Chapter 426 - 426:1.5 Million Rare Resources, Sea Beast Tide
This time, from the Dragon King’s treasury, a total of one and a half million units of rare resources were harvested, which was more than double the yield from the previous expedition to the Northern Continent. Ji Chen couldn’t help but exclaim that the rewards from this expedition were truly remarkable!
The influx of these resources significantly enriched the stockpile like never before.
Sticking to his original idea, he opted to relocate the ten Dragon Horn Catfish Recruitment Camps to the Crown of the Ocean. Additionally, he chose to transform five of the empty Recruitment Camps into Tyrant Azure Dragon Recruitment Camps.
With a mighty roar, five imposing golden pyramids abruptly emerged on the southern shoreline.
This brought the total count at the Crown of the Ocean to six, each capable of enlisting 18 units of Tyrant Azure Dragons per week.
Not only could they recruit on a large scale, but the expansion rate had also increased several-fold.
With the conclusion of the Great Luminescent Sea expedition, about ten days had passed. There were now some matters in the Crown of the Ocean that required his personal attention.
Upon his return, Ji Chen immediately began his work within the Lord’s Manor.
Wilus reported in detail, “The post-war reconstruction work has entered the middle phase. Seventy percent of the residential houses have been repaired and rebuilt. Functional buildings like the blacksmith’s workshop are more than halfway restored…
The prisoners of war from the Bass Kingdom have been allocated to various resource points and are under strict control. There is not much resistance…
The sea rice harvest has been completed, and we can begin planting again. Leysha’s vineyard has expanded its cultivation scale, and the first batch of grapes is in the growing stage. The crops in the jungle plantation are also about to enter the harvest season…”
Various matters, big and small, from the Crown of the Ocean were first gathered by Wilus, and then, based on their significance and importance, a selection of valuable reports was presented to Ji Chen for judgment and decisions.
However, this was only a small part. With his support, Wilus selected some talented individuals from the refugees and residents, forming the initial administrative team, which laid a solid foundation for the future development of the Crown of the Ocean.
Most of the trivial matters in the Crown of the Ocean were handled by Wilus and this group of administrative personnel.
“The cultivation area of sea rice needs further expansion. It is currently one of the main sources of food for the Crown of the Ocean
Of course, we can also have the residents go fishing outside. The stormy sea area has abundant seafood, enough to meet a significant portion of our food needs. However, we should be careful not to deplete the resources thoughtlessly. Even the richest of seas will eventually run dry if not managed properly.”
Despite having the fluorescent mushrooms from the Lizardmen as a reliable food source, Ji Chen believed it was necessary to regulate the dietary structure reasonably to maintain high morale.
Wilus nodded earnestly, taking note of this.
“Lord, I have made a new discovery,” Wilus continued.
“I’ve heard that the fluorescent plants produced in the Great Luminescent Sea are also suitable for human consumption.”
Ji Chen was taken aback. It was the first time he had heard of this. He had only known that the Sea Clan in the Great Luminescent Sea used fluorescent plants as food. Could humans really consume those underwater plants that emitted their own light?
However, he didn’t mind and promptly said, “If that’s the case, then you should conduct a taste and texture test. If they meet the standards, we can promote large-scale cultivation. After all, the Crown of the Ocean is abundant in seawater.
After some time, 1 will have the Sea Clan from the Great Luminescent Sea expedition come out. With their involvement, planting fluorescent plants on the seabed won’t be a problem.”
“Understood!”
Afterward, Wilus continued to seek guidance on a few more matters. Once he received clear responses, he excused himself.
Watching Wilus disappear behind the door, Ji Chen leaned back in his chair, not having a moment to relax before another guest arrived.
From afar, the booming voice of Thotmudo could be heard. Ji Chen saw his stocky figure emerge from behind the door, striding confidently toward a nearby chair, where he plopped down without ceremony.
“Kid, I heard you’ve got a prosperous ocean realm? You’re really lucky, living in the favor of the heavens,” Thotmudo exclaimed without any pretense.
Seeing Thotmudo’s casual demeanor, Ji Chen didn’t mind and smiled as he asked, “Thank you for your praise. How are those apprentices doing in their studies?”
While Thotmudo was busy forging defensive alchemical apparatuses, he also served as an instructor, teaching a group of apprentices the art of blacksmithing.
Upon mentioning this, Thotmudo started grumbling, “Those fools are too slow in their learning. If I had such dim-witted apprentices back in Black Iron Fortress, I would have kicked them out long ago.
At their current rate of learning, when will they ever finish mastering the basic dwarven blacksmithing techniques? There are even more challenging skills ahead!”
Clearly, humans and Lizardmen couldn’t compare to Dwarves in terms of blacksmithing. Dwarves were like blessed individuals when it came to forging, with natural talent and genius bestowed upon them.
Among the top ten renowned blacksmiths, seven were Dwarves.
“If you want to forge top-quality weapons and equipment quickly, you’ll need to recruit more Dwarves. Oh, by the way, when are you going to help me gather other Dwarf tribes?”
Ji Chen shook his head and replied, “This matter will likely be postponed for a while. The war between the Kingdom of Bass and the Lienhardt Grand Duchy may start at any moment, and we must be prepared.”
Through reports from players in chat channels and on forums, Ji Chen learned that there had been increasing friction between the two sides in the past half month. Both public opinion and military movements seemed to be hinting at an impending conflict..