Above The Sky
Chapter 755 - 755 16 Magnetic Storm Coil

755: Chapter 16 Magnetic Storm Coil 755: Chapter 16 Magnetic Storm Coil Colonel Mayowa had not sent any troops to escort Ian’s grain convoy, instead, six knights who, like Ian, were set to govern parts of the Leyan Territory as Knight Lords came in their stead.

This thwarted Ian’s plan to obtain a force of professional soldiers through conscription, but the substantial gift from the Colonel made Ian feel it ultimately didn’t matter.

After all, according to intelligence, Green Tide would lead the mercenaries from Harrison Port to Leyan Territory within three days, by which time Ian would be able to secure reliable subordinates regardless.

And Ian had a vague understanding…

There must be a reason why Marquis Barton and Colonel Mayowa had consistently refrained from dispatching regular troops.

Lacking crucial intelligence at the moment, he couldn’t come up with an answer, but he could guess a general idea.

“Could it be…

Marquis Barton has informants amongst the Mountain People?” Ian thought to himself: “This cunning old hawk must have channels of information!”

Now that the grain convoy had arrived, the residents of Leyan City had finally settled down.

Carts of grains were brought into the storehouses right before their eyes; the tangible food cheered up those who had been hungry for a long time, straight from their hearts.

Of course, not everyone was happy…

Some people were suspicious, wondering how Ian, a temporary lord who had just taken office, could have prepared so much food in advance?

—Could he be putting on a façade, with just a layer of grains on top while underneath lay rocks and sand?

And even if it was real, considering the current difficulties in South Ridge, how could they procure any decent quality grains?

Perhaps they were all of inferior quality…

Those who harbored such doubts were promptly seized by Ian’s Guard Squad and hung up for a thrashing of thirty minutes—then the grain convoy randomly opened a portion of their storage, proving that the grains were indeed fresh from this year’s harvest.

Ian even picked out a can of fruit in front of everyone, opened it, and tasted its content on the spot.

It was an apple can, appealing in color; the young man chewed contentedly a piece he picked from it under the surprised gaze of the citizens, openly proclaiming the flavor to be quite good.

This convincing demonstration completely dissipated the citizens’ suspicions.

As for those who were hung up and beaten…

Questioning was permitted, but one must bear the consequences of questioning a lord.

Such was the norm in Terra.

Seizing the opportunity, Ian immediately made a speech to the citizens who came for the grains.

“My fellow citizens, I’m aware of the chaos that has engulfed our city for the past half-year in the absence of a ruling lord.”

“The conflict between The Empire and the Mountain People, as well as the movements in the Fiery Flame Land, all of you must understand, these are the root causes of our difficulties—you have thus been unable to work or earn wages, and the products from our workshops couldn’t be sold.”

“But now, I have secured the route from Leyan Territory to Nauman City.

The arrival of the grain convoy is proof of that.

Our Leyan Territory has always been hardworking and prosperous, and this will not change for any reason!”

“It’s time to resume full production and gradually bring our lives back to order!”

This speech was quite succinct, frankly, it was a request for everyone to return to their work posts.

Since the survival issue was resolved and the trade routes were indeed open, the citizens did not resist…

Without work for too long, even the people in a prosperous place like Leyan Territory had exhausted their savings.

Without returning to work, the residents of Leyan City would have to flee elsewhere.

After unloading the grain, the merchant convoy quickly loaded up a batch of Leyan City’s specialty, Golden Leaf Healing Ointment, all set to be transported back to Nauman City.

The resumption of work, the reopening of trade routes, the proof of restored order, and the ability to earn wealth from one’s labor that can sustain life—these were the things that truly instilled confidence in people.

Ian saw this clearly, which is why he took advantage of the momentum to resume work quickly and reboot production in the city.

Following that, Ian returned to the old castle to work.

Since there was a shortage of manpower in the city for now, Ian had no plans to renovate the old castle just yet.

The study belonging to Baron Leyan was barely adequate for the moment, and Ian thought it better to wait until after the conflict with the Mountain People had been resolved before undertaking repairs.

Here, he began organizing the resources related to the entire Leyan Territory.

The Leyan Territory consisted of one major city, fifteen towns, and numerous uncounted villages, with a total population of over two hundred thousand.

The Knight’s Domain Ian was originally supposed to receive included ‘Green Lake Town,’ ‘Anxi Town,’ ‘Stacked Rock Town,’ along with a large mining area near North Lake, encompassing a population of over twenty thousand.

For a Knight’s Domain, it was considered quite wealthy.

But now that the other Hillsman Knights had either been killed or, to put it more nobly, fallen in battle…

Ian would have to take over their domains with all due reluctance.

Beyond these towns and villages, the Leyan Territory also included three large mining areas in the northern mountain range, two forest herb cultivation areas, and a vast stretch of undeveloped land in the northwestern mountains.

Adding Leyan City’s surrounding large Spirit Energy Plant cultivation area, the territory was exceptionally resource-rich—a prosperous place that had nearly everything.

Moreover, it had great potential for future development; the reason it remained in its current state primarily boiled down to the profitability of Radiance Grass.

Previous lords were not interested in territory expansion as it would not bring more profit but indeed would bring a great deal of trouble.

Take, for example, the mines to the north: their development would require environmental destruction, which would doubtlessly provoke protests from the Mountain People, demanding a share of the profits.