Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 85 Recuperation
Forrest worked overtime to set up the Hero's Tavern, while Su Mu returned home to enjoy a late-night snack and massage specially provided by Natha Valentine.

Under the lamplight, Valentine's tall figure was projected onto the wall. Her two fingers pressed against the lord's temples, gently kneading them. The pressure was just right, neither too strong nor too weak, enough to relieve the day's fatigue.

Valentine's calves, outlined in black velvet stockings, were partially exposed as her skirt grew shorter and shorter. Despite her youth and naiveté, this noblewoman possessed a keen eye for detail.

"I heard that some distant relatives are coming to visit you this afternoon?"

Valentine paused for a moment before speaking: "It's news from Qiangnu Town. For some reason, Dean Richie knows I'm in Kuraki, and he wants me to help persuade him to send troops."

I declined the messenger's offer because of my lowly position and limited influence. I had intended to tell you after your return, but seeing that you looked somewhat tired, I decided against it for now.

While Sumu may not be able to know everything Kuraki does, she can still know what happens at home.

Although Valentine had some ulterior motives, she was not stupid. When it came to matters of territory decision-making, she always discussed them with Su Muming.

Even if she uses this to elevate her status, cultivate relationships, or satisfy some of her vanity, Su Mu considers it all insignificant.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Su Mu tapped the table twice with his fingers, and Valentine leaned over: "Don't rush to refuse them. If the people of Qiangnu Town give you gifts and whisper in your ear, you'll get more gold coins."

If you're willing to return your family's previous debt invoices, then agree to this first.

Upon hearing this, Valentine's ears turned slightly red, and he buried his head in his chest, not daring to speak for a moment.

But with her intelligence, she quickly understood what Su Mu meant.

"Then I'll stall them for now, and keep the treasures I've taken safe. If anything goes wrong, I'll return them."

Su Mu nodded, very satisfied.

Money still needs to be earned, after all, Forrest wants to get into the construction industry, and Lord Su Mu needs to provide enough gold coins.

How did the City of Miracles come to be? To others, it appears infinitely magnificent, its legend enduring. But to Su Mu, it's nothing more than walls paved with gold coins and palaces covered in jewels—it's not that easy.

He suddenly thought of some questions and asked, "Was there any coercion involved in the mortgage of Qiangnu Town?"

Valentine's heart skipped a beat; the man before him had just turned Longletburg upside down.

Those noble ladies who never gave her a second glance flocked to her to curry favor, and families large and small quickly returned their land deeds and assets, not daring to delay even for a single night.

What was her status? To put it nicely, she was the heir to a baronial title. To put it bluntly, she was just a down-on-her-luck female slave, used and manipulated at will.

Despite her humble status, a single word from her could sway the fate of a group of people. Thinking of the messenger's trembling demeanor that afternoon, as he kept handing over gold coins and jewels, she felt an unprecedented sense of vanity.

Of course, all the changes were because of the man in front of her.

"The Richie family was acting as agents for other families. At that time, Valentine had completely fallen on hard times and couldn't even get on the trading table, so there was no need to target them specifically."

However, they must be aware of those underhanded tactics; they're just pretending not to hear.

Valentine bent down and kneaded the lord's nape with his palm. As a warrior exposed to the sun and wind year-round, plus the helmet he wore, this area was quite rough. When the rough skin touched the delicate, smooth hand, although it wasn't Su Mu's initiative, there was a unique frictional texture that felt extremely comfortable.

In addition, my recent intense meditation has led to some unrealistic fantasies about magical powers. When the delicate fragrance of orchids wafts into my nose, it feels as if I am in a sky garden watching the white clouds, or as if I have erected an observatory in a continuous valley, observing the halo of the sun through a straight gap.

Just as Su Mu was about to stretch his muscles, the white clouds were blown away by the wind.

"My lord, it's late. I'll go back to my room to rest."

I will certainly do as you instruct.

Valentine huddled up like a little rabbit and ran away without even looking back.

Su Mu rubbed his neck and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

This young lady, though grateful, wasn't using it for good. Did she really think she was a vegetarian? He quickly composed himself and considered his next move.

Although the enemy has been discovered in Qiangnu Town, judging from the current situation, it is definitely not Ivo's main force, but most likely a roving force like the one in Hegu.

The Richie family can hold the line for now, probe the enemy's strengths and weaknesses, and then he can make his move once he has detailed intelligence.

For a long time, there has been constant fighting or on the way to fighting, and Kuraki Town has not had a peaceful period of development. This is a good opportunity to take a break.

Moreover, war is such a life-or-death matter that it's laughable to think you can get him to send troops just by whispering in his ear and sending him some gold and silver.

Even considering they are all vassals of Longlet Castle, the Richie family has to prove they are worthy of help. If they are hopeless and their towns and resources are later seized by Isildur, it would be better to vacate the castle now and let him send troops to take it over.

……

In the following weeks, Sumu did not go out, but visited various areas every day to inquire about the urgent needs of the people in Cangmu Town.

We are all human beings, and everyone has something to look forward to while they are alive. The three most prominent issues are education, religious rites, and employment.

Education is not just about reading and writing. The best education in this era is actually combat skills and magic. The city's residents hope that young people will train at the guard towers and archer towers, but the number of places is limited, and they can't get a turn at all.

As for the sacrifices, this requires building a temple in the city. The Kingdom of Elton worships the God of Light, but also respects other deities. As long as the lord reserves a seat for the God of Light, the others will not interfere too much.

This building can be large or small, and it has extraordinary functions. The small temple is merely a place for believers to express their thoughts, but if a large temple were built, special events would be triggered every week, boosting the strength of the city or heroes. However, Su Mu has other plans for the temple and has no intention of building it for the time being.

Finally, the issue of employment is related to everyone's wallet. Previously, the pillar industry of Cangmu Town was the forest farm, and a single forest farm and its supporting industries could support nearly 20,000 people.

The industry and surrounding areas haven't expanded much yet, but with more people needing to eat, conflicts have naturally arisen. Fortunately, the land here is highly productive, so no one starves; otherwise, it would be even more troublesome.

Currently, Kuraki is gradually cultivating artisans and craftsmen centered around its markets, including not only carpenters but also other trades such as mining.

Previously, when they occupied the windmill in Seri Town, they could only provide the lowest level of weekly output due to a lack of mining workers. Now, Kuraki has trained a group of craftsmen and assigned them to mine in Seri Town, which can provide a considerable amount of special resources every week.

At the same time, the town arranged for its residents to build roads in the surrounding area, opening up transportation channels between the forest farm and the outside world. This made trade much faster and also solved some employment problems.

Of course, the most crucial factor is still Forrest. If he can upgrade the logging talent to the intermediate level, the forest farm can be expanded again.

The architect has been quite busy lately and hasn't been able to visit the forest farm to experience it.

[Level 1 Magic Guild Special Effect (Intermediate Civil Engineering): Produces two additional Level 1 spells. Consumes an additional 5 of various special resources.]

[Guard Tower Special Effect (Intermediate Civil Engineering): Has a high chance of granting a +100% production bonus on Mondays. Costs an additional 10 Primogems.]

[Special Market Effect (Intermediate Civil Engineering): Reduces transaction costs by 50% when trading with other markets; has a chance to yield sealed treasures. Costs an additional 3000 gold.]

[Archer Tower Special Effect (Intermediate Civil Engineering): Base production is doubled during the first week of each month, with a small chance of tripling. Additional cost: 10 logs, 1000 gold.]

Looking at these reinforced and renovated buildings, growing ever more magnificent and imposing, and then at the gold coins spent, it truly pained me. The gold coins bestowed upon us by Longlet Castle must be almost gone.

The new spell from the Magic Guild is Fire Elemental Curse Possession, which is a relatively practical spell, especially effective against monsters with significantly different damage output.

【Curse Possession (Level 1 Fire Magic): Reduces the maximum damage to the selected enemy unit to the same as its minimum damage. The duration of the effect is affected by the curse power.

Benefits from Fire Elemental Mastery level.

So Su Mu joined the Magic Guild and focused on cultivating new fire elemental magic.

He ignored all invitations from the outside world, requests for audiences, and urgent letters from the south seeking help.

As long as Isildur doesn't attack now, nothing can stop him from taking this opportunity to recuperate.

He will consider sending troops when the new astrological month arrives.

(End of this chapter)