Roy's Expansion Plan

Outside the Second Mine fortress, a group of thin, Half-Elf were slowly carrying stones.

They placed the stones on both sides of the road in front of the fortress gate, and a dozen Half-Elf craftsmen were paving the road with these irregularly shaped stone slabs. The project was progressing smoothly, and Roy planned to pave the road from the mountainside all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Due to another malfunction of the crane boom, more than forty Half-Elf had to stop their mining work underground.

The young Half-Elf didn't want to just sit idle, so Roy had them pave roads outside the mining fortress.

A series of melodious bell sounds drifted into the ears of the Half-Elf on a gentle breeze. Everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came, and saw a caravan heading towards the Second Mine along the ridge.

The Transport Team led by Commander Berkeley arrived as scheduled.

The caravan brought a large amount of supplies and, without any disturbance from the Highland Headhunters, arrived at the Second Mine smoothly.

Roy and Captain Kepler were waiting outside the fortress gate. Commander Berkeley rode at the front, and apart from being a little pale, he was otherwise healthy.

Upon seeing Roy and Captain Kepler, Commander Berkeley immediately dismounted, took the reins, and walked step by step toward Roy.

Commander Berkeley and Roy hugged.

"Commander Berkeley, I heard you're injured!" Roy asked.

Commander Berkeley, patted his left ribs forcefully, the leather on his body making a dull thud. He gave a helpless, wry smile and said:

"It was a minor injury, but it's completely healed. There's just a scar here."

The caravan following Commander Berkeley stretched all the way to the ridge two kilometers away, with the horses carrying supplies that were wrapped up very tightly.

"Is everything going smoothly at the Second Mine?" Commander Berkeley asked with concern.

"Well enough..."

Roy and Commander Berkeley walked side by side into the mine fortress.

When Commander Berkeley entered the fortress, he saw the emaciated Half-Elf and asked Roy, "Were these Half-Elf rescued from the mines?"

Roy nodded and said, "These Half-Elf have suffered a lot in the mines. They are far less agile and comfortable than the Half-Elf in the First Mine!"

"Didn't you say that once you rescued them, you'd give them their freedom? Why are you making them build roads for you here?" Commander Berkeley asked Roy in a low voice.

"They want to stay temporarily at the Second Mine, so they try to find things to do from time to time..."

Roy led Commander Berkeley up the stairs to the third floor.

Commander Berkeley stood in the corridor and glanced outside, just in time to see the dismantled crane at the mine entrance.

"I've brought two elven craftsmen from the Valley Camp with me this time. They can help you repair this crane later," said Commander Berkeley.

"That's great..." Roy replied with a smile.

Looking at the somewhat immature face in front of him, Commander Berkeley really couldn't understand what it was about him that Earl Swynborne admired...

This time, he brought a large amount of supplies from the Valley Camp, and many of these supplies emptied the Valley Camp's warehouses.

The Commander Berkeley was slightly distracted, but he came to his senses soon after.

Roy had already opened the door and invited the Commander Berkeley to come in and have a seat...

Roy's office was converted from the former Mine Owners's study. The furnishings in the room have hardly been moved, except for a row of treasure chests piled up in the corner.

Commander Berkeley walked over, bent down, and lifted the lid of a Wooden Box filled with bright red spinel.

The Commander Berkeley was startled by the sheer number of spinels. He took a half-step back and carefully counted the Wooden Box against the wall. There were at least thirty of them, stacked very neatly.

Commander Berkeley tried opening another treasure chest, which was still full of spinel.

"You actually managed to get so many high-quality spinels?" Commander Berkeley asked, somewhat surprised.

He clearly remembered that when the Silver Pegasus Legion captured the second mine, the Mine Owners had dismissed the mine's armed forces the night before and then secretly led his family into the heart of the plateau.

When the Mine Owners left, he took all the valuables with him, including a large quantity of high-quality spinel.

The spinel piled up in the corner must be what Roy recently acquired.

Roy replied:

"There will be many more spinel like this in the future. I'm currently trading rum for ore with the Gray Dwarf in the mine."

"I came here to talk to you about this," Commander Berkeley said, sitting down opposite Roy. "This time I brought all the wine stored in the Valley Camp, as well as more than twenty bags of wheat flour. These supplies were specially approved by Earl Swynborne. For these supplies, a Silver Pegasus squad made a round trip between the Valley Camp and Padesto City."

"... There probably won't be any other supplies arriving in the next month. The earliest we'll get rum and ale is when the logistics Transport Team from Padesto City arrives at the Valley Camp, so you'd better use them sparingly," Commander Berkeley instructed Roy.

"Okay, I'll use it sparingly."

Commander Berkeley continued, "The Silver Pegasus Legion has already occupied eleven mines on the Pagisto Plateau. Below your mountain range is a rich Spinel Mine that stretches for hundreds of kilometers through the mountains. There are three Spinel Mine on this mountain range, and you are currently in charge of managing all three mines."

Before Roy could even postpone, the Commander Berkeley said again:

"In addition, there are two Mithril Mine deep in the highlands, both belonging to the same Mithril Mine. The Earl hopes that after you have settled the mines here, you will go and take over the two Mithril Mine. There are also three Black Iron Mine belonging to the same vein..."

"..."

Roy was dumbfounded. He had originally planned to reject the two Mithril Mine, but he didn't expect there to be three more Black Iron Mine.

"Whether it's the spinel Gemstone Mine or the Mithril Mine, you'll be in charge of managing them! This is also the Earl's intention. In addition, your responsibilities... besides ensuring the smooth operation of these mines, are to build a trustworthy defense force. It would be best to select some young warriors from among the Half-Elf to form this army. Once your defense force is nearly complete, Captain Kepler's Guard Squad will withdraw from this area..."

Commander Berkeley casually remarked, "The logistics department will provide you with military equipment and supplies..."

He sat in his chair, leaned forward, and said in a low voice, "I heard that the Half-Elf on the plateau have a Resistance Army here... The Earl does not want the Half-Elf on the plateau to have their own armed forces. You can try to recruit the Elf Warrior of the Resistance Army. At least your army will have an official designation."

"But I still have to go back to the Elf Academy to study!" Roy's face fell, and he argued in a low voice.

Commander Berkeley shook his head. "Once things are settled here, you can go wherever you want! Right now, we need you here. Your role is to act as a bridge between the Silver Pegasus Legion and the Highland Half-Elf. The Seventeenth Silver Pegasus Legion cannot openly recruit Half-Elf Warrior, and these Highland Half-Elf will not be incorporated into the Silver Moon Elf Legion. Only by forming a Half-Elf Guard Squad on the Highlands can the conflict between the two sides be resolved."

"Alright, I'll do my best," Roy agreed. "Since I've been put in charge of the Spinel Mine and the Mithril Mine, I actually have some plans and ideas, and I hope Commander Berkeley can support me."

"Feel free to share any ideas you have!" Commander Berkeley said generously.

Roy opened a drawer, took out a mine renovation plan, and said to Commander Berkeley with a smile, "The current mine facilities are too outdated, and the underground passages are too rudimentary, posing many safety hazards. Therefore, I need the Logistics Regiment's maximum support."

Commander Berkeley readily agreed, "No problem, didn't the Earl already agree to this?"

Roy coughed twice and said softly, "I might need a lot of support..."

How much exactly?

Despite being instructed by Earl Swynborne, Commander Berkeley felt somewhat guilty upon hearing Roy's words and asked a question.

Roy pulled out several blueprints from the plan, one of which was a plan to expand and renovate the mine shaft. It clearly indicated that the shaft passage would be expanded into a double passage and two elevators would be built, while the existing crane would be completely demolished.

Looking at the densely packed steel supports on the blueprints, the Commander Berkeley really wanted to close his eyes and ignore it...

"Expand the shaft, build an elevator..."

As Roy talked about the mine expansion plan, Commander Berkeley's eyelids twitched incessantly. Roy continued, "I plan to add some support pillars inside the mine, build safety passages, and also lay a light rail line in the main Mine Road to facilitate the transportation of ore by mine carts."

Commander Berkeley's throat felt a little dry, and he couldn't help but cough lightly before saying, "If all these ideas of yours come to fruition, it might be necessary to build a large furnace on the Pagisto Plateau!"

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I must remind you of beforehand. The Silver Pegasus Legion came from the Empress Ivini Islands, and the situation there isn't very optimistic either. If the situation in the Empress Ivini Islands continues to deteriorate, the Earl may very well recall the Silver Pegasus Legion back to the Empress Ivini Islands at any time."

"Once the Silver Pegasus Legion withdraws, the plateau will once again be dominated by the Highland Headhunters, so your establishment of Guard Regiment is imperative..."

What the Commander Berkeley said wasn't exactly a secret, but after Commander Berkeley careful analysis, Roy also realized that time was running out.

Commander Berkeley arrived at the Second Mine with a large amount of supplies...

Before leaving, he also took away all the Spinel Mine and spinels that Roy had recently mined.

Following Roy's list of supplies, Commander Berkeley brought a large number of linen robes and cloth shoes from the Valley Camp. Currently, there are about eight hundred Half-Elf and Dark Moon Elf in the mine, and none of these elves have clothes or shoes to wear.

Although some clothing was found in the fortress a few days ago and distributed, many Half-Elf still didn't receive any clothes...

The linen robes that Commander Berkeley brought this time were the inner robes that the Silver Pegasus Legion's Elf Warrior usually wore. No sooner had Commander Berkeley left than Roy distributed these supplies.

Each Half-Elf will receive a robe and a pair of cloth shoes. Roy also made it clear that Half-Elf can stay and earn money in the mine, or they can pack their bags and return to the Half-Elf settlement. Half-Elf can also live in Rampart Town.

To Roy's surprise... not many Half-Elf Half-Elf willing to return to the settlement; many preferred to stay and live in the mines.

The Dark Moon Elf, who lived in the mines, also received linen clothes and shoes.

In addition, there were some marching tents and cooking pots...

The Dark Moon Elf' lives in the mines had improved significantly. Some of them gathered together for a meal, discussing, "Lord Roy Dark Moon Elf that as long as everyone works hard, we'll be free soon."

In fact, the Dark Moon Elves like to follow the strong. They were defeated by Roy and wanted to follow Roy.

The dwarves drank the entire oak barrel of rum.

For decades, these Gray Dwarf have been imprisoned in the mines, and are usually suppressed by the Dark Moon Elf. They can only huddle in the deepest Mine Road of the mines all day long, and they can't even smell the alcohol...

Now, after much effort, I've finally acquired a large barrel of rum.

For all dwarfs, this rum possesses a fatal attraction...

That night, the Gray Dwarf got completely drunk.

He completely forgot about the fact that he was supposed to go to the Northern Mining Area the mine the next morning to dig for Gemstone Mine.

When the dwarves gradually regained consciousness, they realized that it was almost time to exchange their rum again.

This time, however, the Gray Dwarf showed great backbone. Instead of taking out more polished spinels from their vaults, they focused on mining the ore while simultaneously sending a message to Roy, temporarily delaying the transaction.

After drinking, a group of Gray Dwarf released all the pent-up emotions they had been holding in...

Suddenly, the bunker built by the dwarves was filled with howling and wailing.

Dashel awoke from his hangover and overheard Elder Ampton muttering to the Gray Dwarf around him:

"We need to wait for an opportunity... We need to find a way to kill those Dark Moon Elf..."

"Elder Ampton, how can we defeat those Dark Moon Elf...?"

"A dwarf said with a sigh."

Roy followed Commander Berkeley's advice and decided to first form a Guard Regiment at the Second Mine.

These Half-Elf miners were too weak, and the Dark Moon Elf in the mines were not trustworthy, so Roy decided to send Mulin to the settlement in the mountains to bring back a group of young Half-Elf miners, and at the same time send some Half-Elf miners who wanted to go to the settlement there.

So this time, Mulin led nearly 130 Half-Elf miners away from the Second Mine and headed to the Half-Elf settlement.