The Shepherd's flagship drew countless eyes the mont it arrived at Cold Spring Castle.
On the terraced mountain slopes, the slanted roofs ford an incline.
Under the whimpering of wooden boards and thatched roofs, residents stepped out of their hos, hoarsely greeting and talking to each other.
"The entire dock has been cleared, who could be so grand?"
"What flag is that? Can anyone see clearly?"
"Ah, it's the Sun Gear flag."
"The Great Shepherd is here! It's His Highness Horn the Shepherd!"
In the light morning mist, Cold Spring Town's docks rang with the sound of trumpets and drums, and a red carpet was laid out across the oak boardwalk.
Setting foot on Cold Spring Castle, Horn imdiately caught the scent of fresh river fish, the biting odor of tar, and the pine fragrance from the resin-coated wooden planks.
Standing before Cold Spring Town's mayor, the one greeting Horn with a grim face was none other than White Horse Knight Spitroch.
After the earlier Thousand River Valley war, the once half-gray-haired old knight was now fully white-haired.
He wore a fitted armor with tight sleeves, his left arm extended as a chanical hand with steel bones and wooden flesh.
Only at the joints and wrist could one still see gears, cobwebs, and adamantine springs.
Adamantine alloy is currently the only material that can make springs and is applied on a small scale.
Upon seeing Horn approach from the end of the red carpet, Spitroch stepped forward as well: "Under the Autocratic Duke's orders, White Horse Knight Spitroch cos to welco the Great Shepherd on behalf of His Highness."
"Hahaha." Horn laughed before speaking, stepping forward to embrace Spitroch heartily, "Old knight, it's truly been a long ti."
Although Spitroch maintained an arrogant deanor, he softened his voice: "It's been nearly two years, hasn't it?"
Horn hadn't seen the White Horse Knight since the Battle of Feiliu Castle.
Two years passed in the blink of an eye, and here it was July again.
"Sir Spitroch, how does that chanical hand feel?"
"Not bad. Though it's not as agile as before and can't manipulate individual fingers, as long as I can grip a sword again, it's enough."
"Is a chanical hand truly so inconvenient? If you were willing to accept Divine Favor and install a mountain bronze spring..."
"You're truly joking. I am already the Autocratic Duke's vassal; how could I beco one of your Divine Favored?"
"That was a misstep on my part." Horn tried casually, but wasn't fazed by failure.
The White Horse Knight had his n look after the luggage and handover before leading Horn to a manor.
This used to be a monastery but was confiscated and auctioned by Lady Moliat after the Battle of Codfish Castle.
By the ti it returned to Cold Spring Town Hall, it had beco the headquarters for North Mande County's Armorer Guild.
During the war, Lady Moliat forcibly disbanded the Armorer Guild, turning this place into a manor for high nobles and esteed guests.
Upon Horn's arrival, the White Horse Knight, following Moliat's instructions, evicted all other nobility residing in the manor to make room exclusively for the Great Shepherd's entourage.
Riding a tall horse, amidst the crowd of onlookers, Horn waved and surveyed the surroundings.
Cold Spring Castle is located in the Southern River Valley where the Silver Thread River, a tributary of the Ibe River, flows through.
When the Silver Thread River passes through Cold Spring Mountain, it forms an Ω shape, encircling it.
Due to the water's erosion, the outer river scours the southern bank, pushing the riverbed further south, creating a broad riverbank plain beneath Cold Spring Mountain.
Gazing back, one can still see the undulating mountains across the Silver Thread River.
Turning around, various slting sites, blacksmith shops, and Cold Spring Castle's slting plant spewed columns of black smoke.
The Cold Spring Mountain itself is an extension of the Athyst Mountain Range, rich in iron ore.
Along the Silver Thread River are mines and mining towns where the ores are transported to nearby slting locations using the convenient water routes.
With waterways serving as this high-speed highway, North Mande County could develop its slting and forging industries to such a scale.
If it were like Mire Village in the past, where transport costs exceeded ore prices, the tallurgy industry would barely survive.
According to the Priest-in-Charge's report, 5% of North Mande County's population works in tallurgy, with 70% of slting operations near Cold Spring Castle.
Cold Spring Castle exports about 3,200 tons of iron to Thousand River Valley annually, with nurous small private mines and blacksmith shops unaccounted for.
It has to be acknowledged that nearly a hundred slting plants in North Mande County, plus Cold Spring Castle's slting plant, could spare only 1,000 tons for Horn.
This is even after the dwarves joined in!
In other words, each slting plant produces an average of about 40 tons of iron annually.
Compared to Horn's holand's fire thod of iron-making, the wet thod in this world is far less efficient.
Since the leaching thod can't be improved, enhancing production efficiency can only be achieved through other ans.
However, this would increase costs, with output ratios much smaller than Horn's ho blast furnace thod.
Climbing the hillside, walking over a hundred steps, one can see a circled brick and stone wall.
Behind the wall stands a three-story wooden building, what Spitroch referred to as the "manor."
Inside the manor, just as Spitroch directed the servants to set down the luggage, Horn imdiately asked, "What did Moliat tell you?"
It caught Spitroch off guard.
According to normal etiquette, one should spend a day acclimatizing, hold a dinner party to socialize the next night, and discuss business on the third morning, right?
Why did the Great Shepherd skip the prelude and dive straight in?
Collecting himself, Spitroch signaled for the servants to bring two cups of tea before speaking: "Moliat instructed to fully support your actions, but there's one bottom line: North Mande County must not fall into chaos.
The kind of disorder you caused at Black Snake Bay must not be replicated in the Five Mountain County."
"How do you define chaos?" Horn sipped his tea under the old knight's wary gaze. "For instance, is it chaos if Cheka leads troops to attack a noble's castle?"
"Of course, that would be slapping the Autocratic Duke's face, wouldn't it?"
The White Horse Knight firmly rejected.
Moliat had shifted the Mountain Knights' base to Hotam County, but North Mande County remained their main stronghold.
With nobles responding to each other, opposing Horn's steel policy, if Horn instigated Cheka to arrest nobles, it would put Lady Moliat in a difficult position from both sides.
"What if there's evidence?"
"Punishing minor nobility is acceptable, but if high-ranking nobles are involved, only Moliat or you would confront them directly." Spitroch gazed into Horn's eyes. "Are you sure you want to exercise that power here?"
"I understand now." Horn smiled broadly, baffling Spitroch.
"Then let give another example, what if a low-rank noble assaults a high-rank noble's castle, or a dwarf artisan attacks the dwarf master workshop?"
Spitroch's hand trembled, almost spilling tea on himself.
He clumsily wiped his face with a handkerchief, both alard and furious: "What are you trying to do?"
"That wouldn't be my fault, would it?" Horn stirred his tea with a spoon. "If it's not causing trouble, then wouldn't Lady Moliat be relieved of her double trouble?"
"I beg you not to do this!"
"Who said I'm going to do that? Don't slander ."
The White Horse Knight eyed Horn suspiciously for a long ti before slowly sitting down: "So, are you sure such things won't happen?"
"Of course, we're friends." Horn sipped his tea with a smile, "I assure you, as long as I'm in Cold Spring Castle, things like that will never happen."
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