Chapter 202: The Common Hobbies of Two Generations of Lords
After dealing with the matter at Eagle Claw Castle, Leon returned to White Deer Castle.
Neuer and his troops bid farewell to Leon. His mission had been completed and he had to go back to report to Islamdir.
Most of the Horn-Summoning Rangers also dispersed and returned home on the way. Now that there are no external enemies, the Rangers will not go into battle.
Leon even asked Vendatil to take the young rangers to the forest east of White Hart Castle, where Leslie was planning to build a trade zone with the Noldor, and Vendatil, the "tribune", had to cooperate.
Of course, Leon’s main purpose was to let the Noldor go back and spread the word so that more Noldor elves would come to White Hart Castle.
Now Li Ang only has two hundred people left.
One hundred of them were Pendor soldiers, still the most loyal non-commissioned officers from the original batch.
The other one hundred were male Noldor Rangers led by Lisadiran, the other half of Vendatil's students.
These Noldor Rangers have now become Leon's personal guard, and Lisadilan is now the captain of the guard.
This is actually what Wendatil meant - she now values Leon's safety more than anyone else.
Those young female rangers are not suitable to follow Leon around. Their beauty and wealth are likely to attract covetousness. If they cause some unnecessary trouble, it will put Leon in greater danger.
But male Noldor Rangers don't have this concern; they just need to wear a hood like Lisadiran.
One hundred Noldor Rangers, this must be the most luxurious lineup of personal guards in the entire continent.
The reason why the Noldor were so protective of Leon was, of course, because of the 'magic' they had seen with their own eyes...
Although Leon has told Wendatil that gunpowder is also available in the Barkley Continent and is something that everyone can use.
But Vendatil still believed that this was magic - the vast majority of the Noldor elves also insisted that gunpowder explosions were products of magic, and that the explosive packs were magical items made by Leon. Being able to make magical items made him a complete magician.
Of course, it is understandable that the Noldor had this idea. After all, people in the Middle Ages did regard various chemical reactions as spells, witchcraft or alchemy, which were almost the same type as magic.
Older people are generally stubborn, and the hundreds-year-old Noldor are no exception.
They thought it was not surprising that there were people on the continent of Barkley who could create and use magical items, as the Noldor originally came from another continent.
And Leon is a Barkley man…
As for Leon's insistence that this is science and not magic - man-made by the Noldor, this is probably because the two continents have different names for things like "magic".
After all, the Noldor saw that it was Leon who guided Wendy to fire the "Thunderbolt Arrow", which blew up the city gate with one arrow...
They felt that they had seen it with their own eyes and it couldn't be wrong.
Li Ang simply stopped explaining - it was hard to explain to these guys who didn't understand science and were full of tradition...
And Wendatil didn't ask Leon much about things like "magic" or "magician" because she knew nothing about it and didn't know how to ask.
Wendatil is only considered a youngster among the Noldor elves. If she were a human, her age would probably be equivalent to someone in her twenties. She really knows nothing about ancient magic and the like.
In addition, for the Noldor, whether or not one possesses magic actually means the status of master and servant...
If Leon was an elf, then under this misunderstanding, Vendatil and these Noldor Rangers would most likely directly regard Leon as their master. After all, this has been their tradition and is even engraved in their genes.
But the problem is that Leon is a human being.
This made Vendatil very conflicted. Regardless of Leon's help to the Noldor or his identity as a magician, she deserved the highest level of respect and protection for Leon. But she couldn't let a human become the master of the Noldor, right?
Human life span is too short...
So Vendatil simply stopped asking. The proud self-esteem of the Noldor could not tolerate them turning a blind eye to what they saw, but they also could not tolerate a human becoming the master of the Noldor.
Only Wendelf herself understood that this was indeed not magic, because she knew very well that she was just shooting an arrow normally.
But Wendy also didn't know how to say it. She didn't understand the principle and couldn't explain it...
Coupled with her purple eyes - which made her look exactly like a Sindarri elf with advanced magical talents, the Noldor now almost regarded her as the Elf King.
If it weren't for the fact that Wendy still needed to "learn magic" from Leon, the Noldor might have taken her back and forced her to ascend the throne...
Li Ang had not expected that this joke would be taken so seriously. It was so careless that it was hard to describe. He now somewhat understood why the elves were so powerful in the past, but ended up like this...
But this misunderstanding is also a good thing. At least it can make the Noldor elves more willing to cooperate with him. Leon is even ready to train Wendelf to become the Elf King.
…
White Hart Castle.
White Hart Castle is very different now than it was before, and Baron Godric could hardly recognize his own territory.
The people are still the same people, the place is still the same place, but it seems that many things are no longer the same as before.
It has only been over half a year since he arrived at Changhe Town to serve as the Chief of Eastern Military Affairs, but Godric hardly even recognizes the road now...
The originally rugged mud road between Maixiangling and Changhe Town has unexpectedly become so wide and smooth?
There are even some kind of 'bus'...
Godric originally rode a horse when he returned from Sarleon, but after meeting the team leader John at the McShane Square, he also tried to take a ride back to White Hart Keep.
It was originally just an ordinary carriage, but Godric took it as a novel experience.
The carriage would stop when you waved. You could get on by throwing money into the self-service coin box or showing your monthly pass, finding a seat and then either looking out the window at the seemingly endless wheat fields or chatting with the person sitting next to you - everyone was like this and seemed to be very familiar with each other.
Moreover, the people on the bus basically didn't carry much luggage, and they were obviously accustomed to traveling between the two places frequently.
The carriage covered the 100 miles in just two and a half hours—roughly the same speed as riding a horse at full speed.
The speed was very fast on the flat and wide road, and the horses could rest along the way as they stopped at roadside stations every once in a while.
On this road, the average speed of the carriages could reach nearly 40 miles per hour, which was a complete miracle in that era. In the past, only the Jatu cavalry could move with such efficiency on the grassland.
After arriving at White Hart Castle, there seemed to be more wheat fields around - that was planted by the common people in Godric's direct territory, as Amy had learned from Leon's method.
The area around White Hart Castle is Godric's direct territory, which means that those wheat fields are Godric's property.
This made Godric feel very happy...
He really didn't expect that in the six months since he handed Bailu Fort over to Li Ang, he would actually be able to obtain tens of thousands of acres of land!
"My Lord! Ah, Lord Godric is back!"
The guards at the gate of White Hart Castle were still the same archers, and they were all very happy to see Godric return.
"Are Leon and Amy in town?"
Godric looked around and was pleased to see that his old subordinates looked very energetic.
"Lord Leon and Miss Amy led troops to support Baron Leofric of Brave Shield a few days ago... This is incredible! My lord, you don't know that Lord Leon can actually command the Noldor elves! It seems that it is a well-organized regular Noldor army..."
The Archers were talking to their old lord about recent events and were planning to send Godric to the main building.
But Godric didn't let them leave their posts. Since Leon didn't come back, he planned to take a walk and have a look on his own.
A huge new barracks had been built inside White Hart Keep, close to the city wall. Godric could see that it was originally used to hold prisoners - a small number of soldiers from the Bacchus Empire were still held in these barracks.
He knew that Leon had defeated Livius before and captured many prisoners, but it seemed that most of the prisoners had been redeemed.
The barracks are being renovated now. A foreman said that Lord Leon wants to turn it into a military camp, and the Noldor elves will live here...
Godric did not have any ill feelings towards the Noldor elves. After all, he knew that Leon had a Lisadiran under his command. He just thought it seemed a little unbelievable. This place was going to be converted into a Noldor military camp?
Does this mean that the Noldor regular army that the archers just mentioned will serve Leon for a long time?
Moreover, White Deer Fort seemed to have been expanded again, but not because of this barracks, but because more people were doing business.
This expansion did not cost anything and was not intended to increase defenses. It simply formed a comprehensive market at the foot of the main castle hill of White Deer Castle - a market that was spontaneously formed by small vendors.
The area at the foot of the mountain, facing the city gate, is one of the few spacious flat areas in Bailu Fort. In the past, there were only some shops and inns, but not many people.
But now it is very lively here. At a glance, there are probably nearly a thousand people, and there are hundreds of vendors alone.
Although the vendors are small and most of them set up stalls on the street, this place with a lot of goods attracts many people from surrounding villages.
Godric knew the population of the entire county - there were only about ten thousand people in total, but one-tenth of them came to the market in White Hart Castle to shop?
This ratio overturned his previous understanding.
In fact, the wholesale market of Maixiangling has already overturned his cognition - there are now dozens of permanent businesses in the wholesale market of Maixiangling. The overall shipment volume of this small place with a not-so-good geographical location can actually exceed that of many big towns!
This is because many merchants in Changhe Town will send the goods to Maixiangling first, and then the goods will be resold by companies under Maixiang International.
As long as you become a supplier or agent of Maixiang International, you don’t have to pay any commercial taxes in Maixiangling, and these merchants will naturally ship the goods in Maixiangling.
Anyway, we have Changhe Express, and Changhe Town can also use water transportation, so the transportation cost is already very low.
Of course, to become a partner of Maixiang International, you need to pay a deposit first - as to whether the deposit will be returned when you withdraw, this is not yet known.
Because no merchants have withdrawn so far. After all, they can enjoy tax exemption, and Maixiang International will bring them orders from other places.
Of course, you have to pay rent to occupy Maixiangling’s warehouse, and the rent is not cheap, after all, there are many merchants who need warehouses.
These days basically no one can understand this kind of platform operation. The only one who can figure it out is Amy, a good student who follows Li Ang throughout the whole process.
Nearly one in ten people in Ayrshire go to White Hart Castle every day to sell local specialties or go shopping. This is actually because people in the county have more channels for the circulation of goods.
There are almost no markets in the countryside, so if you want to sell local specialties, you can only go to Bailubao. After selling local specialties, you will have money in your hands, and naturally you will buy some things to take back.
Digging out a valuable rare medicinal herb from the mountains, hunting down a good wild game, or getting a piece of good leather... these are enough to make people from the surrounding villages go to Bailubao and then spend most of the day wandering around the market.
As the flow of goods has accelerated and the means of cashing in have increased, naturally more people go to Bailubao every day.
The small vendors in Bailubao are not simple sellers. They buy local specialties and then sell them to the resident merchants in the wholesale market in Maixiangling. They also purchase goods from the Maixiangling wholesale market and sell them in Bailubao.
So they would travel back and forth between the two places frequently.
With Maixiang International as their backer, the merchants in Maixiangling have more shipping channels and can also carry out some processing and production. Naturally, they can sell the local specialties they have purchased.
This enabled Bailubao and Maixiangling to develop a greater capacity for exporting goods, and the constant circulation of money also gradually changed the lives of the people in the territory.
In fact, the money in people's hands is still the same money, and the money itself has not increased. But as long as the currency flows faster and frequently moves back and forth in people's hands, these people's lives can become better - wealth increases in the process of circulation.
Money is not wealth, material things and ideas are.
This is actually the effect of the tax-free zone. It seems that not collecting taxes is a loss for the lord, but in fact, he can gain more. This is the business logic. It is often the free ones that make the most money.
Godric watched all this with joy. He felt that it was a good thing for him to take up the post in Changhe Town. Although he encountered many troubles in Changhe Town, seeing how prosperous Bailu Castle was now, the troubles in Changhe Town were nothing.
Only the main building of White Hart Castle remained unchanged. It still looked simple, there were still no maids inside, and the guards were still the same old familiar ones.
"Lord Godric, you are back?"
The knight guarding the keep stepped forward to greet his old lord.
"I didn't expect you to still be here. Aren't Leon and Amy out?"
Godric was a little surprised to see that the knight was still doing his duty faithfully. After all, the lord was not in the castle, so how could the guard not be lazy?
"Miss Amy has instructed that no one should be allowed to enter the main building. Lord Leon has placed a lot of valuable things in the building and the cellar. I can't afford to pay for them if they are lost. Oh, that cellar is the former prison, the one under the building..."
The knight pointed to the prison entrance on the side of the bottom of the main building, which was guarded by several soldiers.
"Oh? It seems he made a lot of money again... What is it?"
Godric obviously wanted to go and see.
"There should be some grain seeds in the cellar. They cannot be exposed to light until they are planted. They are well protected. Lord Leon has arranged soldiers to patrol outside all the time."
The knight pointed to the highest point of the building again: "There are also some things on the top floor, but Miss Amy doesn't allow anyone to go up to the top floor, and I don't know what's inside."
"Since the grain seeds cannot be exposed to light, forget it... I would like to take a look at the things on the top floor..."
Godric also knew that some grain seeds really couldn't be exposed to light when they were stored. If they were exposed to light, they would easily germinate, and the embryos would die in the cellar, so they couldn't be planted the next year.
But the things on the top floor sounded so mysterious that he became curious.
"Then I cannot take you up there, sir. I cannot go up to the attic."
The guard knights would certainly not stop their true lord, but they also obeyed Amy's requests and appeared to be very well-behaved.
He was originally a member of Godric's personal guard, and he couldn't join the personal guard without following the rules.
Godric patted the knight's shoulder approvingly and went upstairs himself.
Several rooms on the top floor were locked, but Godric found the key in his former office room. The keys these days were big and long, and a trouble-shy kid like Amy wouldn't carry them with her...
One of the rooms on the top floor had a lot of black, smelly particles in large jars.
Godric didn't know what it was, but as an old warrior, he felt that it might be related to weapons.
In another room there were some iron shells and small pottery jars, some of which had wooden handles, looking like drumsticks or short sticks.
If this thing is used to hit people, isn't it too short?
It's a bit too light...
Godric didn't understand, but the iron shells and wooden handles were hollow, so they must be unfinished products.
It seems that there is nothing mysterious about these things, right?
Amy even abandoned the room on the top floor for practicing swordsmanship and turned it into a warehouse?
Godric thought there was a lot of treasure hidden...
In fact, Leon and Amy really couldn't find a suitable place.
Black powder needs to be protected from moisture and cannot be hidden anywhere in the wild, otherwise it will all be destroyed in a few days.
Also because black powder is extremely susceptible to moisture, and the source of saltpeter is not guaranteed for the time being and cannot be wasted, it is best not to directly package it into explosive packs or grenades.
Because if it gets damp after packaging, there is really no way to save it. This thing can't be dried out...
In order not to waste material, it is best to assemble enough just before it is needed.
In fact, the things in these rooms have not yet been put into production, because this is not a warehouse but a laboratory.
The raw materials are not here.
The reason why it is placed on the top floor is, on the one hand, to avoid moisture, and on the other hand - if an accident happens in the basement, it will be troublesome, and the top floor is safer after all...
When the lord returned to White Hart Castle, Godric had been waiting for two days.
When Leon came back, since Amy did not come back with him, the ban on entering the main building had not been lifted, so no one could notify Godric.
As a result, Li Ang saw this uncle lying on the bed in his room, reading a novel - the "Centurion's Combat Life" under his pillow.
Godric was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even notice Leon had returned...
"Ahaha, Lord Godric, long time no see!"
Leon stood at the door awkwardly for a full half minute, but Godric was completely immersed in the ocean of knowledge and didn't notice him at all - the lord could only say hello.
"Hmm? Ah! Oh! You're back!"
Godric stood up in a hurry, with a smile that was three parts awkward and seven parts stiff on his face - basically the same expression on Leon's face now.
