by M Sisa
“Sixty thousand, huh.” Lark furrowed his brows. He could somehow understand how Lui Marcus and the Sword Saint lost. They were outnumbered by almost six times their number.
It seemed that the Empire was really serious about waging an all-out war with the Kingdom. The land of the Empire was vast, and bringing this much army to topple the Kingdom would mean that their defenses in the other areas would be thinned out.
“The reason I called you here – look at the fourth page of the article.”
Lark flipped at that page. His eyes momentarily widened upon reading it.
According to it, it seemed that a rumor with him at the center was starting to spread among the masses. Although the news regarding the defeat of Lui Marcus and the Sword Saint had not spread far and wide yet, the news about the Empire’s declaration of an all-out war was known to many. According to the rumor, the reason why the Empire became so enraged and declared this war was because of Lark Marcus. The young noble was the one who proposed to directly attack the nearest city of the Empire, and this, in turn, earned the ire of the Empire.
“It’s just rumors, and I don’t believe you’re influential enough to propose such an attack, but you better steel yourself. These rumors will soon spread through these lands. And once the people learned of the War God’s defeat, the people would have no choice but to resent you – the root of all these things.”
Lark placed the news article back on the table. He remained stoic despite these revelations. “They’re not baseless rumors. It’s true. I’m the one who proposed the attack.”
Valcres’ opened then closed his mouth. “W-What?”
“I was too naïve, huh? I can’t believe I gave the Empire the perfect reason to finally declare an all-out war with us.”
A grin started forming on Lark’s lips. He was not afraid. They could all come and attack him if they wanted. He had experienced far more dangerous things than this back in his previous life, after all. Waging war with a tribe of Dragons or waging war with the Empire? The two were basically just the same.
“So, you called me here to warn me?” The previously stoic expression of Lark was now replaced with a mischievous grin. Seeing this, Valcres could not help but calculate his next steps. He certainly did not expect Lark to react this way.
Valcres shook his head. “No. I’m here to tell you to stay.”
He grabbed the fourth page of the article and pointed at the left corner. “This thing written here. It’s a decree from the Royal Family. Nobles – Counts and those above in rank – are required to participate in the war. And by participate, they are required to send at least a thousand soldiers to aid the Kingdom in repelling the invaders.”
A thousand soldiers? Lark did not even have half the amount.
“Those that are unable to comply are required to personally come to the battlefield and oversee the army. That is the Royal Decree.”
It was a fair decree. As the rulers of their lands, it’s only natural for the nobles to come and fight for their territories once the time comes. With this decree, the Anti-Royal Faction and even the fence-sitters would have no choice but to participate. The only problem was with nobles like Lark who held a high status but without a proper army to back it up. Nobles like him would have no choice but to come to the front lines and personally oversee the Kingdom’s army.
“I haven’t even returned to Blackstone Town yet,” he smirked.
“Not necessarily,” Valcres grinned broadly. “I’ll lend you a thousand of this City’s soldiers. You wouldn’t have to go. But in exchange, you will stay here and build more towers for the City. How’s that sound to you?”
Valcres’ voice sounded more enthusiastic than usual, as though he struck a pot of gold.
Lark looked at Valcres and his still broadly smiling face.
He finally realized the goal of this man before him.
At first, he thought that the evaluation of Big Mona was wrong. That the Lord of Lion City was nothing like the rumors. But now, Lark realized that the merchant was actually speaking the truth.
This man maybe not be totally incompetent, but he was surely a coward.
He was probably still afraid of those monsters from the Lake.
If Lark left for the front lines, who would manage the towers? This was probably the thoughts running through the Lord’s mind right now.
Big Mona’s speaking the truth, huh?
Lark quickly hid his thoughts. He smiled, “That sounds like a tempting idea—”
Valcres nodded, “—That’s right! As long as we accomplish the have the amount of soldiers sent to the front lines, there’ll be no need for you to come! Of course, we’ll have to wai—”
“—But I humbly decline.” Lark stood up, placed his hand on his chest and bowed. “This visit has been worthwhile. But I have somewhere else I have to visit after this, please excuse me.”
Lark bent down and grabbed the news articles. “Ah, and can I have these?” he shamelessly asked.
Valcres stared at the parchments, then at Lark. “You can, I no longer need them. But can you tell me the reason first? I don’t see any merit in you to refusing my offer.”
Valcres sounded agitated, and was starting to overlap with the incompetent image Big Mona always bespoke of him.
Lark paused, looked up at the ceiling as though it held the answer, then smiled at Valcres. He shrugged, “It’s not enticing enough, I guess?”
Valcres gnashed his teeth at that answer. His smiling façade completely slid down his face.
“You do understand, right? That if you refuse this offer, you’ll be sent to the front lines.”
“I do. And it’s not like there’s a fixed time limit to this. You said that the news of the War God’s defeat hasn’t spread through the entire Kingdom yet. Then I should have a month or two at most before I’m forcefully summoned. My soldiers should be ready by then.”
Valcres scoffed, “Your soldiers will be ready by then?”
Lark simply smiled and did not retort.
A month or two should be enough to prepare those soldiers.
If the Empire has their Magic Knight Unit… Then what should I call them? The Iron Knight Unit?
A horrible naming sense. Lark decided to think about the name later.
It was true that Lark was the one who sparked this all-out war with the Empire. As such, he did not wish to simply sit back and watch from the sidelines. Once he had finished creating his soldiers, he decided to march towards the frontlines.
Chapter Nineteen
Lark and his men finally returned to Blackstone Town. Gaston immediately went out to greet them right at the town’s entrance, as though he had been waiting for them to come back every single day. For a moment, the old man’s teary face overlapped with those of a wife eagerly waiting for her husband to arrive.
“Young Master! I’m so glad you’re back!” The old man’s face was a mixture of relief and anticipation.
Lark went down the carriage and scanned his immediately surroundings. He tapped at the ground with his foot. “You’ve completed the roads?”
When they left for the Capital, this part of the town wasn’t paved yet. Tracing the road with his eyes, Lark noticed that it was no longer dirt and rubble. Even the unpaved areas were filled with cobblestones. With this, travelling through the town via cart would be much easier.
“Yes. Like you’ve ordered, we did not halt the progress of the infrastructures of the town. The Young Master may not see it here, but the Eastern District has become an entirely different place from before.”
Lark understood what the butler was trying to say. Since Lark repeatedly emphasized the importance of improving the new homes of the residents of Blackstone Town, the Eastern District was the area being developed the most right now. Most probably, it was starting to resemble the major cities in terms of infrastructure and design.
The butler adjusted his monocles. He peeked at Lark from top to foot, as though scanning the Young Master’s body for a
ny visible injuries. “More importantly… Young Master, what are those?”
The butler pointed at the numerous carts lined up behind Lark. A peculiar stench was coming out of them.
Lark looked behind him. He noticed that the residents who stopped by to look at their entourage were crinkling their noses in disgust.
“Corpses.” Lark went to one of the carts and lifted the cover up, revealing a dangling hand of a gorilla-like monster. The residents who saw it screamed in fright, while some grimaced in disgust.
Gaston creased his brows, “Are all those… filled with dead bodies?”
Lark nodded, “Gaston, free up some space in the underground chamber. Store the bodies there. I suppose you’ve received the iron ingots from the city?”
Gaston remembered that several days ago, more than a hundred iron ingots were suddenly delivered to the Mansion. According to the merchants, they were materials personally brought by Lark. “Yes. They’re being stored at the basement. Should I ask the servants to move them somewhere?”
“There’s no need for that.”
After Lark arrived at the Mansion, he donned a simple cloak and left to check the town. While walking around, he noticed several new faces among the crowd. According to Gaston, a few hundred men and women migrated to Blackstone Town while Lark was gone. This was probably the result of the propaganda in Lion City – their posted advertisements about open jobs at Blackstone Town. Those who were seeking to have a fresh start, and those who were unsuccessful in settling down in Lion City, were naturally attracted by these proposals.
And there’s the monster invasion too.
The constant invasion of the monsters of the Lake in Lion City also played a huge role in the influx of residents in Blackstone Town. Without Lark noticing, the number of people living in Blackstone Town now exceeded one thousand. Luckily, due to the developments being made left and right, despite the influx of new residents, everyone easily settled in and found jobs.
Lark went to the Eastern District, and to his surprise, the place was bustling with life. In accordance to his design, they created a plaza at the center of the Eastern District, with the newly built houses surrounding it. Naturally, business-minded individuals set up stalls at the plaza. When Lark inspected the area, over a hundred people were gathered there, as though the place had become a market.
“We need more people to clear the Eastern part of the Endless Forest!”
“I need an assistant for my tailoring shop!”
The place also served as the perfect recruitment site for newly opened jobs.
Lark was about to go and inspect the Mines when he noticed a familiar face among the crowd. He had not expected that person to be there, shouting and recruiting for men.
“Six silvers and thirty coppers! Join our team! Free meals are provided!”
It was Silver Claw, the Mason in-charge of nearly all developments in this town. Lark had not expected a man as busy as him to be here, recruiting people of all things.
Lark pulled the hood over his head then stealthily approached him.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Hearing the familiar voice, the Mason turned around and saw Lark staring at him.
Silver Claw scratched his stubbles and awkwardly laughed. “Ah, Y-Young Master. I didn’t know that you’re finally here!”
“Cut the crap. I’m asking you. What are you doing?”
He was the Mason of Blackstone Town. His time would definitely be better spent on more important things.
Silver Claw sighed, “I don’t know what happened, but the demand for kalrane stones shot to the roof this month. As a result, more people started joining the mining team. We’ve started losing men.”
Lark immediately understood what happened. Since the towers were powered up using the kalrane stones, it was only natural for the demand to shot through the roof. It was to the point that the supply could hardly keep up with the demand. Although the kalranes were rechargeable, more and more towers were currently being built in Lion City. Furthermore, each use consumed a lot of stones. The demand should continue to rise until the towers’ completion.
Unlike the other professions, the miners were compensated based on their output. Therefore, if one worked harder than the rest, or if they were lucky enough, it was possible to earn twice or thrice more than the usual pay. The sudden demand for kalranes resulted to more and more people joining the mining team. No wonder even Silver Claw himself started recruiting for more men.
“The demand for kalranes should return to normal in the next three months,” Lark quickly made an estimate. “More importantly, did you make it? That thing I tasked you to make before I left for the Capital?”
At this question, Silver Claw grinned, “Of course. It’s the Young Master’s request, after all. I’ll show it to you. Please follow me.”
Silver Claw led him to a newly-finished stone building in the Eastern District. A placard made of wood was placed at the entrance.
“Welcome to Blackstone Town’s library.” Silver Claw’s voice was filled with pride.
The two of them entered. But unlike its grand name, the ground floor was filled with nothing but empty bookshelves, chairs, and tables.
“It took us two months to build everything, including that thing on the third floor. I was doubtful at first, but after the product was finished, the results turned out amazing. Just like what the Young Master said.”
With Silver Claw leading the way, they passed through the second floor, which also consisted of empty bookshelves, chairs, and tables, with two large rooms next to the stairs. But on the third floor, two large metallic structures were displayed. One of them was composed of smaller metallic blocks with letters carved out on them. The other one was made out of a large tube, with two flat metallic sheets below.
These two items were meant to mass produce books for Lark’s people to use. The former was meant for writing, while the latter was meant for mass producing paper. Although the quality would be hardly any different than those seen in the cities – maybe a bit worse – mass producing books would be possible.
“How’s the ink?” Lark noticed that the small blocks of letter had smudges of bluish ink on them.
“Better than expected.” Silver Claw tapped the machine twice. “This thing here is a beast. I tested it myself and the ink really sticks to the parchments and dries easily. And this thing’s pretty easy to use. If the Young Master could allocate more budget, we can make more of them.”
“How many papers can that thing make in a day? And how many books can it make?”
Silver Claw raised five fingers. “Five books at most. And there’s no problem with the number of papers it can produce.”
Basically, the second machine could produce as much papers as they wanted as long as they have enough materials. Luckily, the trees in the Endless Forest were good materials in making papers. The machines would do the menial task of grinding them into pulps, and after adding water, the metallic sheets would flatten them before they are dried. It would then be cut by the machine into finer pieces.
Silver Claw grabbed a sheet from the pile of brown papers next to the machine and handed it to Lark. “Like you’ve ordered, we’ve already made several stacks of them. The ones stored here should be enough to make several dozens of books.”
Lark inspected the paper handed to him. It looked nothing like those seen in the Magic Empire. This paper looked dirty, as though it was drenched in mud, but it was a lot cheaper than buying them from the city.
“Young Master, are you really going to hand out free books to everyone?” Silver Claw was doubtful. As a former resident of Lion City, he was aware of how expensive books were.
“Not everyone,” corrected Lark. “Only to those who know how to read and write. How could they read the books, otherwise?”
“Then…” Silver Claw realized the implications of this statement. “Only those in the military will receive them?”
“For now, yes. But I plan to fix
that problem soon. It’s time we start the basic education of my subjects.”
Silver Claw pondered at this statement. Although people like him who already knew how to read and write and knew how important it was, not everyone thought alike. There would surely be people who would be averse to learning new things. Since they do not need literary skills in farming and building, not everyone would attend this so-called basic education, despite it being free.
Lark also thought the same. “Eighty coppers each month. Everyone who finished basic education – reading and writing – will receive a discount of eighty coppers each month on rent. They will also be prioritized in job recruitments. Also, promotions will be given only to those who’d finished the basic education course.”
Silver Claw’s eyes widened upon hearing this. It was simple, yet ingenious – as expected of the Young Master. . With just this, the residents would be enticed and would enter the basic education course on their own, without coercion. Eighty coppers may not look much, but it was a lot of money in this small town.
“You said you’ve made enough papers to make dozens of books, correct?”
Silver Claw nodded, “Yes.”
“Then let’s start.” Lark took out a book, around fifty pages long. “We’ll mass produce this one and hand it to everyone.”
Silver Claw read the title on the cover, “Principles of a Just Sovereign?”
Back in Lion City, he had read a decent number of books in his youth. He was unfamiliar with this one, however.
“Who wrote it, Sir?”
“Evander Alaester. You know him?”
Silver Claw never heard of that name before. “No, Sir.”
Lark grinned, “Of course. It’s been a thousand and a half years, after all.”
Lark ignored the quizzical look on the Mason’s face. He removed his cloak and started placing papers into the machine.
“Let’s test them, shall we?” Lark licked his lips.
Under Lark’s guidance, the machine moved as though it had a life of its own. Despite the complexity of stamping letters on paper, the metal blocks moved non-stop. Had the Mason not known any better, he would have thought that Lark had been using this same machine for several years now.