Magical Beasts Attack

Roland's first order of business was to summon the three skilled slaves Leslie had given him.

Architect Martin.

Craftsman Luke.

Shipbuilder Anthony.

All three were only in their thirties. Because they possessed specialized skills, they were all in fairly good spirits.

"Greetings, my lord." The three hurriedly bowed upon seeing Roland.

"Mm. Tell me what each of you can do." Roland was very direct.

Over this recent period of managing his territory, Roland had also developed a set of methods for ruling slaves.

Based on his experience during this time, he had concluded that when dealing with slaves, authority had to outweigh kindness, and punishment had to outweigh reward. Once that balance was lost, not only might one fail to earn the slaves' gratitude, one might also give them unnecessary ideas.

For example, Roland's reward of a bowl of meat soup for each slave last night had been the balance he sought. It was not that Roland could not afford to give them more meat.

Once he gave them a little more, Roland would no longer be seen as a benevolent master in the slaves' eyes, but as foolish and weak.

If he were given such a reputation, the slaves would not only become lax and increasingly greedy, they might even believe that a weak master could not protect them at all and directly rise up in rebellion.

There had been quite a few lords on Saint Nor Continent who pitied their slaves, only to be killed by those same slaves under such circumstances.

Thus, by this day, nearly all lords on Saint Nor Continent ruled their slaves through oppression and brutality, deepening the slaves' fear so that they would not dare harbor the slightest disloyal thought.

Roland was not that extreme, but over the past month, at least ten slaves on Rising Light Island had received the lash.

Of course, the previous twelve half-grown children were exceptions. Once they became mages in the future, they would certainly cast off their status as slaves. Roland could not treat a group of future mages the same way he treated other slaves.

Thus, Roland's direct and even somewhat cold attitude did not arouse any dissatisfaction from the three. Instead, it made them even more deferential.

The three lowered their heads and glanced at one another. Then Martin, the oldest of them, spoke first. "Master, I can build houses, slave barracks, bridges, and small walls."

After Martin finished answering, the craftsman Luke cautiously added, "Master, I can make farming implements, tools, and some simple swords and spears."

Roland nodded lightly at that, then shifted his gaze to the shipbuilder Anthony.

Upon seeing Roland's scrutinizing gaze, Anthony hurriedly replied, "Master, I can build small fishing boats, as well as Single-masted Merchant Ships capable of sailing in coastal waters."

Anthony's answer finally brought a trace of interest to Roland's face.

After all, he was currently in the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. Since he was developing a territory here, ships were absolutely vital to a territory.

If he could possess a powerful fleet, not only would the safety of his homeland be fully guaranteed, but he would also hold an absolute advantage in both trade and war.

"Tell me in detail."

"Yes, Master." Seeing Roland's interest, Anthony's face immediately showed a hint of delight. He continued, "Master, small fishing boats are generally six meters long and two meters wide. They can fish within three li of our island."

"Single-masted Merchant Ships are generally around ten meters long and four meters wide. They are usually used for short-distance trade, and their sailing range should not exceed three hundred li. Compared to two-masted and three-masted merchant ships, their hulls are too fragile to withstand attacks from magical beasts in the sea or massive waves."

Roland had to admit that if his territory could develop in the future, Leslie would deserve enormous credit. Not only did Leslie understand exactly what Roland needed, but more importantly, Leslie had the means to provide it.

If such a friend had no ulterior motives toward him, Roland truly hoped he could have two more.

But that was obviously impossible.

The human nobles of Saint Nor Continent had long since lost their former glory. Their pursuit of profit had seeped into the bones of every noble.

Leslie had paid such a price merely to become good friends with Roland. No one would believe that.

Seeing that Roland had not responded for a long time, Anthony could not help feeling uneasy, afraid that he had failed to earn his new master's approval.

Perhaps realizing that he had drifted off, Roland's gaze returned to Anthony the next moment.

"How much does it cost to build a small fishing boat and a Single-masted Merchant Ship?"

"Small fishing boats are relatively simple. The wood used is all ordinary, though they require common materials such as iron nails, tar, and hemp fibers. The cost is not high, only around thirty gold coins."

"However, the materials used for a Single-masted Merchant Ship are much more complicated. The wood must be oak or cedar that is over ten years old. It must also be air-dried, cut into shape, soaked in preservative, and finally coated with waterproofing agent."

"Not only is the construction process complicated and lengthy, but the other materials required far exceed those for a small fishing boat. The cost of one ship is approximately two hundred gold coins." Anthony spoke quickly, yet clearly, as if he wanted to display his expertise before Roland.

However, his explanation truly left Roland dizzy. He had not expected the construction of a Single-masted Merchant Ship alone to be so complicated, with costs reaching as high as two hundred gold coins.

Once labor costs were added, a Single-masted Merchant Ship would have to sell for more than five hundred gold coins.

This made Roland once again feel just how wealthy Leslie was. Leslie had not hesitated to assign three three-masted merchant ships directly for Roland's use.

"Then how much cargo can a Single-masted Merchant Ship carry at one time?"

"Reporting to Master, around ten tons at a time."

After hearing that, Roland made up his mind. In truth, Leslie had not sent Anthony to Roland so that he could build Single-masted Merchant Ships, but so that he could build small fishing boats and gather food for Roland.

After all, Roland currently had the three three-masted merchant ships Leslie had loaned him. His transport capacity was already sufficient, so he had no need for Single-masted Merchant Ships for the time being.

Moreover, their high cost, the large amount of manpower they required, and the fact that they were currently useless to the territory immediately made Roland lose interest in Single-masted Merchant Ships.

"How many people do you need to build a small fishing boat? If I give you sufficient manpower, how long will it take you to build one?"

"Reporting to Master, I need at least seven people. I can build a small fishing boat in about half a month. If the manpower is doubled, I can build one fishing boat in ten days." Anthony fell silent for a moment before replying.

"Mm. I'll give you ten men. Build four small fishing boats first, as quickly as possible while ensuring their quality."

"Yes, Master. I guarantee that I will complete your task." Anthony hurriedly accepted.

"Alice, take him to choose some slaves."

"Yes, Young Master." Alice gave a slight nod, then led Anthony away first.

"Martin, first familiarize yourself with the situation in my territory. Help me reorganize the layout of the residential area."

"Yes, Master," Martin replied respectfully.

"Luke, find a suitable place in the residential area. Have Martin build you a workshop, then start making some tools commonly used for developing the territory."

"Yes, Master."

"Mm. Go get to work." Roland waved his right hand lightly after speaking, dismissing the two.

After they left, Roland was about to begin today's potion refining.

However, at that moment, a series of enormous crashing sounds rang out, like the roar of the sea. They knocked the slaves working throughout the residential area into chaos.

Roland's expression immediately changed. Although he had not encountered any trouble since arriving on Rising Light Island, this was the Sea of Ten Thousand Islands. Roland had never let down his guard.

Thus, Roland immediately sent someone to gather the members of Artur's team. Only under their escort did he hurriedly head toward the source of the enormous crashing sounds.

Meanwhile, at the dock on the northeastern coast of Rising Light Island.

Half-human-height creatures resembling crabs were continuously leaping out of the sea, madly attacking the slaves and mercenaries constructing the dock.

Their thick crab legs allowed them to move no slower on land. In particular, the two enormous shells raised above their heads were like heavy warhammers. The wooden boards blocking their path shattered one after another beneath their blows, unable to withstand even a single strike.

"Not good! Armor Crabs! Level 2 Magical Beasts! Everyone, run!" Fili, who was supervising construction at the dock, saw this and his expression immediately changed. He hurriedly shouted at the bewildered slaves around him.

Finally, under his furious roar, some of the panicked slaves scrambled toward the depths of Rising Light Island.

But it was clearly already too late. Several slaves who had obviously fallen a step behind faced the surging Armor Crabs and were torn apart in the blink of an eye, as fragile as paper. Blood splattered through the air, dyeing the originally blue-black Armor Crabs a vivid crimson.

When Roland arrived at the dock with Artur, he saw Armor Crabs madly pursuing the mercenaries and slaves, occasionally tearing apart and devouring the slaves who fell behind.

The moment Roland saw this, rage surged within him. These were all his property.

"Captain Artur, take your team and save them first." Roland immediately ordered, his gaze dark.

"Yes, Apothecary Roland." Artur answered at once. Mere Level 2 Armor Crabs clearly did not concern him.

Artur immediately led his men forward, intercepting the Armor Crabs that were hunting down slaves and mercenaries everywhere.

With ten Intermediate Warriors joining the battle, the slaves and mercenaries fleeing for their lives immediately breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly retreated behind Roland.

At that moment, O'Neal arrived in a rush with more than thirty professional mercenaries. Upon seeing the battle at the dock, his expression changed, and he quickly rushed to Roland's side.

"Apothecary Roland, are you all right?"

Upon seeing O'Neal, Roland's expression improved slightly. Earlier, under Roland's orders, O'Neal had led the mercenary group deep into Rising Light Island to cut down trees and provide lumber for the dock's construction.

Because professional fighters were strong and robust, Roland had ordered O'Neal to take nearly all the warriors of the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group with him.

This had resulted in there not being a single professional at the entire dock. The remaining mercenaries were all ordinary people, so naturally they collapsed at the sight of Level 2 Magical Beasts.

That had naturally been Roland's oversight, but it was obviously too late to say such things now. Thus, upon seeing O'Neal, Roland immediately had him organize the men and launch a counterattack against the Armor Crabs.

"Yes, Apothecary Roland." O'Neal waved his hand after speaking, immediately organizing the men and arranging their formation.

This also showed O'Neal's authority within the Loyal Lion Mercenary Group. With him there, the mercenaries who had been completely routed instantly became like battle-hardened warriors. Under his orders, they formed into small squads in the blink of an eye and slowly advanced toward the Armor Crabs.