Chapter 389 - 363: 500,000 Gold Coins

By the time Elron, Wilson, and the others galloped up, the massive fire in the swamp had already been extinguished by Carlos’s relentless assault.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke, but the people’s reverence for the behemoth in the sky had reached its peak.

"What in the world is that Magical Beast?" Damon asked in shock.

Elron looked up at Carlos in the sky. ’Since the Lord is allowing it to appear so openly, it must mean the time has come for a grand display.’

"That is the Lord’s Giant Dragon."

"A Giant Dragon?"

A wave of understanding washed over the crowd. It seemed only the Giant Dragons from tales of chivalry could compare to the creature before them.

Ronin flew over.

"The great pit contains a very precious fuel. Rig, have your men guard this area. Don’t let anyone get near, and be absolutely sure to keep all sources of fire away."

Ronin’s tone was extremely serious. "Anyone who brings a fire source here, whether a Knight or a commoner, will be severely punished and sold to the Slave House."

"Yes, my Lord!"

With a Lord who could fly and a Giant Dragon to command their awe, Ronin’s image in the hearts of his people had grown as tall and insurmountable as a mountain peak.

Rig accepted the order with grim seriousness.

"Wilson, organize some manpower. We are going to start mining this coal deposit."

Ronin said to the Civil Servant, "I will write down the guidelines for mining and transportation and give them to you later. Also, this fire caused more than a dozen deaths. You and Chahar will represent me and provide compensation to their families."

He glanced at the great pit. "Although they died, they discovered vast resources for us. In addition to the compensation, reward each family with ten acres of farmland and an additional Ten Gold Coins."

"Your benevolence will soothe their pain."

Wilson and Chahar immediately went into the crowd to collect the family information of the dead and injured.

The matter was quickly settled.

But from this day forward, Swamp Town had a new profession: miner.

After being modified by Rig and the other Earth Attribute Professional Knights, the great pit was transformed into a relatively safe coal mine.

Although it was still risky, the higher wages attracted many people willing to go down and mine for a living.

Ronin recorded all the risks he could think of and briefed the newly formed mine management team led by Wilson.

Currently, the demand for coal was not very high. In the beginning, they could slow down the mining speed to allow the managers and workers to familiarize themselves with the process.

Later, when the demand for things like iron smelting increased, they could expand production.

Now that he had a coal mine, Ronin was even more eager to build a steam engine.

Because of this, his need to become a Magic Master became even more pressing.

「Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was March.」

Over the past month or so, Ronin’s life had returned to a state of peace.

Although the appearance of the Giant Dragon had greatly boosted his reputation in his domain, the stories that spread became somewhat outrageous, to the point that many who heard them treated them as a joke.

He made some inquiries and found out that his subjects had been embellishing the stories as they spread them.

For example, Carlos was just a little over ten meters long, but in their telling, he became a hundred meters long, as large as a mountain, with a wingspan that could cover half of Swamp Town.

Others embellished Carlos’s identity, claiming he was not just a Dragon, but a steed of the Seven Gods, possessing divine power. They said he could not only speak human language but also bring the dead back to life.

In short, as the stories spread, they turned into something out of a knight’s tale.

It got to the point where merchant caravans visiting Swamp Town would hear the stories and unconsciously dismiss them as local tall tales. They even began to doubt whether the Giant Dragon existed at all.

This situation left Ronin not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He had originally thought many nobles would come asking if he really had a Giant Dragon.

「Rapids Island.」

Ronin passed through here on his way to Crystal City, and he stopped again.

"My Lord, these are the Gold Coins earned from the last two shiploads of timber. After deducting two months’ wages, totaling 213 Gold Coins, there are 487 Gold Coins left."

Ronin did not accept them.

"You are the Governor here. Leave these Gold Coins on Rapids Island. Just have someone keep good records. I will also send a financial specialist to help you manage things later on."

As he spoke, he took out two Telescopes from his Space Ring.

"Here, I had these prepared for you. Give them a try."

Karda put the Gold Coins away and quickly took the items, a puzzled look on his face. "What is this?"

Ronin demonstrated how to use it.

Karda copied him, aiming his eye at the Eyepiece and looking into the distance.

"This is..."

He abruptly lowered the Telescope, glanced at the distant scenery, and then raised the Telescope to look again. After doing this twice, he finally confirmed what the object in his hands did.

"My Lord, this thing is incredible! It can make scenery over a kilometer away look so clear!"

Karda had a quick mind; he immediately realized the value of the object in his hands.

Whether on land or at sea, especially in battle, its value would be immense.

Using it, one could clearly see an enemy’s troop deployments and defensive arrangements from afar without being detected.

"What is it called?" Karda asked, his eyes burning with excitement.

Ronin smiled, slowly turning the eyepiece and adjusting the length.

"It’s called a Telescope. You can try slowly turning the barrel to adjust for distance."

Karda quickly tried it and discovered that a kilometer wasn’t its limit—it could see even farther.

"A Telescope!"

He muttered the name to himself, marveling, "This invention of yours... Your wisdom truly earns my deepest admiration!"

Ronin chuckled. ’This is nothing.’

’Once I build a steamship, especially one combined with Bellora’s Magic Energy Ladder drive system, that will be truly amazing.’

This time, Ronin only stayed on Rapids Island for lunch. After tasting the local mashed potatoes, potato chips, and potato fries, he left.

Carlos flew at top speed, and before long, they had crossed the Screaming Sea and arrived in the skies above Crystal Castle.

"Hahaha, I sensed your arrival long ago!"

The Great Mage Bellora was already waiting in the air. This time, there was no telling where he had placed his Perception Barrier.

"Mister Bellora, the rest of the Dragon Scales are here."

Ronin said, tossing the backpack to him.

Bellora eagerly opened the backpack to inspect the goods. There were exactly fifteen Dragon Scales, no more, no less.

"Did you use up the four from last time? How did the potion-making go?" Ronin asked.

Hearing this question, Bellora couldn’t help but blush, despite being over a hundred years old. He put the backpack away.

Ronin noticed that the other man also seemed to have a Spatial Attribute container.

"Don’t even mention it. They all failed!"

He said in frustration, "Making this potion requires a surge of Magic Power, which then needs to be controlled with a Magic Potion. One wrong move and it all goes wrong."

"It’s that difficult?"

Ronin didn’t doubt the man’s skill in making Magic Potions in the slightest. Consecutive failures must mean the process was extremely difficult.

"Don’t worry, I have experience with both stages now. I’m confident I’ll succeed soon!"

As he said this, he subconsciously glanced at the backpack in his hand. ’Are fifteen Dragon Scales enough?’

"Ronin, if Mister Carlos sheds any more scales in the future, you have to sell some more to me!"

"Don’t worry. You’re probably the only one on the entire Orland Continent who has a use for Dragon Scales. If I don’t sell them to you, who else would I sell them to?"

These words put Bellora in a cheerful mood.

"Let’s not chat in the air. Come on, I’ve already prepared the five hundred thousand Gold Coins for you!"

"Haha, excellent!"

Ronin used Wind’s Wings and followed him to the ninth floor of the Mage Tower.

Five hundred thousand Gold Coins sounded like a lot, but it only filled a few large chests.

If stacked neatly, it would take up less than three cubic meters of space.

"It’s all here. You can count it."

Bellora smiled and opened the chests, their golden gleam illuminating the room. "I won’t keep you company. If you need anything, you can ask for Franz or my grandson, Randall."

All this time, the man had never mentioned his son.

It wasn’t that his son wasn’t in Crystal City, but that his son had already passed away.

In the face of a Great Mage’s long lifespan of at least two hundred years, it was quite normal for the descendants of ordinary people or low-level Transcendents to pass away first.

Ronin could see the eagerness on the man’s face and knew what he wanted to do.

"Please, don’t let me keep you!"

Bellora didn’t hesitate for a moment. He immediately took the backpack up to the top floor and began his new round of seclusion.

’This guy really is a research fanatic. He’s not even afraid I’ll touch his things.’

He turned his gaze to the Gold Coins before him and put them all into his Space Ring.

The familiar text appeared.