Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

Chapter 92 The Plan to Take Over Ironrock City (Please Subscribe)

Evelyn quickly wrote down the alchemy tools and materials she needed and handed them to Will, but Will knew very well that the kingdom had extremely strict control over many alchemy tools and important materials.

Normally, only registered mages certified by the Mage Guild, or high-ranking nobles, military and commercial officials with special permits, can legally purchase such items.

Ordinary merchants have no access to these products; those circulating on the black market are not only expensive, but their quality and origin are also unreliable.

When Will explained the situation to Matthew, the latter nodded. He was naturally aware of some of the kingdom's laws and knew that as a vital strategic resource in this world, it was inevitable that magical power would be firmly controlled by the upper echelons.

But before Matthew could make a decision, Will changed the subject: "Your Highness, regarding alchemical tools and strictly controlled materials—perhaps I could try asking my mother for help. She should have a way to obtain these things without attracting too much attention. I'll write a letter, slightly embellishing the situation here, to inform my mother and request her assistance."

Matthew looked at Will and pondered for a moment. This might indeed be the best way at present, even though Will was not favored by his father and might even have been expelled from the family because he followed him.

But Will's mother would certainly be willing to help him.

"Okay." Matthew finally nodded. "The letter must be written skillfully, and the delivery channel must be absolutely reliable."

Will was a smart man and naturally understood what Matthew was worried about: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will never say a word about things that shouldn't be mentioned, and I will try my best to use words that only my mother can understand to express my needs."

As for the means of communication, the Church of Light employs specialized white owl messengers between its various churches, ensuring fast and secure delivery. No one dares to harm a messenger of the gods, and the priests, having received payment, are absolutely committed to their promises and would not easily betray their faith.

"Okay, then let's do it your way. I'll figure out the rest of the basic materials. The Black Bear Merchant Guild should be able to get them. If not, I'll ask the Golden Flower Merchant Guild." Ma Xiu was planning to go to Ironrock City again in the next couple of days to start his other plan—to talk to Groom about building a soap workshop in Ironrock City.

However, what Matthew wants to open in Ironrock is not a workshop, but a "bargaining chip" to seize Ironrock in the future.

The next day, Matthew once again disguised himself as the traveling merchant "Morpheus," carrying a new batch of soaps and bar soaps, and headed back to Ironrock.

Will and Conrad also went to Ironrock with him, but the three of them split up before entering Ironrock.

Iron Rock City, inside the Black Bear Merchant Guild.

Groom Winton was overjoyed and thrilled to see Morpheus reappear, as Matthew had promised to bring even more soap when he came back.

This is their stepping stone to conquering the royal city.

Grum is no longer satisfied with the Ironrock City market. After all, to make more money, these super luxury items must be sold in the Royal City.

"Mr. Morpheus! You've finally arrived!" Groom exclaimed excitedly. "Did you bring soap this time? The ladies in town are getting impatient."

Groom's expression was exaggerated, but Matthew remained extremely calm. He took out five hundred bars of soap and one hundred bars of scented soap that he had brought with him, much to Groom's delight. He was already planning how to sell these goods to the nobles of the royal city.

The transaction was quickly completed. After accepting the gold coins and some converted magic crystals, Matthew changed the subject: "President Vinton, there's another matter I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please speak, sir! As long as it's within my power, I, Groom, will do it without hesitation!" Groom patted his chest and assured him.

"The demand for soap is increasing, and it's too inefficient and risky for me to transport it all by myself from there." Matthew deliberately lowered his voice to create an air of mystery. "I plan to set up a small processing point in Ironrock City."

Groom's heart skipped a beat: "You mean—to set up workshops in the city for production?"

This could mean closer cooperation and greater benefits, and even the possibility of completely mastering soap production technology in the future.

"No, it's not full production." Matthew shook his head. "The most crucial initial paste is still prepared there and then shipped over. Here, we only do the final shaping, cutting, packaging, and—the addition of flavorings. This greatly reduces the volume and risk of transportation and allows for a faster response to market demand. Of course, we also need a small warehouse to store some raw materials and finished products."

"

Groom immediately understood that this was equivalent to a post-production processing plant and warehouse.

He agreed almost without hesitation: "No problem! Leave it to me! I have a secluded courtyard in the west of the city, which was originally a warehouse. With a little modification, it can be used! Security is absolutely guaranteed; I will send the most reliable people to guard it!"

"Very good." Matthew nodded and took out the section on basic magic materials from Evelyn's list. "In addition, the processing point needs some special auxiliary materials. Here is the list. See if you can prepare them as soon as possible."

Groom took the list and glanced at it. Most of the items were mineral powders and common crystals. Although some were rather obscure, they were not difficult to obtain through the Black Bear Merchant Guild's channels.

"No problem! We'll have it ready for you within three days!"

The talks went surprisingly smoothly.

Groom was basking in the joy of securing a stable supply of soap and had no suspicion that Matthew might have deeper motives.

Accompanied by Groom, Matthew went to see the house in the west of the city.

The courtyard is quite large, surrounded by high walls, and is secluded with its own entrance.

There are several empty warehouses and a well inside.

On the surface, Matthew was planning where to build the processing workshop and where to build the warehouse, but in his heart he was calmly evaluating the situation.

The location is well-hidden, away from the main street, making it convenient for supplies and personnel to enter and exit secretly.

Moreover, from observation, the warehouse is sturdy, well-ventilated, and spacious enough. In addition to the visible processing and storage, there is enough underground or mezzanine space that can be converted into a secret location.

"What do you think, Mr. Morpheus?" Groom asked. "If you don't think it's suitable, I'll help you find other houses."

"This place is fine. After all, soap production is a trade secret, and this place is very discreet," Ma Zheng said seriously.

"I'm glad you're satisfied, Mr. Morpheus. Don't worry, I can arrange enough manpower to protect the security here, ensuring that not even a fly can get in." Groom smiled broadly, but in his heart he was calculating that he seemed to be one step closer to the key to wealth.

"I will arrange the personnel myself, so you don't need to worry about it," Matthew said decisively.

Groom remained all smiles: "I understand. I was worried that you might not have enough manpower at the moment, so I wanted to help."

Matthew dropped the subject and instead asked, "How much is the rent?"

"No need. As long as you agree to continue your exclusive cooperation with the Black Bear Merchant Guild, this courtyard will be available to you free of charge."

"Let's keep things separate and follow the rules." At Matthew's insistence, the two signed a lease agreement, and Matthew rented the place for two silver coins per month.

In fact, this seemingly ordinary "soap processing point" will be one of the key pieces in Matthew's plan to take Ironrock City in the future.

This place will first serve as a transit and storage point for supplies.

It is legal to stockpile seemingly ordinary materials such as raw materials for gunpowder manufacturing and parts for certain weapons in preparation for future operations.

Secondly, this place can also serve as an intelligence station, allowing one's people to stay here around the clock to observe and collect intelligence such as the deployment of the Iron Rock City garrison and the allocation of supplies.

In short, this place will become the most important strategic location for him to seize Ironrock City in the future.

When Matthew returned to his territory from Ironrock City, he suddenly sensed that several members of the adventurer party heading to the Misty Mountains had "sacrificed" themselves.

This led Matthew to suspect that they might be in great danger.

Although three people had "sacrificed" themselves in the past few months and a reinforcement team was sent out, there has never been such a large-scale "sacrifice".

Upon closer inspection, Matthew discovered that twelve people had actually "sacrificed" themselves.

Keep in mind that the entire squad, including the reinforcement squad that was sent later, only had twenty people in total. Now, more than half of them have been killed, and there was even a large goblin unit.

"What danger did they encounter?" Matthew wondered. Although he knew that the Misty Mountains were full of dangers, such a large-scale sacrifice still surprised him.

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