While Medivh was running his production lines, the thousands of skeletons in Kurd City weren't idle.
In Kurd City's No. 1 Nine-Grid, the walls in all nine districts had reached sixteen meters, their planned height.
In Kurd City's No. 2 Nine-Grid, the walls in all nine districts had reached eight meters. That was the provisional height; Medivh hadn't ordered the skeletons to build them any higher.
The No. 3 Nine-Grid District, west of the No. 1 Nine-Grid District, had begun to take shape. Its nine districts now had walls one to three meters high.
Besides expanding the Nine-Grid Districts, Kurd City had also made great progress in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Farmland and livestock areas had been developed in all three completed Nine-Grid Districts, along with the farmland and livestock areas directly north and south of the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 Nine-Grid Districts.
Kurd City now had eighteen Farmland Districts and six Livestock Districts, each one square kilometer in area.
In mid-to-late March, the skeletons had planted potatoes in the three Farmland Districts of the No. 1 Nine-Grid District.
After more than three months of growth, those three districts had yielded a bumper harvest in July.
Some of the harvested potatoes were stored as food. The best ones were kept for seed, while the inferior ones were used to feed livestock.
Of the eighteen Farmland Districts, aside from the two in the No. 2 Nine-Grid District where wheat was growing, six had already been planted with a second crop of potatoes, and four were being plowed in preparation for planting.
Medivh had other plans for the six Farmland Districts south of the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 Nine-Grid Districts.
The wheat in the No. 2 Nine-Grid District's Farmland Districts was now golden, and harvest time was fast approaching.
Once the wheat from these two districts had been harvested, all eight of these Farmland Districts would be planted with wheat.
Odyssey had a pleasant climate without harsh winters, making it ideal for growing crops.
With crops like potatoes and wheat, the growing and harvest seasons could be arranged to yield as many as three harvests a year.
For now, Kurd City only grew these two crops. Once this crop had been harvested, Medivh would arrange a rotation, alternating potatoes and wheat on the same land to make the most of its nutrients while reducing pests and diseases.
Composting had also been put on the schedule. Fertilizer was essential if they wanted to maintain their yields without leaving fields fallow.
"Medivh, try some of my honey bread!"
In mid-September, the Skeleton Farmers swung their bone scythes in the No. 2 Nine-Grid District's Farmland Districts, harvesting wheat.
After the wheat had been threshed and dried, the Logistics Skeletons pushed millstones to grind it into flour.
Using the freshly milled flour, Audrey baked the honey bread she'd been dreaming of and offered some to Medivh.
"Fluffy, crisp, and delicious!"
The honey bread changed Medivh's opinion. Audrey wasn't a terrible cook after all; her baked goods were not only edible but delicious.
It seemed her cooking had only been awful before because she hadn't found what she was good at.
With the bumper harvests of potatoes and wheat, Kurd City now had a wider variety of staple foods: noodles, potatoes, fish, meat, and all sorts of wild vegetables Medivh had cultivated.
Humans needed a great deal of food because the path of knighthood required them to nourish their vital energy with blood. They had to eat a lot, especially high-quality meat.
Hunting alone couldn't meet their demand for meat, so human animal husbandry was highly developed.
Developing animal husbandry required high-quality feed, which in turn called for large quantities of crops.
The Gewalt Federation had long coveted Odyssey because it couldn't let go of the region's ability to produce food.
If it could reclaim Odyssey, the Gewalt Federation would be able to feed more soldiers and knights, greatly boosting its national strength.
Not long after the wheat harvest, the skeletons used iron plows and other farming tools designed by Medivh to turn the soil.
After letting the fields bask in the sun and preparing the seeds, they would plant wheat in all eight designated Farmland Districts.
By next spring, Kurd City's wheat harvest would multiply several times over.
"Huh? Since when was there a town here?"
One evening in late September, another Slave Hunter Group that had chosen to cross the Winter Mountains instead of passing through Winter Fortress arrived near Kurd City.
A single Nine-Grid District covered ten square kilometers, and Kurd City now stood out clearly against the wasteland. It could be seen from far away.
This Slave Hunter Group had crossed the mountains before. When they'd passed through a few years ago, there hadn't been a town here.
"Captain, should we go take a look?"
The Slave Hunter Group's deputy leader narrowed his eyes as he looked at Kurd City and asked the slave merchant in charge.
A faction capable of building a town like this in Odyssey had to be wealthy.
The No. 3 Nine-Grid District only had low walls, making it an easy target for plunder.
"We've had a very successful trip. Let's not invite trouble."
The slave merchant studied Kurd City, then looked back at their camp, filled with slave wagons, and gave a slight shake of his head.
They were a large Slave Hunter Group. In the past, the slave merchant would certainly have gone to Kurd City to try his luck.
But this time was different. They had captured many valuable nonhuman slaves. All they had to do was get them home safely and sell them, and they'd never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of their lives.
A faction that could build a town like this in just a few years was sure to have considerable strength and resources.
They already had a golden watermelon in hand. There was no need to risk it all for a sesame seed.
"Lord Medivh's orders: leave no one alive."
Suixin emerged from High Tower Castle and relayed the order alongside the Mage Skeletons.
The Slave Hunter Group had avoided Kurd City when choosing their campsite, but that didn't mean Medivh would let them leave.
To buy more time to develop, Medivh would ruthlessly eliminate anyone who came near Kurd City.
After passing on Medivh's orders, Suixin didn't return to High Tower Castle.
She and Suixiang left the city with the skeleton army.
The Slave Hunter Group had brought them here, and they wanted to see whether any of the captives were their kin.
If they found any, they would bring them back to Kurd City. They had already sought Medivh's permission for this operation.
In the darkness, the skeletons advanced quietly, keeping their voices low as they approached the Slave Hunter Group's temporary camp.
Skeleton Assassins were the reapers of the night. They slipped in and slit the throats of every sentry around the camp.
After clearing out the outer sentries, the Skeleton Assassins moved on, killing the Slave Hunters asleep in their tents.
"The smell of blood? We're under attack!"
Inside one of the tents, the deputy leader had been meditating with his eyes closed. He sniffed the faint scent of blood in the air.
He sprang to his feet, rushed out of the tent, and shouted for the warriors to ready themselves.
"Archers, loose!"
Now that their attempted assassination had been discovered, the skeletons surrounding the temporary camp abandoned stealth. The Skeleton Archers drew their bows and fired at the warriors as they stumbled out of their tents, startled awake.
"Urgot, what's going on?"
The slave merchant hurried out, hastily throwing on his clothes as he asked.
The deputy leader of the Slave Hunter Group didn't need to answer. The slave merchant could already see what was happening for himself.
He was astonished. Necromancers were a rare sight these days.
He had only read about skeletons on this scale in certain history books.
There was no need to explain how weak necromancy had become. Who had given this band of skeletons the courage to attack them?
"As you can see, some skeletons crept over under cover of darkness."
Urgot was just as astonished. He hadn't thought he'd live to see the day a camp was raided by the undead.
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