"The haul this time is quite good,"
The place where Lorist currently stood was inside the hidden treasury of a mountain barbarian tribe called Walixinggo, nestled among the gold-producing hills of the Black Forest. Under Earle and Reidi's command, the guards battalion had launched a dawn raid and seized the tribe's camp, making Walixinggo one of the many mountain barbarian tribes that had been destroyed. Even though this tribe had possessed two powerful shamans, having such a treasure was the primary reason for their downfall—the two shamans had already become ghosts beneath Lorist's blade.
The cave before them was filled with various crude objects made of gold. Some were large, some small, all in bizarre shapes, gleaming with a brilliant, captivating golden light under the torch illumination. A rough estimate put the value of the gold objects at approximately two million gold Forde.
"Why would the mountain barbarians use gold to make these strange things?" Lorist picked up a crude gold great-axe, which was quite heavy, and casually waved it a few times. "This thing is rather impractical, isn't it?"
"Your Highness, according to the old mountain barbarian slave who crafted these gold objects, they still need to be carefully polished and refined before being traded to other mountain barbarian tribes as offerings to the mountain god Kuapawisen," Steward Spell quickly explained from beside him.
From the mountain barbarian perspective, gold was the most useless thing—it couldn't be eaten, nor could it be forged into weapons. Moreover, trade between mountain barbarian tribes was typically conducted through barter. So in the ancient past, gold was considered roughly equivalent to stone in the eyes of the mountain barbarians. However, once they discovered that gold could be traded with lowland merchants for excellent and practical goods, its value soared immediately, quickly replacing fine weapons as the most precious offering to the mountain god.
Ever since the discovery of gold deposits in these hills, the Walixinggo tribe had become one of the wealthiest mountain barbarian tribes. They crafted gold offerings to sell to other tribes, using the proceeds to acquire large numbers of mining slaves, purchase grain and livestock, and live very comfortably. This was evident from the small thatched huts the tribe members lived in and the gold ornaments they wore. The tribe had even generously patronized two great shamans to deter other mountain barbarian tribes from coveting their territory's gold deposits.
But everything they now possessed had become trophies of the
"This war against the mountain barbarian tribes didn't cost us anything—in fact, we made a huge profit. I'm sure Steward Spell will be delighted. Oh, by the way, when will Professor Hyde arrive?" Lorist asked.
Professor Hyde was coming to survey the gold deposits' content and reserves in these hills. Only after his confirmation that the mine had development value would the family decide whether to continue investing in gold extraction and constructing castles and other defensive structures. If it turned out to be a low-grade deposit or one that had been largely exhausted by the Walixinggo tribe, the family's plan was to grab what they could and leave. After a few years, when some other mountain barbarian tribe reoccupied the area to mine gold, the family forces would periodically raid to scoop up some gold—under the noble pretext of collecting mining taxes.
"Your Highness, how could it be that fast? We only captured this place this morning, and the messenger hasn't even been gone for half a day. The round trip will take at least four or five days. And the road through the Black Forest isn't easy to travel either. Brother Earle has been organizing those mountain barbarian captives to go into the forest and chop down trees to clear a path," Spell complained. To achieve the element of surprise, he'd been stumbling through the dark Black Forest the previous night and had taken quite a few tumbles.
"Oh, sorry—I was just too excited and forgot," Lorist shrugged, tossing the gold axe back onto the pile of gold objects, and turned to walk out. "Alright, let's head out. Seal up this place, and wait for Steward Spell to arrive before opening it for him to take inventory. Just tell me the total value in gold Forde afterward."
For ordinary battlefield spoils, there were designated personnel to assess their value. But spoils worth over a million gold Forde—gold and a gold mine, no less—required Steward Spell to handle personally. As the Norton Family's chief financial steward, upon learning that the gold mine was in the family's hands along with a large number of gold artifacts, Spell was overjoyed and traveled through the night despite the difficult roads, arriving at the hill camp by the morning of the third day.
"Your Highness, all captured gold items have been appraised at a total value of two million, three hundred and twenty thousand gold Forde." After delivering his report, Steward Spell added with some regret that the family forces had been a bit too late in launching their attack. Had it been two years ago, the haul would have been several times larger. According to testimony from the captive mountain barbarian slaves who crafted gold objects, the previous year had been the festival of the mountain god Kuapawisen. The Walixinggo tribe had crafted countless gold offerings and traded them with other mountain barbarian tribes. They had also created a gold statue of the mountain god standing over three meters tall and presented it to the holy mountain Smolmegen. Nearly a thousand oxen had been used to transport the statue...
"All of it—all those gold offerings worth several million gold Forde, completely squandered!" Steward Spell declared indignantly.
Lorist didn't take Spell's words to heart. Attacking the Walixinggo tribe two years ago to seize the gold mine would have been far worse—stealing gold offerings meant for the mountain god from the Walixinggo and other tribes would have been like kicking a massive hornet's nest. It would have been tantamount to making enemies of the million-strong mountain barbarians of the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range. Every mountain barbarian tribe would have viewed the Norton Family as their sworn enemy. The family forces could easily crush a hundred-thousand-strong barbarian army, but a million mountain barbarians flooding into the family's territory would be unbearable for anyone. Even capturing gold worth ten million would not have been worth the cost.
"Oh, and Steward Spell, remember to distribute ten percent of the spoils—twenty-three thousand, two hundred gold Forde—to Town Mayor Dubov. That's the share I promised him," Lorist recalled something and instructed Spell.
Steward Spell hesitated slightly. "Your Highness, isn't that too much? We could simply give Mayor Dubov ten or twenty thousand gold Forde, and he'd be grateful enough. He doesn't know how much we actually captured..."
Lorist smiled and shook his head. "Do as I say. A man cannot stand without his word. You may deceive people, but you cannot deceive the gods. A ten percent share, though enormous in value, is negligible compared to the Norton Family's reputation. Integrity comes first—promises must be kept. If we covet Mayor Dubov's share today out of greed, tomorrow we might embezzle the pension funds of soldiers who fought bravely for the family... That would be undermining the family's very foundation. Do you understand, Steward Spell?"
"Your Highness, I was wrong," Spell lowered his head in shame.
"Steward Spell, I'm not blaming you. You're the chief financial steward of the family, worrying over every expenditure and revenue item. You've always been honest and conscientious, and I deeply trust your character and integrity. Furthermore, you were thinking of the family's interests, not trying to embezzle this share for yourself. The Norton Family is now large and prosperous, and these past two years of war have greatly increased our expenses. I've seen your tireless efforts to balance the budget, and I commend your dedication to the family. But some matters cannot be viewed solely through a financial lens—otherwise, it's easy to miss the forest for the trees and fail to see the broader picture. Do you understand what I mean?" Lorist said earnestly, also giving a gentle admonition to Spell, who had been showing increasing miserly tendencies.
"I understand your meaning, Your Highness. I guarantee this share will reach Mayor Dubov's hands without a single coin missing."
"Good. Leave this matter to you. Also, while you're at it, inform Mayor Dubov that after this war, the mountain barbarian tribes have been severely weakened, and there will be a long period of peace ahead. The family has decided to formally incorporate Two Mountain Town into the territory's administration. As its town mayor, his performance over the past decade has been truly outstanding and exceptional. Ask him of his choice—whether he wishes to continue as mayor of Two Mountain Town or to enter the ranks of the Norton Family's administrative officials. As the family's sphere of influence expands, we need capable administrators like him to serve. I believe talent like his should not be buried in a small-town mayor's post. Deliver this message to him: for those with both ability and loyalty who serve the family, the family will not shortchange them..."
"Yes, Your Highness. I will convey your assessment and expectations to Mayor Dubov exactly as you stated them. I believe he will make a wise choice," Steward Spell answered sincerely.
Two more days passed before Professor Hyde and his disciples finally arrived at the hill camp.
Without pausing to rest, Professor Hyde immediately directed his disciples to conduct a thorough survey and measurement of the entire hilly area and the mine cave. He even personally descended into the mine shaft to examine the distribution of gold veins. After three days of work, Lorist received the survey report on the gold mine.
"Congratulations, Your Highness—this is a rich gold deposit. We've confirmed that the gold ore already extracted accounts for merely one-tenth of this gold vein. Moreover, based on information gathered from the mining slaves, the former mountain barbarian tribe, with their primitive and backward mining and refining techniques, extracted gold worth less than five hundred thousand gold Forde annually.
If our Norton Family were to increase investment and employ the latest mining equipment and refining techniques, I estimate we could extract and refine gold worth one and a half to two million gold Forde per year, with an expected operational life of nearly a century. This is tremendous news for our family," Professor Hyde said with great delight. Ever since being enfeoffed as a Viscount by Lorist and granted a viscounty in Dreymark Province, he had taken immense pride in being part of the Norton Family.
Now that the family possessed such a rich gold mine, Hyde was especially happy—with more money, Lorist would continue to support his eccentric experiments and inventions. Each year, only he and Professor Bob of the gunpowder laboratory received experimental funding of one hundred thousand gold Forde. These were the only two special-purpose allocations in the family, kept secret from the outside world. While enjoying this special privilege, Hyde also constantly worried that the family might one day cut these expenditures due to financial difficulties. He had always been extravagant in his experiments and harbored hopes that one of his inventions might elevate his noble title a step further...
Steward Spell was grinning from ear to ear.
Who would have thought that beneath these nameless hills in the Black Forest lay such an enormous gold vein? The Fisablen family had gone to great lengths to seize the Greater and Lesser Gold River regions, rich in gold deposits, yet their annual gold mine income was only a little over a million gold Forde. Now the Norton Family possessed a rich gold mine no less productive than the entire Greater and Lesser Gold River region. How could anyone not be overjoyed?
"I've decided—henceforth, these hills shall be called Golden Ridge. The Ridge of Gold. What do you all think?" Lorist said, pleased with himself, as he named the unnamed hills.
No one objected. Steward Spell chimed in with a couple of flattering remarks: "Your Highness's name is truly fitting—this place really is a ridge brimming with gold. But Your Highness, I believe our most urgent task is to arrange the construction of a castle fortress and defensive facilities, so the family can permanently secure this gold mine and prevent it from falling back into barbarian hands."
Spell's reminder was timely. Lorist snapped to attention and immediately convened a military conference, with the agenda of building a castle fortress at Golden Ridge to protect the gold mine.
"Abandon the smaller hills in front and build a castle fortress on this largest ridge that can protect the entire gold mine area, along with complementary defensive facilities. Name it Golden Ridge Fortress. At the same time, construct a long wall extending from here to the Sleeping Ox Hill Fortress and along the left mountain range to Bedrock Castle. This will separate our entire family territory from the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range, and we'll never have to worry about mountain barbarian raids again.
Additionally, we need to build a main road through the Black Forest leading to the small lake where we annihilated the great barbarian army. We'll establish a town at that lake to provide logistical support for Golden Ridge Fortress. Since the location is within the Black Forest, we'll need to fell all trees within a five-hundred-meter clearing on both sides during construction—whether for the fortress or the long wall. Only in this way can we ensure the mountain barbarians won't use tree cover to ambush our garrison troops.
This will be a massive project, and all other non-war-related family affairs must yield to it. Whether in funding, materials, or labor, the construction of Golden Ridge Fortress and the long wall takes top priority. Earle, Reidi—you two will lead the guards battalion and the Seventh and Eighteenth Regiments of the Imperial Guard Corps to station here. Your mission is to drive out nearby barbarians, maintain vigilance and defense, and ensure the safety of the labor teams building the fortress and wall. Handle any emergencies at your own discretion. Is that clear?" Lorist began assigning his commanders.
"As you command, Your Highness." Earle and Reidi stood up.
"But Your Highness, if the entire guards battalion stays here, who will be at your side?" Reidi asked.
"Don't worry. I'll just bring a single battalion with me—five hundred men will be enough," Lorist replied.
"Professor Hyde, and Steward Spell—you two will also remain here temporarily. Professor Hyde, I'll trouble you to oversee the overhaul and upgrade of the mine's extraction equipment and refining techniques. Steward Spell, you will provide logistical material support and fund allocation for the fortress and wall construction. You must also exercise strict oversight over the mining operations. I want the mine to continue producing during the construction period, not to halt extraction until everything is completed."
"Yes, Your Highness. I will complete the mining equipment upgrades and refining improvements as quickly as possible," Professor Hyde replied loudly.
"Understood, Your Highness. I will ensure proper oversight of the mining operations," Steward Spell said, standing up.
...(To be continued.)