LRAB Page 28
Page 28
Casalos only wanted any part of the gnolls. There were enough gnolls to go around among the remaining slaves. No matter how much they fought, it wouldn't escalate into a life-or-death brawl. At most, they would just get into a real fight and get hurt.
At this point, nearly 200 surviving slaves of the Grey Dwarf Expeditionary Force defected to Casalos, two Exemplary Mind Warlocks were captured but survived, and the rest of the army was wiped out.
After waiting for the surviving slaves to swear allegiance in the name of God, Casalos landed back on the stone pillar. Hundreds of meters away, the sound of ballista strings snapping echoed again from the mushroom bushes, and the grappling hooks dragging steel cables were thrown down. Several kobold warlocks reappeared, casting limited healing spells on the foolish ogres and directing them to wobble and find a place to secure themselves to the grappling hooks. Before long, groups of kobolds, using ferocious weasels, dragged the baskets up the steel cables.
Inside the basket were various first-aid bandages and simple medicines, as well as a large quantity of mushroom chips to stave off hunger.
Having been starved by the Grey Dwarves for quite some time, and having only managed to snatch a limited amount of food from the packages sent by the Drow Dragons before the uprising... no, now they are the loyal subjects of Casaloz, and their eyes immediately gleamed with greed.
Fortunately, the residual power of Casalos and the ballistae still lingered. Under absolute deterrence, they suppressed their instincts and did not scramble for food. Instead, under the command of the dragon vein sorcerer, they lined up in a long queue, waiting for the kobolds to distribute the delicious food.
"Why don't they go eat the gnolls? There are so many gnoll corpses here. Don't goblins and ogres like to eat people?" Casalos suddenly turned to the empty space beside him and asked.
72. Prospects
The dragon did not answer Casaloz's question. It might have already gone far away from here. In any case, Casaloz could not find out its exact location, but could only determine its general location through the dragon vein warlock's divination spell for detecting creatures.
“Those invisible creatures are truly detestable to dragons. Too bad, where can you even run off to?” Casalos tossed his head dismissively, swaggering into the pile of mangled gnoll corpses. He picked out a few good pieces of “dog chops” and tossed them to the chef dogs to grill. While other evil creatures feared the corrupting power of the Abyss and dared not touch the gnolls, dragons didn't have to be so averse to them.
"Dog meat is so tender that even a god can't sit still. What excellent meat! It even comes with its own spicy seasoning. How can I just waste it? I'm finally a dragon with my own territory!"
Kou Tao's fishmen were reduced to a few remnants and retreated into the lake. They have not dared to show their faces since. The gray dwarf expeditionary force was wiped out, and the road was completely collapsed. The nameless rift valley, which was sealed off, was finally peaceful and prosperous. Everything was in need of rebuilding and it could barely be considered a safe territory, enough for it to develop quietly for a while.
Casalos has many issues to address in order to establish his territory. As an iron dragon dedicated to reviving the glory of the Dragon Age civilization, he will not allow his people to grow wildly and fend for themselves like the chromatic dragons did.
Previously constrained by its harsh external geography, the core development strategy for the Kalik tribe's kobolds revolved entirely around enhancing their "military power." Through the mystical connections between dragons among their own kind and targeted technological and industrial reforms, the Kalik tribe's combat strength could be rapidly elevated. However, this was an extremely distorted development model—unhealthy, lacking potential, and unsustainable.
The Carrick tribe was only so big, and the time it had to truly develop after taking over was so short that all its shortcomings had not yet become apparent.
But now its population has exploded to three times its original size, and the new population is all in their prime working age. Unlike other races, the dull and boring gray dwarves do not like to establish slave communities. Their slaves' only fate is to die from exhaustion in endless and arduous forced work. They will not be traded as commodities, nor will they have the opportunity to reproduce.
When the grey dwarves hunt slaves, they target young individuals who are too young to work and those who are too old to work.
Chapter 67
Individuals of any strength are ruthlessly killed by them; only those of suitable working ability are eligible to be chosen as slaves, which is why they frequently engage in slave-hunting operations.
"It's such a waste."
Casalos had no interest in commenting on the Grey Dwarves' society, but if it wanted to establish itself as a long-term base and make this place one of its future strongholds, it had to consider sustainable development plans and deepen reforms into every aspect of its territory. A backward mode of production could hardly unleash the high productivity brought by magic.
After finishing its meal, it will plunge into its busy and tedious administrative work. It already has a basic idea for the development of its territory.
The Karrick tribe's kobolds and the newly subjugated group of original grey dwarf slaves, combined, number only a little over 400 people, most of whom are of working age. In short, they eat a lot, excrete a lot, and do a lot.
Although the rift valley is barren, its ecological carrying capacity still has considerable room relative to the current population. If sustainable development and expansion are the goal, the development of the primary industry must be of paramount importance.
In this regard, apart from the kobolds and grey dwarves who could rudimentarily cultivate some fungi and raise some livestock to barely engage in "agricultural" production, the evil races that were regarded as "monsters" by the surface humanoid societies originally relied on two primitive methods of production: plunder and hunting. These methods were insufficient to maintain a large population size, and were even less feasible in the barren Rift Valley.
The Karrick tribe possesses two natural crops common in the Underdark: mushrooms, which provide abundant amino acids and other nutrients, and vines, which produce sugar. The dull-witted ogres and obedient goblins are both robust creatures, making them ideal for the industrialized cultivation of these two crops.
Although their brains aren't very sharp, with guidance they should still be able to understand the concepts and methods of farming... right?
The lakes in the Rift Valley are not stagnant waters; they contain a rich source of nutrients, making them exceptionally rich in fishery resources. Unfortunately, they were all originally occupied by the Kota Fishmen, but now that the Kota Fishmen population has shrunk, fishing could be considered as an option.
Protein is the most essential nutrient for the growth of "flesh-and-blood creatures". If kobolds had access to high-quality protein sources, they might not be so thin. Look at those slimy Kotō fishmen, how strong they are... The amino acids provided by mushrooms can probably only meet the minimum protein requirements for the development of kobolds. What is a better source of high-quality protein on a large scale than fish?
As for aquaculture, we don't need to consider the current population demand for the time being. At most, we'll find a couple of clever guys to try it out. If it's successful, we'll maintain it on a small scale and improve it, storing it as a technology reserve until the population of the territory truly grows before putting it into application.
The only problem is that the fishing industry might face retaliatory attacks from the Koto merfolk, requiring ample military protection. The high-ranking warriors among the new inhabitants could easily overpower the remaining Koto merfolk warrior on land, but the situation completely reversed in the water. Even without the high-ranking warrior's intervention, a few Koto merfolk could simply swim over and drill a hole in the boat; landlubbers like goblins and ogres would be severely injured. Only a dragon-veined sorcerer like Eisen, who had regained his dragon wings, could barely manage to protect the fishing fleet.
It's only barely manageable; the shielding effect of water on perception is truly disgusting. Aquatic species that don't have innate underwater perception are still largely unable to defend against underwater attacks.
Perhaps we could find a way to trick the Drow Dragon into working for us... The previous oath to restrain the dragon was ineffective, so how can we bind this free super laborer to our chariot? I wonder if this kid will be interested in the method of advancing the Skin Dragon.
In addition, placing steel wire mesh with blades into the lake should also limit the Kou Tao fishmen for a period of time. The water's shielding of perception is not only specifically aimed at terrestrial creatures, but is a fair environmental effect that is all-round and without blind spots. Aquatic species have only mastered one or two effective underwater perception methods for specific targets in the long process of evolution. As long as it is dealt with in a targeted manner, the Kou Tao fishmen swimming at high speed underwater will not have time to detect the randomly placed deadly traps.
Thus, the solution to the problem returned to the secondary industry.
The 40 or so gray dwarves among the slaves will be the core of the territory's future industrial team.
The author says:
Author's Note: ——————————
My eldest child has various extracurricular classes on Saturdays, leaving me with very limited time. I'm writing very slowly now, and I don't even know if I'll have time for the second chapter...
73. Planning and Reality
Primary industry is the foundation upon which a territory depends for survival and development, while secondary industry is the industry that further processes the output of primary industry—handicrafts are also a part of industry. Apart from dwarves and elves, whose relatives are unknown in some plane, dwarves are perhaps the race on the continent of Faerûn whose habits best fit the word "industry."
They are hardworking, pragmatic and persistent, and focused on their work and improving their craftsmanship.
The grey dwarves have become evil for some reason; greed, irritability, gloom, violence, and ungratefulness have become their new traits, causing them to never give anything to others in their lives and to constantly calculate every little thing they receive—whether real or imagined. They firmly believe that might makes right and have no pity for those who are powerless to protect their possessions or their lives.
But they are still dwarves, and as long as others don't have what they covet, they remain focused on their own tasks, dedicating themselves to working to make their work surpass that of others. No obstacle can discourage a gray dwarf who has set a goal, and they never leave unfinished work behind!
With the gray dwarves around, the industrialization of the territory will surely proceed very smoothly...
As it turns out, all of the above was Casalos's fantasy.
Since planting is a long and labor-intensive process that requires a lot of time to harvest, and there are no druids in the Rift who can use nature magic to speed up the planting cycle, the ogres and goblins simply cannot understand the significance of it.
Fermented manure was laid in the pit, then large amounts of crushed limestone were mixed with sand, gravel, and chopped vines and mushrooms in a specific ratio, layered on top, leveled, and watered. Trimmed vines or glowing mushroom spores were then planted on top, and several buckets of manure water were poured over it every day. This repetitive labor was a completely meaningless torture for them, only breeding resentment and anger in this inherently evil race.
Fortunately, thanks to the goblins' tight military organization and the relatively low intensity of farm work compared to the ogres' physical exertion, they are still relatively obedient for now. Apart from the increasing frequency of daily fights, they haven't committed any major acts of misbehavior.
If this continues, the ogres will mutini before they even get to the first harvest cycle.
Casalos dared not overestimate the self-discipline of chaotic and evil creatures in upholding their oaths. Red dragons frequently broke their oaths made in the name of the Mother of Dragons, only to have their souls reaped by her with amusement. As for ogres, whose intelligence was less than half that of a normal adult human, once they were enraged, they completely forgot their oaths.
Six ogre barbarians plus 15 ordinary ogres—when they go berserk, even Casalos would have to avoid them.
So, after discovering the problem, Casalos had no choice but to temporarily relocate the ogres from the agricultural production team, letting them use their inexhaustible strength to pull the winches—the mushroom thicket between the two stone pillars of the former grey dwarf camp was now only connected by steel cables, and winch-driven gondolas were the most efficient means of transportation; an elevator was also under construction to travel between the top and bottom of the pillars. Furthermore, the Carrick tribe, currently using furnaces and other such items, also had a shortage of strong-arm labor.
In short, upon entering the machine
Chapter 68
Before the era of mechanized power, there were many other places where the strength of ogres was needed, so dealing with troublesome ogres was not a problem at all.
The real problem lies with the grey dwarves whom Casalos sees as the hope for industrialization of the territory; these guys are the epitome of extreme selfishness.
They were awestruck by the steelmaking process of the Karrick tribe, which then sparked a bloody conflict. Forty or so unarmed grey dwarves fought each other with their fists. Even though Casaloz and the dragon vein warlocks managed to suppress the violence in time, three grey dwarves had their heads smashed.
When Casalos investigated the reasons afterward, the conclusion he came to was both laughable and gloomy: every single one of these guys had the idea that someone else should monopolize the converter technology!
"What kind of mess is this..."
The gray dwarves not only dislike seeing any of their "colleagues" master the same "skills," but they also dislike producing products identical to their colleagues. After acquiring the same technology and processes from the Iron Dragon and producing according to the same specified standards, how different could the resulting products be?
With standards set aside and Casalos blocking the path of eliminating their colleagues, the Grey Dwarves began to play tricks on the production process and craftsmanship. Etching patterns and engraving their names on perfectly good workpieces, or blueing them to change color, were relatively normal, wasting little time and not affecting usability. Forcibly stacking different grades of steel to hand-forge workpieces, creating primitive horse patterns, or carving rough yet exquisitely detailed sculptures on workpieces, was enough to drive Casalos mad and enrage his dragons.
Leaving aside the waste of time, this could cause serious problems. The territory's industrialization is still in its early stages, and the standards for steel product performance and precision are relatively broad. The grey dwarves' current approach isn't problematic yet, but as the required precision and performance of products become increasingly refined, this approach will absolutely lead to disaster.
These dark-eyed, gray dwarfs simply do not meet the conditions for cooperative production.
The only solution was to break up all the gray dwarves and make other races their assistants, with each of them responsible for different production processes and stages, so that industrial production could barely be started.
Thus, a new problem arose.
The Rift Valley is an extremely resource-scarce region, and this scarcity is all-encompassing, not just referring to terrestrial biological resources. The reason why the city of Gravesend has never occupied this relatively abundant area is that there are almost no metal veins here, a fact already proven by Casaloz's metal perception.
The Karrick tribe's ability to find a low-quality iron ore mine under the mushroom and a coal mine on a nearby stone pillar was nothing short of incredible luck—it has to be said, these scaly little dogs have never had bad luck.
A race that could be considered the weakest in Faerûn, who was not wiped out by the Serpent King Empire of the Serpent Abyss, but was driven to a remote and barren land, actually discovered habitable mushroom thickets and enough minerals, and then had the incredible luck of finding the remains of the Bejuri Gem Dragon, and even more, they were fortunate enough to meet the Iron Dragon Lord Casaloz...
However, regardless of the circumstances, a low-quality iron ore vein buried within a stone pillar was no longer sufficient to support the expansion of industrial production in the Casalos territory.
74. Taking a multi-pronged approach
Since the Grey Dwarf capital city was confirmed to have no mineral veins, Casalos didn't expect to find anything through prospecting. The entire Rift Valley was basically covered by lakes, and there was a high probability that there were some metal veins at the bottom of the lakes. Unfortunately, Casalos couldn't find a single person among his entire territory who could move freely underwater; everyone was a landlubber. Underwater prospecting and mining were extremely difficult and high-tech industries, and with the Kotō murlocs lurking around, it was best not to consider it for the time being.
The absence of metal veins does not mean that the rift valley has no source of basic metal materials.
"Every turtle has a green iron shell, and every household has moss! The earth is so vibrant and green, and apart from oxygen and silicon, it is basically composed of metallic elements. How could it lack metallic resources?"
Only the Nine-Faced Dragon God knew the reason: the elemental composition of the crust of the planet Toril was almost identical to that of the blue planet Casalos had lived on in his previous life.
All stones are minerals, and in fact, most stones contain some metals. Due to the elemental nature of the environment, extracting these metals directly from stones is extremely costly, involves a very complex process, and yields very low output. However, in dire circumstances, one can always find a way to obtain something usable, given the relatively small population of the Casalos Rift territory.
Fortunately, a lava river flowing back into the earth—the waterfall through which Casalos enters the rift valley—continuously pours liquid "mineral streams" into the rift. The lava has undergone a long process of flowing and converging in the cracks of the rock and soil layers, melting countless metallic minerals along the way. The iron content alone is enough to meet Casalos's long-term nutritional needs, and there are also quite a few other precious metals, which can be used as a temporary source of materials.
Of course, blast furnaces and converters are not enough to smelt iron from lava. Casalos is considering using the power of magic to start the electrical industry in his territory ahead of time. Since the influence of magic on everything is mainly manifested in electromagnetic force, the electricity in the heavens of the kingdom is very strange. Many phenomena violate the various electrical effects that Casalos is familiar with. This will probably become a long-term basic project involving the underlying principles of magic.
Fortunately, Casalos's Breath weapon contains half lightning, allowing it to understand and recognize Faerûn's electricity from a magical perspective more directly, and to promote its application.
In summary, the electrothermal effect required for refining iron from lava differs slightly from what Casalos learned in his previous life, but it's not enough to affect the final result. As long as there's sufficient electricity, building a usable electric furnace shouldn't be a problem. As for the construction of basic power infrastructure, perhaps we'll have to put some thought into magic.
The two captured dwarven psionicists are the biggest breakthrough. The fifth-circle psionic ability, Advanced Creation, can directly warp reality to create pure metal objects. This creation is extremely energy-intensive, making mass production impossible. However, forcing them to use their psionic powers day and night to conjure pure copper and strong magnets out of thin air should be enough to meet the most basic needs for electricity infrastructure.
Anyway, these two guys aren't Casalos's subjects; they're just defeated prisoners of war, Casalos's slaves. If they can be used to build electric furnaces and servo power facilities, it's worth it even if they're squeezed into brain damage.
Industrial expansion cannot be achieved overnight. The inferior iron ore of the Karrick tribe can sustain them for a while, enough for Casaloz to build a usable electric furnace. For the current size of the territory, the steel production of one electric furnace is more than sufficient, with ample reserves to try to reduce other metal elements from lava, expand the lime-manure chemical industry, and even try electrolytic aluminum.
If the aluminum industry can be developed, the fundamental material problem facing the development of the territory will be solved in the most thorough way...
The development of territory is ultimately just territory, merely one of the necessary foundations for Casalos to ensure its safe survival and development space; its own growth is the most important element.
The trial of the Dragon's Treasury will take some time. It's unclear what's wrong with this thing; it can only absorb high concentrations of elemental magic to replenish its energy when it enters a short slumber. However, a dragon's short slumber only lasts two or three days at most, far from enough to fill the Dragon's Treasury. And once it awakens from its slumber, the elemental magic absorbed by the Dragon's Treasury quickly dissipates. Therefore, until Casalos finds a sufficiently concentrated point of convergence of elemental magic, he can only rely on the slow and steady power of the Bejuri Flame.
Chapter 69
The fixed charging method is to obtain the minimum guarantee, and at most, when the Dragon Treasury's charging state reaches the threshold where a short sleep is sufficient to fully charge it, one can enter the lava for trials about ten days in advance.
However, aside from the Dragon Treasury, dragons are not entirely without other ways to increase their power.
By utilizing the territory's industries to forge equipment usable by dragons, Casaloz's actual combat capabilities can be effectively enhanced. For instance, modifying the Karrick tribe's heavy pulley ballista, adding a magic effect to it, and pairing it with enchanted arrows, would transform Casaloz into a terrifying aerial killer. In areas favorable for flight, taking down two or three novice Exemplars would be a piece of cake.
The fine steel artifacts used to reinforce the dragon's natural weapons such as claws, wings, jaws, and tail are equally formidable under the immense strength of the iron dragon. At least until Casaloz grows into adolescence and its natural weapons evolve into magical weapons equivalent to +1, it will probably wear this set of things year-round. If it weren't for the fact that the steel artifacts are too heavy, making it impossible to fly after wearing too many, it would even like to forge itself a set of all-steel dragon armor that looks like an iron can.
Only by remaining alive can one deal damage. The powerful defense gained from upgrading the Carved Skin Dragon with real money is the foundation for its foothold here.
Beyond equipment, the next step is to explore the training methods for the Dragon class.
Upon learning that Casaloz was willing to trade the method for advancing the Skinned Dragon, the Charson family's Drow Dragon, who wished to remain anonymous, showed great interest.
However, this creature was unwilling to serve as a guard for a lower being, so it offered the Charson family's unique dragon assassin training methods in exchange for Casalos. Casalos readily agreed, completing this "fair trade" with the drow dragon through a blood oath. However, just as Casalos had ruthlessly tricked the drow dragon in the deal, the drow dragon had also tricked Casalos in return.
Given the physique of the Drow Dragon, it needs to grow to adulthood before its skin and scales can withstand the carving of the mysterious runes that are the source of the power of the Carved Skin Dragon. It still has more than a hundred years to wait.
To undergo assassin training, one must first join the evil faction, which essentially eliminates the possibility of Casalos becoming an assassin.
75. Not a loss
However, Casalos felt he hadn't lost out.
Given Zhuo Erlong's character, this kid from the Charleson family would never reveal the secret of the Carved Skin Dragon to any other dragon or human. He would keep this valuable advancement method to himself for the rest of his life.
However, while Casalos himself couldn't use the Charson family's assassin training methods, he could certainly extend them to the kobolds of the Kalik tribe, combining them with the Dragonvein Warlock class to cultivate a group of elite Dragonvein kobold assassins. Assassins are perfectly suited for intelligence work beyond assassination; they're also excellent for gathering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Drow Dragon has essentially helped Casalos build the prototype of an intelligence agency—what a worthwhile investment!
Of course, Casalos wouldn't dare let those so-called subjects get involved in such crucial intelligence work, so assassin training was only conducted secretly within the loyal dogs of the Carrick tribe.
Casaloz's own attempts at warrior training still made no progress. However, having witnessed many spells from kobold dragonvein warlocks, his magical instincts began to awaken faintly. Occasionally, he could conjure one or two zero-ring spells using arcane magic. Perhaps before long, he would awaken the innate spellcasting ability of an Argentinian dragon in its hatchling stage. More optimistically, if he had a systematic learning method, Casaloz might be able to become a mage, thereby greatly improving the Argentinian dragon's innate spellcasting ability.
Unfortunately, there wasn't a single mage to be found in the entire territory, nor were there any magical relics. Casalos had little hope of taking up this "noble" profession that relied entirely on long-term systematic learning and diligent study. The fact that he was able to awaken the spellcasting ability of the Athelon ahead of time was already a blessing from the Miracle Light Kresska.
Once Casalos's arcane powers are successfully awakened, its actual combat capabilities will increase dramatically, its understanding of magic will undergo a qualitative change, and its territory will benefit greatly from its development.
Time marched on peacefully and steadily, and Casalos finally awaited the arrival of another trial in the Dragon's Treasury.
After instructing the territory to prepare for the arrival of the Zorlong and the Kotau murlocs, and confirming that the Zorlong was not nearby, the kobolds created an illusion to make it appear as if they were still in the mushroom patch. Only then did it allow Eisen to cast an invisibility spell on it and quietly slip into the lava flow.
After finding a suitable new space, setting the activation time for the spell scroll, and consuming nutrients, Casaroz began another short period of slumber...
"This place is too spacious, let's change the skin."
Gazing at the grand hall stretching into the endless darkness, Casalos had a thought, and a hill rose up from the ground, encircling it. The mountains blocked out the darkness in the distance, the soil buried the light of the lava beneath the obsidian, and the gentle light spread out in a hazy, diffused manner, calming Casalos's mind as well.
"That's right, this is the right environment for meditation. Every time I come out of the trial, I have to go through that real death pain again. I didn't know to make a better environment... Hmm, this is one of the uses of custom settings, how come I didn't think of that before?"
As he muttered to himself, Casalos habitually opened his attribute panel to check his status.
"Strength and physique have increased by 1 point, and intelligence has also increased by 1. It seems that sufficient nutrition is still very important for the growth of the fledgling dragon... Hmm, that's not right. I haven't come into contact with golden dragons and so I have doubts for now, but none of the little dragons of the various races would lack nutrition, so why haven't I heard of this effect?"
This should be strongly correlated with my insistence on warrior training. Four days of grueling training every week—I'm barely showing any signs of becoming a warrior, so there should be some other effect, right? Oh, my willpower has also improved; if I were to quantify it, my attack power should also increase. Thinking about it carefully, this doesn't seem surprising. With sufficient nutrition, proper exercise can effectively stimulate growth and development. But what dragon undergoes such high-intensity training in its early stages? Five years is such a short time; it passes by in the blink of an eye, eating, sleeping, and playing around. It's such a pity.
I don't know if this kind of training will still be effective after the fledgling stage. I'll make a note of it and continue to observe..."
Thus, Casaloz, now a level 1 Carved-Hide Dragon, boasts base stats of 21/10/17/15/15/14 for Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Sensitivity, and Charisma, respectively, and 10/8/15 for Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws. Essentially, it surpasses the drow dragon of House Charleson in every aspect. Furthermore, enhanced by the Carved-Hide Dragon's power and the Bejuri Flame, it possesses innate defense higher than even an adult red dragon, along with a small amount of spell resistance, making its suffering in the Dragon Vault somewhat worthwhile.
"Wait, what is this?"