The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Thanks to the new population, many of the heavy tasks were gradually delegated to lower levels, and in addition to land reclamation, there was finally enough manpower to support Linde in carrying out some production plans.

Linde had considered abandoning land reclamation and instead building a large number of workshops to start a capitalist model. Although this idea would bring in money quickly, it was basically a pipe dream unless Linde intended to continue relying on the Lars family for support.

And now, putting everything else aside, the production line for making snowflake candy can already be set up.

The advantages of the assembly line model compared to the traditional handicraft workshop are obvious. Most importantly, there is basically no need to worry about leaks. Even if one or two staff members are bribed, it doesn't matter.

Of course, Linde didn't expect the recipe and method of making snowflake candy to be kept secret for long in this world with alchemy. After all, this was just the first pot of gold, and it was impossible to really make money from it in the future. Moreover, sugar was an important strategic resource, and once the development was in place, it would definitely be supplied to the territory first.

Compared to sugar, Linde is now more concerned with cement production, since it's impossible to have all the more than a thousand people in his territory sleeping in tents.

Apart from the castles and palaces of nobles, most people in this world build houses using very primitive materials, mainly wood, stone, and mud. Building a two-story house is considered a major project, not only because it is slow, but also because it requires a large number of professional craftsmen.

Making cement using traditional methods is actually very simple, even simpler than making sugar.

In his previous life, Lin De had seen an old man downstairs who, because his house was leaking, started tinkering with homemade cement right at his doorstep.

But Linde actually wanted industrial cement more.

The scenario in those time-travel novels where the protagonist easily produces industrial cement using their past life memories and immediately starts developing infrastructure is actually unrealistic. After all, even if ordinary people know how to make industrial cement, it is difficult to achieve mass production in a short period of time due to the many processes involved, such as high temperature, grinding, mixing, and calcination.

Not to mention that industrial cement is not concrete, but only a material for making concrete. It is impossible to achieve infrastructure miracles without concrete.

However, Linde's industrial cement business is just a pipe dream. In reality, traditional cement production is already a game-changer in this era, with ridiculously high cost-effectiveness. This is because the Tears River runs through the middle of their territory, allowing them to source materials directly from the local area.

Besides, there are no buildings in the territory that require industrial cement. We can just use cement and stones to build them. It's simple, efficient, and seamlessly integrates with the work of experienced craftsmen.

Fortunately, the development of cement went smoothly, unlike the fundamental difference from the previous life that occurred when boiling water.

This world is not a chaotic world, but it also has basic laws, only with the addition of magic as a variable.

The biggest problem now is that the quality of the rudimentary cement used for road repair is not very good. If Lena and her knights, fully armed, make two round trips, the rudimentary cement road may start to break down.

Of course, it's just that it can't hold up, it's not unusable at all. Compared to the dirt road, it's already a dimensional reduction attack. Moreover, the fully armed Lena and the knights are already heavy cavalry. In fact, because they are professionals and their horses have the blood of magical beasts, their overall carrying capacity is much heavier than the heavy cavalry in Linde's previous life. The situation that requires the use of these knights and equipment is not an ordinary situation at all, so we can temporarily ignore it.

And so, after all the more than 1,000 refugees had been granted citizenship, the cement plant by the River of Tears officially began construction.

The old craftsmen were indeed very surprised when they saw the cement, but not because they were amazed by its strength after it dried. They were surprised that the lord would use such a precious alchemical material to build houses and schools for the common people.

People cannot imagine things they have never seen. In the understanding of these old craftsmen, cement was a mysterious alchemical material of the lord's family. It could not possibly be made from clay and sand that could be found everywhere. Even if they saw the cement making process with their own eyes, they would only think that the lord, the unassuming great alchemist, had used some magic or secretly added some magical powder.

Upon seeing this group of craftsmen prostrate on the ground, Lin De couldn't help but lament that compulsory education still has a long way to go.

Gunpowder was also being studied alongside cement.

Because it was a very important project, Linde no longer handed it over directly to Laurie or Lila, but instead personally took charge of it. The staff who made the gunpowder were basically the old guard from Linde's original territory, and their loyalty goes without saying.

Moreover, this is the only place in the territory where Lind has hired Lena's knights for protection. Although those knights all look down on people, they are absolutely loyal to Lena's orders.

Linde didn't hide his gunpowder research from Lena; in fact, he reported everything that happened in the territory to Lena every night, regardless of whether she was interested or not. Even though Lena would fall asleep after Linde uttered the first syllable, it was a matter of attitude.

Although Lena is unreliable, there must be spies of Grand Duke Lars around her. Even if it's just for show, Lena cannot be completely excluded from the management of the territory.

Linde had originally prepared for the worst, that gunpowder, like steam, would not work in this world and would be affected by elemental forces. After all, gunpowder is different from cement; it actually produces flames. If it were to be mixed with water elements like steam, everything would have to be started from scratch. However, the process went unexpectedly smoothly.

Furthermore, because the purchased materials had been refined through alchemy, their purity was even higher. At the very beginning of the research, Linde created something resembling firecrackers.

Even though the staff were already used to their lord's magical alchemical materials, they still looked at Lind with awe and lingering fear after seeing the thing they had conjured blow up a steel basin.

Whether or not magic was added is unknown, but the lord did indeed create the same effect as magic using these materials that had no magical properties.

No wonder the regulations for this gunpowder field are stricter than anywhere else in the territory, even in Lind's tent; one wrong move and you could blow your arm off.

However, Susan, who was watching from the side, kept yawning. Explosions of this magnitude were just loud but weak. They were good for scaring people, but their actual effect was probably not as good as a first-tier magic scroll. As a fourth-tier professional, Susan could take a bath in these explosions if she was fully armed.

Moreover, it's quite troublesome to use, and Susan really doesn't understand what Linde's purpose is in researching this thing.

It's normal to have this kind of thinking. Before Susan saw explosives being mass-produced and used for industrial mining, she couldn't imagine those scenes, even if she had seen magic that was even more exaggerated than those scenes.

How long does it take to train a mage who can mine with magic? How much does it cost to rent one? Mages need to rest and replenish their magic, but explosives don't.

Your magic is about to run out, while my explosives are endless.

Moreover, this is just rudimentary gunpowder. As the saying goes: "One part saltpeter, two parts sulfur, three parts charcoal, and a little sugar make it a great Ivan."

If granulation can be successfully achieved, Linde could even bring the technological level of gunpowder back to modern times in a short period of time.

The remaining problem is the musket.

Linde was not a musket enthusiast in his previous life. His knowledge of gunpowder was only because the formula for gunpowder was as well-known as a sign at a crossroads, but muskets were different.

Moreover, to make guns that are close to modern ones, the first problem to be solved is smokeless gunpowder. Black powder is already the limit of Linde's understanding; anything beyond that is a blind spot in Linde's knowledge.

Thinking of this, Linde suddenly looked at Lena, who was dozing off as he listened to his report. Could it be that, like when he was building waterwheels everywhere, Lena could design a finished firearm as soon as he gave her an idea?

Impossible, absolutely impossible. Firearms are not simple machines like water-powered forging hammers. Even if Lena has some ideas, it would probably take a long time to test them.

Linde scoffed at his own unreliable idea and decided to take a more practical approach and start researching firearms.

There are essentially two research directions: flintlock muskets and percussion muskets.

Besides the difference in ignition methods, the two types of flintlock muskets also have higher requirements for gunpowder. It is advisable to first study flintlock muskets, lay a foundation, and then gradually update the ignition device and gunpowder to the firing musket. After all, historically, firing muskets were improved based on flintlock muskets, so starting research in this direction is definitely the right thing to do.

Of course, you could try using custom alchemical materials to achieve the desired result in one step, but this method is definitely not feasible for mass production. You can only make a prototype for Linde to play with first.

But that's all for later. The most important thing now is to get the gunpowder ready for production.