Episode 188 Logan left Taren two months ago.
Taren, who hurried back, had already changed a lot in the meantime.
Furrows dug at wide intervals in the middle of a vast wasteland.
And the people moving between them were concentrating on their own business, ignoring Logan, who was quickly passing by on horseback.
It was somewhat strange to see only the dwarf supervisors seen here and there, saluting as they watched Logan’s words pass by quickly, as if humans had somehow become slaves to the dwarves.
But it was also a very satisfying sight.
The fact that the workers worked so hard while receiving instructions from the dwarves probably meant that they were being paid their meals and allowances properly.
‘The dam construction is still underway, but it seems to be progressing well.’
As it is a much larger area than the wasteland of McLane, there seemed no need to visit the mountains that would serve as dams that would be invisible to the eye.
‘Because I don’t have time for that.’
He ran his horse in such a hurry, but as soon as he left the vast wasteland and the huge image of Saturn surrounding the mountain range came into view, Logan had no choice but to slow down his horse without realizing it.
“wow…!”
Low mountain ranges that seem to have taken root from east to west.
Among them, a huge fortress wall surrounds the ridges, plains, and even the top of the mountain, centered around the mountain range of the mining area, including the magic stone mine.
The castle wall, which was completed while Logan was away, looked like a huge castle surrounding two mountain ranges when viewed from a distance.
The smooth castle walls, with no visible cracks, were precisely connected despite the irregular height and ground.
Sharp, sharp iron bars, not stones or dirt, were replacing the protruding parts of the castle wall, as if they would never allow anyone to climb on them.
A wall of iron bars that can only be built by a mining city that has a constant supply of materials and manpower to maintain the fence.
Above it, soldiers lined up at close intervals were patrolling, and knights’ armor could also be seen at certain distances.
It was literally a fortress built.
‘Not even half a year ago.’
A collaboration between dwarven technology and magic.
Logan couldn’t help but be amazed by the fantastic collaboration he felt once again.
“It’s the Archduke!”
“The Archduke has returned!”
Rumors about Logan, who, unlike the kingdom’s greatest nobleman, enjoyed wandering alone(?), had already spread widely within the territory.
Because no one would fall for Logan, who defeated even a superhuman, due to safety concerns.
Thanks to this, the soldiers were able to quickly recognize Logan, who was running alone on a single horse.
Coogung.
As the castle gate made of iron wood and steel was lowered onto the moat, which seemed deeper and wider than any other castle, another gate was seen behind it, made up of tightly connected steel bars stuck upside down, being pulled up by a pulley.
‘The gate was completed just as I ordered.’
Taren, a fortress city several times larger than McLane Town, had only one gate, and the west gate he was entering right now was the only one.
Logan requested that the gate be made stronger and more impregnable as there is only one gate, and the dwarves and wizards seemed to have done an excellent job of that.
‘Great.’
As we entered the castle gate that bridged the moat, Logan was applauding inwardly as he looked at another iron gate that had not yet been raised, installed at intervals of about 30 meters.
In front of him, a large knight with a familiar face greeted him.
“Are you here, Mr. Confucius?”
“Henderson. Are you here yourself?”
“Yes. Because Director deGrom has to stay in town.”
“Yes. The security posture is… as requested. Good.”
One group of knights (6 people) and 30 soldiers directly deal with visitors inside the castle gate.
And between the remaining two groups of knights and 100 soldiers waiting outside the double iron gate, the face of Golem Tower’s best disciple, Greek, was also visible.
The security posture is more thorough than at the main gate of the royal palace.
“Maybe in the future this place will become more important than the town. You know that, right?”
“Yes, Confucius.”
“Okay. Keep up the good work.”
Okay.
At Henderson’s signal, the second iron gate went up, and the waiting knights and soldiers saluted Logan in unison, and in the meantime, Grick came to his side.
“It’s been a while, Master Confucius.”
“Okay. Have all the Golem Tower’s disciples been transferred?”
“Not yet. Only Enan and I are here first as an advance guard. As you can see, the construction of the Magic Tower is not complete, so Master is working hard. We also need to build the anti-aircraft room you mentioned.”
Where Greek was pointing, in the middle of the fortress city, there was a huge building that was just going up on its sixth floor.
And the wide, huge three-story building being built right next to it, as if it were a connected building.
New magic tower and anti-aircraft room.
A smile appeared on Logan’s face as he saw the buildings he had only dreamed of almost being completed.
Of course, the situation was not leisurely enough to fully enjoy the result, so Logan immediately asked about the whereabouts of the person in charge.
“What about Hamar?”
“He’s probably in the workshop. He lives there day and night.”
“Okay, I understand. Good luck.”
The view of the castle as you enter through the only gate is beyond expectations.
Even though it is an irregular area, numerous houses and streets are connected to the same standard as if measured with a ruler.
And I could see workers moving busily between the clearly defined cross-shaped streets and alleys.
Seeing as most of the footsteps were heading towards the mine, it didn’t seem like there was a long time left until the magicite was mined.
‘thank god.’
I feel like my mind, which was frustrated due to the variables that occurred in the capital, has been purified a little.
After checking a few more things, I felt like I could trust everything.
Of course, there were minor side effects as such great things were accomplished in a short period of time.
“Commander! The Archduke…”
– The Archduke? Damn! What else! Is there anything else you want to order?! Say I’m not there!! Mr…. As
soon as I knocked on the door of the office built inside the anti-aircraft room, swearing came out from inside.
The red-bearded dwarf trembled and looked at Logan, but Logan only smiled softly.
“It’s okay. If you worked hard, it could be possible.”
The results we saw along the way were enough to make Hamar laugh off his annoyance.
bang!
“Hamar, it’s been a while.”
The only reason I broke the door was because he didn’t open it.
It was never meant to put pressure on Hamar, who did a good job.
But unfortunately, Hamar saw him and started the fight.
Hiccup.
“Ah haha. Master! You’re not in the capital! Why are you here?”
His dull skin, matted hair, and beard, with shadows on his face that seemed to reach down to his chin, clearly showed that he was overworked.
“I don’t plan on criticizing you, so just report on your progress. I know you worked hard.”
“Wha?!”
At those words, Hamar’s tired eyes doubled in size and the hiccups stopped.
“…really?”
“Okay, well done. But I want to hear the clear situation. There’s no time to waste, so hurry!”
“Really really? The owner?!”
You can’t do that.
I unconsciously gritted my teeth at the look of suspicion in my eyes.
“…Do you want me to squeeze it?”
“Oh no. That can’t be possible. Now, wait a minute. I had some data organized around here.”
Hamar must have read the sincerity in his sinister eyes as he hurriedly looked around to find the documents.
Hamar, who handed the found documents to Logan, added a summary explanation.
“The construction of the fortress wall is 99% complete. Currently, there are more troops than residents, so security is perfect. The magic stone mine has now begun drilling, master.”
“Drilling? What are the results?”
“The quality is the best. The reserves are calculated to last at least 30 years even if mined based on the standards stated by the owner.”
The moment he heard those words, Logan’s fists automatically clenched.
good!!
“Then when will formal mining operations begin?”
“Even with the wizard’s help, it will take at least three more months. We have to start from a very deep place.”
The sea was as expected up to that point.
“What about clearing wasteland?”
“Because it is so wide, we thought it would be more difficult for ships to bring in water than when it was a McLine, so we made every effort to design the dam. So I think there might be a bit of a delay…”
“How much delay?”
“I think we can at least start clearing in early summer next year.”
Haha.
Fortunately, everything we had prepared was going smoothly, or faster than expected.
My heart, which had become heavy in the face of the unexpected challenge of going to the empire, seemed to have become lighter.
Logan patted Hamar on the shoulder, feeling relieved.
“You did really, really well, Hamar.”
“…Why are you doing this again? I’m feeling uneasy.”
I was just grateful for Hamar’s shocked expression.
“I have to go a bit far and I may be away for quite some time. Even if there are disruptions to my schedule, I have to proceed with what I have planned.”
“That’s of course. But where is the owner going?”
“Empire.”
“Empire?!”
Looking at Hamar, whose eyes were wide at those words, Logan smiled bitterly.
“It happens. Anyway, the schedule must be kept. Understood?”
“Ah, I understand. Master.”
“Yes. If that happens, everything you promised will come true even if I’m not around. So please cheer up just a little longer.”
“…Why did you say something like that again? Come back quickly and do it yourself.”
When Hamar, who had a puzzled expression on his face, turned his head and said something, Logan simply smiled in response.
“Okay. Let’s do it.”
Logan patted Hamar on the shoulder again and then headed straight to the magic tower under construction.
“Ah, Grand Duke. I heard you came back from the capital. I guess you came here because you’re okay. Haha.”
Clayton, who opened his eyes wide as he looked at Logan, greeted him with a self-questioning answer.
However, the sight of them still moving the golems and finalizing the construction of the magic tower was now familiar.
“We have passed the critical point, but another problem has arisen. Anyway, how is the research going?”
“Huh? Oh, that’s right. If I can use magic stones as a replacement, I think I just need to go through a few experiments.”
“…I think I’ve often heard something similar before.”
When Logan narrowed his eyes and looked at him suspiciously, Clayton looked away with a red face.
“Ha. Hahaha. It’s real this time. Please believe me.”
Logan smiled and nodded at the wizard’s innocent appearance.
“Yes. I always believe in it. I had no idea this city would be completed so quickly. You put in a lot of effort.”
“…Haha. Thank you for knowing.”
“As I said before, once magicite mining begins, we will provide the quantity to the Magic Tower first. Then, there will be no need to provide money for the experiment budget.”
Magic stones are money. That’s a lot of money too.
Clayton couldn’t help but smile.
“Of course. Hahaha!
” “But if the research is completed, how much can the production cost of artifacts be lowered?” ” I think that class 1 artifacts can be produced within the estimated unit price of 1,000 gold and class 2 artifacts within 3,000 gold.”
That’s it .
Logan sighed at the words.
The price was reduced by a factor of a thousand, or at least a hundredth.
The price itself was cheaper than expected, but the materials used to make artifacts were rare using the existing method, so there were many cases where even if you had the money, you couldn’t get them. As such, the actual efficiency will be much greater than that.
‘Even if only class 2 strengthening magic is applied to the knights, their combat power will increase by 20%.’
It was a study that must succeed no matter how much money was invested.
“When do you think the research will be completed?”
“Within two months at the earliest…”
“What if we assume the worst, not sooner?”
“.. .Hmm. Still, I think we can see results within half a year to a year.”
The mage, who had failed repeatedly, gritted his teeth and answered.
Although the period was significantly longer than the first answer, Logan still nodded.
“Good. That much is enough. No, it’s okay if it’s a little late. All you have to do is make it a perfect success.”
“…I will definitely do it within the promised period.”
“It would be even better if you said yes. If you need any further assistance, please let us know at any time. Oh, even if I’m not around, you can ask Dwayne for support.”
“…Where are you going?”
“I have to leave the room unintentionally.”
“Yes?”
Logan smiled bitterly, leaving the bewildered mage behind. Immediately, he went around the magic tower and said,
‘There aren’t enough people yet. It would be better to move the workshop in town here. Send more workers.’
Fortunately, that was the only thing that was lacking in Taren.
After taking a thorough look at the fortress city of Taren, which would become the future stepping stone, Logan immediately turned his horse back on. He
could not waste even a moment in making the final preparations before heading to the Empire.
