundred thousand slaves coming here, bringing a vast amount of items that would be needed.