Sinkhole

After completing his mission, Hudson declined everyone's offers to stay and returned directly to his territory.

He genuinely didn't want to get involved in the affairs of the Arcane Academy. Even the King used to be treated like a grandson when dealing with a group of incredibly senior old men; he wasn't about to stay and invite trouble.

Since the Arcane Academy has nothing yet, let these old guys hold the fort first, and we can come and share the fruits of our labor after it's built.

The title of "Founder of the Academy" wasn't given lightly. Once these old guys have all gone to see the Lord of Dawn, Hudson, as honorary principal, will definitely be qualified to be officially appointed.

Hudson was not intimidated at all when competing with a group of old men whose average age was over 160 to outlast them.

Unless they can break through to the Holy Domain, the day of their demise is not far off.

The fact that he stepped forward to establish the Arcane Academy and openly defied the Church suggests that he knows he doesn't have many years left to live and wants to lay a better foundation for future generations before he dies.

The Church's retaliation can only frighten middle-aged people. It has little effect on those who are half-buried; it has no effect on young people like Hudson either.

This is due to one's birth environment. Take Hudson as an example. From the moment he first stepped out of his home, he constantly heard about the horrors of the Church, but real events happening around him told him that the Church was nothing special.

At least within the Alpha Kingdom, the Church has no say in the matter.

If he weren't so clear-headed, Hudson would definitely be a leading figure in the anti- Church. Not for many reasons, but simply because he disliked them.

Nobody likes having someone piss or poop on their neck, but the Church does exactly that.

To put it bluntly, even the King wasn't as troublesome as them.

Whether it was Caesar III or Caesar IV, when faced with important matters, they would consult with the nobles in the country before making decisions, rather than readily labeling people as heretics.

Ultimately, it comes down to the issue of "security." Under the Royal Authority system, the personal safety and property of nobles were guaranteed.

Aside from the special circumstances of wartime, Hudson rarely saw the kingdom execute nobles. As beneficiaries, their sense of belonging naturally arose.

Under a theocratic system, everything changes. A single label of "heretic" can bring down King from his lofty position, let alone a nobleman.

Since this uncontrollable force cannot be controlled, it must be defeated.

"My lord, these are the major and minor events that have occurred in the territory recently."

Apart from Governor Pierce's official document requesting additional laborers to construct the Blood Moon Defense Line, everything else is proceeding according to your plan.

Jacob calmly gave his report.

In the traditional feudal lord system, government affairs were very simple. As long as the lord didn't cause trouble, there was basically nothing to do.

The situation was similar in the Mountain Territory, where commerce was practically negligible, and industry and agriculture were the domain of the lords.

The territory's economy operates entirely according to a planned economy model, with all resources and labor subject to the control of the lord's mansion.

Long-term development is not being considered for the time being, but in the short term, this is definitely the most scientific economic system, capable of concentrating resources to accomplish major tasks.

"The canal project is complete, and those slaves are of little use if they stay. Send them all over to build defenses!"

Let's coordinate with all parties and offer more Beastfolk slaves in exchange for a group of experienced serfs to help us reclaim wasteland.

We can supply all the steel needed for the project; we'll trade with them for whatever the territory requires. If they don't have that, we'll coordinate to bring in surplus labor.

Hudson said with a look of disgust.

Beastfolk slaves made outstanding contributions to the development of the Mountain Territory, but these guys were really not very useful.

He's fine for manual labor, but when it comes to anything with even a little bit of technical skill, he makes a complete mess of it.

When clearing land, one human serf can be as efficient as three or four Beastfolk slaves. In terms of cost, however, it is much cheaper.

The biggest advantage of Beastfolk slaves is that they can be used as consumables. Since they are all transitional products and cannot be kept indefinitely, it doesn't matter how many die.

"Yes, Your Excellency. We'll go down and get on with it immediately."

Besides this problem, our agents who went out to buy serfs have returned. Progress hasn't been very smooth; the nobles of the County of Corubia still harbor illusions about the Hesses.

Very few nobles were willing to sell serfs, and the number sold was small. Only two spendthrift sons sold a large number of serfs to pay off gambling debts.

This operation purchased 1,586 serf households, totaling more than 11,000 people, at a cost of 96,794 gold coins, far less than expected.

These people have already entered the kingdom and, at their current pace, are expected to arrive in the territory in two months.

Hudson frowned upon hearing Jacob's report. The biggest factor currently hindering the development of the Mountain Territory was insufficient population.

It turned out that they didn't have the money to buy slaves; even after the establishment of the Seven Grassland Nations, they couldn't buy slaves even if they had the money. In order to increase the population, Hudson tried every possible method.

Encouraging childbirth is a long-term policy. It's not a quick fix that can solve the immediate problem.

The country has run out of ideas. The kingdom has already suffered significant population losses due to the war, and now the emerging nobles are all trying to poach people.

Even if a nobleman were occasionally willing to transfer his slaves or sell serfs, the prices were sky-high, and the cost-effectiveness was pitifully low.

Left with no other choice, Hudson turned his attention abroad. After the two countries issued a joint note, he concluded that the County of Corubia was doomed.

Before anyone could react, Hudson sent men to buy up serfs. He thought he could get cheap goods by exploiting the panic, but the nobles of the County of Corubia had a different idea.

"If the nobles of the County of Corubia are unwilling to trade, then so be it; we cannot force them. The Black Forest Kingdom will not work for nothing; they will have their day."

"Bring these people back first, disperse them, and settle them down. The situation on the mainland won't be stable in the future, and there will be many more opportunities like this in the future."

It was yet another prophetic statement, something no one was surprised by before. In the past, Lord Hudson's judgments on major trends had never been wrong.

"Your Excellency, after many attempts, we have initially mastered the salt-making process."

Currently, the main method of salt production is boiling, and due to site requirements, the sun-drying salt production process cannot be widely promoted for the time being.

The current daily salt production in the territory is around 800 pounds, and production is currently being expanded.

The Department of Political Affairs plans to increase salt production to 8,000 pounds per day by the end of the year, completely resolving the territory's salt shortage.

Jacob said with great interest.

Salt is currently the largest expense in the territory. Once this problem is solved, the Mountain Territory will achieve complete self-sufficiency in major commodities.

To most people, producing 800 pounds of salt a day was a considerable sum. But for Hudson, neither 800 pounds nor 8,000 pounds a day could move him in the slightest.

Such low salt production clearly indicates a small-scale rural workshop. Every saltworks uses tons as the unit of measurement.

"Good job. There's no need to rush the salt-making method. Currently, our demand for salt is not high; just enough to meet our own needs is sufficient."

The Southeast Province are not in a position to be destabilized at the moment, so we will refrain from interfering with the Dalton Family's interests for now. I will decide whether to take action once the situation becomes clearer.

What stage has the shipyard relocation reached?

Hudson asked with concern.

Salt production requires not only a large, flat area, but also a natural climate with little rainfall and high evaporation.

The climate of the Mountain Territory is clearly the opposite of these requirements, as it can form swampy terrain and is characterized by abundant rainfall and low evaporation.

In comparison, the currently popular method of boiling salt is more practical.

"Your Excellency, the relocation of the shipyard has only just begun. At present, we have only completed the site selection for the port and the shipyard."

Construction is expected to take another year. The relocation plan will be fully launched after the supporting infrastructure is completed.

Considering the development needs of the territory, we plan to first transfer some production capacity here to specialize in the production of canal transport ships and fishing boats that do not require a dedicated dock.

Production of large ships will remain on hold for now. I have spoken with the royal family, and out of respect for Your Excellency, they have agreed to continue lending us the site for another two years.

Those relocating now mainly include family members, some machinery and equipment that needs to be installed in advance, and shipbuilding raw materials that need to be stored for a long time.

Jose's answer satisfied Hudson. There were many problems encountered during the shipyard relocation, but all of them had been resolved, instead of being passed on to him, the boss.

Of course, this doesn't mean the other subordinates lacked responsibility. It's mainly because they lacked experience; many things were beyond their capabilities, leaving them with no choice but to report them.

In fact, the governance capabilities of the Mountain Territory's management have improved significantly compared to before.

Two or three years ago, if any major construction project were to be undertaken in the territory, Hudson would have to personally oversee it. Once the project was on track...

However, no matter how much we improve, we still need to keep digging into our foundation. Cultivating our own talent takes at least ten years, twenty years is just right, and thirty years is the period of explosive growth.

In fact, under the political system of the Aslant Continent, the number of people qualified for education is too small, and whether or not top talents can be cultivated still depends on luck.

The Coslo Family is considered quite good, as their large population and the development of their clan school under Hudson's leadership have been very successful in recent years.

But that's all. To go any further, you have to challenge the existing rules and regulations.

Let alone universal education, Hudson tried several times to enroll the children of minor nobles, but had to give up due to overwhelming opposition.

On the one hand, educational resources are too scarce to provide education for too many people; on the other hand, there are too few positions for the ruling class, and vested interest groups oppose outsiders joining.

From the perspective of the mainland as a whole, we are currently in a stage of oversupply of basic talent, with a large amount of talent spilling over to other regions.

The ever-increasing number of aristocratic sons leaving to seek a living each year reveals just how intense the struggles within the aristocratic class were.

Even many collateral relatives of noble families had to leave their families and seek opportunities elsewhere.

This is also the core reason why Hudson's plan to expand enrollment in tribal schools was met with unanimous opposition.

In the world of martial arts, one is often not in control of one's own destiny. The powerful patriarch Hudson had to carefully consider the collective will of his clan and retainers.

Without public support, even forcibly pushing forward will be ineffective. After all, any policy needs people to implement it.

If this is the case for the emerging nobility, then it is even more impossible for the established nobility to implement reforms.

Since I can't complete the internal reforms, then you shouldn't even think about being different; everyone has to be brought to the same level.

Anyone who dares to break the rules is a heretic, and we should gang up on them and beat them up.

The most typical example is Franz XIX, who is widely regarded as the most incompetent ruler in human history.

This unfortunate child was accused of a whole host of crimes, but in reality, he only accomplished one major thing—establishing an official school.

In simple terms, it encourages nobles to contribute their heritage and establish a three-tiered system of official schools, from local to central levels—prefectures, provinces, and the Royal Capital— to enroll the children of nobles.

Even so, it still became the fuse for the downfall of the last unified human empire because it touched upon the core interests of the great nobles.

If it weren't for the other races' overly eager actions, launching a large-scale invasion at the very beginning of the human civil war and forcing everyone to stop the civil war and unite against external forces, the human race's continental hegemony would have been lost.

From then on, spreading knowledge became a major taboo within aristocratic circles. Even private transactions had to be conducted discreetly.

Since the construction of the Blood Moon Defense Line began, Count Pierce has moved his Governor's Mansion to Blood Moon County.

When it comes to the defenses of a family business, it's truly difficult to feel at ease without personally overseeing them.

Not only him, but all the nobles in the Southeast Province kept a close eye on this defensive line.

With so much energy consumed by the engineering projects, Governor Pierce had no energy left to do anything else. He didn't even take the recent bank run seriously.

Is the information accurate?

Are the Coslo Family really building ports and shipyards?

Pierce asked, puzzled.

According to the intelligence gathered earlier, the Coslo Family is currently on the verge of financial bankruptcy and has no money to undertake large-scale construction projects.

"Governor Excellency, we have verified this intelligence multiple times. The Coslo Family is indeed building port terminals and shipyards."

According to information from inside sources, the Coslo Family has invested heavily in these projects, presumably preparing for a major undertaking.

They are said to have received strong support from the royal family, and many of the shipwrights from Berkshire Shipyard have already moved to the Mountain Territory.

"Your Governor, do you think we should take action and cause them some trouble?"

Upon hearing his subordinate's words, Governor Pierce rolled his eyes. To tamper with things in the Southeast Province, suspicion would easily fall on the Dalton Family without even a thorough investigation.

"What's there to panic about!"

The Count Hudson was still too young. His smooth sailing journey to where he was now had made him complacent.

Maritime trade is not something everyone is qualified to participate in. We have been trying for over a century, and now we can only operate in a limited number of countries.

Without decades of management, the Coslo Family's involvement would have made them nothing.

This will give our Count Hudson a good taste of what it means for the ocean to swallow gold, so he won't be so restless every day!

Governor Pierce said with a sneer.

He was originally worried about what means to use to trick Hudson and slow down the development of the Mountain Territory.

Unexpectedly, before he could do anything, the Coslo Family fell into the trap of maritime trade.