Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 83 Income Not Enough
Su Mu stayed in Langlitburg for a few days, helping Maggie stabilize the situation.

The previous guild master of the Magic Guild, Galad Blackthorn, has passed away. Due to his advanced age and the severe injuries he sustained during the siege, he did not last long.

The loss of this highly respected mage is indeed a great loss to the castle.

However, Maggie made a decision: she would temporarily assume the role of guild master until a new archmage or priest was found.

This move puzzled the nobles, who felt that the lord was too young and unsuitable to serve as the head of the magic guild.

In fact, Su Mu had used the Qi Observation Technique to observe Maggie, but unfortunately he did not get the results he wanted. The other party had a treasure that concealed her aura, making her undetectable by observation or reconnaissance.

However, Su Mu was certain that Maggie was a hero, but her profession and skills were not observable.

I've heard that she once went to the capital to practice magic, so she must be very knowledgeable. If I have the chance in the future, I might be able to discuss things with her.

After leaving Langlitburg, Sumu led the main force to Griffin Cliff in the east, encountering almost no resistance.

Apart from a few dozen wild griffins that surrounded the area and were easily cleared out, the remaining garrison fled.

"My lord, Albert Griffinson has fled north with the remaining griffins."

I have received orders from the Marquis to await your arrival here!

Albert was Ack's youngest son. After all, they were from an earl's family, so they must have had some means of communication.

Aker's rebellion at Longlet Castle failed, and Albert was naturally terrified. He fled north with his Griffin troops, but where could he go?

As the lord of the Marquisate, Maggie had already declared Griffinson's rebellion. Upon receiving the news, which of the surrounding nobles would dare to take them in?
However, Albert is leading flying units, so even if the journey is long, it won't be a problem. Perhaps he will go and join the Arcane Empire.

Sumu always wanted to eliminate any potential threats completely, so he sent a griffin messenger to the northern city to inform Longlet Castle of his decision and to gather information about Albert. If he found any trace of Albert, he would personally hunt him down to prevent any future trouble.

After giving his instructions, he accepted Griffin Cliff.

Griffin Cliff: You are allowed to recruit griffins here.

Production: 7/week;
Cost: 200 gold coins per unit

Since it's not an expensive outdoor nest built by an architect, Griffin Cliff is quite ordinary, but the production of seven griffins per week remains stable.

This has led to a problem: recruitment costs are now exceeding the budget.

Two guard towers, one archer tower, and two griffon cliffs. Even without considering the growth of special buildings, training to the maximum level each week costs 5380 gold coins. If you also take into account the production boost from special effects, it far exceeds the earning speed of the council hall.

We basically rely on the log business to make ends meet now, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to recruit more staff.

Kuraki now has enough staff and the trade is on the right track, but the money isn't coming in fast enough. No wonder Forrest keeps complaining about being broke; it's really not enough to make ends meet.

In return for helping Maggie clear out the assets of Longlet Castle, he received nearly 20000 gold coins, as well as some real estate.

He didn't have the energy to manage the properties in the high-class castle, so he let Valentine find her close friends to take over. They could earn about 2000 gold coins a week, which was converted through the power of the council hall. As for how to handle it, that was the responsibility of the person who took over.

The most direct way to solve this problem is naturally to expand the suggestion committee, but without boundary stones, it cannot be implemented.

Previously, we encountered Wolf Scarface, the spearman commander of the Kyle family, on the ancient battlefield. He didn't return to Whitestone City and is most likely trapped there. There are still half a cartload of boundary stones there; if we can get them, we can certainly expand our guild.

But Su Mu didn't want to enter the ancient battlefield right now; he felt something was off about being lured in last time.

Especially after meeting the Knight Commander and Master Dylan, he felt even more apprehensive about this place.

Although you made a promise to the Tower of Heroes, it would be best to gather clues outside first and enter the ancient battlefield only after you have become stronger.

Since this option has been ruled out, we can only wait for Maggie's application. This is when the importance of a title becomes apparent.

Marquises have contributed significantly to the front lines, and if they request boundary markers, the kingdom almost never hesitates to grant them. If the applicant is a baron, you can imagine whether the kingdom will even consider it. To put it bluntly, obtaining a boundary marker followed by an imperial decree of reward is practically equivalent to being granted land and a marquisate. The kingdom usually scrutinizes these matters very strictly, but in these times of war, the support of the nobles is crucial, so control has loosened.

After all, people like Su Mu who want to build a legendary castle from scratch are extremely rare, if not nonexistent.

It's much easier for most people to seize an ancient city during the chaos than to build it themselves.

When Su Mu returned to Cangmu, before he could even enter the council hall, Forrest rushed up and hugged him: "My lord, I thought you had been kidnapped by some wild woman and abandoned us."

"Kuragi Town is practically starving these days. If they don't send me money soon, I'm seriously considering resigning."

Su Mu reluctantly shook off the guy and had the soldiers bring in the reward boxes.

Forrest opened the treasure chest and found it full of glittering gold coins filled with magical energy; his eyes immediately lit up.

"1, 10, 100...20000 pieces!"

"My lord, have you robbed Longlet Castle?"

After all, the council only produces 2000 gold coins a day, which would take at most 10 days to accumulate. Does this mean Langlitburg has stopped training soldiers?

And sure enough, Forrest was right. During this period of internal strife in Longlet Castle, the barracks were basically producing nothing, which is why Maggie was able to give Su Mu such a large bonus.

Ouling stepped forward: "This is all thanks to the lord's valiant efforts in defeating the enemy. That's why Lady Maggie has bestowed so many gold coins upon you. Is it enough to solve your immediate problem?"

Forrest grinned from ear to ear: "That's enough, that's enough! At least you'll be worry-free for a month!"

Suddenly, he circled Su Mu a few times, revealing a mysterious smile: "I've heard that Lady Maggie is still unmarried and a renowned beauty. Our lord is also a handsome man in the surrounding area, so why don't we..."

Su Mu kicked him away: "You'd sell me out for money, huh? Get the hell out of here!"

Forrest hurriedly left to recruit soldiers for the new month.

This month is the month of the Pokémon, Pokémon production +100%

Although it's not the Astrological Moon for Castle troops, it's also not the Astrological Moon for Bastion troops. Besides, he has a Griffin Cliff that can receive a bonus, so this will be a month of explosive growth for Griffins.

Forrest and Orling split up to train and recruit soldiers.

When he returned a few days later, Su Mu looked at the well-organized troops in front of him and finally felt more confident.

[Shieldbearers 387, Earthbows 260, Wild Griffins 78, Basic Healing Tent 1, Ammunition Cart 1, Catapult]

The arsenal we encountered last time was extremely rudimentary; it was already quite an achievement that it could barely produce catapults.

With a combination of attacks and coaxing, plus poaching troops from other forces, this is basically all the troops he has, and it still doesn't seem enough to fight.

If combined with his governing skills and heroic qualities, there really isn't anyone in the marquisate who can defeat him.

To put it bluntly, the world of heroes is still primarily about heroes, with troop types playing a supporting role.

After acquiring enough money, Forrest also prepared to build a new building.

[Hero Tavern: The tavern provides information on nearby heroes. If you offer enough gold, the owner can make an introduction. If you tip the bartender, they can also provide intelligence on nearby forces (the more Hero Taverns there are, the wider the area they can gather and the more information they can obtain).]
Building cost: 1000 gold coins, 10 logs
Recruitment cost: 2500-10000 gold coins per person

Su Mu possesses the ability to observe qi, so it seems he doesn't have much need for the tavern at the moment. However, this building does have some of the functions of a thieves' guild, making it very useful for intelligence gathering.

Moreover, it can discover reclusive or defeated heroes, which is why its recruitment costs are so high.

Forrest was clearly not satisfied with this function; he walked around the building, thinking about how to make it a unique symbol of Kuraki.

(End of this chapter)