Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 31 Development
Su Mu took the two wolf heads and examined them carefully.

Strange runes were imprinted on the back of his head, faint yet filled with magical power.

"Someone is pulling the strings behind all this!"

As they suspected, a heroic figure was definitely responsible for this disaster.

Unlike recruiting and purifying wild units, druids or beastmasters can trigger beast plagues, creating chaotic disorder.

These wolves may not have the same level of control bonuses as heroes, but their sheer numbers make them a significant threat to most towns.

Orling deduced, "Since the Isildur Empire is going to advance into the heartland, using the druids' abilities to create chaos would definitely be advantageous for them."

This is highly likely, as was the case with the previous centaur legions. Expecting them to conquer fortified cities is unlikely, but they can sweep through the heartland.

If once doesn't work, try twice. When the surrounding towns are all affected by the war and no one dares to stay behind, the fortified city will soon be destroyed.

Forrest suddenly leaned closer: "There's one more thing. During your absence, White Stone City in the north issued an emergency evacuation order. If you encounter an enemy attack, you can go to White Stone City to defend it."

Several surrounding towns have already relocated there; those remaining are people with businesses who are unwilling to give them up.

White Stone City.

Su Mu murmured the name. It was a city under the same marquisate, controlling transportation and the raw stone trade at the entrance to the Xilin Plain, and had developed extremely rapidly in recent years. The castle was controlled by the Kyle family, and had already built watchtowers and archer towers, as well as a sizable market, making it a well-known lord in this area.

There's no way around it; the moral bottom line keeps getting lower in this era. As long as the lord is a bit normal and knows how to manage, he can stand out among the short ones.

Whitestone City is some distance from Kuraki Town, and since the other party is only a baron and not a direct superior, they don't usually have much contact.

But since the other side's orders have reached this place, it means their influence has spread here, and we need to pay attention.

"Focus on the vanguard of the eastern fortress and report any unusual movements immediately."

"As for the north, don't antagonize them. Observe the attitudes of the other towns with industries before making a judgment."

Logically, with a large army pressing in, it would be natural for towns to help each other and band together for survival. However, White Stone City's absorption of the strength of villages and towns at this time exceeded his authority. In addition, Su Mu was unaware that the Kyle family belonged to the Longlitburg faction, so it was not advisable to develop a close relationship with them.

Well, it seems that no matter which side they're on, it's unlikely we'll get along well with them.

From a diplomatic perspective, only the refugee camps can be considered allies; the others are complicated.

But looking at the countless wolf carcasses on the hillside and the ever-strengthening Earth Bow, Su Mu still felt it was worth it. Just as he himself said, empty charity is unreliable; the troops and heroes in one's own hands are true strength.

"Oh, by the way, I brought back some special items for you."

Su Mu took out two books wrapped in parchment from his bosom. As soon as he opened them, they revealed powerful magical energy.

The pursuit of knowledge, profound mysteries, and elements—the enchanting power that fascinates all heroes.

"A magic book!"

Forrest couldn't wait to take it, flipping through it endlessly, unable to put it down.

"You really understand me, sir. Such a precious thing will definitely not be buried in my hands."

Su Mu said expressionlessly, "This book isn't free; it'll be deducted from your wages!"

Upon hearing about the deduction, Forrest immediately wilted, his face full of reluctance, but he couldn't tear his hand away from the magic book, and could only sullenly agree.

As for Ouling, his eyes lit up as well, and he carefully wrapped the magic book up and put it in his pocket.

"Thank you, Lord."

No one understood the value of the spellbook better than the heroes; it was the beginning of everything, and from then on, they too could practice elemental magic.

We can't go to Longlet Castle for now, but with the magic book, we can find a way to practice magic.

While Forrest was still haggling, Orling had already taken the Earthbow to training. He called for hunters to collect the wolf carcasses, which could then be sold at the market.

Watching Orling's departing figure, Forrest said thoughtfully, "It seems that a lot has happened to you on your journey. I can feel his guilt and the long-lost sense of freedom."

Su Mu didn't mince words: "If you want to become a hero, if you want to go further, you can't avoid this hurdle. You are like this, and so is he."

Forrest didn't ask further, but he always felt that the lord's method of helping them advance was somewhat special, different from that of ordinary heroes.

He didn't know the secrets, but he trusted Su Mu, and he could use his strengths to his advantage.

Orling is indeed unique in terms of combat strength, and Forrest admits that he cannot compare, but for a town to develop, it still depends on the economy.

"Let me show you Kuraki Town today!"

Forrest brought Su Mu to the market first. Before they even got close, they could hear the shouts of vendors. Everywhere there were lively merchants and townspeople exchanging daily necessities.

"Actually, the biggest function of the market is to provide a central place for merchants from all over the country to stay. Once it is recognized by both buyers and sellers, business becomes easier. If the scale is further expanded, it is not a problem to take a share of the profits from raw timber or raw stones every day."

Forrest was unaware of the effects of the building upgrade, but his natural intuition as an architect regarding its development was invaluable.

Markets are essential as transit points for daily transactions, but where do the raw materials come from?

Naturally, it comes down to farming. Forrest took Sumu to the farm, where farmers were toiling away, harvesting wheat and potatoes. Each household had its own shed, where chickens and sheep were raised to ensure a daily meat supply. If there was any spare land, fruits and vegetables were planted to provide variety.

Rows of yellow thatched houses stand in the fields, forming the most basic unit of a village or town.

The reason we don't usually worry about food is because we grow enough to eat.

The unique land of the Hero World not only nurtures wood and stone imbued with magical power, but also allows for efficient harvests of ordinary crops. Take wheat, a favorite among commoners, for example; in the fastest cases, it can be harvested every half month, and food shortages are virtually nonexistent.

Humans are like this, elves and dwarves can forage in the forests, where fruits and magically infused delicacies abound. As for other races, each has its own recipes, eating wherever they go, and generally they don't go hungry. Of course, orcs are perhaps a very rare exception.

Therefore, all factions rely on wood, stone, and metal as basic war materials, which are used to construct faction buildings and serve as hard currency. Rare resources, on the other hand, are needed for advanced troops and buildings and are much scarcer.

Su Mu did not think that farmers were inferior. He even took Forrest to the fields to work hard with them and understand their needs.

"This year, due to the chaos of war, the planting season has been greatly shortened. We hope that the market can raise the price for purchasing grain."

"Ebony is a good material for building houses, but it is mostly used to refine logs. Could some be reserved specifically for the newly arrived people to build houses?"

"There are more merchants coming and going, and taverns and restaurants have raised their prices. Hopefully, they can control it a bit, otherwise we won't even be able to afford drinks, hahaha!"

The farmers scratched their heads, expressing their simple wishes. At this moment, there were no "June 1st Layman" figures, only the common people of Cangmu.

Only through firsthand conversations with them can one truly understand the core foundation of a town. In Cangmu Town, almost everyone's conversations revolve around the forest area. Even those who aren't carpenters in the forest hope that it can develop so that everyone else can benefit.

As for why farmers are still so poor despite having such good land conditions and not worrying about food, that's a deeper question.

Forrest said, "The people of Kuraki Town are relatively simple and honest. When troublemakers come in, the guards will enforce the law fairly, and more people are willing to stay."

After Wood and his men escaped, Forrest rebuilt his guard to maintain order in the town.

As a native of Kuraki Town, Forrest was very knowledgeable about these matters and handled them quite well, which pleased Sumu greatly.

Although these issues may seem unrelated to architectural development, they are the root of everything, and we cannot overemphasize their importance.

But Forrest's upbringing led to a lack of awareness of certain things.

"Remember, we are heroes, the masters of magical power. Whether it's food, lumber mills, or markets, if you want to grow and prosper, you must put magic to practical use."

The effects of production magic are unparalleled; you've seen the Lumberjack's skill effect too. Without it, we'd still just be an ordinary level-one forest farm.

With a wave of his hand, Su Mu rearranged the intricate waterways in the fields, causing the earth to ripple like waves, balancing the drought-stricken and flood-prone areas.

The farmers, witnessing this miraculous scene, all knelt down in worship.

Forrest stared at the scene of the raging storm and fell into deep thought.

Finally, Forrest naturally took Sumu to see the forest area, their strongest resource production area at present.

Scarcity increases value, and logs are now one of the kingdom's most scarce resources.

"The price of logs changes every day now. If you go to a large market, you can even get 1 log for 750 gold. Even here, it has risen to 1 log for 150 gold."

"Based on the current forest allocation, and maximizing harvesting capacity while maintaining the integrity of the forest, we can supply 6 logs per day. After deducting the 2 logs that have to be handed over to the Marquis's territory, the rest are all resources at our disposal."

"Over this period of time, we have paid off the debts owed to the refugee camp and have been using their channels to conduct transactions, which yields an exchange rate of 300 gold to 1 piece of wood."

After speaking with the Baron at Longlet Castle, Sumu made a concession, offering 2 logs per day, which was a major reason why he was eventually appointed mayor.

Of course, the other party guarantees the transportation route and assumes protective responsibilities. If Kuraki Town is in trouble again, a military unit will come to its rescue.

Su Mu actually felt this promise was unreliable, but he had his own reasons; now wasn't the time to break ties. The refugee camp had close ties with the baron; did the baron not know they were illegally selling timber?

Nobody's a fool, but as long as there's a guaranteed distribution of benefits, at least things can be maintained.

"I also exchanged back the eight raw stones you mentioned last time through special channels. They were sold at a slightly higher price. Those people are really shady dealers!"

Forrest was grumbling and swearing, indicating he'd paid a considerable price. After all, their market was too small, and they didn't have a raw stone industry, so acquiring it wouldn't be easy. Given Forrest's frugal nature, he hadn't originally wanted to switch now.

No matter how difficult it is, the things Su Mu instructed us to do must be important at this stage, and we must find a way to complete them.

Upon hearing this news, Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief. Now he no longer had to worry about not being able to learn magic from the book. Perhaps the wandering scholar could give him a surprise?

Forrest's reports, both large and small, clearly described the basic situation of Kuraki Town.

[Kuragi Town: Level 1 Council Hall (lacking boundary markers), Level 1 Market, Level 2 Forest Farm, High Mountain Fortress.]

Total number of players: over 28000 (generally on the rise); Earthbow 90, Archers 30; Heroes 3.

Resources: 3850 gold coins, 24 logs, 8 gems.

Production: 6 logs/day, 500 gold/day

Unbeknownst to them, the once weak town had already developed some foundations.

I ate something wrong recently and have a bit of gastroenteritis. I'll check the update schedule again before posting, so the update time might not be very consistent. Sorry.

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(End of this chapter)