Iron Harvest: When Farming Becomes Conquest
Chapter 101 - 5: Over Six Hundred Slaves

Chapter 101: Chapter 5: Over Six Hundred Slaves

The progress was slow, which was to be expected.

Roman had used lime to draw out the foundation map for the future residential area.

With shovels, you only need to dig along the lime lines to create the foundation.

With shovels, a hundred or so people could finish the job.

But Sige Town had an enormous demand for bricks and tiles. Under Roman’s comprehensive coordination, they could produce over a hundred thousand red bricks each day on average.

He had to involve over a thousand workers in mass production, burning tens of tons of wood each day, the thick black smoke making this summer even hotter.

But they could endure.

These fools knew that the brick houses were being built for them, so they worked from dawn to dusk, exerting great effort.

They could never have dreamed that they would be living in brick houses in their lifetimes—a small castle in their eyes—even though Roman considered them to be rough buildings without even plastering or putty sanding, with brick and stone walls exposed, rough and unpolished.

The hastily made red bricks were of poor quality, not strong enough. The bricks would peel in just a couple of years, layer by layer, and grow uglier in time.

The effects of water-mixed clay and lime couldn’t compare to those of cement.

But compared to wooden structures, they were sturdy and durable, good for twenty years without a problem, unless they became obsolete.

As long as they were regularly repaired, they wouldn’t collapse, though leaks might be possible—more severe than in thatched cottages, but incomparable.

Once the preparation for brickmaking was completed, the following process went very smoothly.

Hundreds of workers carrying bricks, passing tiles, and mixing mortar to build walls were all bustling about.

Although it started slowly, within half a day, the efficiency of building improved with the increasing skill of the wall-makers.

Building walls was a skill without technical barriers, especially the basics.

These days, any adult farmer knew how to mud a wall.

Once familiar, it was easy to master.

Six or seven masons could build the walls of a house in one day.

It was no problem for construction workers to lay two to three thousand bricks each day.

So every day, more than twenty red houses took shape, the progress highly impressive.

Because the construction difficulty was low, they only needed to follow the foundation and build up, it didn’t matter if the walls leaned a bit.

The walls were only three meters high, and, once built, could be corrected with manpower and wood.

If it couldn’t be corrected, they would just knock it down and start over.

After all, it was your own house, how well it turned out was entirely up to you.

Roman was only in charge of providing architectural design and technical guidance.

According to estimates, five hundred brick houses would be finished in two months, which would house over three thousand people—enough for everyone to move into the brick houses. If you didn’t want to move in, that was also fine. After registering in the new house, you could just go back to your thatched cottage and live there; it didn’t matter.

During this time, Roman paused many other development projects.

With this time, they would have been able to build a road to the iron mine, begin iron refining, and start recruiting.

But everything was delayed.

If these fools didn’t give their all to work for him later, he would be the first to chop their heads off.

...

[Architecture Experience +1]

[Architecture Skill advanced to Level 3]

[Level 3 Architecture: 1/770]

[Milestone Unlock: Gray Holy Body]

[Gray Holy Body: Receive 1000 original stones]

The advancement of his architecture skill left Roman feeling somewhat dizzy and overwhelmed.

This skill’s advancement was of no use to him at the moment.

Level 3 construction allowed him to build various bridges and castles.

On the 175th day.

A message came through.

It instantly smoothed out Roman’s furrowed brow.

...

"Son of Selin, welcome to my territory."

Roman opened his arms on the dock and embraced Morry.

In this scorching summer season, he disliked close physical contact with others, as though hugging a greasy slab of fat.

But this time, unable to contain his inner joy, because Morry had dissolved all his irritations.

This enthusiastic gesture left Morry somewhat overwhelmed by the favor.

"I thought something had happened to you on the road."

Morry gave a bitter smile, "The situation is turbulent; I was delayed for quite some time."

Roman was curious about the turmoil Morry mentioned, but he was more concerned about the goods Morry had brought.

Without resources, he could only develop slowly.

Pressed as he was, there was no way around it.

With resources, however, he could speed up the process like mad.

Thus, Morry’s arrival was nothing short of a tonic to Roman’s heart.

"What goods have you brought me this time?"

Morry bowed slightly.

"Over six hundred slaves, Lord Roman, I hope they meet your needs."

Roman was delighted beyond expectation.

"Good! You haven’t let me down!"

He had been prepared to push back his "Spring Plan" to next autumn, but now there was a glimmer of hope.

After all of Morry’s slaves had disembarked.

They stood crowded together, neatly dressed, both men and women.

Roman noted that the quality of these slaves was quite high; none of them collapsed from heatstroke under the scorching sun.

He didn’t have time to inspect them and had Moor make arrangements for their settlement.

Roman said to Morry, "You’ve done well this time, name your price."

Given the significant assistance these resources would provide him, Roman was willing to make concessions on the financial front.

To say nothing of two silver coins per head, even three or four silver coins he would agree to without a second thought, no bargaining, whatever amount of salt was needed!

These people were far more valuable in his eyes than two or three hundred gold coins.

Morry didn’t rush for payment; he said.

"Lord Roman, these people come from Sea Castle—Earl Beli and Lord Poplar had a conflict in Sea Castle.

"The last master of Sea Castle died of the Black Plague two years ago and crossed the sea. Since then, those two nobles have coveted Sea Castle like tigers eyeing their prey.

"Each of them nominated a descendant from their families who has the Sea Castle bloodline, hoping to ascend to the position.

"But there can only be one master of Sea Castle, and neither would yield to the other.

"Earl Beli rallied his 1,500 footsoldiers and over 50 Conquest Knights, while Lord Poplar gathered his 2,000 Poplar spearmen and over 40 Conquest Knights, sparking a war. But midway through the battle, 800 mercenaries from the Muddy Swamps joined the fray.

"Most of them were archers who had been hired by Earl Beli, shooting arrows from the flanks, helping Earl Beli defeat Lord Poplar.

"Lord Poplar denounced Earl Beli for lacking noble spirit and retaliated by also hiring mercenaries.

"They were both determined to take Sea Castle, battling for two years with varying success. Civilian life in Sea Castle declined, the prolonged war left both sides in financial difficulty, so they began to plunder Sea Castle’s wealth and residents to replenish their strength..."

Morry simply recounted the origin of these slaves.

Specifically, one lord had died without an heir, and the land without a master had invited the coveting of two other nobles.

But after two years of fighting, they realized continuing would be a losing business, so they sought to recoup their losses.

If they couldn’t rule, they’d plunder.

These slaves were once residents of Sea Castle, which had now been ravaged, and through these events, they wound up in Morry’s hands.

Roman took Morry to Origin Manor.

The maids served desserts, cakes, cream strawberries, and chilled herbal tea beer from the well, offering Morry refreshment.

Roman learned that among these slaves were not a few craftsmen.

Such as leatherworkers, stone masons, blacksmiths, and even some shipwrights.

These people, even as slaves, were priced in gold coins, especially the blacksmiths, who wouldn’t be considered expensive even at a price of twenty or thirty gold coins.

Without a doubt, it was a lavish gift.

Roman sat in the main seat, his demeanor calm and composed, lounging as he watched Morry drink the chilled tea.

"Is this why you were delayed for so long?"

Morry set down his cup, finding the beverage quite nice; it might have sales potential, but not as valuable as ale.

"I’ve never been involved in the slave trade, but that was not difficult for me... However, the Grand Duke Fury has shown signs of mobilizing troops, causing much unease. My caravan and I heeded the reminders from the trade guild, staying in Pearl Harbor for a long while to observe the situation and avoid any complications."

Fury, Oak, Riptide.

The three dukes of the Black Iron Land.

On this land, only the main forces of the Church Court could make the three dukes join hands, a consensus among all.

Their slightest move would attract the attention of countless people.