Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 353 - 347: Great Gains
After Elron left, the second person to arrive was Chahar.
“Lord, you’re finally back!”
Chahar was panting heavily; he must have run here from somewhere.
Ronin looked him up and down. His former butler, now the Finance Officer of Wubei Territory, had clearly upgraded his attire.
While Chahar’s old clothes had been respectable, they were nowhere near as magnificent as what he wore now. The fabric seemed to be made of high-quality wool.
“I haven’t seen you in two months, but you’re looking much more spirited.”
“Heh heh.”
Chahar glanced down at his own clothes and said helplessly, “I have no choice. When I’m out doing business, I represent the Wubei Territory. Dressing too shabbily would be a disgrace to you, wouldn’t it?”
Ronin gestured for Bella to pour Chahar some tea. The latter took a sip before speaking. “Lord, if you hadn’t come back soon, the territory’s finances would have been the death of me!”
“What’s wrong? Did we run out of money?”
He had left over a thousand Gold Coins in the territory when he departed last time; they shouldn’t have been used up already.
“Not completely, but over the last two months, we’ve been making procurements and renting storefronts in Pasture City. It’s cost quite a lot.”
Chahar quickly explained, “And you might not know this, but the number of Transcendents in the Wubei Territory has reached twenty-four. According to the standards you set, their monthly salaries alone require nearly 280 Gold Coins. And that’s on top of the newly hired servants, caravan members, village chiefs, team leaders, assistants…”
Faced with such huge expenditures, Chahar went to bed every night wondering, ’If the Lord doesn’t return in time, how am I supposed to explain the unpaid wages to everyone?’
The village chiefs and team leaders would be easy enough to handle, but he didn’t have the confidence to face those Transcendents.
In truth, Ronin’s personnel costs in the territory were indeed substantial.
After all, besides the Wubei Territory, there were also Giant Stone City and Rapids Island. The personnel costs for all these places combined came to over five hundred Gold Coins a month in salaries alone.
“I will allocate another Three Thousand Gold Coins to you as a reserve fund.”
Ronin said, “But you also need to manage the territory’s financial income properly. You must hurry and establish sales channels for the Ironwood Workshop, the Papermaking Workshop, porcelain, cattle, sheep, fish, and shrimp.”
“I understand!”
Chahar reported, “We’ve already sold two batches of Ironwood Weapons and equipment externally, with a gross profit of over five hundred. As for the other items you mentioned, we’re still stabilizing production. We expect to see results in about half a year or so.”
“The nobles in the Royal Capital need over seventy sets of silk formalwear. Here is their order.”
Ronin handed the order to Chahar. “Later, have someone inform Purple Fruit Village. Tell them to produce the garments according to the patterns and try to complete them before next June. Also, have…”
“Yes, yes! I’ll go have someone notify them right away!”
Ever since becoming the Finance Officer, Chahar had become particularly sensitive to Gold Coins. Now, looking at the order in his hands, worth three to four thousand Gold Coins, his eyes lit up.
The last to arrive was the Minister of State Affairs, Wilson. He had apparently been in the fields, overseeing the reclamation of the paddy fields.
He could see how much importance the Lord placed on “rice paddies.” To avoid affecting next year’s spring planting, he was paying extremely close attention to these few experimental plots.
“Lord, here is the territory’s population data.”
The population register Wilson now handed to Ronin was recorded on the new paper produced in Mountain Forest Town.
When he used this type of paper, besides finding it convenient, he also didn’t feel the sting of the cost.
If they had used Sheepskin to record all this information, the cost would have been astronomical.
’Based on what Chahar said, this paper will definitely be a huge seller on the market. The Lord is truly a genius.’
“During this period, Rogner brought back twenty-five thousand people from your father, Earl Wiggin, and another ten thousand from Splendid City. Adding the two batches of slaves brought by Anthony and the Free People who came of their own accord, the population of the Wubei Territory has now reached over fifty-five thousand.”
“Excellent!”
Ronin was very pleased with this population growth.
Wiggin had come through for him by bringing twenty-five thousand people at once.
However, while over fifty-five thousand people seemed like a lot, it was still far too few for such a large Count’s Domain.
Wilson continued, “These people have all been allocated according to your instructions. The populations of Mountain Forest Town, Sanfang Town, Black Earth Town, and Swamp Town have all surpassed ten thousand.”
As soon as he took it, four lines of text appeared before his eyes:
[“Population Prosperity” achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +300, Energy Essence +600]
[“Population Prosperity” achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +600, Energy Essence +1200]
[“Siege and Conquest” achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +400, Energy Essence +800]
[“Siege and Conquest” achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +600, Energy Essence +1200]
A joyful smile spread across his face.
He had gained 1,900 Attribute Points in one go, enough for him to break through and become a Seventh-level Transcendent!
Ronin summoned the achievement interface and checked the new requirements for these two achievements:
[Population Prosperity: Reach a registered territory population of 100,000. Reward: Attribute Points +1500, Energy Essence +3000]
’If I add the populations of Giant Stone City, Chishan Town, and Rapids Island, I wonder if I can complete this achievement?’
He looked at the next achievement:
[Siege and Conquest: Simultaneously possess five towns with populations exceeding 10,000. Reward: Attribute Points +1000, Energy Essence +2000]
The four towns in the Wubei Territory all had populations over ten thousand. By adding Chishan Town and Giant Stone City, he could complete this achievement.
By then, Ronin’s total Energy Essence would reach a new height, which should be enough to support Elron in becoming an Eighth-level Mage.
Having a Magic Master would be a much greater draw to outsiders; perhaps quite a few Mages would be tempted to join the Wubei Territory.
“You’ve done an excellent job on this matter!”
Ronin was in an excellent mood. “Now that the population of Wubei has exploded, have the construction teams hurry up and build temporary housing within the territory. In addition to that, there’s another important matter. You need to organize manpower to prepare for the upcoming construction of docks and a port.”
A thought struck Wilson, and he recalled the recent visitors from Sharp Horn City.
“The three Knights—Krami, Juliet, and Sim—are accompanying Baron Hamet’s party to find a suitable location for the port. Nearly a month has passed; I wonder if they’ve had any results.”
“There should be results soon.”
Ronin instructed, “Before long, Sharp Horn City will send over a batch of craftsmen and experienced workers. Once the survey results are in, have your people build residences near the construction site in advance and stockpile grain.”
“I am already working on it.”
Wilson had been considering these things ever since meeting Baron Hamet. He had already drafted relevant contingency plans, so he had made some preparations.
Ronin then briefly explained the details of the cooperation with Sharp Horn City, giving his Minister of State Affairs a basic understanding of the situation.
“Out in the corridor is a new type of crop called ’potatoes.’ They should be planted next March or April. The cultivation process is similar to wheat, but potatoes require loose, well-aerated soil and need to be kept moist.”
This batch of potatoes, much like the rice Ronin had previously collected, was meant to be used as seeds. It would take a year or two of cultivation before they could be widely distributed.
Wilson wasn’t even confident about cultivating the rice yet, and now there was a completely new crop. He immediately felt immense pressure, terrified that he would lose the seeds.
However, he couldn’t complain to the Lord; after all, being entrusted with these matters was a sign of his trust.
After some thought, he decided he could only write down all of Ronin’s instructions, plan for several more experimental plots for separate plantings, and not put all his eggs in one basket.
After meeting with Elron, Chahar, and Wilson, Ronin announced that a Wubei Territory meeting would be held in the great hall of Swamp Castle in three days.
This would serve as a public meeting with the newly joined Transcendents, and he would also use the opportunity to formulate the next phase of the Wubei Territory’s development plan.
