Well-prepared pirates

With dozens of tons of iron ingots and twenty tons of grain secured, Rowan began making preparations for the Ironworks.

The old steward, Kande, arrived at the coast north of the Shipyard early that morning. The site lay atop a sea cliff, high above the shoreline, with a large expanse of level, open ground.

After some basic planning, the old steward took Rowan's sketch back to town to gather materials and workers, ready to build the Smelting Plant.

Rowan did not sit idle either. After settling on the Smelting Plant's location that morning, he immediately returned to the Council Hall and read through the reports sent by the North Mountain Mine that week.

Hammer kept the Coal Mine running smoothly. Every day, North Mountain's three mine shafts produced twenty tons of coal.

Forty tons of coal had already piled up at the mine, but it would take another two days to reach the amount Gazlowe needed. Rowan also had to set aside time to transport the coal to the harbor, which would require considerable manpower.

At the Troggs' current mining speed, there was no way this shipment would be delivered on time.

The thought of paying a fifteen-percent late-delivery penalty made Rowan wince.

After he pondered for a moment, the system's voice rang out in Rowan's mind.

"The system needs to make an appearance, or everyone will forget this is a system novel. Host, don't forget that you've unlocked a brand-new item-the Sharphead Pickaxe.

Sharphead Pickaxe: a new mining tool that increases mining efficiency by 200%.

"Right, I almost forgot." Rowan redeemed the blueprint from the system, then took it to the Blacksmith Shop.

After he handed the blueprint to Kobi and his sons, Wrench and Ironhammer forged the first Sharphead Pickaxe.

The tool made through engineering proved surprisingly effective.

Rowan tested the Sharphead Pickaxe several times. The results showed that even though he knew nothing about mining, he could still break coal-bearing rock into chunks of coal quickly and with little effort.

Rowan had the Blacksmith Shop rush out twenty Sharphead Pickaxes and send them to the mine overnight.

To deliver on time, the mine had to begin transporting coal to the harbor by tomorrow at the latest.

If the Sharphead Pickaxe really could double their efficiency as its description claimed, Rowan's careful calculations showed that they would definitely have enough to complete the delivery on Sunday, with nearly twenty tons left over.

By noon the next day, the usually busy coast had bustled into action.

Troggs pushed carts of coal to the stockyard, while the steady clang of forging rang out from the nearby Blacksmith Shop.

Though this was only the beginning of Morris Industries, Rowan could already picture Morris Town's future.

Towering smokestacks lined the long, winding coast, while enormous steam-powered freighters docked at the harbor. Workers wore matching uniforms as they worked inside the factories. At night, Morris Town blazed with lights, its factories running around the clock and its harbor handling cargo day and night.

A Morris Town like that had something of a steampunk feel.

Rowan stayed in the Blacksmith Shop until evening, watching Kobi and his sons lead the smiths in machining the cylinder for a large Steam Engine.

The heavy clang of hammers striking anvils left Rowan dazed. After listening to forging all afternoon, his head was spinning.

As he watched an iron plate for the Steam Engine assembly gradually take shape, Rowan signaled for everyone to put down their work and get ready to go home, even though their shift had not yet ended.

Producing one iron plate and several small components in a day was already very efficient.

When the smiths heard they could clock out early, happy smiles spread across their faces. Having a boss who cared so much about his workers was a real blessing.

Suddenly, Rowan thought he heard a series of booms!

The heavy impacts seemed to reverberate right beside his ears. After listening to forging for half the day, Rowan's ears were ringing, and he could not tell where the sound came from.

"Who's still hammering?" Rowan looked around the Blacksmith Shop and saw that everyone had set down their tools.

Wrench had keen hearing. He immediately ran out of the Blacksmith Shop, climbed onto a high wall, and looked out to sea.

"Young Master Rowan, we're in trouble. That's cannon fire," Wrench said, pointing toward the distant sea.

Rowan's expression darkened. He immediately returned to the Shipyard and climbed its lighthouse.

Another volley of cannon fire rang out. Three large Pirate Warships had surrounded four cargo ships.

The cargo ships carried only basic cannons and were no match for the Pirate Warships. After an exchange of fire, the cargo ships fell silent, and the pirates boarded them using wooden ladders and began plundering their cargo.

At the sight, Rowan clenched his fist and slammed it hard into the wall.

"Damn it, how are there pirates in Kul Tiras's inland waters?!" Rowan was furious for one reason alone: those cargo ships were carrying his Iron Smelting Blast Furnaces.

Five whole Iron Smelting Blast Furnaces. Rowan had paid Jaina five thousand gold coins to secure that massive order.

Now, before Rowan had even caught a glimpse of the blast furnaces, those damned pirates had hijacked the cargo ships.

Utterly overwhelmed, Rowan slumped to the ground. He steadied himself and took several deep breaths before standing again.

Half an hour later, the pirate ships had vanished into the eastern sea.

"Byron, get our cargo ship ready. We're going over to take a look."

Knowing that Young Master Rowan's Iron Smelting Blast Furnaces had been stolen, Byron immediately gathered sailors and soldiers, boarded the ship, and headed for the waters where the bombardment had just taken place.

Broken pieces of decking littered more than a hundred meters of sea. Among the scattered planks floated the sailors' torn clothing and patches of crimson blood.

A pungent, bloody smell hung in the air. Rowan gripped the railing and ordered, "Sailors, check for survivors. Do everything we can to rescue them."

The burly sailors changed into leather Diving Suits and began a search-and-rescue operation around the cargo ship.

Soon, the sailors found several survivors.

They used ropes to haul the surviving sailors and Merchants' Guild personnel out of the water. Byron immediately cast Flash of Light to soothe their injuries and mental trauma.

The gentle holy light could not only heal the wounded but also calm their frightened hearts.

"Cough, cough." Byron pressed rhythmically on a sailor's chest. A great mouthful of seawater spilled from the sailor's mouth, and he gasped for breath, his eyes snapping open.

Some of the terror faded from the sailor's eyes when he saw Byron. "Pirates? Pirates attacked our cargo ships."

"They've already gone. You're safe." Byron patted the sailor's shoulder, signaling for him to relax, then moved on to the next wounded man.

After Byron left, Rowan brought the sailor a cup of plain water.

"I'm Rowan Norwington, the man in charge of the Shipyard up ahead," Rowan introduced himself.

The sailor took a small sip of water. Sitting on the ground with one hand pressed to his chest, he said dejectedly, "I'm very sorry, Young Master Rowan. We failed to deliver your cargo. Those pirates had hidden behind the island up ahead in advance. They were fully prepared-we didn't even have a chance to escape."