Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 378 The War with Hathaway

In just three days, under the leadership of Thomas the Roll King and with the hard work of more than 500 strong laborers, the entire mountain was dug out, exposing a huge layer of rock, which became the best foundation!

Once the surface is leveled, a sturdy and massive fortress can be built directly on top.

So much so that Zhao Qingshan, the Samsung craftsman, got a little excited and rushed over to Li Wei, insisting on revising the architectural design drawings.

"My lord, I never expected that this seemingly unremarkable mountain would become so beautiful after the top layer of soil was removed. The rocks are almost as one, a masterpiece of nature! So a 2.0 fortress is not enough, it must be 3.0, no, I think we can go straight to the ultimate version 5.0!"

"Shut up, what do you mean by 'miracle work'? This is just a result of chaotic magical particles reacting violently in this area, turning the entire mountain into a high-quality stone mine. That's right, it's a four-star stone mine."

Hathaway interrupted Zhao Qingshan's exclamation, grabbed Li Wei, looked him straight in the eye, and said seriously, "Li Wei, I think I have to overturn your previous plan. My barony doesn't want to go to that small town a hundred kilometers away. My barony has to be here, even if it's built at the foot of the mountain, but my barony has to be here! If you dare to say no to me tonight, don't even think about sleeping with me tonight!"

Well, they've started throwing a tantrum.

It was clear how anxious she was, because this place was truly a place of great feng shui. Perhaps it was due to the chaotic magic brought by the river, or perhaps it was because something had happened here a few years ago. In any case, Li Wei also vaguely sensed it.

After thinking for a moment, he pointed to another small mountain about twenty miles south, only about one hundred meters high. Between the two small mountains was a plain, where a ruined town and several ruined villages were located.

"Alright, if you insist, you can place your baronial territory at the foot of that mountain, and build your castle on the summit. In fact, you can start building it tomorrow."

"Huh? You're being so agreeable today!"

Hathaway was taken aback; she was about to throw a tantrum and make a scene.

"Because there are still conditions, namely, this mountain, and the fortress that is about to be built, will no longer belong to you," Li Wei said calmly, his eyes clear. Yes, one thing at a time!
"Holy shit..."

Hathaway was furious; her eyes were red, and she looked like she was about to explode with anger.

"What the hell do you want? I've already let you garrison here, what more do you want? This is my Black Mountain Fortress! My Black Mountain Knights! Li Wei, you big scumbag, don't go too far!"

Li Wei shook his head slightly, still speaking in a calm tone: "You need to understand, Hathaway, this place is called the Neanderthal Hills. It used to be a place where Neanderthal cross-borderers built wilderness camps. Those Neanderthals were smarter than you and me. Even they chose to build camps here. Can you guess why?"

"You can't say they wanted this place because it's more secluded. I don't believe there's a more secluded place on this planet. The location I pointed out to you earlier, that small town a hundred kilometers to the east, is no more than twenty kilometers away from the former Neanderthal camp as the crow flies! I don't believe they haven't observed that town. In other words, if nothing unexpected happens, once it's developed, they can directly seize that town and build a port there."

"In short, in my opinion, the entire hilly area on the south bank is a region rich in resources. Two-star trees can be seen everywhere, and there are also many resources of two-star level and above. It's just that my territory is already on the north bank, and I can't expand southward. Otherwise, do you think I would give you a chance?"

"So now, you either follow the original plan and build your baronial territory in the town a hundred kilometers away, in which case you will still own half of this fortress. Or you have to do what I just said."

Hearing Li Wei's words, Hathaway was stunned for a moment. In the past two days, she could indeed sense that the river in front of her was constantly bringing sporadic magical power. This magical power was not tilted to the north, but to the south, as if some kind of mysterious magnetic field was at work. This was probably because the trajectory of the river had wrapped this hilly area into a semicircle.
"Li Wei, I don't think we need to be so distant. Can't we make up?"

“I still want to be your advisor. We don’t have to be so petty, like two rivals. It’s too divisive, it’s like my heart is bleeding. I love you so much, I can’t be without you for a minute, but you’re so cruel to me, making me feel like an abandoned dog! You can’t treat me like this!”

Hathaway started crying again, but Li Wei just watched her performance quietly. Well, this time, about 60% of her crying was genuine, because she was really panicked and hurt.

But so what? Who hasn't been isolated and helpless? Who hasn't been hurt?

Although he traveled thousands of miles to actively seek an alliance with Hathaway, what would happen to a pioneer who, even in the late game, couldn't afford to build a magic mine? Or even if he didn't seek an alliance, how could he possibly develop if he stayed in Black Mountain Fortress?
Why didn't Hathaway have enough gold coins to apply for the construction of the magic mine?
Was the support from Night Owl insufficient for her?
No, that's not it. She spent most of her time and energy hunting mutated creatures and dissecting them to collect magical materials.

Therefore, her territory's total wealth is only 50,000 gold coins, and her territory's population is dilapidated, consisting of level 0 free citizens. This should all have been managed by Lu Ziming and the key personnel from the Ministry of Internal Affairs sent by Night Owl.

Li Wei could bet that Hathaway had accumulated enough magical materials to build a magic mine and then immediately build a one-star mage tower.

That was her own wealth.

Even if she becomes Li Wei's advisor, it is still her own asset.

Moreover, the staff members also receive dividends after joining, especially since she is investing with her own capital. Once the mage tower is built, her influence will increase significantly.

Finally, staff members can also apply to leave their territory.

That would introduce too many variables.

In short, Li Wei genuinely cherished Hathaway's talent and abilities, and truly believed she was his best ally—the kind who would shield him from harm.

Yes, Li Wei himself doesn't know what his territory looks like right now. Before the Magic Portal is established, his territory is like a small lobster, with the center of gravity at both ends and the middle being the largest blank space.

It's summer now, but when winter comes and the rivers freeze over, and the Ice Duke comes out of his way, believe it or not, the entire 500-mile stretch of empty space between the riverside fortress and the territory's main camp will be filled with wandering squads of superhumans.
Looking at the map, any normal person would feel that something is amiss.

Therefore, in order to defend the north bank and to develop safely on the north bank, it is necessary to have a solid and powerful fortified stronghold on the south bank.

But Li Wei really didn't have enough strength to occupy the south bank.

Doesn't he know that a clenched fist is the most powerful attack?

But there's nothing we can do; the situation at the riverside fortress is what it is.

Therefore, it was necessary to force Hathaway to go to the South Shore, to become a sting in that coastal town, to be a female general guarding the border!
Who told her she was destined to build a mage tower?

Hathaway understood all of this; she was too smart to tell at a glance.

Li Yue didn't even realize Li Wei's scheme.

So at this moment, Hathaway was crying and sobbing, looking pitiful. Even many people around her thought, "Damn, the lord is so heartless."

But all Li Wei wanted to say was, "You guys don't know anything!"
This is the essence of strategic competition; the clashes between masters are never marked by swords or spears.

Do you think things will be fine as long as there are no plot-driven deaths?

What a joke!
"Fine! Since you, Li Wei, have no regard for past friendship, then I have no reason to humiliate myself. Let's settle this fairly. You will be my lord, and I will be my vassal! I will go over there to build my baronial territory. This fortress will have half of my ownership, but you must build it. From now on, let's not meet again, lest we grow to hate each other!"

Hathaway wiped away a torrent of tears—she really is a woman made of water!
Li Wei continued to watch her quietly, his eyes filled with admiration.

pretty good.

That afternoon, Hathaway kept her word and, with Li Wei's men escorting supplies, left the area and went to a small town a hundred kilometers to the east, where they settled down.

Almost that very evening, she applied to build the magic mine, and by noon the next day, after the magic mine was successfully built, she had a firm foothold.

Yes, even though the free people in her territory could only live in those old houses, even though she didn't even have an elite army, even though she only had a bald blacksmith named Parya whom she recruited through a tavern, even though the magic mine could only draw less than five units of magic power from the surrounding area for a short time, and the entire territory was pitifully weak.

However, no Nepalese cross-border traveler would dare approach her territory anymore.

Because she is a second-tier spellcasting witch!

With five units of magic, I can easily defeat Li Wei, and any of the Negro cross-borderers, including that centurion Cao Nima!

With this, the power struggle between Li Wei and Hathaway came to an end. It was like two companies negotiating; once they were at the negotiating table, it was all about verbal sparring and neither side would back down. But once they were off the table, they could eat, drink, sing, and have sex together.

This may seem like a disconnect, but it's not at all.

Whoever softens their heart becomes the victim.

After Hathaway spent 50,000 gold coins to apply for the construction of a magic mine, Li Wei also applied the next day to build a magic mine at the Riverside Fortress, free of charge.

Because the Duke of Ver was paying the bill.

In fact, he built his first magic mine for free, only paying a fire cost of 5000 gold coins.

This time, there was no need to pay for the fire damage. The mage who came to build the magic mine even smiled at Li Wei, as if he were his own nephew.

That's what makes it valuable.

(End of this chapter)