Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 260 258: Inspection and Progress (Two in One)

Brussels, ten miles east of the city,

Inside the military camp.

This is the base of the Lion Knights. Although not all knights are here all year round, there is always a period of training every year.

They will bring their knight apprentices here to meet up, eat, live and train together, so as to deepen their mutual understanding and cooperation.

Of course, more importantly, healthy competition will make the knights more motivated in their training and will not let a comfortable life erode their will.

Therefore, a huge military camp was built outside the city, specifically for the knights to live in.

However, at this time it was mainly used to detain prisoners of war!

Not to mention the pirates, they were all nailed to crosses on the coastline.

Those imprisoned here are official knights, knight squires, and even militiamen from the Wick and Carlisle families.

The nobles have their own rules. Although they were captured, the quality of life of these knights could not be bad.

Therefore, all the rooms occupied were those of the Lion Knights, forcing some of the Lion Knights to settle down in the city.

The Raymond family had to provide them with sufficient food and meet their modest demands.

For example, wine, drinks, and snacks!

Some picky nobles would bathe every day, go out for a walk and exercise.

Those injured on the battlefield also require treatment and care.

Anyway, there are so many things to do and it’s very troublesome!
Old Hoover had to spend an hour or two every day carefully dealing with their problems.

Of course, there is no need to worry about those knights' squires, because they are not knights and have not entered the circle of nobility.

It's just one step away, and the treatment inside and outside the door is worlds apart.

The living environment they live in is much worse, with large dormitories and multi-person rooms. All they need is enough food and warm clothes.

The worst were the militia. In a huge room, a group of people were crowded together, and it was considered good enough if they had a place to lie down.

You have to queue up to use the toilet, the sanitary conditions are extremely poor, and the food and drinks are just enough to keep you from starving to death.

In the entire prisoner camp, there were 315 official knights, 874 knight squires, and over 5,000 militiamen.

However, the resources consumed by formal knights are more than twice the total of knight squires and militiamen.

Even for the Raymond family, supporting these people is a huge burden.

This is what Loy saw when he inspected the military camp. It cannot be said that there was something wrong with Hoover's arrangement, but rather, that was the rule.

The more Chloe looked at it, the angrier she became;

Especially when he saw those official knights, who were enjoying themselves like masters, his anger rose rapidly.

"Alfonso, Alfonso!"

"My Lord Earl, I'm here!"

"Gather the Knights of the Lion and drive all of them out. Send them to the mines, railways, and construction sites and let them work.

If you don’t have any technical skills, you can just move things, transport goods, and do the most basic physical work!

Anyway, they have plenty of strength.”

Grand Knight Commander Alfonso Zeke hesitated for a moment before asking, "Is it the same with those knights?"

"Didn't you hear me clearly? I was talking about everyone!"

"Leader!"

"Butler Hoover!"

"My Lord Earl, your orders."

“From today on, those who do not work will not eat, those who work hard will eat more, and all other privileges will be revoked.

As for the militiamen, let them take a bath and eat some dry food before going to work!"

"Yes!"

"Oh, right? I can give them some paper and ask them to write a letter to demand the ransom. If they can't get a satisfactory amount, I can just let them keep doing it!"

"I just don't believe they are not in a hurry!"

At Loyi's command, all the Lion Knights started moving. Most of the militiamen were afraid, and the knights' attendants did not dare to say much.

But the knights started to make a fuss!
There was a person who, although he was fed a drug to suppress his fighting spirit, his spirit and energy could obviously be that of a third-level transcendent.

He stared at Roy with an angry look: "Count Raymond, you are trampling on the dignity of the nobility and insulting the honor of our knights!"

"And then? Then, what can you do?"

Luo Yi said indifferently: "If you have the ability, you will naturally have glory and dignity if you win the war.

Now that you have lost, if you don't want to die, just do what I say. Otherwise, you will not only lose your dignity and honor, but also starve and be beaten. "

"Of course, you can also try to escape, since all of you are on record anyway.

If one person escapes, I will look for your family; if I can't find your family, I will look for the superior nobles of your family!"

“So, don’t drag your feet, just pay the ransom and get out of here as soon as possible.

Otherwise, I'm afraid if I see you too many times, I won't be able to help but kill you!"

Having said that, Luo Yi turned around, looked at the assembled knights, and said, "You have seen my attitude, so, do you understand what to do next?"

All the knights shouted in unison: "Yes, sir!"

Then, when they looked at a group of captured knights, they could no longer conceal the mockery in their eyes.

Luo Yi walked away without looking back, and finally uttered one sentence: "It's all because of you!"

……

In the study room.

Daisy Wick looked at the list in her hand with an extremely ugly expression. She said, "My Lord Earl, this, this is too much?"

Luo Yi ignored her expression and said nonchalantly: "A knight under my command said a few days ago, how can you win a war and still lose money?

I think it makes sense!
So, Knight Daisy, I didn't send any troops to occupy any land in your Wick Territory, and I even exercised restraint and didn't plunder.

Do you think asking for a higher ransom is too much?"

"But, but, this is three times what my Wick family calculated. That's three times the gold. Really, really..."

"If you can't get all the items, you can always use other things as substitutes. I'm not picky. Gems, jewelry, magic materials, fine weapons, all good things can be discounted!"

Roy said it lightly. Daisy's chest was heaving up and down. The special armor that had already highlighted her curves made her look even more majestic and up and down.

After a long while, she said, "My Lord Earl, you are even more greedy for money than those dragons!"

"You started the war. I won, so I must have gained something, right?"

"My Wick family is quite powerful no matter what, don't you really want to make friends with them?
In the future, we can also be allies!"

"Come on, when Marquis Carlisle died, those two allies didn't help. So, allies are the most unreliable. You have to rely on yourself!"

Luo Yi finally lost his patience and said, "If you can't make the decision, then go find your grandfather!"

"Also, let me remind you that my asking price will not change, but you can also make up for it from other places."

"You mean the Carlisle family? But, but, but..."

"What do you mean by "but"? If the open approach doesn't work, then let's do it covertly. I'm unfortunate that your grandfather doesn't have any ideas.

The Carlisle family is indeed powerful, but distant water cannot quench nearby fire. If you are fast enough, it will be over by the time they arrive!"

"Alright, alright, go ahead. I really don't want to chat with you anymore."

“By the way, tell your grandfather that if he wants to do something and wants my Raymond family to support him, that’s fine!
But that’s another price!”

……

In Lion Manor,
That half of the mage tower.

Dozens of magicians were busy, chanting spells or waving their wands, as gracefully as if they were conducting a piece of music.

Each piece of building material seemed to be marked with numbers and automatically flew to the fixed position and fell down.

The wizard then casts a spell to glue the stones together using the 'fossils into mud' technique, and then stabilizes them using the 'mud into stones' technique. The magic patterns within them also need to be adjusted to allow them to communicate and link with each other to form larger and more complex magic patterns.

There was also an old wizard with a white beard sitting cross-legged on the magic carpet, emitting powerful magic power. He was communicating with the magic circle of the entire wizard tower and constantly making fine adjustments during the vibrations.

This wizard tower will be completed in just four or five days!

Although the interior decoration still needs to be further refined, the main project has been completed and the elemental pool is operating, which also means that this mechanical mage tower can be used.

By then, Lilia would no longer have to go to the magic factory outside the city for practice or research.

Luo Yi climbed up the stairs step by step and finally stood on the edge of the sixth floor.

One more step forward and he would fall.

But from this height, the entire city of Brussels can be seen.

I saw a jade belt running from northeast to southwest, with three floating bridges built on it. Countless people were busy and there was constant noise.

There are also those low buildings lined up one after another, paved to the end. The streets are like lines passing through a scroll, and pedestrians are like ants, shuttling back and forth on the lines, as if they were strung together into one.

This idea is very strange, but it just came to him. Luo Yi couldn't help but smile, turned his head and looked at the Imperial Ambassador Lord Robin Water, and said, "The view from here is really good!"

"The Mage Tower is now completed. You can come and see it whenever you want!"

Luo Yi turned around, punched his chest seriously, and said, "Thank you very much for your help this time, Ambassador!

Whether it was the Mage Tower or the events on the Silver Sea, I will keep them in mind."

Lord Robin Water took a step back and imitated Roy, patting his chest with his fist: "I also have to thank Lord Roy, because of you, the empire's plan has not completely failed.

More importantly, you saved my career!"

After a pause, he continued, “However, the Earl fought these two battles beautifully.

Marquis Carlisle would never have imagined that you dared to kill him; Pirate King Davis would never have known how you found him until his death. "

Luo Yi grinned and said, "This is a cross-imperial education. If I hadn't gone to study in the empire, I wouldn't have broadened my horizons, let alone achieved what I have now."

"That's because the empire's systems are far ahead of the rest, and Hohenzollern III is as great as a god!"

After a pause, Lord Robin Water rubbed his hands a little embarrassedly and said, "There is one more thing..."

"Why should we be so polite to each other?"

"I heard that the Earl captured the magic ship of the Mist Pirates, but didn't find anything else?"

Luo Yi's eyes flickered, and he said abruptly: "Are you talking about the navigation charts recorded by Davis and the account books that record the black accounts?"

Lord Robin Water nodded: "My Lord Earl is also a wise man, so I won't beat around the bush."

“Those nautical charts record many pirate strongholds and the locations of sea beasts, which are of great use to the Imperial Navy.

As for those black accounts, they are useless to the Earl, but if they are handed over to the Empire, they will be evidence of liquidation."

"Of course, the Empire will never take advantage of its allies for nothing. Depending on the value of those black accounts, we can exchange them for what the Earl needs."

Luo Yi nodded slowly, thought for a moment and said directly: "I agree to this matter, but the goods are on the way, so you need to wait for a few days."

“As for what I want, I wonder if the ambassador can help me find a potion that can help me break through to the fourth level, as well as a rapier that is worthy of me.

You know, my main weapon was taken away by that half-dragon, I was helpless!"

"What about the fourth-level potion?"

"My captain of the guard, Oliveira, I believe you should know him."

"Hahaha, if that's all, then I can promise you now."

……

Three miles south of Brussels.

There is a well-built railway station here. Although it is not large in area, it has all the necessary facilities and is built quite elegantly.

There is a dome and windows made of colorful glass, and a mechanical clock is hung on the spire that tells the time on time.

In front of the station are two east-west railways.

The gravel base is the foundation, the sleepers are the base, the rails are on top, and then fixed with screws...

This is the most basic mechanical structure, without any magic involved, so the people who build the railway can be mortal Muggles.

At this time, of course, there was no magic-powered train running, but there was a simple flatbed car.

The balance beam in the middle can be used to move left and right to provide power and allow the child to move quickly on the rails.

At this moment, Luo Yi was standing in the front, feeling the wind blowing towards him. He raised his head slightly with a relaxed expression.

Although the speed is not fast, it feels pretty good.

However, the flatbed car did not run for long before it reached the end of the track, where a group of people were busy working.

Some were laying the foundation, some were leveling the land, some were laying stones, some were transporting supplies, some were placing sleepers, and some were moving rails...

It should be said that the railroad track is actually the heaviest, and it took more than a dozen people shouting and moving it little by little.

The commanders were all professionals from the empire, who were giving instructions and arranging what to do.

They are often accompanied by two or three people, who are their apprentices.

Once the railway is built and they have learned a lot, they will be the ones to maintain and operate the railway in Huahualing.

In addition, the most striking thing is that there is a large number of workers among them who are obviously different from railway workers.

From clothing to temperament, to the efficiency of work, they are far inferior.

The only thing worth mentioning is that they are stronger.

That’s right, these are the prisoners of war who were sent here by Loy for forced labor.

Seeing Loy coming, a man immediately ran over. It was Lord Shik Cruz, who was in charge of magical machinery.

When he saw Luo Yi, he was very surprised and asked, "My Lord Earl, why are you here?"

"Of course I came to see the progress of the railway construction."

Luo Yi looked him up and down and said, "You have gotten quite tanned these days. Your Excellency has worked hard."

Xike Cruz grinned and said nonchalantly: "Why bother? It's just what I asked for."

Having said that, he added: "My Lord Earl, how about I tell you about it?"

"I've read the information you gave me, but I really want to hear you tell me in person."

As Xike Cruz led the way, he said, "Although the war has continued these days, it didn't happen in Flower Territory, so it didn't affect us much."

“The railway is actually the slowest in progress, mainly because of the Earl’s order at the time to hold it back.

However, the manpower that was transferred was put into other projects, and they are progressing smoothly, especially those mines.”

“A large iron ore mine has been equipped with a magic energy transmission system, which has increased the transportation efficiency by dozens of times and greatly reduced the number of miners required.

Overall, mining efficiency is at least ten times higher than before.

Now, what is lacking is the magic blast furnace you mentioned. Otherwise, all the iron ore would be piled up there, and the production of the magic machinery factory would lack raw materials."

"What about the construction of the Magic Energy Steelworks?"

“You’ll have to ask Ms. Lilia about this.

In fact, what I discussed with Ms. Lilia was that she would be in charge of the construction of factories around the city of Brussels.

I am mainly responsible for running around everywhere.”

After a pause, he continued, "That is, the Earl has returned triumphantly, and I have to welcome him, so I am staying in Brussels.

Otherwise, I should go to the mine in the north now. The Habsburg Empire has sent people to help with geological exploration, and I want to keep an eye on it.

If, I mean if we can find a stone mine in the wilderness, that would be great."

Luo Yi looked serious for a moment, and finally said: "Thank you for your hard work, Lord!"

"It's not hard. As I said before, this is what I want."

After an inspection, Luo Yi saw that the construction site was messy but also somewhat orderly.

He wrote down a few things that needed to be dealt with and prepared to leave without staying here.

The little old man, Shik Cruz, escorted him all the way to the flatbed truck, but he looked as if he wanted to say something but was hesitant.

Seeing that he had something to say, Luo Yi waved his hand, asked everyone to step back, and opened a silent scroll.

The magic light enveloped the two of them, and Luo Yi asked, "If you have anything to say, Lord Shik, you can speak freely. I am not someone who will not listen to advice!"

"I know, I know, the Earl is actually a man with a lot of inner qualities that I cannot compare to.

Even the promotion of this magic machinery has been much smoother since you came.

There is just something I want to say, but I don’t know how to start! ”

"Then it's here. It comes out of your mouth, enters my ears, and no one else knows it!"

Lord Hick Cruz organized his words for a long time before saying, "My Lord Earl, don't you feel it?

The Habsburg Empire has paid too much. The technology, support, and even invisible help are actually worth far more than 500,000 gold tyres."

"I'm not saying this is bad, it's a big advantage for us, but, but...

Do you understand what I mean?"

Luo Yi's smile froze, slowly withdrew, and then rose again, saying: "You said this today, I listened, let's stop here!
Lord Hick, you are right, there are some things that cannot be said casually."

This was the last sentence. Luo Yi removed the silent force field and quickly left with his men.

On the flatbed truck, Luo Yi stood facing the wind again, but he was less comfortable than before, and even the pride brought by a series of victories was soothed.

In fact, Shik Cruz's words were still quite vague, but the old man wanted to give Roy some advice with his rich life experience.

Luo Yi does not despise!

Because, in a sense, his advice makes a lot of sense.

If Luo Yi were to express himself, what he actually wanted to say was: The empire has given too much, so much that almost every request is met.

But all investments are secretly priced, and no one knows how much it will cost to pay back the flowers!

(End of this chapter)