Chapter 98: Isolation

Spring arrived in the Esola Hills so suddenly that it caught everyone off guard.

Shortly after Ram left, the ice and snow began to melt. Low-lying green plants, which had crept over the previously barren black land, now bloomed with flowers of various colors under the suddenly bright sunshine, particularly in the clearings between the woods.

Ling loved going out to pick flowers, which meant Wu Qingsong and Harold’s rooms were always decorated with fresh blossoms. Liuli, as if waking from hibernation, started to roam the mountains and fields. She especially liked to visit the pond behind the hill to see how much the fish, previously released by Wu Qingsong, had grown.

From her behavior, it seemed she planned to catch and eat all the fish before they moved away from the area.

Antpeople attacks became more frequent with the rising temperatures. However, by then, nearly two thousand mercenaries were active in the region. Five mercenary groups had earned the right to manage a territory after the long winter. The frequency of ant attacks quickly diminished as more and more ant corpses were brought back. Eventually, it became rare to hear of an attack even once a week.

Officials in Esola City considered this decline in attacks a significant achievement and promptly reported it as a victory to Riniconia. People expected that some might be awarded noble titles for their contributions, but Riniconia’s response was merely to issue six commendations, formally granting management rights over the territories to the six mercenary groups, including the Thirteenth Mercenary Group. After that, there was no further development.

There were rumors that the lack of a noble title for Wu Qingsong was because the Duke of Riniconia was dissatisfied with Marquis Osaga interfering in his territory. Others speculated it was due to political strife within the Fantali Duchy. Regardless of the reason, it seemed Wu Qingsong’s hopes for a noble title were dashed.

“Perhaps they think it’s too soon for you to enter the quasi-noble class, or it could be because you offended that elf,” Harold analyzed. “But don’t be disappointed. Many half-elves take decades to reach where you are now. Sometimes, advancing too quickly isn’t necessarily a good thing.”

“Whatever, I don’t care about that superficial honor,” Wu Qingsong responded.

A noble title wasn’t just a superficial honor. It came with tangible benefits like tax exemptions and status on par with city guards and sheriffs. Due to the success of his Tagraedi-style armor, Wu Qingsong had been heavily taxed by those officials, making him somewhat nostalgic for Gilgood, who, despite his strict adherence to rules, wasn’t as blatantly greedy.

Many people began to loiter around the temporary base of the Thirteenth Mercenary Group, with some even trying to find ways to join. This heightened Wu Qingsong’s vigilance, prompting him to prepare for an official relocation.

The reconstruction of the Elmons Mine was far from complete, but the wooden fortress and the surrounding town had begun to take shape after relentless efforts over the winter. The materials salvaged from the ruins were gradually transported to the warehouse for storage.

To reward the deer people for their hard work, Wu Qingsong generously gave them a sum of money, which left them both surprised and deeply grateful.

During this time, beastmen forcibly relocated from nearby territories began to arrive in Esola Hills. 

“Mostly sheepfolk, rabbitkin, and micekin, especially the latter two,” Harold reported after observing them.

The beastfolk faced a catastrophe akin to the insect tide. Just as spring arrived, they were suddenly dragged out of their ancestral villages by local defense forces, robbed of all possessions, and herded to Esola Hills like livestock. Many elders, infants, and the weak died on the way. The survivors were sorted by age and gender, sold off by officials who profited from the transaction.

Mercenary groups like Wu Qingsong’s couldn’t rely solely on their own power for agriculture, iron smelting, or mining. To develop their territories, residents were essential. Some guilds even bought these labor forces directly from the officials, marking up prices or using them to negotiate with mercenary group leaders for mining rights or exclusive rights to commercial activities in the territories.

Representatives from guilds that had previously been rebuffed by Wu Qingsong unanimously offered exorbitant prices to the Thirteenth Mercenary Group. This left Wu Qingsong feeling as if he’d swallowed a fly, irritable and frustrated.

“Why hasn’t Ram come back yet?”

Wu Qingsong, impatient for Ram’s return, repeatedly expressed his concern to Harold, the old wolfman. 

Meanwhile, Harold meticulously calculated the labor force needed for their operations. Their manpower was categorized into three groups. 

The first consisted of the houndmen soldiers and their families recruited from Bota City. The nearly 120 soldiers were completely trustworthy warriors, and their families, totaling about 300, were capable of simple tasks like packaging and herding but not suited for heavy labor. 

The second group was comprised of horsemen and pigmen recruited after the insectoid tide. The 22 pigmen soldiers, forming a squad under Harold’s command, were responsible for the base’s defense. The horsemen, all converted to laborers along with their families, numbered nearly a hundred and were the main workforce for the production of Tagraedi-style armor. 

The third group was the deerpeople village, with nearly 300 individuals of all ages and genders, currently engaged in constructing the camp and town. Their expertise was in cultivating medicinal herbs.

“Having 150 soldiers and 700 residents is problematic,” Harold said. “The local sales of armor have plateaued, and expanding to new markets will take time. Although the money found in the ruins and profits from sales can sustain us for a while, it’s not a long-term solution. Our poor relations with local guilds make it difficult to procure materials cheaply. Relying solely on Ram’s merchant caravans for supplies is inefficient and risky.”

“There’s no way around it,” Wu Qingsong said, shaking his head.

Their conflict with the local merchants had been brewing since the time he dismantled their shops to fortify the city. These people would not consider that most of the destruction was caused by the ant creatures’ invasion, instead blaming Wu Qingsong. Furthermore, after their attempts to deceitfully gain mining rights through financial manipulation were exposed and rejected, their relationship hit rock bottom.

Additionally, their attempt to compete with Wu Qingsong in the armor market had ended in a complete failure. Although they didn’t originally own this market, they resented seeing the mercenaries wearing only Tagraedi-style armor, deepening their grudge.

Wu Qingsong understood what they wanted, for him to bow down to them, accept their investments or loans, share the profits from his territory, and even submit to their economic control, handing over the armor sales to them instead of managing it himself.

Everything could return to normal if he complied.

But why should he bow to these blood suckers? Why should he accept their exploitation and manipulation?

“The land under your management spans nearly 6,000 acres, but there’s not much forest or pasture. If we set aside mining for now and focus only on farming and herding, our current workforce, including animals, is just about sufficient, but it’s not sustainable for long. If we start mining, we’ll definitely need more hands.”

“Let’s move there first and figure things out gradually. There’s always a solution,” Wu Qingsong said.