Chapter 44: The Fire of Elven Reform, Isugard Fleet’s Landing

In the Elven Kingdom, there was a symbiotic species known as Treants.

Under Viya’s introduction., who is already 300 years old—a young age for an elf—Yang Hao and Teresa roughly understood the ecological relationship between the treants and the elves.

They were an inseparable ecosystem. 

Elven magic made the Elven Forest more habitable for trees, and the trees reciprocated by providing better gathering places for the elves.

Their relationship was reciprocal, much like childhood friends who have exchanged gifts daily since they were young and eventually married for decades.

They had long been inseparable. It could be said that if the elves were to perish, the Elven Forest would disappear as well. But before that happened, all the ancient trees would ensure that invaders pay the price.

Conversely, if the Elven Forest was destroyed, the elves would launch a desperate assault on the invaders.

In this context, it was only natural that the ancient trees would be willing to mine for the elves in a manner of coexisting and growing harmoniously together.

However, the way the ancient trees mine was difficult to describe.

Using a metaphor that Yang Hao could understand, the ancient trees would anchor their roots deep into the underground mineral veins and then suck the minerals out as if they were sucking jelly through a straw.

Not only did they extract the minerals, but they also processed them within specialized tree cavities. 

According to Viya, this was the result of joint efforts between elven magic and the ancient trees.

With the help of elven magic, the tree cavities of ancient trees could reach temperatures high enough to smelt metal without burning the tree itself.

This method of mining not only avoided damaging the natural environment but also directly produced metal ingots or steel billets as finished products.

It seemed perfect, but the efficiency left much to be desired.

The combined efficiency of the Roman Empire’s slave mines and forges was much higher than that of the elven oak tree mines when it came to producing the metal ingots necessary for arrow manufacturing.

Although there was significant environmental pollution, terrain damage, and occasional fatalities, the total output of iron ingots was much higher. At least three to four times more efficient than the current elven production capacity that Yang Hao had heard of.

On the other hand, the elven oak tree mines trade efficiency for environmental protection and integrated product production.

Yang Hao had his reservations about the low output, but when considering the symbiotic relationship between the Elven Forest and the elves, he became more understanding.

This was a unique forest industry foundation that must coexist with the Elven Forest.

Not every place was suitable for the early, heavily polluting human factories. Since the elves had their own characteristics, it would be best to make suggestions based on those characteristics.

However, there was another issue.

So far, it was only known that the ancient trees could mine and produce metal ingots, albeit with very low efficiency.

Did the ancient trees have the processing capability and minimum efficiency required for basic industry? 

And how long did it take for an oak tree to grow to a usable size? 

These were important questions.

Yang Hao fell into deep thought, while Miss Viya replaced her promiscuous husband in explaining some little-known details about the bow-making factory.

For example—the elven bow-makers had their own specialties.

Some specialize in painting on the bow, some in writing poetry, some in micro-carving, and others excel in various external decorations.

They each specialize in different perfect techniques, and when these techniques were integrated, they formed a perfect elven longbow.

What? You ask why no one specialized in the most important bow-making skill?

Elven bow-makers only qualified to refine external decorations after they had perfected the craft of making the bow itself.

In other words, all bow-makers were elites, and the masters among them were renowned for their all-round bow-making skills. They could handle all aspects of the process by themselves, earning the respect of other bow-makers.

But—

Yang Hao only needed the bow itself and the consumable arrows. Those decorations could be melted down to make paper and would be more valuable than they were now. It would be better to eliminate them if possible.

While having a strong cultural foundation was good for a country, during national crises, culture must take a backseat to war.

Even without deep thinking, Yang Hao knew that if the elves stopped making decorations, their current production capacity could be five times higher. So, did these elves just have nothing better to do than spend time on so many unnecessary details?

Yang Hao and Teresa were a bit puzzled. 

Noticing their confusion, Viya further explained, 

“We live for a very long time, so naturally we develop some hobbies, right? Do you have any other questions, Your Majesty?”

“Not for now. I might need to personally visit the mining site. As for the arrows, I am a bit curious. By the way, I heard that you and Arthur have three children?”

“Yes, we do. Twin girls and a boy.” When Viya talked about her children, a gentle smile appeared on her otherwise indifferent face. “This man may be unreliable, but at least he knows to finish outside when with other elves.”

“Uh…”

‘Arthur, you really do have some boundaries in certain areas.’

But more importantly…

“Three children… Is the pregnancy period for elves similar to that of humans?”

“Yes. In a way, except for our longer lifespans, our pregnancy and growth periods are similar to those of humans. However, the lifespan of half-elves, who are human-elf hybrids, is usually reduced. It’s about half of a full elf’s lifespan. But honestly, not many normal elves have children at a young age. Life is pretty good now, and suddenly having a child without any preparation is not just a burden but also irresponsible for the child.”

“Oh…”

It seemed that the low population of elves was not due to difficulty in getting pregnant or slow population growth.

They simply didn’t want to have children.

Yang Hao couldn’t help but feel a bit stifled. 

If elves wanted to have children but couldn’t, he actually had quite a few ideas to help increase their population, which would also facilitate his plans for having the elves send troops to rescue his little empress and the chief judge. 

But if they simply didn’t want to have children, what could he do?

He couldn’t force them to breed, could he? That was something Romans might do. 

But there was no way he could do such a thing.

So Yang Hao quickly gave up on the idea of increasing the elven population to boost their war potential. Instead, he followed Viya to the second-floor arrow-making building.

She explained that although most arrows were made at the mining sites, the elves around Fingal also had a great demand for arrows, so the bow-making factory also took on the responsibility of meeting the local demand for arrows.

Arthur, standing by, hummed a few times and proudly stated that among the arrows were some specifically designed by him for the elves. 

Compared to the outdated perfect arrowheads the elves had used for thousands of years, the arrowheads he designed were not only easier to produce, but also had a stronger affinity for enchantments, and most importantly, the production cycle was very short.

Yang Hao quietly walked around twice, looking at the intricately carved and gold-lined elven arrowheads that exuded a gem-like brilliance, then at Arthur’s designed, simple and straightforward standard arrowheads. 

“Miss Viya, what do you think of Arthur’s arrows compared to the elves’ arrows?”

Viya frowned and then shook her head, “I can only give a craftsman’s assessment. Arthur’s arrows are very easy to produce, but since they can’t be decorated, many fletchers have complaints about them. However, from a craftsman’s perspective, they are indeed high-yield products that also meet the need for enchantments.”

She paused for a moment.

“In summary, they are very practical. But they don’t satisfy the pursuit of art.”

“But, honey, these are weapons, consumables. Who would carve engravings on consumables?”

“Elves would.”

Viya knocked her husband on the head again, and at that moment, Yang Hao already knew what to do next.

He looked sincerely at this cold elven lady, then slightly bowed his head and said, “I understand. Miss Viya, I hope to borrow your husband for a while, so can his leg be restored to normal during this time?”

“Hmm?”

“Fen wants me to lead the reform of the Elven Kingdom.”

“Oh? I see. Then please come back tomorrow. After all, it’ll take some time for the doctor to fix his leg.”

Viya casually lent her husband out, and Arthur didn’t seem to mind. He just excitedly slapped his broken left leg, then curled up in his wheelchair with a bitter face, looking quite pitiful.

For Yang Hao, this was the result of careful consideration.

He didn’t expect Teresa to help with such political affairs. The fact that she could stand by his side was already a great blessing for him.

He wouldn’t expect this naive nun to force herself to learn things she didn’t understand, and to be honest, there wasn’t enough time.

Dr. Joseph and his family were probably interested in studying elven medicine. The Ling tribe’s value lay in Golems, and they also needed to take care of the wounded, making it inconvenient for them to be mobilized during this time.

Therefore, Arthur, with his industrial knowledge and diplomatic skills, and most importantly, his ability to keep up with Yang Hao’s thinking, became the necessary aid for his work this time.

After all, Yang Hao wasn’t omnipotent. Two heads were better than one, so borrowing Arthur for a while, tapping into his wisdom and capabilities, was a necessity—just as it had been in the past.

“See you tomorrow, Arthur.”

With this thought in mind, Yang Hao extended his hand to Arthur, under the comforting gaze of Teresa, who was secretly lifting her calming spell.

Arthur flashed a sunny smile. 

“See you tomorrow, Your Majesty. It’s been a while since we fought side by side. Hopefully, you’ll let me enjoy the company of some lovely elven ladies.”

“Your wife is right here.”

“Oh…”

Ignoring the resumed domestic discipline, Yang Hao and Teresa, with their various thoughts, left the bow-making factory.

The trip had been quite fruitful. The next step was to get the regent certification from Fen at the Green Courtyard, to facilitate the inspection of the elven mining areas tomorrow.

***

Meanwhile, at sea, a fleet of about seven merchant ships, two old-style ironclads, and two eagle motherships from Isugard finally docked at Roman’s foreign port.

Upon arrival, they were warmly welcomed. The fleet commander, responding with practiced courtesy to the Romans’ hospitality, kept a mental note of the merchants’ trading needs.

After a series of inquiries, the commander suddenly realized that the Roman Empire’s demand for grain seemed excessively high.

Even under the guise of brewing, the requests for hundreds of tons of grain seemed less about brewing and more about preparing for a famine.

Looking at the rosy-cheeked, robust residents and soldiers of Dreke Port, and then at the tightly closed city gates that barred foreign merchants, the commander agreed to the merchants’ requests in his name. 

He then returned to the ship’s cabin to talk to the mage. 

“Use communication magic to inform Miss Nia immediately that there might be a potential great famine in the Roman Empire. The amount of grain they wish to purchase is too large. Since Dreke Harbor has completely sealed off entry and exit, we cannot conduct investigations here. If possible, it would be ideal for the advance team to find a landing point outside the Roman Empire and secretly send people in to investigate. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, we will stay in Dreke Port for two weeks to rest before setting sail again.”

The mage nodded, and after a series of complex incantations, he began to relay the message from the other side. 

“The advance team has found a landing point and is currently working on constructing a temporary dock. Miss Nia is seriously injured and, due to the significant losses from the previous naval battle, cannot send anyone into the Roman Empire to conduct reconnaissance. She requests that you ask the person in charge at Dreke Port for a meeting with the regent to discuss the secret agreement.”

“The regent? Wasn’t he rumored to have been ousted?”

“Miss Nia said if the regent comes to negotiate the secret agreement, then all those rumors are just a smokescreen. Conversely, if the regent indeed does not come, it means the Roman Empire is extremely vulnerable right now. We need to take the initiative in the war, but it’s best to wait for her confirmation of the actual situation.”

“I understand.”

The fleet commander nodded thoughtfully, musing about the secret agreement. 

Thinking back, the last time the Isugard fleet came to the continent of Elusia for trade, it was led by the black dragon Nia.

So it was her who gave the regent such a high evaluation and sent crucial intelligence back home?

This matter needed to be handled with utmost care.

The fleet commander solemnly adjusted his collar, preparing for the significant negotiation ahead.

Meanwhile, on the other fleet comprised of two ironclads and three merchant ships. 

The heavily injured black dragon, Nia, spat out a mouthful of blood. Though her life was saved, she couldn’t be expected to work until she had fully recovered.

“Damn these alese… ugh… why haven’t those sneaky archers come over yet? Are they from the Roman Empire?”

In her human form, the black dragon gazed out through the cabin window at the distant forest’s treetop.

Seeing someone seemingly leaping toward them without hostility, she breathed a sigh of relief.