Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 29 Amber River

On the banks of the Amber River, as Viran gazed upon the great river that nourished the Anvil Territory, an idea suddenly popped into his head.

"Should we build a bridge here?"

The hunters were all puzzled by this statement.

"Lord Vilan, there's a pontoon bridge not far ahead," a hunter cautiously reminded him.

Vilan shook his head. "I'm not talking about those small bridges; even a slightly larger carriage can't pass through them. Besides, the water here is calm, and there's a natural deep bay. It would be a real shame not to build a dock here."

The hunters remained silent as Vilan continued talking to himself.

They certainly knew the bridge was better, but Iron Anvil Territory had no ability to build a bridge, let alone a dock.

Vilan was genuinely interested. Although the Amber River flows through many territories, its shipping industry is not well-developed. If a dock could be built upstream, all goods could be transported by water, greatly reducing costs and transport capacity.

He put the plan aside for the time being, and then revealed the true purpose of the meeting.

"Mr. Scarface, I've heard you're the best hunter in Anvil Territory?" Vilan asked, looking at Scarface.

Before the latter could speak, the hunter beside him interjected, "Of course! Scarface's hunting skills are far superior to ours. He once hunted three grizzly bears single-handedly and has even personally hunted and killed magical beasts!"

The hunters all nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with admiration.

Scarface didn't deny it, but simply said modestly, "I was just lucky."

Upon hearing this, Vilan immediately became interested.

Have you ever hunted monsters? Are there many monsters near Anvil Territory?

"Rest assured, my lord, most of the magical beasts gather deep in the Stag Mountains and on the northern ice plains. Although Anvil Territory is adjacent to the mountains, the last time it suffered a magical beast disaster was several years ago," Scarface said calmly.

Vilan nodded. "If I need you to hunt a few magical beasts for me, can you do that?"

He stared into the scarred man's eyes, his tone devoid of any harshness.

The magical beasts in this world are much stronger than wild animals because they possess a natural form of magic that makes them very difficult to deal with.

Ordinary hunters can only rely on luck and traps to deal with magical beasts.

So if Scarface doesn't agree, Vilan can understand.

His reason for needing magical beasts was simple: to study the magical cores within them.

If goblin magic cores can be transformed into powerful magic powder, what about the magic cores of monsters?

You should know that the magic cores used by mages are obtained from the bodies of magical beasts, so they would look down on mere goblins.

Vilan also wanted to know if he could develop new magic powder.

Of course, this is only the first purpose of gathering them here today.

I thought Scarface would hesitate, but to my surprise, he nodded readily and said, "If it's just a small, low-level magical beast, no problem, I can get it in three days."

The other hunters were all terrified upon hearing this.

They don't have that confidence.

Vilan immediately laughed. "As expected of the best hunter, I'll await your good news. Also, there's something else I need your help with."

Vilan took out a yellowed parchment map and spread it out on the grass.

"This was found at Wirtz's house. It's a map of Anvil Territory, but it's not comprehensive enough, you could even say it's rudimentary. You can't judge distances from the map at all."

Vilan looked somewhat disappointed. He continued, "So I need someone experienced to help me redraw a map. It must include all the terrain within the Anvil Territory, every valley, every high ground, and every area where goblins congregate—it all needs to be clearly marked."

"I think there are no people more suitable to do this than you. Of course, as long as you meet my requirements, I will reward each of you with 5 gold coins. I guarantee this as your lord."

After Vilan finished speaking, all the hunters stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with astonishment.

What did they hear?!

5 gold coins!

That's a huge sum of money for them!

The hunters exchanged glances, and without much hesitation, they all nodded.

"Thank you, Lord Vilan, for giving us this opportunity. We will definitely draw the map well!"

"Sir, we understand everything else, but why do we need to figure out the goblins' activity areas? Aren't they everywhere?"

A young hunter asked, puzzled, raising his right hand and pointing his index finger behind him.

On the hill behind them, a group of gray goblins were wandering aimlessly.

Vilan chuckled and explained, "They are indeed everywhere now, but the number of goblins I need is not small. I estimate that once this winter is over, the number of goblins in Anvil Territory will not be able to keep up with the demand."

Vilan sighed; he had been thinking about this problem for the past few days.

Because of his daily practice, he has become increasingly skilled in using his magical talent, and his mental strength has also increased significantly.

He can now turn over a hundred goblin magic cores into magic powder at once, and he only needs to rest for an hour before he can do it again, and then he will be so tired that he falls asleep.

As his mental strength grows stronger, this consumption will only accelerate.

Even if goblins reproduce a lot, their numbers are still limited.

So Vilan had a brilliant idea.

He wants to raise goblins.

That's right, treating goblins like livestock and raising them on a large scale.

This idea was still too advanced for the people of Anvil Territory. Vilan hadn't mentioned it to anyone, but it was always good to be prepared.

The hunters stopped worrying about the issue; all they had to do was follow the lord's orders.

They don't have to suffer in the mountains, and they can even earn gold coins. This is a job they could only dream of.

After giving instructions, Vilan told the hunters to go back first, while he continued to stroll along the riverbank.

After working for so many days in a row, taking a walk in nature and enjoying the scenery can really lift my spirits.

……

in the afternoon.

More than fifty young men stood awkwardly in the open space of the military camp.

They were all selected, healthy, and of good character; in Vilan's words, they were "good guys."

The group of simple-minded boys had been waiting in the open space for a long time to join the guard. Finally, Carreras and Rossi walked in.

Both of them were dressed in full gear, with thick leather armor, light crossbows, and heavy-looking melee weapons.

The two of them stunned all the contestants with their charm.

Carreras was pleased with their stares and shouted, "Listen up, everyone! There are only 30 spots in the Guard, so many of you will be eliminated. Don't be discouraged if you're not selected; you can become miners or wait for the next draft. But for now! You are all reserve soldiers! Anyone who disobeys orders is fired!"