Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 493 Troubles and Progress

Solving the crystal ore problem only slightly alleviates the resource pressure; it will take much longer to gather enough resources for the Void Power Array.

From a production perspective, Kuraki is not a very efficient territory. Apart from logs and gold coins, the output of other rare resources is very low.

This was unavoidable; Kuraki Castle had developed too quickly, relying on war to rise to power. The essence of war is plunder, not development, so the castles could only maintain a basic level.

After the appointment of a new governor, things began to improve in the hinterland. The rates of paying gold coins, logs, and stones gradually increased, and the population also began to recover.

In the past, no one would have come to a remote town like Konates. Compared to trading cities and famous cities in the heartland, Konates was practically not even a suburb.

But after the war, people had another thing to consider: safety.

No matter how much money one can make, or how fertile the land, being plundered every few days is unbearable for anyone. Moreover, after the heartland was ravaged by the Blood Rebels, the nobles also suffered heavy losses, so they increased the tax rate, causing immense suffering to the people of their territories.

Slaves cannot escape, but free people can migrate; they will naturally move to cities with better environments.

Previously, lords might have used some harsh methods to suppress them, but since the Blood Rebellion, the noble soldiers have been severely insufficient, making it impossible to stop the migration of free people.

As a result, Kuraki experienced a surge in population, especially in areas such as Konates and Langlitburg. Merchants or professionals with resources would try to go to Kuraki to seek better opportunities.

"The entire Langlitburg region has a population of nearly four million, and Konates has also increased to two million. The cities are becoming a bit crowded. Should we develop new satellite towns or build a new city?"

Both cities have a long history, and their main urban areas can easily accommodate a million people. However, if they continue to expand, it will be difficult to sustain them. Forrest and Maggie both felt it was time to add more towns.

For Kuraki, building a regular town wouldn't be of much use, since a council hall only provides 500 spell power coins. However, a new city can absorb excess population, develop trade, and provide employment opportunities, which is extremely beneficial in the long run.

After a moment's thought, Su Mu decided to build satellite cities: "We can build some small towns around Langlitburg and Konates, and the same goes for Kuraki."

The Congress is already the highest magical administrative body, but it is not without the possibility of being upgraded. One of the conditions is to build enough satellite towns and have a certain number of people and troops.

Of course, that's for later; we don't need it for now. The most difficult thing right now is the resource problem.

"How are the talks with the merchants going? Are there any willing to sell rare resources?"

“Only a small number are willing to sell. The north and south are blocked off, and it’s impossible to transport goods from Isildur. Even Raymond, the shipowner we used to deal with, doesn’t dare to do business with us anymore.”

Trade is, to some extent, a continuation of politics. Ever since Kuraki acquired the Angel Alliance, a conspiracy against them has been in the works, with various forces secretly making contact and harboring ulterior motives.

"What about domestic businessmen?"

"The kingdom's merchants are willing to buy, but after the devastation of the hinterland, their inventory has been greatly reduced. They also need to repair buildings and barracks, so they can't afford much. Now, through the transactions, they can only gather enough materials for four Void Power Arrays. They'll probably have to wait a while for the rest."

The enormous consumption nearly depleted all of Kuraki's resources; even the gold coins produced were only enough to retain a portion after recruiting soldiers.

The main reason is that Kuraki's troops are too powerful, and the cost of training them is naturally very high. For example, the Wind Erosion Knights, including cavalry and warhorses, are more expensive than level 7 troops.

"Stable development on the eastern and western fronts, sufficient supplies, and guaranteed troop production are the most important things at present."

After strengthening several cities, around 130 of the strongest swordsmen can be recruited weekly under the Swordsman's Moon. Arcane Prayers can also generate over 70 weekly recruits. The extra recruitment slots from the Temple of Light were given to Maggie by Su Mu to train a group of nuns.

While the Mystic Prayers are very important for research, the nuns are of high quality and can be recruited in small numbers to serve as a medical team behind the lines, where they can be of great use.

After all, the strongest swordsman and the wind-eroding knight have a lot of health, and Cedros can also increase his health by equipping a burning blood potion. In addition, the hero has a high defense, so the enemy can't kill their troops for a while. A team of nuns can heal them, which is of strategic value.

The nuns are carefully selected. Maggie will first choose a group of people from the common people, and only those who pass her test will have the opportunity to be promoted.

One should certainly be devout to the light, but one should be even more grateful to the mistress of the house.

It wasn't that Maggie was petty, but history had taught her that the Temple of Light was always a source of danger. If Kuraki's relationship with the cult continued to be this good, then needless to say, there was absolutely nothing to worry about.

But if one day their interests conflict, whose advice will the nuns listen to?

Maggie's first priority is to ensure the purity of this team!
After the meeting, the lords dispersed and went about their own business.

Although the current situation is somewhat unfavorable, no country dares to make the first move. Kuraki's track record speaks for itself, and anyone who wants to take action will have to think twice.

Currently, the Arcane Empire seems most likely to become the leader. After acquiring a large number of high-level Cloud Palaces in the Void Ruins, the Ring Tower has become arrogant and is eager to avenge its previous defeat.

Once the Void God Cult makes its move, the remaining conspirators will certainly be mobilized.

Despite facing a passive situation, Kuraki is waiting. Once the mobile castle is completed, the situation will change dramatically. Moreover, the repeated battles have resulted in significant troop losses, and they need to recuperate and replenish their forces.

Given a month, the strongest swordsmen can be increased by 500, and the number of arcane prayer warriors can be increased by 300. The number of wind erosion cavalry cannot be increased for the time being, but a production of more than 20 per week is already good.

Thanks to intermediate recruitment techniques and territorial expansion, the number of low-level troops recruited has increased significantly.

Currently, you can recruit 220 spearmen and 200 marksmen every week, and even the Demon Hunter Griffin has a recruitment capacity of 120.

After all, Kuraki gained several new cities during this campaign in the heartland. While they might not be able to produce high-level troops, they could still accumulate 1st and 2nd-level troops little by little.

At the moment, what Kuraki desires most is the Heavenly Arm, which is just one piece away from completing the Heavenly Weapon. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to find it in the Treasure Shop, and he hasn't heard of anyone in the Kingdom having this treasure, so he can only put it aside for the time being.

Compared to this treasure, there is an even bigger problem: the earliest discovered mountain fortress has completely exhausted its magical power and has become a ruin.

Compared to the fire element baptism, Kuraki values ​​the earth element baptism more, since both the shieldbearer and the earth bow are blessed with earth element baptism and are very useful.

Su Mu originally planned to baptize the shield infantry or the Earth Bow with light, but now that the mountain fortress is missing, things are a bit difficult.

Moreover, the prayer altar remained stalled, and no news of Cloud City was released, causing great anxiety among those waiting.

"Ugh, there are so many worries!"

In the quiet hall, Su Mu would occasionally utter a sigh of hardship. Everyone usually thought that His Excellency the Duke was omnipotent, but in reality, Su Mu also had his moments of frustration. Many things were not going smoothly and needed to be resolved slowly.

Key turning points that determined Kuraki's fate, such as the Sacred Relics, Cloud City, and Moving Castle, all encountered setbacks. And the minor issues like city construction, financial pressure, resource shortages, and the depletion of baptismal supplies were countless.

Forrest and Maggie were already highly capable and could help with many important matters, but there were some things he still had to handle personally. Whenever this happened, he would turn into a quiet courtyard, lie on her long, fair legs, and enjoy a relaxing head massage.

As night fell, the courtyard, with its hot spring fueled by fire, wasn't too cold. Valentine was dressed very coolly, and the soft skin clung tightly to his rough flesh, offering a touch of comfort.

Her small hands weren't very strong, but they massaged just right, knowing exactly where the Duke felt comfortable.

It has to be said that Valentine, as an ordinary person who has not yet been promoted to hero, actually makes Su Mu feel very comfortable around him.

Although Maggie understood his feelings better, was a hero, and a proper duchess, it was a different feeling altogether.

"You say this city is so big, with so many things happening every day, it's driving me crazy. When will we be able to train enough heroes to help me share all the burdens?"

Valentine smiled and said, "What does the Duke want to do when he has free time? Does he want to come to my little courtyard every day? If so, I'm afraid the councilors will scold me for being a scourge to the country, and Sister Maggie won't let me off the hook either."

Su Mu looked up at the night sky through the narrow gap in the sky and sighed, "Everyone says that the great nobles live a life of debauchery, but how come I'm destined to a life of toil?"

Valentine leaned forward slightly, blocking out the night sky: "You are a man destined for great things, how can you compare yourself to those degenerate fellows mired in the mud? Of course, your pleasures are merely for the sake of enjoying higher pleasures."

Flattery is comforting; that's human nature. We all know that honest advice is hard to swallow, but we can't refuse recognition and praise.

In reality, Su Mu was just venting; it was absolutely impossible for him to back down.

The stronger the enemy, the more it will ignite his fighting spirit. This is a gamble with life and death at stake; whoever loses will face national annihilation and extinction. How could he dare to be careless in the slightest?

Enjoying the night breeze and the bouncy head massage, Su Mu's mood relaxed once again.

"Valentine, do you want to be a hero?"

Upon hearing the Duke's question, Valentine paused noticeably. After a moment's thought, she shook her head and said, "Let nature take its course. I don't think I have any special talent. I'm already very fortunate to have everything I have now. There's no need to ask for more."

Lady Natha Valentine is now the Countess of the Roses, owning a rose estate and employing hundreds of servants. Her properties are scattered throughout the duchy, and her business extends to trading cities; some wealthy merchants have even sought to invest in her.

Of course, Valentine was well aware of why outsiders did this, and since it involved sensitive business, she tried her best not to get involved.

After all, once she joins the party, they can exploit her name, and any disputes that arise will be very difficult to resolve. The Duke may not care about these trivial matters, but the heroes are all watching, and Valentine is now more concerned about her reputation.

As long as one can stay by Su Mu's side, a steady stream of noble ladies will come to befriend her, and no one will want to offend her.

Maggie, being a hero, is quite lenient in this regard, perhaps because she's always been under pressure regarding having offspring. Given their previous alliance, it's better to let Valentine off the hook than the Vampire Queen.

Recently, another distinguished lady arrived at Kuraki, Princess Diana, and all eyes were on her. After all, the rumors were so convincing; who knows what the Duke was thinking?

But Valentine knew that Diana's chances were slim, unless she had political uses for it.

In truth, these were just thoughts she had in her spare time. As an ordinary noblewoman, her life was quite eventful. Having experienced difficult times, she understood all too well how hard-won everything she had was, and that dwelling on it was pointless.

So she pressed quietly, and Su Mu quietly enjoyed it. It was as if he had returned to that peaceful summer night, enjoying the cool breeze and moonlight, unloading all his burdens, emptying his mind, and wandering freely in the universe.

……

The following day, during the regular meeting, Forrest rushed into the hall, only to find Sumu sitting quietly on a stone chair, sipping jazz tea. Seeing the Duke like this, Forrest relaxed, put down his letters, and joined him for tea.

More than ten minutes passed before the conversation began.

"How long has it been since I felt this relaxed?"

“I haven’t had this kind of time since Kuraki built the parliament. Once Kuraki settles down, I will definitely resign from the parliament, build a log cabin in the countryside, and live my idyllic life!”

"That won't do. Don't forget the 676 silver coins I paid. You can get a refund after I pay them back!"

"You wait, I'll save up enough one day!"

The two exchanged a smile, and Forrest took out the latest intelligence.

"During the Crimson Moon, the Kingdom of Flame appeared in the hills. A hundred miles further east, beyond the Azure Valley, a volcanic fortress was also born, capable of baptizing level 1-2 troops with fire elements."

Without the baptism of earth element, the mountain fortress must be baptized by a new element. Even if an earth element fortress cannot be found, a substitute must be found.

While Ice Lake Fortress and Flame Kingdom are both level 3 or higher units, there is a more suitable building on the Far Plains.

"However, this area is occupied by Isildur, and I'm afraid they won't give it up."

"Since they won't give it up, then take it from us. What public order and good morals do we have left with Isildur?"

"The ceasefire agreement has just been signed, I'm afraid..."

“They have no intention of ceasing hostilities at all; this is just a delaying tactic. Wayne reported that Isildur has amassed a large army on the other side of the canyon and will sooner or later cross the canyon to attack Kuraki. I'm afraid they will tear up the agreement then.”

Su Mu saw it clearly: the grudges between the two countries could not be resolved with a piece of paper. They had only been hurt badly last time, and had already forgotten the pain so quickly.

Isildor's strategy was purely a delaying tactic; he needed time to mobilize the forces of the Far Plains.

Of course, Kuraki also needed time, which is why he agreed to a ceasefire. Now that the enemy is showing signs of aggression, there's no need to pretend any longer.

"Let's wait another week and let Wayne explore the volcano fortress."

This is basically the prelude to war. Although Kuraki needs a lot of time to develop, the enemy obviously doesn't want to give him that time.

Since that's the case, let them see the power of the Angel Alliance!

If you dare to covet it, then show your strength.

(End of this chapter)