Chapter 194: The White King's Salary Slip and Saint Rand
After Olenna won the perfect victory, she glanced at Lisa who had taken off the cat ears on her head and prepared to get down to business.
Lisa did not stay in the lord's hall any longer. She now went to operate the vibration communication device.
Olenna pointed to the envelope and said, "A letter from the White King to you."
Rand and the White King kept in touch through letters from time to time, but due to inconvenient transportation, the frequency was not high.
Rand handed the envelope to Olenna and asked her to read it for him. Now that he had some free time, he didn't really want to read the text himself.
Olena took the envelope, read it briefly, and summarized it first: "It just asks you to take good care of Ellie, ask some political and military questions, and send the money earned from the previous cooperation project in the White Country to me now."
After summarizing, Olenna cleared her throat and began to recite the original text.
After hearing this, Rand broke out in a cold sweat. The White King seemed to have noticed something about Ellie and his situation. He started by threatening Rand to be careful. If he really killed Ellie, the White King would come personally and capture him and make him the prince of the White Kingdom.
It was tempting to think this way. If Rand hadn't had such a strong will and felt that Ellie wouldn't want him to be a prince, he might not have been able to resist the temptation.
The rest of the story just asked him to take good care of his sister, and talked about some family matters and Ellie's hobbies.
Next are political and military issues.
Rand said, "Write this down."
Olenna picked up the pen skillfully and waited for Rand's next words.
The politics of this era were not simple, and Rand was just a college student in his previous life, so as to discuss the political issues concerning the White King, he could only mention some of his experiences in developing his base over the past two years.
Rand knew more about military issues because he often discussed them with Tanner through correspondence.
Military, politics, and economy are all interconnected, and Rand couldn't summarize anything concise, so he asked Olenna to write a lot.
Finally, there is the pay slip.
The last time the White King came to the hideout, he personally tasted the local specialties and then discussed cooperation matters with Rand.
Among them is a cooperative project in which Rand provides technology to build a liquor factory in the White Country.
It is currently running well, but since it is only the first year and costs have to be deducted, the dividends paid to Rand are not much.
But it will increase year by year.
Moreover, according to the agreement, the goods sold in the factory built by the White Country must be priced higher than those in the den, and there will be no new products produced by the den, so there is no need to worry about the economy of the den being affected.
The dividends were also sent this time, with a gem in the envelope. Rand didn't know much about the quality and price of the gem, but it looked very expensive.
Olenna said that the price of this gem was about the same as the dividend calculated in the letter, and Rand didn't know how much the difference was.
The White King and her sister really have a habit, and Ellie also likes to pay with gems.
Can't we just have some normal money? Ellie's last investment in the big bath was also a gem, but Rand didn't spend it. Now the gem is inlaid on the golden crown that Rand almost never wears.
Now there is another piece, but with Rand's current status and financial resources, it would be much easier to exchange it for money.
The content of the letter ends here.
Apart from some information about Ellie's recent situation and the questions that the White King wanted to discuss with Rand, he didn't have much to respond.
At this time, Rand remembered the blast furnace problem in some dens.
There are many problems with blast furnaces nowadays. The furnace temperature cannot be raised, the high-temperature resistant inner liner of the blast furnace cannot be made, and the product diversion is not done well.
Rand said, "Ask the White King if he can send some soil next time he writes. If there are different types of soil, I hope you can send them all over to take a look."
Olenna was not surprised by this. Rand had done something similar before. During the Brown Moon Deer Raiding Group's looting period, Rand arranged for people to dig up some soil and bring it back.
After replying to the letter, Rand was not in a hurry to ask Olenna to send it back, but took Olenna to the blast furnace in the hideout.
The blast furnace has always been the main task that Rand assigned to the alchemy workshop. The alchemists also know the importance of iron smelting, and are also well aware of Rand's horror and perversion, so they have never dared to slack off.
Although many things cannot be done at present, the problems are already very clear. The furnace temperature cannot be raised because of fuel problems, and coke is needed.
How to make coke is still under study, and the process is temporarily stuck here.
Then there is the inner liner, which requires high-temperature resistant materials. When the temperature of the blast furnace is high enough, the iron will become molten iron. At that temperature, ordinary materials will not work.
In theory, the liner needs to be made of high-temperature resistant silicate, but no suitable clay can be found near the den.
Neither was the territory of the Snow Fox Countess; Rand had tested and checked it.
It should be the kaolin from Jingdezhen in Rand's previous life. I wonder if the White King has it.
Anyway, Rand has assigned the task of digging up the intelligence organization headed by Elsa and the missionary system headed by Bishop Seth.
Rand believed that there was always a chance to find suitable clay to make the lining of the blast furnace.
But there is no way. The iron ore produced by lean iron ore contains too many impurities and the carbon content is unknown, making it impossible to make suitable ironware or even steel weapons.
Plate armor is even more impossible.
However, the hideout is not idle now. Except for the experimental blast furnace, all others are in operation.
Before the blast furnace is completely completed, Rand plans to use the iron ore he has obtained to make armor to increase the armor-wearing rate of the army.
Although the overall quality of ziplock armor is not as good as plate armor, it is much simpler to make. The blacksmith only needs to forge the armor plates.
The rest can be handed over to the hired villagers for production.
Zardo armor is now feasible, and the cost is not very high. The defensive effect is only slightly weaker. Rand plans to equip some first.
I don’t know when the hideout will be able to produce plate armor.
…
The defense line of Crescent Territory still has traces of blood and fire. The bodies were burned as requested by Rand, and the remaining ashes were buried in the nearby soil.
The bloodstains were washed many times with river water, but they only faded and did not completely disappear.
The defense line has been repaired a little now, but the knife marks, scattered boulder fragments and scorch marks from fire all record the fierceness and bloodiness of that war.
At this time, Taner and Fenris were exchanging required reference books on warfare in the newly rebuilt core fortress.
"I think that although intelligence is the most important thing in war, the way to obtain intelligence should not only rely on scouts..."
Although Taner's understanding of military affairs is much better than Fenris's, as a novice paladin of the Torch Church, Taner does not have the bad habit of arrogance.
Just like Rand, in Tanner's eyes, Rand's understanding of military affairs must be far better than his own, but Rand has never been reluctant to discuss with him, and Rand has never been reluctant to admit his mistakes when there are unrealistic aspects.
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Taner had heard the rumor that Rand was the illegitimate son of a high-ranking member of the Torch Church. Of course, he didn't believe it in the past, and he doesn't believe it now.
But Rand does not look like a cult's messenger at all. Rand does not like to sacrifice living people or anything else.
I also don't like to do things that cultists like to do, such as creating chaos or bringing death.
Although Rand actually caused quite a lot of deaths.
And although Rand likes money very much, he is not greedy, but generous.
Although Rand was not honest most of the time, he was sincere enough to his own people.
And although he likes delicious food, he doesn't overeat, but is rather quite moderate.
Rand was also humble, hardworking, and kind…
Although I don't know what others think, in Taner's eyes, Rand has many virtues.
Perhaps the only two shortcomings of Rand are his lust for beauty and his seemingly perverted hobbies, but for a lord, these are nothing.
At least in Tanner's mind, Rand was quite a saintly person.
And at least in Tanner's mind, Rand is a role model worthy of learning.
Therefore, even though he was already familiar with the required courses in warfare, he was still willing to discuss the contents with Fenris.
Sometimes there are really useful new insights.
And now, Fenris is somewhat tempted to give up Latanel and return to the Torch Church.
One is that the Torch Church is now split. When he and Taner heard the news, they were extremely shocked. In their impression, the Torch Church was recognized and respected by all human countries.
Everyone in the Torch Church believes in the same God and practices the same ideals, so how could they split?
Taner was fine, and Fenris actually wanted to go back and take a look at him at one point.
But now, he also shoulders important responsibilities here in Rand.
It was obvious that at the beginning he was just planning to lie in wait and persuade the paladins that the Torch Church had worked so hard to train to return to the Church.
At least in his judgment, Taner was still a Paladin, had no tendency to fall, and was completely worthy of redemption.
Later, I became Taner's adjutant without knowing why, and was forced to learn some references.
Then he was suspected by Rand and had to lead the pioneering effort to prove himself.
Later, he became what he is now, Fenris, the second general under Rand.
There is no turning back now. Fenris can no longer throw away the burden on his shoulders and go back to the Torch Church.
Therefore, even though Fenris thought about resigning to Rand several times, he never took action in the end.
The reason is certainly not because of this little power.
Rather, he had a deep understanding of Rand's ideas and the beliefs that Rand wanted to spread.
And Taner, and Fenris, are practicing this philosophy that even Fenris himself has to admit is more practical and definitely more correct than the teachings of the Torch Church.
Although the Rand messenger was lustful, greedy, money-hungry, and scheming, Fenris had to admit, even though he was very reluctant, that Rand was a good lord, better than most of the noble lords in the world.
At this time, the subordinate soldiers handed over Rand's order.
The two also stopped discussing the required course on war studies.
Rand ordered Fenris to take 500 men to the Full Moon Territory, establish an outpost, persuade the villagers to naturalize, scout out the situation of nearby hostile forces, and ensure that farming can be carried out in the spring of the following year.
The Brown Moon Deer Raiding Group has been disbanded, but the number of cavalry in the hideout has gradually increased. They will follow Fenris and obey his command.
Taner continued to stay, monitoring the repair of the defense line and guarding against the Snow Fox Territory.
(End of this chapter)