After the caravan left, Roland let out a long sigh. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

Finally...... The vaults are full again.

A total of eight steam engines were delivered to the three chambers of commerce, three of which were produced in the No. 2 factory set up with the assistance of the Quarter Moon Bay Chamber of Commerce -- it has to be said that these craftsmen from the fjord were much more talented and learned than the miners and blacksmiths in the town, and after mastering the operation of machine tools, the pass rate of finished products skyrocketed, and perhaps in two months, the production capacity of No. 2 plant could catch up with that of No. 1 plant. Fortunately, according to the signed contract, the proceeds from the sale of these machines belonged to Roland.

In addition, he received a new order for the purchase of a hydrogen balloon from the Caravan of Quarter Moon Bay, and Marlan was very interested in this kind of thing that would greatly expand his vision, and in addition to the solo reconnaissance balloon, he also specially customized a giant balloon that could carry three to four people, intended to be used to explore the new islands of the fjord.

Together with the delivery of the first paddle steamer, the three brought nearly 7,000 gold dragons to the border town, and after deducting the cost of buying goods such as metal ingots, washing stones, and grain, the remaining 6,000 gold dragons were enough to support his population expansion plan.

Roland summoned Barov and Iron Axe into the office.

"Now that we have money to spare, it's time to go out and recruit more people. He looked at the two capable generals, "This operation is carried out by the city hall and the First Army in coordination, and the specific personnel are up to you, and I will only explain the general content of the mission." ”

"Speak, please. The steward nodded.

"Enrollment is divided into two directions, northern and southern. Roland pulled out a map from the table and spread it out in front of the two of them, "Especially the line from Eagle City to Blue Water Harbor...... I suspect that Tifeko has seen these people as part of Garcia's forces, a useless population that can be spent at will, so you need to get them over first. ”

"The team sent by the town hall is responsible for recruiting nobles, artisans, and other literate people, and the main task of the First Army is to recruit civilians, unlike the previous propaganda, this time the method should be more proactive, do you know what I mean?"

Iron Axe hesitated, "You mean...... Forced pull?"

"Ahem, there's no need to do that," Roland coughed twice, and Shamin's style was really simple and rude, "such as distributing food, taking the initiative to persuade, paying living expenses in advance, and so on." He glanced at Barov, "You should know this very well. ”

"Of course, Your Highness, I assisted the ministers and the patrols in suppressing and quelling the refugee revolt on many occasions when I was in the royal capital," said the latter, touching his beard, "and their demands are simple, sometimes just to fill their stomachs, so that there is no need to co-opt with money, or even mention the salary—if the conditions are too generous, they will become suspicious." The down-and-out aristocracy is in a lot of trouble, although now they are strapped for money and the scenery is no longer good, but they are well-informed and demanding, and they will not travel thousands of miles with us for a piece of steamed bread, and only then do they need to be tempted by money and promises. ”

Roland slapped his palms twice with satisfaction, "It's a pity that there are many affairs in the border town, and you can't go there in person, otherwise this task will be successfully completed." ”

"Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will send my most proud disciple to it. Barov smiled, "When the city is built next year, there will be houses on both sides of the Chishui River." ”

"There will be a day like this. ”

After the two retreated, Roland leaned back in his chair and rested for a while, deciding to go to the backyard of the north slope to see Anna.

As soon as you enter the door, the first thing that catches your eye is metal blocks all over the ground.

Roland picked up one piece and placed it in his palm—they were about the same size, about five centimeters long and wide, and the surface was uneven, as if it had been squeezed by something, and one side was engraved with a number. For example, the piece in his hand is engraved with the word number 256.

"How's it going, did you make any good discoveries?"

"No. 1057 and No. 2284, one is exceptionally hard, and the other is excellent in terms of hardness and toughness. Anna greeted her, a bright smile on her face.

"More than two thousand?" Roland said in surprise, as he took the notebook that Lucia handed him, which was densely filled with data. A line 2284 was found, and the number was found with a carbon content of 0.8% and an unknown element of 4 of 15.2%.

"Well, it's a lot more interesting than sharpening the barrel," Anna blinked, "Mixing other metals into the iron can make a sea change in its properties, and I wonder how these metal balls fit together." ”

Anna and Lucia's current exploration is a work of profound significance.

Roland first asked the little girl to break down the ore into a variety of raw materials, and then Anna mixed them with pure iron according to different mass ratios to smelt them, made them into test blocks, and tested their properties - through the extrusion and stretching of the black fire, Anna could tell the amount of magic consumed in each operation, so as to judge its strength and toughness.

The first thing to add is obviously carbon.

Although Roland knows that steel is essentially an iron-carbon alloy: more carbon is pig iron, no carbon is pure iron, and the carbon content can be called steel within a certain range, and the slightest fluctuation can greatly change the metal properties, so the first thing to measure is the size of this range.

As can be seen from the records, before No. 1500 it was pure iron and carbon smelting, and after No. 1500 it began to add new elements to the steel base. Roland knew that the possible outcome would multiply with each additional number in the permutation, and that it would be an extremely lengthy process, so he only asked Anna to explore this part of the content when the task of making it was not heavy.

He gave the two witches a few words of encouragement, sat aside, and quietly admired Anna's busy back.

Although the sunshine after autumn is still bright, it is no longer as hot as in the summer, and he feels warm all over his body, and a long-lost sense of stability wells up in his heart.

I don't know how long it took, but the courtyard gradually quieted down. He suddenly felt a soft hand on his forehead, and when he opened his half-squinted eyes, Lucia was gone, and Anna was sitting in front of him, "You have something to say to me." ”

“......”

"Your eyes tell me," she said, tilting her head, the ends of her hair hanging down like translucent strands of gold.

Roland hesitated for a moment, and finally shook his head helplessly, "I'm just a little confused." He roughly explained the population expansion plan to the other party, "Compared with the initial free choice, in order to seize the time, some semi-inducement and semi-coercion methods have been used." Although this was done to prevent them from being forcibly recruited by Tifeko and eventually dying from the erosion of the pills, if I think about it, what I did was not too far from him...... The only difference is in the purpose. ”

"Doesn't the purpose tell the whole story?" she asked softly.

"But ......"

"I know what you're trying to say," Anna covered the prince's mouth, "and you fear that they don't appreciate it, and that you can't guarantee that the end will always be right—misunderstood by the wrong means, or irreparably wronged...... You don't know if it's the right means or the right results that matter. Am I right?"

"Don't worry," before he could reply, Anna stepped forward, clasped Roland's cheeks with both hands, and whispered in his ear, "I'm here...... I'll take a good look at you. (To be continued.) )