hotmtlnovel Chapter 67 Manor Renovation and Army Expansion
Chapter 67 Manor Renovation and Army Expansion
Before dawn, all the crates were loaded onto the Seagull. The sailors placed the last batch of crates in the lower deck. The waterline of the ship was nearly three feet deeper than when they arrived. The first mate squatted on the gangway and measured it three times. Finally, he shouted a Skellig dialect phrase to the captain.
Erwin stood on the deck, clipping the last list into his notebook. The two newly recruited guards followed at the back of the group onto the ship. Their movements were still a bit stiff, but they had already begun helping with the carrying and trying to integrate into Ron's forces.
Ron and Geralt stood on the dock, the morning breeze blowing in from the Pontal River, making the flags on the masts flutter.
"Geralt," Ron said, turning his head to look at him, his gaze lingering on the mark on the Witcher's face.
"I seem to vaguely recognize this mark. If you are dealing with the owner of this mark, please be very careful."
Geralt raised his hand to touch the mark on his face, didn't answer, just nodded, turned around, and walked towards the city.
Ron stepped onto the gangway, the stone bridge and spires of Bullburg receding smaller and smaller behind the ship. He leaned against the gunwale, took out the land deed for the port warehouse from his pocket, and unfolded it again in the morning light.
The most crucial link in the industrial chain—his own warehousing and transportation lines—was completed. He folded the land deed again and put it in his pocket.
By the time Ron returned to Calard Manor, it was already completely dark.
The Seagull spent the entire night unloading cargo in the river bend. Gold coins, artworks, sculptures, books, and business contracts were transported in batches into the manor's underground warehouse, escorted by Karl and his personal guards throughout the process.
The next morning, Erwin walked into the hall carrying a whiteboard and a thick stack of documents. His collar was still stained with mud, indicating that he had been working on the inventory until late the night before.
"First, regarding the follow-up to the recruitment, the six scholars have settled in at the manor, and the architects have begun systematic planning for the land's architecture."
He pulled out several drawings and spread them on the table. The drawings showed the reconstruction plan for the main building and commercial area of Crow's Nest, the layout of the drainage system, and the structural diagram for the repair of the collapsed half of the roof of the manor's main building.
"The architect believes that the roof is the highest priority project for the estate at present. It had been delayed due to financial constraints, but now it can be started and completed before the rainy season."
There's no need to worry about documents getting soaked and ruined by rain anymore. Drainage needs to be done in conjunction with road construction. The detailed calculations for the construction period and cost haven't been finalized yet, but most materials can be sourced locally; the main cost is labor.
Ron picked up the blueprints and scanned them. "Finish the main building's roof first, and do the rest in stages."
Erwin noted it down and turned to the next page. "The outer city renovation of Raven's Den, according to the current plan, will initially use logs as the main material for the outer fortress. Velen has no shortage of trees, so the cost is the lowest and the construction period is the shortest. Later, it will be gradually upgraded to stone walls."
At this stage, funds should be prioritized for military development; the outer city is a long-term goal and cannot be rushed. The inner fortress can be constructed first, including reinforcing the main building structure, repairing defensive towers, and expanding underground warehouses—these directly impact military defense.
"Okay, let's do it in this order."
"The enhancement potion test data is in," Erwin pushed a sheet of paper filled with numbers in front of Ron.
"Strength and endurance have increased significantly, with the best results observed in new recruits. The training period to reach the professional sergeant standard has been shortened by at least half compared to before. Ms. Kayla confirmed that the first batch of the drug trials was successful, and it can now be supplied to the Royal Guard and the regular army in batches."
Ron glanced up at him. Erwin rarely used the word "significant," which meant the data far exceeded his initial estimates.
"Continue, prioritize the standing army, not the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard's combat skills are honed through countless real battles, and drugs have limited effect on them."
"Retraining progress of the old Raven's Den" Erwin continued to the next item, this page was filled with names and numbers.
"The selection and training conducted by Carl resulted in 151 qualified individuals. Most of those who failed were farmers who had been forcibly conscripted. They simply did not possess the qualities of professional soldiers and were better suited to return to farming."
A small number of former bandits were punished by Karl with varying degrees of punishment for violating discipline during training. The most severely punished were publicly hanged. Of the rest who were dismissed, those with nowhere else to go were settled and cultivated land on the outskirts of the manor.
"The plantation population," Ron said.
"The number of people has increased from 243 in the last count to 412, of which 146 are full-time regular soldiers, which is an increase compared to before. The 151 people in Crow's Nest are not included in the manor's population and are counted separately."
In addition, small villages have emerged around the manor, and people are clearing land. After all, there are standing troops patrolling nearby, a river, and a market within the manor, making it one of the few safe settlements in Velen.
Erwin adjusted his glasses: "I suggest a policy that encourages refugees to clear land around the manor. This would effectively increase the number of soldiers recruited and promote commercial prosperity."
"You're in charge of the planning, and show it to me when it's finished."
Erwin circled this line and turned to the next page.
"The hydraulic wire drawing machine, Yuna and Brom are discussing the blueprints, calculating the materials and parts dimensions. The location has been selected, and it will share the water channel system with the hydraulic forging hammer, using the same section of the water channel to drive different waterwheels."
The first phase of the project has been launched, greatly easing the financial and tax burden on the Bosodi family... no, it should be said that it is the Calard's treasury, so this expense can be disbursed in one lump sum.
Training for armor weavers is underway. Currently, there are four full-time armor weavers, with the rest still in the apprenticeship stage. As the number of weavers increases, the production of lamellar and chainmail armor will significantly improve.
After completing her training, Yuna continued to serve as the chief blacksmith of Raven's Den, responsible for assisting the architects in the long-term planning of the outer fortress construction.
"How are the griffin eggs I brought back?" Ron asked.
"Ms. Kayla informed us that the griffin egg could not hatch naturally. Although the embryo still maintained basic vital signs, its development had completely stopped. She needed to obtain additional research materials to conduct experiments."
"Allocate the necessary materials to her; prioritize them in the next batch of purchases."
Erwin noted this down. "The inventory of the treasury is progressing poorly; there are too many items, including a large number of works of art, sculptures, and business deeds, making it difficult to appraise them at this time."
"But a conservative estimate is at least several hundred thousand crowns." He paused, looking at Ron, "What plans are there for the territory's future?"
Ron leaned back in his chair and remained silent for a moment. "Use the first batch of veterans as the backbone to expand the standing army, while also looking for suitable garrison locations in the Velen region. Next, we need to gradually increase the area under our control in Velen."
Outside the window, Karl's commands and the clanging of soldiers releasing their bowstrings echoed from the training ground, while the sounds of blacksmith hammers and Brom's roars mingled together.
Ron walked out of the hall and headed toward the chapel. The afternoon sun made the stone pavement slightly hot. The chapel window was half open, and Aina's gentle voice could be heard from inside.
"This is white celandine. Its roots can be dried to stop bleeding, and when applied externally, it can treat snake bites and wound inflammation."
According to Geralt of Rivia, the Witcher Master, this herb is also used to make a healing potion called "Swallow."
Seven or eight children sat around a wooden table, each with a small basket of herbs in front of them.
Millie sat in the front row, her head bowed as she plucked a blade of grass from its stem and placed it on the tray beside her.
She looked up and saw Ron standing in the doorway. Her eyes lit up, but instead of running over to stuff pine nuts in his mouth as before, she bowed slightly, just like Aina had done.
"My lord," Aina turned her head and nodded slightly to Ron, "Little Lily is very talented in herbs. I have already discussed it with her parents and we will take her on as an apprentice."
Ron glanced at Millie. Her parents were among the first refugees to settle on the estate and had even cultivated a small vegetable garden on the outskirts. For a daughter from a commoner family, becoming an apprentice to the priests of Merrittley was a good way out in life.
Ron reached out and gently rubbed her head before turning and walking towards the training ground.