Selling Dreams

Old Albert might have been old, but his mind was still sharp.

With just the few hints Lynn had given him, he had guessed at Lynn's future plans.

Of course, war was only a small part of Lynn's plans, and merely one of the ways he intended to acquire people.

"War isn't urgent. Right now, I have a more important task for you: road construction."

Lynn and Old Albert chatted as they rode, and White Bear Town was already close at hand.

Build roads?

Old Albert was stunned at first, then finally remembered that when his lord had first returned from inspecting the forest, he had mentioned this task to him.

He had said he wanted to build a twenty-kilometer road connecting White Bear Territory to the Peat Mine, as well as an additional small pier to the north.

"My lord, isn't this a little too rushed? The serfs have only just begun farming their own allotment land. If we conscript them to build roads now—"

Old Albert did not even dare imagine the consequences.

A large-scale rebellion might be unlikely, but serf riots and escapes would definitely happen.

No matter how mighty their lord was, he could not stop serfs who no longer feared death!

After all, if they were not allowed to farm their allotment land, they would truly starve to death.

"Eight days. I'll give you eight days. After that, I want to see one thousand male serfs above the age of fifteen, ready to be mobilized at any time."

Lynn estimated the schedule and gave his final deadline.

The serfs' allotment land did not need fertilizer, and there was not enough fertilizer to go around anyway.

Removing that step would save quite a bit of time.

Besides, he was only conscripting male serfs. The remaining female serfs and younger serfs should be enough to finish the remaining farm work.

Countless projects were chasing after Lynn. Once the sixty kilometers of road were finished, he still had to develop the Salt Mine, the Bitumen Mine, build a factory to refine salt, and prepare housing for the new workhorses of the future.

So long as they were workhorses, young or old, they had to obey his commands.

"As you wish, my lord."

Old Albert knew this was already the result of a compromise, so he could only obediently accept the order.

Fortunately, there were only a little over twenty kilometers of road to build. If they worked from April to June, they should more or less be able to finish it.

Just then, the group arrived at White Bear Town, and Lynn immediately summoned the blacksmith Qi He and the carpenter Torima.

The meeting place was still the town's only small tavern.

"In eight days, I will begin building roads. For that, I need pickaxes and iron shovels for fifteen hundred people, one hundred sturdy and durable wheelbarrows, and at least ten large two-horse freight wagons."

Lynn did not stand on ceremony with the two master craftsmen and directly gave his orders.

"My lord, making those tools won't be a problem. We still have some stock in the warehouse, but what about the iron ingots?"

Qi He was not intimidated by this at all. He had a keen head for business and knew that the new lord liked undertaking major construction projects.

That was why he had already begun training more blacksmith apprentices.

But the problem was the same as always: there were not enough iron ingots.

The thousand kilograms of iron ingots that the Black Market Merchant Leon had delivered last time had only barely covered the consumption from making Heavy Plows.

If those iron ingots were turned into hoes and shovels, where would they get farming tools for the Autumn Harvest?

"You just focus on smithing. I'll find a solution for the iron ingots."

Lynn still took everything upon himself.

With Leon's connection, a mere supply of iron ingots was no problem at all. Forget iron ingots—so long as the price was right, that man would even dare sell iron armor and steel crossbows.

"My lord, we have no problem either. Isn't it just making carts? Easy!"

Torima had even less to say. He was not afraid of work; he was only afraid of having nothing to do.

The serfs all knew a little basic carpentry.

More complicated carpentry work, such as wheelbarrows and plows, was quite durable, so there was not much business to be had throughout the year.

As long as there was work, there would be an endless stream of gold coins!

Lynn was very satisfied with their attitudes and encouraged them. "Work hard, and I won't short you on wages."

He knew very well that, with demand increasing, both Qi He and Torima would have to take on more apprentices.

By spending only a little on wages, he could increase the number of craftsmen in the territory. This deal was simply too worthwhile.

To put it bluntly, one of the main reasons feudal manors had developed so slowly in the past was that there was too little demand.

The serfs could meet most of their daily needs through farming and raising livestock.

They did not need to buy many goods from outside, so naturally there were no craftsmen in the territory producing those goods.

Lynn's large-scale construction was equivalent to creating a huge amount of demand out of thin air, directly driving the development of crafts in the territory.

And he still found Qi He's skills lacking, so he had sent Lao San to Three Rivers City to look for more capable blacksmiths.

At that moment, Old Albert suddenly asked, "My lord, why prepare pickaxes? Isn't the area from the territory to the northern swamp all forest wetland?"

"During this exploration, I discovered a Stone Mine and a Bitumen Mine. The two deposits are not far apart, so this road will connect both mines while also conveniently providing materials for the road itself."

As he spoke, Lynn spread a simple map across the table. It marked the precise locations of the Stone Mine and Bitumen Mine and showed a newly designed route.

The route was still a little over twenty kilometers long, but it now split into two branches that connected to the Stone Mine and Bitumen Mine respectively.

Of course, he had planned a much clearer and more detailed route on the map in the Territory System, but his current drawing skills did not allow him to reproduce it on paper.

But it did not matter. They were not building high-speed rail; a rough plan would do.

Qi He, the blacksmith, had seen the world. Looking at the map, he clicked his tongue in amazement. "There's actually a Bitumen Mine in the northern forest? My lord, that stuff is valuable."

Second Brother, standing behind Lynn, promptly handed over a palm-sized chunk of black bitumen ore.

Lynn took the ore and slapped it down beside the map. "This Bitumen Mine lies very close to the surface. Once the road is complete, White Bear Territory will be able to sell bitumen ore outside. Demand for iron tools and transport vehicles will multiply, and when that happens, all of you will make a fortune."

Lynn was becoming increasingly skilled at selling dreams, and he still had one ultimate dream yet to sell.

At the sight of genuine bitumen ore, Qi He immediately straightened up. "My lord, just give the order. I will obey all your commands!"

As a blacksmith, how could he fail to understand the profits to be made from mining?

Once the Bitumen Mine opened, the massive demand for ironware would come flooding in like a torrent. It was practically a windfall falling straight onto his head.

Once he made enough money, he could send his youngest son to school in Three Rivers City. In the future, their entire family might have a chance to rise to greatness!

Torima loudly pledged his loyalty right after him. Blacksmiths and carpenters were closely linked, and there would surely be a share of wealth for him as well.

By the time they left White Bear Town, it was nearly dusk.

Looking at the loyalty value of ninety-seven on Old Albert's panel, Lynn threw out the final dream of the day.

"Albert, this route map is actually only half complete. Once the road to the Great Swamp is finished, I also plan to build another forty kilometers of road westward, and it must be completed this year."

(End of Chapter)