So of the issues Chahar had raised were indeed problems.
Although Ronin now held valuable assets like the Ironwood Workshop, porcelain, and silk, he had yet to fully develop these industries.
He wasn’t worried about the armor made from ironwood. After all, the fully-equipped Wubei Territory infantry squads had already demonstrated their effectiveness in the recent war.
There was definitely a market for sothing that was cheaper than iron armor but still offered a degree of protection.
As long as he could produce the goods, with Marvin Viscount taking the lead, he wouldn’t have to worry about sales channels.
Although the porcelain and silk weren’t being mass-produced yet, they had both been "appraised" by Lurans and also had a vast potential market.
Once Rogner returned, Ronin would need him and Pearson to take a trade caravan and start opening up sales routes. But for now, what he needed was more finished products.
To that end, Ronin paid a visit to Grey Soil Village and Purple Fruit Village.
During this ti, Potter Jim and his apprentices had improved their skills, producing over a hundred white porcelain bowls.
However, they were still researching colored porcelain, and the finished products weren’t very good.
As for Horn and Leia’s sericulture efforts, although many silkworms had died, they had harvested countless tis more cocoons than in previous years.
Even now, they still hadn’t finished collecting all the cocoons.
"My Lord, we still don’t have enough mulberry trees."
Horn said with regret, "Later on, I saw we were running out of leaves, so I had to give up on a whole roomful of silkworms that weren’t doing well. Otherwise, we could have raised even more!"
"Then expand the mulberry tree plantations this year."
Ronin said, "Have Wilson arrange more manpower for you. From now on, Purple Fruit Village won’t need to plant wheat fields anymore. Convert everything to mulberry fields."
The profits from growing barley and wheat on Purple Fruit Village’s less than 150 acres of cultivated land were nothing compared to the inco from planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms.
Since he didn’t need to worry about the food supply, switching to mulberry cultivation to produce more silk was the best path forward.
"With your word, My Lord, I can rest assured!"
Horn had already made his plans in advance. He was just waiting for Ronin’s approval to begin replacing the wheat with mulberry trees.
After handling these matters, Ronin rode his warhorse to Mountain Forest Town to inspect the progress of the paper-making workshop he had arranged for before he left.
He had already started using the first batch of paper. Although it was coarse, with bumps and pits in so places, it was undeniably a good start.
With the use of paper, the spread of knowledge within Wubei Territory would beco easier and cheaper than before, which would help raise the overall level of education in the long run.
"Brother Ronin, can I go with you outside of Wubei Territory now?"
Erin was riding on Black Tiger’s back, tagging along at his side like a little shadow.
"Of course. A promise is a promise."
Ronin had once told Erin that he would take her out of the territory once she beca an Interdiate Mage, and he had no reason to go back on his word.
"I’m about to make a trip to Wushan Castle. If it’s convenient for you, you can co along."
"Yay~" Erin cheered, her voice carrying far through the forest.
Ronin, however, was looking at the Black Tiger beneath her.
It had been nearly a year since he started raising this Storm Demon Wolf cub. Its body was now over five and a half feet long, giving it the appearance of a majestic, oversized dog.
Moreover, it was easy to see that it felt no strain at all carrying the petite Erin at a full gallop, a testant to its extraordinary stamina.
Ronin had heard from Erin that Black Tiger could now briefly enter a state of Concealnt. This ant it was already a Second-level Magical Beast that had mastered Second-level Magic.
Fortunately, Black Tiger had lived with dogs for a while when it was young and had been well-trained not to bite people randomly. Otherwise, having a Second-level Magical Beast capable of Invisibility living in the territory would be a dangerous liability.
"Erin, has Black Tiger shown any unusual behavior recently? Like howling, sniffing around, or frequent scent marking?"
Erin tilted her head and thought carefully before shaking her head. "I don’t think so. Why do you ask, Brother?"
"Oh, then it probably isn’t in heat yet."
Ronin said with a smile, "When you notice Black Tiger acting that way, let know. I’ll find a male wolf for it to mate with and have a litter of cubs."
’This way, Wubei Territory might one day have its own unit of Wolf Cavalry.’
Erin’s face turned bright red upon hearing this, and she buried her head in embarrassnt.
’Heat, male wolves, female wolves, mating, having cubs... How could he just say all those embarrassing words so casually?’
Seeing her reaction, Ronin couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He had forgotten there was a young lady next to him.
"Erin, you’ve really changed a lot in the past year."
Erin couldn’t help but look up, blinking her large, questioning eyes at Ronin on his horse.
"When I t you last year, you were just a kid playing in the mud on the mountain, and you looked pretty average. But now, you’re getting more and more beautiful."
She lowered her head again, her cheeks flushing red once more as she retorted softly, "I was not playing in the mud on the mountain..."
’She had clearly been climbing trees with her friends at the ti.’
Over the next few days, Ronin took Erin on a tour of several towns, inspecting their production and living conditions while also making plans for his next steps.
The two thousand slaves purchased from Anthony had been settled in Mountain Forest Town and Black Earth Town, bringing the territory’s population to over eighteen thousand.
Once the twenty thousand people promised by Wiggin and the ten thousand gathered by Calbi arrived, Wubei Territory’s population would approach fifty thousand.
At that point, Ronin would probably complete two stages of the [Population Prosperity] achievent.
Before these people arrived, the corresponding arrangents had to be prepared in advance. Wilson was experienced in this and could handle it perfectly.
「That night, in Ronin’s study at Swamp Castle.」
Sailin didn’t know why the Lord had suddenly summoned him. On his way over, he had replayed his recent actions in his mind over and over. ’There wasn’t anything wrong, was there?’
’Was it about his forr master, Lord Reisen?’
’But Reisen was said to have been dead for several months now.’
"Sailin, although you were once Reisen’s steward, since you began serving , I have seen your loyalty and recognized your abilities. Therefore, I have a task I need to entrust to you."
Sailin’s anxious heart settled down. He bowed humbly and said, "It is my honor to serve you, My Lord!"
"Soon, I may acquire a new territory to the southwest of Wushan Territory. It needs a Civil Servant to manage things for , and I believe you are a suitable candidate."
The affairs in Chishan Town were currently being managed by Ridder, but Ronin didn’t want Ridder to focus his energy on such matters. He needed to find a reliable Civil Servant with a relatively simple background.
Wilson couldn’t leave Wubei Territory for the ti being, and among his subordinates, Sailin was the most discreet and knowledgeable, making him the most suitable choice.
Ultimately, Ronin still didn’t have enough capable people at his disposal. This situation might improve after the victory in the war, but for key positions, he still needed to use people he could trust or people who had no one else to rely on but him.
Wilson and Chahar were people Ronin could trust.
Sailin, on the other hand, was the type of person who wasn’t yet fully trusted but could only live a better life by relying on Ronin.
Both types of people could be used without worry.
At this mont, Sailin’s eyes widened. He had originally thought that because of his history of loyalty to Reisen, he would never be given a position of great importance again.
He truly hadn’t expected to beco a Civil Servant so quickly!
’Just as Wilson said, the Lord’s way of doing things is beyond compare.’
"I thank you for your trust!"
He knelt on the ground in his excitent and pledged his loyalty, "I will not fail your trust! I will do everything in my power to manage the new territory well for you!"
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