Sorcery Monarch

 

Chapter 85: Rapid Development

 

Year 129, April 3rd.

 

Bay Village.

 

The last old wooden house was completely dismantled.

 

Over the next few days, a row of sturdy, two-story wooden houses would rise in its place.

 

Looking out at the square and orderly housing clusters, there was an undeniable sense of beauty and structure.

 

Outside the houses, over a thousand kobolds were busy at work.

 

They were preemptively digging drainage ditches and sewers, preparing for the construction of more houses and neighborhoods.

 

The changes within the village were astonishing.

 

The sights beyond the village were even more remarkable.

 

Even for those who had witnessed the series of transformations firsthand.

 

Jifan still found the scene in front of him somewhat unbelievable.

 

The once vast reeds outside the village had been turned into water-filled fields.

 

Farmers were seen driving oxen to turn over the submerged soil, pulling out the remaining roots and stems of the old plants.

 

The square fields stretched out as far as the eye could see, giving Jifan a sense of excitement and anticipation.

 

"Soon, I’ll have my own plot of land here, but I don’t know the first thing about farming..."

 

Scratching his head, Tom laughed heartily. Even he could grasp the importance of this newly cultivated land.

 

"Don’t worry, soldiers’ fields will have dedicated workers farming them, and we’ll get 80% of the harvest."

 

Jifan, who had a keen memory, gazed at the slowly rising black smoke in the distance.

 

The busy farmers were already starting to clear new land.

 

"Break time’s over, keep moving!"

 

Captain Sean’s loud order brought Jifan and Tom back into line, their posture revealing the disciplined training they had undergone.

 

Observing the rhythmic footsteps of the soldiers behind him, Captain Sean couldn’t help but feel deeply impressed.

 

In just over ten days of training, they had achieved such remarkable results, filling Sean with boundless admiration for the lord.

 

"Such an incredible training method, and the lord reveals it without hesitation. Why is that?"

 

Hearing Sean's words, Matthew casually smiled and said:

 

"Why? Because no one else can replicate it!"

 

And why couldn’t anyone else replicate it?

 

"It’s because, my lord, you’ve provided the soldiers with so much!"

 

Ralph, who was busy calculating expenses, couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement as he looked at the strong soldiers gathered at the barracks, continuing to tally up the figures:

 

"My lord, we currently have 320 soldiers, and the next selection will be in a week."

 

"Last month’s salary expenditure was 80 gold coins, with an additional 70 gold coins spent on supplies, totaling 150 gold coins."

 

Matthew glanced at the burly barbarian soldiers, observing their muscular physiques and loud, fierce roars, a satisfied smile creeping onto his face:

 

"It only costs the bounty of three trolls to train soldiers, and it’s more than worth it."

 

"As long as we have these soldiers, we can freely plan our development and enforce it with powerful measures!"

 

Ralph nodded, having come to appreciate the benefits of this strategy.

 

These loyal, elite, and easy-to-train soldiers became the best representation of the lord’s authority.

 

With their presence, even the hundreds of adventurers had become obedient.

 

However, Ralph still held a small grudge against these unruly barbarian soldiers.

 

Sensing Ralph’s thoughts, Matthew pointed to the still-energetic Instructor Arnold and said:

 

"With sufficient food, good treatment, the expectations of their families, and strict training, I’m sure these barbarian soldiers will shape up."

 

"Even the kobolds listen obediently now. I’m confident they’ll come to understand the reality of things!"

 

The lord’s resolute and unyielding words left Ralph feeling pleased and reassured.

 

The lord was kind and generous, yet he also possessed the determination to control everything!

 

Flipping to the next account book, Ralph continued his report:

 

"Last month, 42 new factories were established, employing a total of 1,679 workers."

 

"These factories produce all the daily necessities for Bay Village, with total expenses of 140 gold coins and revenue of 60 gold coins, and an additional stockpile worth 540 gold coins."

 

The factories, set up at great expense to recruit talent, had begun to form the foundation of a light industrial manufacturing base.

 

What pleased Matthew the most was that the commoners were gradually adapting to their new roles as workers without even realizing it.

 

"We currently have 32 land reclamation teams, totaling 3,250 people."

 

"Last month, we reclaimed 4,500 acres of land. If the number of workers continues to increase next month, we estimate we could reclaim 14,000 acres!"

 

Looking at the flat fields, Ralph nodded with satisfaction, pleased with the achievements of the land reclamation teams.

 

Nearby, old village chief Field was dumbfounded, muttering to himself:

 

"We reclaimed 4,500 acres last month? And 14,000 next month? Is that even possible?"

 

Field vividly remembered that before the lord arrived, Bay Village had only 12,000 acres of farmland in total.

 

This had been the result of decades of continuous development, and now, in less than two months, the cultivated land area was about to double?

 

Overwhelmed by joy, Field found himself unable to contain his emotions. Gazing out over the vast, unclaimed land, a sense of grandeur and ambition surged through him:

 

"Perhaps, one day, all the land we can see will be our fertile fields!"

 

Although Ralph didn’t fully understand Field’s deep emotional connection to the land, he recognized the importance of farmland to the territory.

 

Farmland that produced food was the most basic and essential wealth of any territory.

 

The more farmland developed, the higher the territory’s income, and the more population it could sustain!

 

Speaking of population, Ralph became even more excited.

 

"The total population of Bay Village has now reached 7,782 people."

 

"There are also 2,700 kobolds, with the first batch of kobold eggs about to hatch, adding another 100 kobolds, which will mature in 10 months."

 

"We also have 576 registered adventurers and 678 captured trolls."

 

"In the last month alone, the population of the territory has grown by about 5,000, and we expect to see a weekly increase of about 2,000 people going forward."

 

Staring at the newly built wooden houses standing in neat rows, the old village chief revealed a look of expectation as he added to Ralph’s report:

 

"The first batch of new residents will take about three months to officially settle in Bay Village, but their desire to do so is very strong…"

 

The reason was simple—the lord had offered them so much!

 

Whether it was temporary housing, the land they would receive upon settling, or the opportunity to learn a craft and pursue development.

 

For the vast majority of commoners, this was an irresistible lure.

 

Ralph and Field exchanged a knowing glance, feeling a sense of harmony in their cooperation, and with it, greater confidence in the territory’s rapid development.

 

"Last month’s total expenditure was 46,500 gold coins, with total income of 49,500 gold coins, leaving a surplus of 3,000 gold coins."

 

"That’s higher than the income of an average barony and rivals the overall revenue of a city."

 

Reviewing last month’s progress, especially the success of the ‘potions,’ Matthew felt very satisfied.

 

"As expected, this is a highly divided world, where the value of magical items far exceeds that of ordinary goods…"

 

"Magic truly is the primary productive force!"