Iron Mine

The soldiers' formidable strength made maintaining order in Hope Town extremely easy.

The residents of Hope Town have discovered that they no longer need to worry about being threatened unexpectedly.

In the past, caravans often caused trouble in the town, especially the caravan guards.

After drinking too much at the tavern, they would act recklessly, making loud noises and even fighting, causing chaos and trouble in the town.

The soldiers in the town used to be too afraid to intervene in such situations.

Even if the residents of the town suffered losses and harbored resentment, they could only dare to be angry but dare not speak out, silently enduring everything.

But now the situation has changed.

If any caravan guards dare to cause trouble while intoxicated, the soldiers will immediately appear with lightning speed, quickly subdue the troublemakers, remove them from the scene, and deal with them strictly.

The soldiers' strength made the previously arrogant guards behave much better, and they no longer dared to cause trouble in the town.

They had no choice but to obediently follow the town's rules, which made the town more orderly.

In the past, caravans passing through the town rarely paid tolls.

The town's weak armed forces made it somewhat helpless when facing these caravans.

Some caravans would take advantage of this, brazenly passing through without any regard for the town's rules.

This not only significantly impacted the town's fiscal revenue but also severely disrupted its administrative order.

In this world, one of the lords' important sources of income is collecting tolls from passing caravans.

Without this source of income, Hope Town's tax revenue has decreased significantly.

Now, with the strengthening of the territory's armed forces, those once unruly caravans have had to restrain themselves when facing the town's soldiers.

They were all forced to voluntarily pay the fees as required.

"After all... Hope Town currently has twenty-five soldiers with the strength of Mid-Rank Warrior."

Most territories of the same level do not possess such armed forces.

The saying "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" applies to the world as well.

Only with such a powerful armed force as a backing can they have a voice.

Chen Changhe smiled as he looked at the documents concerning the town's management that had just been delivered.

It had been about two weeks since he arrived in the territory, and the development of the territory in all aspects had been on track.

The tolls collected from passing caravans alone amounted to 50 gold coins.

In addition to other sources of income, Hope Town's income has been quite good during this period.

Hope Town's geographical location is actually quite good, being very close to the Orc Royal Court, which is why many caravans prefer to enter Orc Royal Court territory from here.

However, when Baron Stan took over Hope Town, he did not put any effort into its development.

The development of the territory is rather mediocre.

"But now that I'm here, this situation will definitely not continue."

Chen Changhe plans to develop Hope Town into a bustling commercial town.

Besides guarding the main camp, Chen Changhe has taken over all the facilities in Hope Town these days.

This includes a tavern, a blacksmith's shop, and the farmland outside the city.

Hope Town used to be considered quite good.

When Doug Forbes' father was the lord, Hope Town had more than two thousand townspeople and more than one hundred soldiers, and several sizable shops, thanks to the Beastfolk slave trade.

At the time, Hope Town was considered the most prosperous town in the surrounding area.

However, after Doug Forbes' father died, Baron Stan became the acting lord of Hope Town.

For decades, he has been draining Hope Town of resources to develop his Bluetooth Town.

After all, the two territories of Hope Town and Bluetooth Town are less than half a day's journey apart.

The two towns can be considered business competitors.

For Baron Stan, it was certainly welcome to see merchants spending money in his true territory Bluetooth Town.

It was precisely because of his actions that Hope Town gradually lost its former glory and prosperity. The once thriving commerce began to decline, and the number of residents decreased sharply.

"That Baron Stan is truly despicable!"

Chen Changhe looked out the castle window at the dilapidated territory.

However, he could understand it.

While Baron Stan's behavior of prioritizing his own interests over others is despicable, it is the normal reaction of a human being.

If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth.

After all, for Baron Stan, Hope Town was merely a territory he managed on behalf of others.

No matter how well it's managed, it will never truly belong to him.

It's better to take this opportunity to make a profit.

Chen Changhe knew that in Baron Stan's original plan, once he acquired ownership of Hope Town, he would abandon the entire Hope Town, relocate all its inhabitants, and then devote himself to developing Bluetooth Town.

After all, Bluetooth Town is his foundation and core.

"Baron Stan..."

"That fat guy is quite a character!"

To Chen Changhe's left was a letter sent by Baron Stan.

One of them was a declaration of relinquishment of ownership of the mine.

This is an iron mine shared by Hope Town and Bluetooth Town, located in a forested area between the two towns.

This iron ore deposit has considerable reserves and has always been an important source of income for the territory.

Apart from a few who farmed the fields outside Hope Town and a small number who worked as blacksmiths and bartenders, the vast majority of the people in the territory made a living by working at this iron mine.

The mining and operation of iron ore mines provide them with a stable income and a secure livelihood.

According to the previous ownership division of the mine, Hope Town only owns 10% of the iron mine.

The remaining 90% ownership belongs to Baron Stan.

But now Baron Stan has unconditionally gifted the remaining 90% ownership to Chen Changhe.

Chen Changhe knew that Baron Stan was trying to curry favor with him in this way.

"However, it's remarkable that they were able to make such a decision so decisively."

"This Baron Stan is no ordinary man!"

Chen Changhe pondered to himself.

Hope Town's annual income by several thousand gold coins.

Moreover, iron ore is a very important strategic resource in this world.

A treasure that money can't buy.

Whether for manufacturing weapons or for making agricultural tools.

Both require a large amount of iron ore.

Moreover, besides iron ore, this mine also contains many other associated mineral resources.

These associated mineral resources are nothing more than useless to others, but in Chen Changhe's hands they are like a treasure trove waiting to be discovered, containing endless possibilities and value.

"Smelting alloys..."

The thought flashed through Chen Changhe's mind. He knew that these associated minerals could play a huge role in alloy smelting.

He could almost see the scene of using these resources to create various high-quality alloys.

Compared to ordinary metals, alloys have advantages in various properties.

Alloys possess superior properties in terms of hardness, strength, corrosion resistance, and wear resistance.

He needs to consume a lot of metal to manufacture equipment such as Mechanical Arm.

This iron ore came at just the right time.