Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 4 Timber Guild
Wood was reluctant; in Kuraki Town, he always had the final say, but since the person who spoke was the mayor, he had no choice but to put down his gun.

A large, round, bloated ball rolled over, pushing aside the surrounding spearmen, and came to Su Mu's side.

He was Mayor Franz, who may have once had a robust physique, but now he was just a pile of fat, his small eyes squinting as he scrutinized Su Mu.

After carefully looking around, Franz recalled a few things, but not many, since those who caught his eye were all powerful and influential people.

As for connections and background, in Cangmu Town, with tens of thousands of people, who among the workers doesn't have relatives or aunts, and whose ancestors weren't nobles? The only connections that matter are those that can be openly discussed and get things done; everything else is disregarded.

Now, this kid has some qualifications.

"Let's go, Baron Eugen of the Timber Guild is looking for you."

After saying that, he led Su Mu into the council hall. Wood could only stare at him fiercely, but he couldn't say anything more.

Su Mu simply moved the gun barrel that was so close to him aside and followed Franz sideways.

The council chamber was empty. At the end of the long table sat an elderly man with white hair. Upon seeing Su Mu, he spoke directly: "I received your letter. I am very sorry about your uncle. He was a brave and strong soldier in his lifetime."

You have inherited his character—fearless and capable—that's excellent.

Franz stood aside and simply nodded in agreement.

"I heard you're doing well at the Cangmu Forest Farm, harvesting 1000 ebony logs a day. That's almost comparable to the Kingdom's primary forest farms. Recently, centaurs have been rampaging along the border, and timber transport routes have been repeatedly robbed. I estimate we'll have to rely on internal forest farms from now on."

Since you've done a good job, why don't you take charge of the Kuraki Forest Farm and then trade with the Timber Guild?

At this point, Franz finally couldn't help but speak up: "Baron, the forestry owner is directly appointed by Langlit Castle. Although you oversee the timber trade within the castle, without the lord's appointment, it would be impossible to replace him so hastily."

Baron Eugen glanced at Franz, as if he had expected him to say that, and deliberately took out a scroll from his robe.

"This is the city lord's order, requiring all forest farms to increase timber production before the war. If they fail to meet the requirements, I have the right to appoint or dismiss them."

The yellowed parchment scroll records Eugen's mission and the unique eagle emblem of Longlitburg.

Judging from the wording and sentence structure, this was more of a pledge made by Eugen. But since Eugen was in charge of timber collection, if anyone dared to embezzle funds and cause the task to be failed, Eugen naturally had the right to deal with them, even if the forest owner had other nobles standing behind him.

From this perspective, the situation at the border is probably not optimistic.

Franz glanced at the city lord's order and suggested, "The situation in the forest is unpredictable. A few days of good production does not mean that you have the ability to manage the entire area."

Wood, who also came from a logging background, suggested that the guard captain and Su Mu each lead a team to produce timber within a week, and see who could obtain more ebony.

The previous timidity has disappeared. Since it involves the interests of Kuraki Town, Franz still tries to protect them.

Baron Eugen pondered for a moment, put away the city lord's decree, and agreed to the request: "War is imminent, and the capable shall take the place. It would be good to have a competition, and I would like to see the potential of the Kuraki Forest Farm."

Seeing that the Baron agreed, Franz withdrew.

Leaving only Su Mu and the Baron behind, the other party got straight to the point: "You said there were traces of timber carts in the forest, is that true?"

Although the Baron tried his best to hide it, Su Mu could not escape the glint of his greedy eyes.

What family friendship, what noble character? Su Mu was able to contact a baron from the Timber Guild precisely because he provided information about the treasure timber cart.

"No treasures have been found yet, and the item may be damaged, but the recent increase in timber production in the forest is very likely due to its influence."

Upon hearing the word "damaged," the Baron's face twitched, but he still said, "As long as there's a trace, that's enough. Find him and bring him here, and I guarantee the position of forestry owner will be yours." The Baron patted Su Mu's shoulder affectionately and whispered, "Remember, don't leak the news."

Su Mu left the council hall and returned home. Along the way, people came and went, but he had already noticed the thief following him.

Eugen didn't trust him and wanted to find the treasure himself.

In fact, Su Mu had already obtained enough information the moment he saw the other party.

Eugen (Knight): Attack 2, Defense 3, Spell Power 1, Knowledge 1
Charm 35, no elements.

Characteristics: Scheming, lecherous.

Intermediate Artillery: Proficiently control the arrow cart to attack targets, greatly increasing the number of attacks and damage, and can also add elemental abilities.

Basic Pathfinding: Reduces the impact of terrain on movement by 25%, and grants +10% movement speed in grassy areas.

In the world of heroes, heroes are usually not easy to detect in terms of their specific skills when they do not reveal their abilities. However, Su Mu has a basic Qi Observation Technique, which can provide true vision for heroes of similar strength.

A hero's four-dimensional abilities are used to command troops and provide bonuses, while their skills are powerful weapons in war.

Eugen's body is old, and his attribute bonuses have decreased, but his skills are still intact. If he were to fight someone head-on, he might not be able to defeat an elite commander, but if he were to lead an army, he would absolutely crush them. This is the role of a hero.

After assessing the old man's condition, Su Mu had a better understanding of the situation.

This heroic baron could only control Kuraki Town by relying on the lord's decree, yet Franz still dared to make demands, which shows how weak Langlitburg was.

The border between the Kingdom of Elton and the Empire of Isildur stretches for thousands of kilometers, and the other side will definitely choose to attack the weakest point.

Su Mu put on his trench coat and walked towards the forest area, leaving the house to the thieves, who would gain nothing.

He waved and greeted the workers in the work area, then, under the guise of an inspection, crossed the forest and entered a cave.

The reason he was able to afford Forrest silver coins and extra wages for the carpenters was naturally due to his accumulated wealth, and the key to that was the treasure.

Parting the leaves that obscured the view and moving aside the broken stones, one could find a pile of wooden carts. Among them, the most dilapidated cart revealed logs imbued with magical properties beneath the decaying leaves.

Damaged Timber Cart (Damaged Treasure): Produces one piece of timber (log) every week, with a high probability that it cannot be produced due to damage.

Commentary: A broken cart with a few pieces of wood by the roadside reminds you that the group hasn't cooked for a long time. You take wood from the cart several times, but the amount hasn't decreased at all. Overjoyed, you take the cart with you.

He touched the timber cart; this was his initial capital. His predecessor seemed to have some brains; his so-called backer provided tangible benefits, allowing him to amass wealth quietly and discreetly.

However, the treasure is damaged and will be completely destroyed if used too many times. It seems that it is not far from being destroyed. We should take control of the forest farm as soon as possible in order to have a continuous source of wealth.

After giving Forrest and the carpenter the money, Su Mu still had 202 gold coins, which seemed like a lot, but in reality, it wouldn't last long.

If you only build spearmen, you might only have 4 of them.

We must seize this opportunity through the Timber Guild. As long as we control the forest farm, we can achieve a qualitative change by leveraging our governance skills and timber expertise.

Since Franz has taken the initiative to compete, he must have been prepared. A fair competition would be unwinnable for his opponent. But with Baron Eugen in charge, and open pressure out of the question, what tactics might Franz use?
I don't know. We'll deal with whatever comes our way.

What truly enabled him to win was people, not other means.

(End of this chapter)