[Lord Resource: Wood x0. Stone x67.000kg. Iron x0. Gold Coins x51250.]
'So the stone miners really has been busy. 62.000kg of stone in 10 hours. I'm glad I told them to continue expanding to a 5 kilometer square area with 20 meters to the top. But before they can reach that high, they need wood and planks to build supports to reach that high...'
Jack pondered quickly before focusing on the portals in front of him.
He currently have about 1530 trash troops. 28 human civilians under Gynda's command outside, or 29 including herself, and Nisha at the mansion. 30 dwarven gold miners and 20 dwarven stone miners.
[4200 Gold coins received. 42 Human civilians summoned. Completion time: 420 seconds.]
Jack wanted Gynda to have 50 civilians outside. They needed to handle any and all meat production, help with collecting seeds from the blackroot so he could some day have a whole plantation of it. Furthermore they needed to collect wood. And Jack knew he soon needed to reenter the forest to make it safe for them to collect it.
That left 20 human civilians to be under the direct command of Nisha at the mansion. They would need the animal fats, boil it and create candles. Further they needed to scavenge on the mountain for the plant fibers for the wick creation. Also they would need to maintain the torches around the liveable areas in the mountain, which was expanding fast.
[5000 Gold coins received. 50 dwarf civilians summoned. Completion time: 500 seconds.]
Jack had promised Gondo additional 20 civilians to reach the 1500kg of gold a day. That left 30 new dwarf civilians to help the stone miners.
[10.000 Gold coins received. 1000 Trash troops summoned. Completion time: 166 minutes.]
Jack wanted a fresh batch of reserve troops if something went wrong in the forest with his main army under Harken.
That left Jack with 32.050 gold coins.
Now Jack just wanted to procure more pickaxes from Xena, as he had more miners and a few of them had already been broken after hitting stone or gold none stop.
So he quickly went to the private message tap, only to realise that Xena had already been trying to reach him while he slept.
[Xena: I finally cleared the hills from the centaurs! Thanks to your timely support! Thanks again.]
[Xena: Hi partner. Are you ready for another trade?]
[Xena: I found out why the common rank centaurs was amassing in such numbers on this nearby hill. A new small size iron deposit spawned here!]
[Xena: I'm now back to full production! I have 150 pickaxes ready to sell! Just give the word!]
[Xena: Jack? The centaurs are back. They obviously wont let this resource spawn go]
[Xena: Please answer Jack! I need a trade fast. These centaurs are persistent. I lost a lot of troops.]
[Xena: I might have to retreat to my mansion! Now there is even an uncommon rank hill-troll eyeing this deposit!]
The last message was sent an hour ago and Jack became worried as he quickly sent a reply.
[Jack: Sorry I didn't reply! I was... Busy... How are things there now? Can you make a trade?]
[Xena: Jack!! Finally! I had to retreat. Over 200 common rank centaurs with an uncommon centaur leader has taken the spawn. I only have 50 troops left! And that hill troll patrols just outside my territory!]
[Jack: Make a trade for those 150 pickaxes. 15.000 gold coins. I will buy them right away.]
[Xena: Done! Thank you. I might be busy for a while!]
Jack instantly paid 15.000 gold coins plus the 7500 trade fee. Leaving him with 9550 gold coins.
But all this spending had gained him a lot of new civilians and pickaxes to further increase resource production.
Having assigned the civilians he organised the troops with Harken outside.
"2000 trash troops are ready to attack at your command lord!" Harken said after having assigned the rest of the troops to regular watch duties and patrols in certain areas.
Jack knew he had more than 2500 troops, but it was hard to keep track of them all, he left that with Harken. As long as Jack knew he had sufficient stationary guards, lookouts and patrols in his territory, then these 2000 trash troops was enough to be called his main army.
'It's noon now. The troops who haven't just been summoned have all eaten and are ready to fight. But there is one more thing I need to check before we attack.'
Jack wanted to check the mission board at his mansion. Last night he had just briefly checked everything. But he knew there were a few missions pending there.
"Get the army in formation beneath the road. Reclaim the palisades! Once that is done, push 10 meters into the forest so the civilians can begin to claim lumber again. Do this, but go no further, and await my return!"
Jack left while Harken began to order the many troops down the 10 meter wide old road from the plateau.
Walking across the plateau, Gynda suddenly came to him.
"Lord, excuse me. We have a problem with the food. With more than 2500 mouths, It's hard to keep up with the cooking. We only have 500kg of meat left after everyone just ate. Every mouth need half a kilo a day..." Gynda looked with worry as she saw all the troops descending the plateau in orderly rows.
'Half a kilo a day? 500kg left? More than 2500 mouths? That will at most last us till tomorrow, even when used sparingly..' Jack quickly pondered.
Realising five hundred kilos of meat was not sufficient at all. Jack knew that could only last a thousand people for a day..
"Ration the last reserves Gynda. We will soon have both casualties and hunted fresh meat. We will have to make do. And in worse case scenario, I still have a way to provide a limited amount".
"Yes my lord. Please don't worry too much, I will have it rationed at once!"
Gynda left with a smile and a wave of hand.
Having prepared everything he could, Jack knew he soon needed to provide additional houses, which was why he wanted to reclaim the forest edge.
But first he hurried back to his mansion were Nisha was busy with the new civilians. They were making rope and candles in the empty space between the resource drop area and the left wing of the mansion.
Jack just waved at her and she smiled her sweet smile back, before he went to the meeting room with the mission board.
[Lord System: Mission Board]
[Missions prompts when the Lord makes encounters or discoveries. They are solely based on the premise to assist the Lord in progressing his civilization. Completing the missions is completely up to the Lord. If not completed within a certain time, or if the circumstances changes, they will disappear]
[New mission: Have your troops kill 500 opponents. Rewards: Barrack blueprint.]
[New mission(Rare): Slay the Goblin Leader prowling in the nearby woods. Rewards: Rare Treasure.]
[New mission: Build 20 trash houses. Reward: Sawmill blueprint.]
[Lord System: Treasure rewards from missions only refers to treasures in the form of some type of resources. They do not include weaponry or magic in any other forms]
'The first mission will be easy to complete in the forest. And while there looking the second one seems viable. The third will eventually be completed if I win in forest so i have access to wood from the huge trees.'
Jack thought about these things, but was surprised about the treasure note from the system. Did this mean he could find some rare resources? Currently he only had a little sulfur and mithril. Or did the system refer to some other kind of resources? Herbs or grain perhaps?
'Only time will tell...'
Jack was feeling very excited about reentering the forest. He had not felt so alive in a very long time. He was fully aware of the small village he was creating inside and out of the mountain. Truly he had many plans on how to proceed and make everything somewhere he could fully relax and enjoy his new life.
He looked at the stone miners, busy with mining and hauling the stones to the resource drop. He waved yet again at Nisha and the people busy with threading rope, wick and boiling animal fat. They had even created a large bonfire next to the resource drop as to light the surroundings properly.
As he went past the goldmine he smiled when he heard the songs from dwarves echoing from the descending tunnel. Humans and dwarfs went back and forth in the large main tunnel. Hauling a batch of firewood, replacing a candle of the wall or just walking to get a bowl of food.
All of them smiling and bowing to their lord. As he passed them he returned the smile and felt strongly at home.
Outside the entrance he yet again savoured the sightings of people walking up and down the crude stone stairs, along the left side of the entrance, to their homes above it. People were talking around fires, talking, laughing, cooking in the three stone pots or just enjoying a meal and water.
Many were scavenging in the steep sides of the mountain, littered with vines, bushes and boulders. They were even already in full working mode, carrying lumber from the old road down the plateau where they had begun to cut the tress again.
'So Harken must have succeeded in securing the palisades and forest edge...'