"Aka, are you going to build houses?"
"No, the Lord needs people to dig irrigation ditches. I'm going to apply for that job. I heard the monthly salary is eighty copper coins."
"Why aren't you going for land reclamation? Maybe you could get a plot of land?"
"Nah, the land they give out would be too remote. It's more stable to work for the Lord."
"..."
In the early morning, Sedona City was buzzing with new life. The entire city was bustling, and discussions could be heard everywhere.
In the castle study, Lucas listened quietly to the noisy sounds from outside. The three-day New Year holiday was over, and all the workshop employees had started work. Others who had been idle all winter left their homes early in the morning, all waiting for work assignments.
"Hah…" Lucas let out a breath and took a letter from a drawer. It was a letter that James had someone deliver last night. He had only just remembered to look at it.
Mina was sitting on the corner of the desk, her perky butt resting on the surface as she chewed on dried fish. She watched Lucas curiously, occasionally glancing over at Annie, who was focused on writing and drawing.
Everyone was busy with their own things today. Freya was escorting Nicole and Camilla to inspect the shops, Ayesha had gone to work at the guard station, Elisa was at sniper training, and Helen had taken Amelia and Hazel to school.
Only she could afford to be lazy for a while. The intelligence organization was already running smoothly and no longer required her personal involvement. The mail courier service was now steadily expanding to other cities. She believed that within half a year, every city in the western lands would have a mail courier office.
"Interesting. Thirty head of cattle. This is really good news," Lucas chuckled. This was James's report on the demands of the beastkin tribe from the Sahara.
"Master, did that beastkin tribe make any demands?" Mina asked curiously. She was very interested in that tribe. To be able to establish a large tribe of thirty to forty thousand beastkin on the plains was an incredible feat.
"They want salt and vegetables," Lucas said slowly. He was determined to get those thirty cattle. Sedona City was in desperate need of cattle—or rather, the entire western region was.
As long as you had cattle, you could train them to be draft animals. Paired with the moldboard plow, clearing and farming land would be incredibly efficient. The beastkin tribes also valued cattle now, likely because cowhide was a good material for leather armor.
According to the intelligence sent back by James, it seemed many nobles now knew that cowhide was an excellent material for leather armor, and some had already begun to raise large herds of cattle.
And now, Lucas needed cattle. He was targeting the beastkin tribe's lack of salt and negotiating with them. This letter was about the second round of talks. The first discussion about cattle had happened when he bought the draft horses.
He also wanted the beastkin tribe to help him raise calves. The need for draft cattle would only increase in the future.
"Master, the surrounding cities have all been short on salt recently. The price has already risen to forty copper coins per pound," Mina reported. This was intelligence gathered over the three-day holiday.
"Oh?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "What's the reason? Salt was scarce before, but it was never this exaggerated, was it?"
Forty copper coins for a pound of salt. Needless to say, very few commoners could afford that. Something big must have happened somewhere.
"The intelligence reports that there's trouble in the eastern ocean. I heard over a dozen groups of pirates are harassing the coastal cities," Mina said with a serious face.
"In other words, sea salt production has been disrupted," Lucas said, his dark eyes glinting. Over a dozen pirate groups… It reminded him of the colonial era on Earth. Could someone be targeting the coastal regions? Trying to come ashore and seize territory?
"Yes. The traveling merchants can't get new sources of salt, so they are all raising their prices," Mina said in a low voice. It reminded her of when Sedona City was just starting, and the local salt merchants jacked up their prices.
"Master, this might be an opportunity. Our stockpile of blue salt is enough to supply Sedona City for ten years. We could sell it," Annie suggested, looking up. The salt trade was a guaranteed money-maker.
Salt production in Sedona City had never stopped. The amount produced each day was enough to supply the city for more than half a month. The surplus had been stockpiled, and three warehouses were already full.
"Oh? We have that much salt already?" Lucas raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment. "Mina, arrange for someone to investigate the salt situation in the nearby cities, and the operations of those salt merchants."
"Yes, master." Mina replied seriously.
"It seems we can give a little more salt to the beastkin tribe," Lucas said, taking out a piece of paper to write. Since they had a surplus of salt, he could give them more as a sign of his sincerity.
Fifteen minutes later, Lucas finished the letter and handed it to Mina. "Arrange for someone to take this to James in Riverden City. Also, take three hundred pounds of blue salt and a thousand pounds of cabbage with them."
"Understood," Mina replied and immediately left the study to arrange for the delivery.
"Annie, how many people have we recruited in total?" Lucas asked, turning his head to the fox-ear girl. "How many people signed up for the land reclamation work?"
The thirty cattle would take at least ten days to arrive in Sedona City, but the land reclamation work couldn't wait.
"Master, over a thousand people have signed up for land reclamation," Annie said, flipping through her notebook. This data had been compiled before the New Year.
The first major task of spring was planting. The sooner the seeds were sown, the sooner they could be harvested. Only by being self-sufficient in food could they avoid being controlled by others. "What about for construction?" Lucas nodded, very satisfied with over a thousand people for reclamation.
"Master, that's also over a thousand people. Many of them are from the group of commoners who arrived in the autumn," Annie read quickly. She had all these figures in her head.
"Very good," Lucas nodded in satisfaction. He took a blueprint from a drawer and spread it out on the desk.
"Master, what is this?" Annie came over curiously, leaning over the desk with her hands on the surface to look at the blueprint. "Is this… a city plan for Sedona City?" She asked in surprise.
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