96: planning

In the afternoon, after the village-wide meeting concluded, the direction for the village's development was set.

From today onwards, the village will be renamed Eileen Village.

I hired three Amn guards to temporarily protect Eileen Village and train the village's 11 militiamen.

Once we reach Gorebest, we will dispatch mercenaries to take over their work.

Village Chief Hand will lead the construction of a wooden house to serve as a barracks within three days.

Laws and other related preparatory work are also being led by Village Chief Hand, to be formally implemented upon my return from Gorebest.

After the meeting, I, Randall, John, George, Old Hather, Hand, Sphere Professor, and Black Little Leopard held a smaller meeting around the dining table.

Old Hather's finger traced the map's creases, a glint in his eye: "The territory His Lordship now possesses…" His bony knuckles tapped the scale, "is equivalent to two Baldur's Gates; calling you a Grand Duke would be modest." The scales swayed in his palm, the clang of copper pans betraying the business manager's excitement.

Randall's greatsword suddenly unsheathed three inches, the reflection from its spine making Hand squint. "A title needs to be forged in iron and blood." The Holy Knight used the sword tip to lift the animal hide at the map's edge, "Gorebest's recognition? That depends on our granaries and barracks at harvest time."

Hand's rough thumb rubbed the chipped rim of his pottery cup, ale rippling at the bottom: "Our village is going to have a Grand Duke?" He grinned, revealing his missing teeth, until he saw the uncleaned bloodstains on Randall's armor, and his Adam's apple bobbed nervously.

Old Hather's scales suddenly stilled, a weight rolling onto the table: "With ample funds now, we can break ground and build the Grand Duke's mansion in spring." He bent to pick up the weight, then sat up and continued, "Stone can be quarried from the Cloudpeak Mountains; the saved transportation costs will be enough to build three arrow towers."

I tapped the coordinates of the T-intersection with my finger, the parchment trembling, startling Black Little Leopard into sitting upright.

"If we're building a city, I'd like it in this location," I said, pointing at the T-intersection, "It's just that…"

Randall suddenly stood up, the scales of his armor scraping the wooden table with a grating sound: "It's just that the intersection of the north and south trade routes is both honey and arsenic." He turned his sword, pointing out the gully on the map that ran through Amn and Gorebest.

Hand gripped the table edge, his knuckles white from the effort: "Are those big figures really going to attack?" He looked pleadingly towards the militia training ground outside the window, where new recruits were being kicked into snowdrifts by Amn guards.

"To the north, if we can gain Baldur's Gate's approval, then Gorebest will also follow suit and recognize us." Randall sat back down, frowning, and said, "To the south, Amn, if the salt trade can be successfully negotiated, it won't be a big problem. If there's a threat, we might need to foster good relations with distant Tethyr in the future to keep Amn occupied and unable to expand north."

Old Hather's withered fingers toyed with the weights. "Tethyr's exiled nobles are stirring in southern Amn…" He opened a hidden compartment in the base of the scales, pulling out a finger-width scroll of parchment. "This is a copy of a secret agreement that leaked from the Naskel black market last year; they even use fake ledgers to buy military provisions."

I gave Old Hather a meaningful look, muttering to myself: Was this person a spy before?

My finger traced down the Wan'an Highway from the T-intersection, tapping again at the northernmost mountain pass of the Cloudpeak Mountains, but I said nothing.

According to Old Hather and Randall, Baldur's Gate, with a population of 100,000, is the largest metropolis and city-state in the Sword Coast region, and also the largest in the broader Western Heartlands.

It might also be the most prosperous and influential commercial city on the western coast of Ferun.

However, in my hometown, what could be called a city had at least a hundred thousand people; a million people was barely a large city, and mega-cities had populations of over ten million.

A place like Baldur's Gate, with a population of 100,000, would only be considered a larger county town.

But if I were to say that now, no one present would believe me.

Inland city! The sparks from the hearth suddenly transformed on my retina into a holographic projection of my hometown's capital city's neon lights.

And the location of Black Panther Fortress reminded me of the Demon Capital.

But it's more like Baldur's Gate and Amn's Athkatla; they are not only coastal but also have rivers that extend deep inland.

The Black Panther Fortress area should focus on specialized salt production.

In the future, with just the Dragon King alone, given its energy body characteristics, it can transmit unlimitedly between different anchor points and my Qiankun Ring, instantly transporting salt from the saltworks to the inland.

With my current resources, I should still focus on developing this inland city, which is a vital transportation hub.

The location of the land deed only has a small bit of foothills to the south; it can be said that it has no natural defenses on all four sides.

To gain a foothold in the early stages, we can only develop towards the south.

But the commercial area at the T-intersection is what needs to be considered in the near future.

"Cough, cough…" Seeing my prolonged silence, Randall coughed twice, his fist to his lips.

"Stockpile grain widely, delay claiming the title of Grand Duke," Sphere Professor said, quoting an ancient text.

"Yes, here," I pushed the map back to the center of the dining table, "we can first build a wooden palisade-enclosed inn and post station. I believe neither Gorebest nor Amn would go to great lengths for such a small post station. The blueprints can be planned out first, Old Hather, the planning for this stronghold is entrusted to you. For the garrison barracks, consult with Randall."

"Yes," Randall and Old Hather replied simultaneously, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Just finish it before the Midwinter Festival," I continued, "After the Midwinter Festival, we'll see what else needs to be built together, and hire artisans from Gorebest to start work."

I turned to Hand and said, "For the young and strong laborers in the village interested in participating in the construction work, wages will be calculated accordingly. In three days, you prepare a list, and have the rotating guards bring it to me."

I leaned down and looked at Black Little Leopard: "Black Little Leopard, you and six Wild Dogs will help guard Eileen Village. We will return very soon."

Black Little Leopard rubbed its head affectionately against me, saying in the common language, "As you command."

Hand looked at it in astonishment.

"It's a magical beast. With it here, you'll be safer. If there's a special situation in the village, you can send Black Little Leopard to find me at Ferud's inn," I said, stroking Black Little Leopard's fur, "It's fast."

With the basic matters settled, we prepared to continue our journey to Gorebest early tomorrow morning.

Aside from the original convoy members, three Amn guards stayed behind. The village also dispatched four people and two carriages, bringing some of the aged grain from the treasury, preparing to accompany us to Gorebest to exchange for other fresh food to bring back to the village.