Chapter 010: Stealing Minerals (I)

The first person to go out for reconnaissance was injured, and the Yalong person was covered in blood, though it was all someone else's. He casually tossed a corpse to the ground as if it were a toy.

After having traveled to so many places, Stephen Zhou had to admit that the Normans indeed had a proud confidence within the indigenous civilizations

A Northerner, a Yalong person

A night of tranquility

The architectural style of Linfeng City leans towards Romanesque, imparting a sense of grandeur and solemnity. The roads are paved with smooth bluestone, flanked by flowers, grasses, and trees. The central square features a fountain, with over ten-meter-high marble sculptures standing on either side. In the inner city, exquisite dome-shaped houses rise one after another, resembling small villas, interspersed with private gardens. Only Norman nobles are permitted to reside here, separated from the outer city by a low wall and the inner city river. The guards of this city are almost all clad in full plate armor, tall and robust, embodying silver-white knights. The Normans possess profound metallurgical skills, and their pride and arrogance can be seen in their treatment of other races. The inner city is characterized by exquisite dome-shaped houses that resemble small villas, distributed with private gardens, exclusively for Norman nobles, separated from the outer city by a low wall and the inner city river. The city's guards are predominantly clad in full plate armor, tall and robust, embodying silver-white knights. The Normans possess profound metallurgical skills, and their pride and arrogance can be seen in their treatment of other races.

However, if you look like a Norman, then the city guards will not even ask a single question before letting you in

A brief encounter of just over a day was insufficient for Stephen Zhou to develop any significant rapport with this caravan; he merely exchanged greetings with Eden's daughter before leaving. Once they arrived at their destination, everyone went their separate ways. The itinerant merchants were busy offloading their goods, and Eden was eager to visit his trading partners. Essentially, everyone was quite occupied.

However, like all ancient civilizations, the area outside the city is almost in disarray, with dirty and chaotic muddy roads, haphazardly constructed slums, and bustling trade that makes merchant caravans a common sight in the outer districts. Various mules, horses, camels, and other livestock are scattered everywhere, and the smell of animal dung is nearly omnipresent, while the stench of mixed filth from the sewers is simply unbearable. The Normans can only maintain cleanliness by restricting livestock from entering the city, and they have built a wall outside the slums to uphold the city's dignity by keeping it out of sight. Almost all Norman nobles avoid approaching the slum areas.

Two fellows came over to help bandage the wound. Eden's daughter approached and asked a few questions, her expression slightly more at ease. However, the other caravan guards became much more vigilant, essentially keeping their knives close at hand

In about ten minutes, the figures of Eden and others appeared

In the evening, they were to camp in the wilderness. Upon nearing dusk, they arrived at a canyon. Eden instructed the others to find a place to rest, then called over a Highlander and commanded, "There have been reports of bandit activity in this area. Take two people to scout the surroundings, and be cautious of the enemy."

What Stephen Zhou intends to do is to steal the mine

They have already conquered Long City, Northwind County, and Yalantir. Although they discriminate against other races, they still accept intelligent beings of different species

The Normans heavily guarded the silver mine, which was also accompanied by gold. Count Gaiton placed great importance on this vein. In contrast, the other veins were much less secure; all the veins extended from the main vein, and the mineral resources of this land were extremely abundant

Although it was only a brief encounter, Stephen Zhou could sense that the Normans possessed a pride and cohesion far surpassing that of other races. If history were to establish an empire on this land, there is no doubt that it would be an empire founded by the Normans

... ...

"Rest for a night ahead," Eden said as he wiped the blood from his body. "We will set off early tomorrow morning"

The caravan will arrive in Linfeng City tomorrow afternoon

The Yalong man named Dickson, after throwing the corpse to the ground, spat on the corpse of the Yalong bandit lying on the ground and said: "Bah! Bandit!"

Essentially, indigenous civilizations would find it difficult to develop large cities with populations of hundreds of thousands or even millions without river and maritime transport. The nobility here are wealthy landowners, as the city of Linfeng is rich in mineral resources, all of which belong to the noble class. The Normans have a strong preference for using slaves, and there are thousands of enslaved captives in the mining areas of Linfeng.

In just this short distance, Stephen Zhou has already sensed that the rise of the Normans in the North is unstoppable

His first step is to survey the mineral vein

Stephen Zhou sat behind the camel, observing everything. He needed to gain a deeper understanding of the indigenous people of this world, and to some extent, mimic their habits, so that it would be easier for him to interact with other natives. Soon, Stephen Zhou would begin preparing to restore a portion of his strength, a process that would require materials such as jewels, gold, and diamonds. He would certainly need to engage with merchants in the future. Accompanying the caravan served two purposes: on one hand, he was unfamiliar with the location of Linfeng City, and on the other hand, it allowed him to gather more intelligence, which would help him accumulate wealth from the natives and then use that wealth to exchange for more rare materials. Soon, Stephen Zhou would begin preparing to restore a portion of his strength, a process that would require materials such as jewels, gold, and diamonds. He would certainly need to engage with merchants in the future. Accompanying the caravan served two purposes: on one hand, he was unfamiliar with the location of Linfeng City, and on the other hand, it allowed him to gather more intelligence, which would help him accumulate wealth from the natives and then use that wealth to exchange for more rare materials.

Edenton, who was tending to the camels, suddenly changed his expression and shouted: "Dickson, come with me! Vra, Nordek, Mark, Vincent... you stay here to take care of the others..."

His expression was one of disdain, seemingly harboring no fondness for the bandits, even if they belonged to the same race

The caravan set out early the next day and arrived at Linfeng City at around 3 PM

I have not yet encountered a true wizard

Their city is clean and orderly, featuring a complete drainage system, elevated water channels, and magnificent architectural styles. The Normans have a great fondness for marble constructions, and many of the grand buildings are entirely made of marble

Contact the first encountered Lady Bich, as there should be quite a few legendary warriors of this world.

Stephen Zhou is now establishing an underground security base

This city stands against the mountains, with walls that are fifteen meters high. Established for over three hundred years, it is ruled by the Earl of Gidton, a typical Norman nobleman who is rigid, harsh, and conservative, exhibiting severe discrimination against other races

Then, he will dig a tunnel directly to the silver mine. Currently, what he lacks the most is gold, and he must carefully mine the gold under the very noses of the Normans

A sharp whistle sounded from the forest to the north

This city exhibits severe discrimination against non-human races, with strict scrutiny imposed on the entry of dragonborn, half-elves, and mixed-blood individuals.

He has done this kind of thing more than once. The resources required for alchemy are extremely vast, and the accumulation of initial capital must certainly be achieved through some unconventional means

The members of the caravan set up a bonfire, while others arranged the goods into a makeshift formation. The accompanying merchants hurriedly stopped to tend to the livestock, ensuring that the animals were fed before they themselves could eat. Eden's daughter, holding a thick black ledger, calculated the supplies needed for the goods, instructing the other members on how much water, food, and salt to replenish upon reaching the city of Linfeng, which goods needed to be delivered first the next day, and which could be postponed. She attended to every detail, clearly demonstrating that she was the core of this caravan, while Eden himself was merely a strong enforcer.

Lin Feng City is a large city with a population of nearly 100,000, supported by hundreds of towns and villages in the vicinity

However, all of this has little to do with him. What he needs to do now is to undermine the Normans. Linfeng City possesses very rich mineral resources, with mining difficulties far lower than in other places and abundant reserves. There are more than ten veins of various sizes distributed here, producing iron ore, copper ore, and silver ore. These veins are firmly controlled by the Norman nobility, providing funding for their expansion.

This city possesses the heritage of ancient civilizations, grand and magnificent, representing the wisdom of the Normans

The lethargic Yalong person, who had been lazily wiping the knife handle, suddenly stood up, his figure resembling that of a leopard as he followed Eden into the woods. The other guards of the caravan also spread out cautiously, allowing others to gather behind the convoy. Eden's daughter appeared somewhat worried, but soon instructed the others to hide behind the cargo truck

Stephen Zhou initially assesses that this world is a low-magic civilization, where most intelligent races rely on innate talent, bloodlines, and physical prowess for combat. This may be related to the absence of large-scale "Elemental Tides" in this world. So far, the most dangerous encounter has been with the priests of the giant tribes who adhere to the shamanistic voodoo doctrine. In terms of physical attributes, the indigenous people of this world completely outclass those from other worlds that Stephen Zhou has visited. Eden's strength is currently unclear, but that half-dragon is at least a warrior of level 12 or higher, which would classify him as a minor boss in other indigenous civilizations. In terms of physical attributes, the indigenous people of this world completely outclass those from other worlds that Stephen Zhou has visited. Eden's strength is currently unclear, but that half-dragon is at least a warrior of level 12 or higher, which would classify him as a minor boss in other indigenous civilizations.