Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 423 Production and Construction
The female druid's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but the mage seemed oblivious, turning to look at Lawrence with a stern tone:
"The land law will be led and implemented by the druids, but Lawrence, you should also lend a hand and be in charge of checking the land deeds to prevent anyone from doing anything underhanded or sneaky."

Seeing that the latter obeyed orders with unwavering defiance, the monk's expression softened.

Everyone has their own expertise, and while Druids are indeed adept at handling land cultivation, when it comes to being keenly aware of those underhanded tricks, that's where Lawrence comes in.

An old thief is an old thief after all. Lawrence, who could be easily beaten by the other two in a head-on fight, was overflowing with talent in sleight of hand, forgery, reading people's expressions, and deception.

Master Zhang has absolute confidence in this matter. If any of the commoners in the territory dare to play tricks on the old thief, they are like mice licking a cat's butt, looking for trouble.

The night had just begun, and the meeting seemed to be dragging on. The lively conversations, accompanied by the flickering lights, spilled into the quiet campsite as one issue after another was raised for discussion and deliberation, in order to arrive at feasible solutions or countermeasures.

It was late at night when everyone dispersed and returned to their tents. The next morning, the villagers from the riverbank, the dwarves, most of the Canaanite team members, and of course, Master Zhang himself, emerged from their tents to greet the first sunrise on this land.

This is a new chapter, a new beginning. The bright but not glaring sunlight shines down, bringing some warmth to this early spring morning when there is still a lingering chill. It also allows those who have been embraced by frost in the north for a long time to appreciate the brightness and gentleness of spring.

It was indeed a fine day, but the Canaan team members, or rather, the noble lords of the Northwest Baron of High Cliff, didn't have much leisure time.

The various plans and measures proposed at last night's meeting are indeed detailed, feasible, and convincing in themselves. They have reason to believe that with the implementation of these policies, the territory will surely move from its current state of near ruin to prosperity.

However, they also believe that these interconnected, meticulously planned, and urgently needed tasks will inevitably pull them into a tight and busy work rhythm, making it difficult to even catch their breath.

Once the plan was finalized, there was absolutely no reason to shirk or delay it. In the words of the monk, if there are no difficulties, we should move forward; if there are difficulties, we should overcome them and move forward.

They can joke and play around on ordinary days, and speak freely and express their opinions during meetings and discussions. However, once the mage lord makes a decision, it is an order.

And there is no room for questioning or opposition to the order.

From a makeshift team to its current position as the leader of a region, the mage, who was the youngest in the team (except for the female elf Talinda), has accumulated considerable prestige. Even without deliberately engaging in any power struggles, no team member dares to disobey their leader's will or make any underhanded moves while the leader is engrossed in his research.

At the beginning of the month of storms, starting from the morning after the main force arrived at High Cliff Territory, the entire territory was caught in a tense and busy rhythm. In particular, the team members responsible for management and guidance were like tightly wound tops, running around in circles on various areas and matters.

The first priority was the urgent task of land reclamation and inventory. Münster, Kegan, and the ogre brothers led ten dwarf warriors to search and hunt down areas where wild beasts and monsters still roamed. Meanwhile, Jady, along with the sirens and several knights who served as guards and drivers, traveled back and forth across the flat areas of the territory to estimate the usable arable land and assess the soil conditions of each section.

The sooner the land management and allocation are completed, the sooner the spring planting and reclamation can begin. At the same time, the remaining dwarves are also taking action. According to their investigation, not far away, there are continuous hills and mountains that extend from the cliffs where the High Cliff Castle is located. The numerous caves and burrows scattered throughout these areas have naturally become the dens of goblins, cave wolves, and even ferocious beasts.

Then, after these poor tenants perished in wave after wave of clearing, this place naturally caught the eye of the dwarfs, who dragged their bags and belongings to settle down here.

Cleaning the cave was no easy task. The remaining wild beasts were a minor matter; Bard and his dwarves dispatched them in no time. The main problem was that it was incredibly filthy!
It's easy to imagine how filthy the living environment of a den of wild beasts or savage races could be. During the cleaning process, these dwarves felt like they had become latrine cleaners. They held their breath and pinched their noses, running to the cave entrance to catch their breath every few minutes.

In the end, it was only after Bud took out the masks he had prepared beforehand and distributed them that the work could be kept going.

This work was not only for the dwarves' own dwellings, but more importantly, for the construction and operation of the blacksmith's shop.

As preparations for spring plowing and land reclamation proceed in full swing, farm tools and animal power are two crucial elements that cannot be avoided. The latter is relatively easy to handle, but the former...
The villagers along the riverbank and the remaining inhabitants of the high cliffs did indeed possess a certain number of agricultural tools, and with the material assistance provided by the Mandaen family, they were able to cope with the current situation without much trouble.

However, one should not overthink things. Zhang Yuan, who had already examined the conventional farm implements in Ferren, or at least in the Sword Bay area, discovered that similar straight-shaft plows were still widely used by ordinary farmers in their land reclamation efforts. Putting aside the irrationality of their mechanical structure, the materials of many plows were problematic.

Normally, plows should be equipped with iron plowshares to break through the hard soil that has been frozen all winter. However, iron plows are not affordable for every farming family, so wooden plows came into being as an alternative.

As the name suggests, this type of plow, which is made entirely of wood including the plowshare, has a significant cost advantage, but it also inevitably suffers from shortcomings in performance and effectiveness.

The difference in properties between wood and iron is self-evident. To compensate for this difference, wooden plows often increase their weight to enhance their soil-breaking ability, but this also increases the consumption of human and animal power, and the efficiency is not improved much.

This is the common situation of farmers and even serfs in the Northland and even the Sword Bay region.

Master Zhang felt he should do something to stop this inefficient farming method from continuing to exist, especially on his own land.

That's downright criminal!

So the newly appointed lord decided without hesitation to draw on the wisdom of countless transmigrators from his previous life and started tinkering with small inventions.

Thank you to Eric Jin, Brother A-Yi, Reader 20201018190737960279088, Canghai Jiyunfan, and Wanliu Tongyuan for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)