Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 51 Loyalty to Whom?
Fortress: A fortress can provide walls and defensive structures for a territory.

Resources required: 5000 gold coins, 20 logs, 20 gems

[Level 1 Magic Guild: Entering a magic guild allows you to learn Level 1 magic (you need to purchase a magic book). You start with 3 Level 1 magic spells and can expand by building an auxiliary tower to recruit magic apprentices and continue to study special magic.]

Resources required: 2000 gold coins, 5 logs, 5 gems

[Guard tower: You are permitted to train riflemen here.]

Building cost: 500 gold coins, 10 primal stones;

Basic output: 14/week;
Recruitment cost: 60 gold coins per person

[Shooter's Tower: Allows you to train shooters here.]

Building costs: 1000 gold, 5 logs, 5 stone.

Basic output: 9/week;
Recruitment cost: 100 gold coins per person

The construction of the human castle requires a lot of raw stones. Fortunately, the price of raw wood has soared, and they used the refugee camp market to exchange for 50 raw stones at a 1:1 ratio, which only consumed more than ten days' worth of wood accumulation.

As for gold coins, under Forrest's management, Kuraki has accumulated over 10,000 gold coins, enough to cope with this large-scale infrastructure project.

As Su Mu channeled his magical power into the boundary marker, the council hall came to life. It lifted its roof, used the beams as arms to collect resources from the ground, and swallowed them into the hall.

The central council table was moved aside, revealing the core component of the boundary marker buried beneath. Like the gaping maw of a glutton, it transformed the materials into basic magical energy and returned it to the town.

The walls, made of huge stones and bricks, sprang up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

To the north, in the barren mountains of the forest farm, a few grazing sheep were lifted into the air before they had even finished munching on the roots, forced to gaze at the magnificent mountains and rivers; to the south, in the farmland and ponds, the farmers planting seedlings could only see a high city wall erected around their houses, isolating them from the outside world; to the west, on the main road into the town, there is a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Cangmu"; to the east, there are high slopes and mounds, the most suitable place to reinforce troops and garrison.

Level 1 fortresses have a wide area but weak defenses, requiring a large number of troops to garrison them.

Su Mu laid out the main layout for the westward advance and the eastward defense, while Forrest was responsible for the specific planning. As an architect, he had a natural talent for these matters and made arrangements very quickly.

"Hey bricklayer, put some mud on here."

"Carpenter, build a watchtower here, and put a large clock there as well."

"The east side is key; the armory is built here to facilitate immediate support."

[You personally built this fortress, increasing the defense of all troops stationed within the city by 1.]

Every brick and stone represents the architect's hard work. You have gained a deeper understanding of this profession. Knowledge +1, and you have acquired basic civil engineering skills.

Basic Civil Engineering: Reduces building construction time and allows you to choose to spend more resources to give buildings certain special functions (can be repaired again as the level increases. Increased by Governance skills, traits have a higher chance of being selected).

The fortress's special function is that the garrison's defense is increased by 1. Although it may seem insignificant, it can sometimes turn the tide of battle.

Of course, Su Mu's contribution was indispensable. He used the level 1 magic Earth and Wood Convergence to greatly increase the construction speed of the fortress.

The city wall, which would normally take several days to stabilize its magical power, was built in almost a day with the combined efforts of the two.

With the fortress under its protection, carpenters could gather timber and farmers could cultivate the land without being attacked by wild animals, greatly improving the town's stability.

Some wandering caravans even wanted to settle down in the city, contributing to the bustling market.

A territory without walls is at best a gathering place; anyone can come and go as they please. Now, however, it's different. To enter a territory, one must have the approval of the council hall, thus enhancing the lord's authority.

As Forrest gradually became more adept at building the fortress, he then personally oversaw the construction of the guard tower and the Level 1 Magic Guild in the following days.

[Level 1 Magic Guild Special Effect: Produces one additional Level 1 spell. Consumes an extra 2 of various special resources.]

[Special effect of the watchtower: There is a chance to gain a +100% production bonus on Mondays. Costs an additional 5 Primogems.]

[Special Market Effect: Reduces transaction fees with other markets by 30%. Costs an additional 1000 gold.]

This is the power of architects; they may not seem like skilled warriors or renowned soldiers. But behind every legendary city lies the name of a legendary architect.

Because the Magic Guild needs to nurture and collect magic, although the exterior construction has been completed, it will still take some time before new magic can be practiced.

So Forrest arranged the guard towers first, and then continued to build the archer towers that Kuraki urgently needed.

If we were to talk about Kuraki's foundation, it would naturally be the Earth Bow. Although shield infantry is also very useful, it lacks the ability to take the initiative to attack and can only let the opponent hit it. This is definitely not Kuraki's style.

Moreover, with the Soul Archer Ouling, the power of the Earth Bow can be maximized. If Su Mu were given enough Earth Bows, he might even dare to rely on Cang Mu to defend the kingdom, becoming a thorn in the side of the Xilin Plain.

[Shooter's Tower (Choice)]

Special Effect 1: Weekly production +3. Additional cost: 3 logs, 3 stones.

Special Effect 2: Base production is doubled during the first week of each month. Additional cost: 5 logs, 500 gold.

Architects need inspiration, and when they are fully focused, they can make special effects selective. Forrest put a lot of effort into the Archer Tower, which resulted in two features to choose from.

After much deliberation, Su Mu decided on the second option: to secure immediate benefits first. While a fixed output would be more stable, with war raging and White Stone City plotting a rebellion, he needed to acquire powerful archers immediately to weather the storm.

No matter how good the rewards are, you still need to survive to be eligible to train.

Moreover, he also considered that Forrest was currently only a beginner civil engineer, but as his skills improved in the future, he might be able to repair towers and enhance their special effects. He always felt that the concept of doubling the investment would have further implications in the future, making it even stronger than a fixed return.

After completing these buildings, Forrest was pale and exhausted.

The architect also benefited immensely in this regard; Forrest was promoted again, gaining +1 to Defense and mastering Intermediate Earth Element Mastery.

But there was one more crucial thing he hadn't done: to cast the level 2 magic spell "Gathering Sand into a Tower" during his cultivation.

With the Archer Tower having special effects, the first training session can produce a full 18 archers. In addition, by adding the virtual building that accumulates sand into a tower (intermediate earth element 50%, recruits twice), a total of 27 archers can be produced.

In the second week, 14 archers were produced. In about seven or eight days, with the help of supplies from the refugee camp, Kuraki almost replenished the troops lost on the ancient battlefield.

By this time, Forrest was so exhausted that he could only lie on the floor of the magic guild, absorbing the magic power that seeped out; otherwise, his body would have shrunk into a lump of mud.

Forrest's rapid advancement was even more impressive than taking alchemical potions, leaving Ouling dizzy and prompting him to rush to the archery range to practice his archery skills diligently.

"I heard that in order to free everyone from their predicament, you made a cursed promise on the ancient battlefield that three beacon towers must be lit, or else you would be cursed to death."

Forrest was so tired he couldn't even drink water, but he stubbornly kept asking.

His relationship with Ouling wasn't bad, and besides, Ouling wouldn't hide such an important matter from him.

Forrest has been working tirelessly on the construction these past few days, perhaps he's been holding back a lot of frustration.

Su Mu simply meditated to recover his magic, and after a long while, he replied, "Hey! It's just a small matter; things in this world can't always go as planned."

Chaos has already broken out. If we, with our humble origins and social standing, do not risk our lives, how can we possibly seize this opportunity?

I didn't want Elton to fall, but with the covenant with the Undead Grand Duke, I've found an opportunity that might help the frontline legions.

Hearing Su Mu's hearty words, Forrest turned away, feeling incredibly sad.

This man had helped him when he was at his lowest point, avenged him by driving away the former forestry owner, and guarded Cangmu to protect his home, preventing it from suffering the same massacre as the other towns.

The soldiers on the ancient battlefield had no chance of survival, but they escaped with their lives thanks to Su Mu's promise to the Undead Duke. When the lord returned, he did not publicize his achievements, but kept his promise and distributed extra pay, praising the soldiers' courage.

In this chaotic world where gold and silver are valued more than life and people are as insignificant as ants, the fact that a lord could do this much already far exceeds the responsibilities of a nobleman.

As the first hero of Sumu's rule, Forrest understood the lord's thoughts. After all, Cangmu was somewhat close to the border, and if the kingdom's army suffered a major defeat, they would be the first to face the crisis.

Su Mu remained indecisive, considering relocation, and even found a way out for everyone.

He has now made a promise to the Tower of Heroes: a two-year deadline, or he will die. This has cut off his escape route; he must use Kuraki as a foundation to train troops, improve the castle, and achieve his goal.

"On behalf of the 35,445 residents of Kuraki Town, I thank you!"

Forrest struggled to control his exhausted limbs as he knelt in the magic hall. His voice echoed through the valley, lingering for a long time before finally fading into silence.

Just then, from the archery range far outside the window came Ouling's stern training words: everyone must undergo the most rigorous training before being sent to the mountain fortress to advance to the Earth Bow, which would greatly increase the success rate.

At the end of the training session, Orling gathered everyone together and roared at the top of his lungs.

"Remember, your lives were given to you by the lord!"
Forget about Longleat Castle, Garfield and many other nobles, Kuraki didn't see a single bit of support from them when he was in the most danger.

Look at the devastation in the surrounding towns! If you don't want your parents and wife to become roadside corpses, take up arms and protect Kuraki!

These soldiers were mainly natives of Cangmu Town, and naturally they trusted Su Mu implicitly. Human hearts are made of flesh and blood; they saw and remembered everything their lord did.

They raised their longbows, and the rest of the recruits followed suit.

"Defend Kuraki, protect our home!"

Ouling scanned the crowd with his eagle-like gaze.

Tell me, to whom are you loyal?

"Loyal to Lord Kuraki! Lord Sumu!"

The sound, like a tsunami, crossed the magic tower, passed over the city walls, and spread throughout the streets and alleys, its echoes reaching even the fields.

Peddlers, laborers, merchants, farmers, and soldiers—all who heard this were deeply moved.

This is the human race. They don't have the powerful and abnormal individuals of other factions, yet they can unite as one in times of crisis to protect their homeland.

Every little detail, every aspect of his governance—that's the foundation of his success!

To whom do you vote with your monthly tickets? We hope for your support!


(End of this chapter)