The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 333: Volume 6: Strengthening Step by Step, - 1: Expansion_2

Chapter 333: Volume 6: Strengthening Step by Step, Chapter 1: Expansion_2

The immigrants here are mostly satisfied, although the place looks remote and desolate, but that’s due to the lack of transportation and popularity, which can quickly change with enough people. The climate here is warm, the terrain flat and fertile, and there are also abundant forest and mineral resources. Whether they are immigrants from Meine and Susoer or from Myron Duchy, they have begun to accept their new homes, and the least of their worries is whether they will freeze or starve this winter.

The thorough preparation by Palermo and Puber also paid off. Whether in Ugru or Mattdam, or Bahomon and Darman Pass, the grain stores built in advance were already filled with food. As the immigrants arrived, food was also distributed to families, and with enough food for the winter, the biggest worry in the immigrants’ hearts finally settled. As long as their bellies are full, their families’ lives are preserved, and that is hope. As for other necessities of life, that is not within Komer’s scope of responsibilities. However, merchants in Mattdam and Ugru had already prepared for all kinds of supplies with great hope, from fabrics, clothes, salt, tobacco, beverages, books, to tools, weapons, furniture—everything was readily available. These were provided by the Barefoot Society Merchants from Caffrey’s who smelled the business opportunity and teamed up with the existing local shops to meet the needs of over a hundred thousand people, which turned out to be a bottomless pit of demand. Of course, this bottomless pit also continuously spewed out the gold shields they needed.

The stretch of flat and fertile land between Ugru and Mattdam became the most concentrated area for the immigrants, extending over a hundred miles, with more than sixty percent of the over one hundred thousand immigrants moving into this region. Of course, most of these people were ordinary farmers who lived by farming. The majority of logging yards and charcoal yards were also distributed in this area. The thick smoke rising from the bushes along the road from Mattdam to Ugru became a special sight in the Caucasus, and slash-and-burn became the first important task for the immigrants to survive here. Only through continuous burning could they ask the Earth Goddess for the fertile land they needed.

Ugru and Mattdam, two fair towns, became the preferred regions for affluent immigrants moving into the Caucasus Region. The towns had relatively good infrastructure and entertainment conditions. Although the central areas had already been requisitioned by the Lord’s Mansion for commercial use, as long as one could afford it, it was still easy to buy large plots of land from the Administrative Officer at the Lord’s Mansion, but of course at a high price. However, for affluent immigrants who wished to live in the towns, this expense was worthwhile. The conditions in the fair towns were much better than those in the rural wilderness. Not only were there shops of all kinds, but there were also some rare entertainment facilities like coffee houses and bars. Although for those who had lived in cities such as Meine, Susoer, and Mycenae, these might seem a bit crude, it was still quite special to find a place to rest and relax in such a remote place.

But the main reason these upper-class immigrants chose the fair towns was needing enough martial power to ensure their security in such a strange and barren environment, and the martial power and prestige shown by the Half-Beast Warriors of the Lord’s Guard made them feel that staying in the towns might be the safest option.

Komer couldn’t help but admire the traders from the commercial city-states of Meine and Susoer. While the immigrants from Myron Duchy were busy claiming land, burning fields, and cultivating the fertile plains between Ugru and Mattdam, Meine traders led by Hozer and Zip had already set their sights on the stone mines near Darman Pass.

Entire ridges of mountains were made up of azure stones flecked with white, which served as excellent building materials for castles and houses. If these stones could be transported to major cities like Cyprus or Gutenberg, the profits would undoubtedly be staggering. There were also steep rocks scattered near the foothills that were a bright, ochre red—the extremely expensive ornamental construction material called rhodonite. Even in large cities like Cyprus and Jazair, only the wealthiest could afford it. However, the poor road conditions posed a significant limitation to all this. Just the transportation costs alone for each batch of stone to reach its destination were exorbitant, which was probably one of the main reasons hindering the development of the Caucasus.

Nevertheless, a large influx of wealthy immigrants buying land and building houses on a grand scale in Ugru and Mattdam certainly stimulated the entire construction market in the Caucasus. The prices of building materials throughout the region surged. After careful analysis of the building material market and the transportation conditions in the Caucasus region, Meine merchants decisively joined forces to apply for the mining rights to the stone mines at Darman Pass. After some bargaining, Puber daringly proposed constructing the road segment of the Caucasus from Darman Pass to Leon as a condition for exchanging the mining rights. The Meine merchants, after deliberation, ultimately accepted this condition.

In a similar situation, Puber opened a public tender for the three adjacent coal mines discovered within the Volt Mountain Range, with the condition of building a road from the coal mines to Mattdam. The Melbourne Lord in collaboration with the Barefoot Society merchants defeated the Meine merchants and acquired the mining rights for two of the coal mines. Meanwhile, the remaining coal mine was bought at a high price by local merchants and Myron gentry.

Although the sell-off of these mining rights didn’t earn the somewhat financially-strapped Lord’s Mansion half a Gold Shield, it greatly stimulated the investment enthusiasm of traders from all three regions and local industrialists. In essence, the Lord’s Mansion’s policy was to reinvest the auction proceeds into improving road conditions. The extensive demand for labor to build roads also provided an outlet for the idle workforce during the winter. From Mattdam to the Volt Foothills, from Ugru to Mattdam, from Bahomon through Ugru to Darman Pass, the entire Caucasus turned into one huge frenetic construction site. Building houses had become the main job for women, while in addition to childcare, the elderly had to cook and do household chores. However, building roads and bridges was a place where men could earn money to support their families.

From December until the beginning of March, the entire Caucasus was immersed in a whirlwind of activity. Whether they were indigenous people or new immigrants who had recently moved in, it seemed as though everyone participated in the plan to build a new Caucasus. Two large towns gradually took shape, with Ugru unchallengeably becoming the core of the Caucasus. Its population quickly surged from just under three thousand to more than twenty thousand. The diameter of the central area expanded dramatically from less than one kilometer to over three kilometers. New houses rose from the ground, shops lined up in dense rows. Compared to a few months ago, the vitality of the place had increased more than tenfold.

The preliminary work for the Bahomon Iron Mine had been officially rolled out. The road from Bahomon to Ugru was determined by Komer and Puber to be the first and foremost project. Puber had recruited nearly a thousand workers to lay the groundwork even while the immigrants were still on the way. The arrival of the immigrants brought ample labor, accelerating the road construction and ensuring smooth progress. The various tools and facilities for mining iron were also quickly transported to Bahomon under Caffrey’s supervision, and the newly recruited miners were rapidly acclimatizing to their work environment under the training of experienced workers from the Leon Region. It seemed as if all the preparatory work was in place, and they were just waiting for the right moment to begin.