Chapter 609: Chapter 21: Achievements (Part 2)
The human lords surrounding Jones nodded in agreement.
As the former captain of the third battalion of the Silver Moon Knight Order, Camilla, who inherited the title of Duke after the death of her father Jean II, was also among the crowd, her face looking somewhat haggard.
Standing next to her, King Fides, Arthur, sighed softly: "So, humans are about to start a new Chapter in history."
"A new Chapter in history? What do you mean?" Camilla asked softly.
"A heroic Chapter in history." Arthur glanced at Camilla and smiled, "As long as one possesses magical equipment, they have the power to resist thousands. What does this mean? It means that the advantage of having more people in wars is decreasing. It means that the weak become weaker, and the strong become stronger. And didn’t you see the performance of the young man named Hassan today? The young will dominate because when you become older, it’s impossible to have skills like his."
"Will this cause a significant change?"
"Absolutely, a very significant one. Look at the current situation. Nobles are nobles because they have territories and can afford armies. Essentially, the territories and armies form the nobles’ military power, which also establishes their authority. Without one, the nobles can’t sustain themselves. As these magical equipments emerge, territories will become less important, and the number of people will also become less important. Any commoner with magical equipment will become extraordinarily powerful. As for whether the equipment was bought, stolen, or gifted, that’s another issue. Also, right now on the continent, those performing are mostly old men, because the longer one lives, the more prestige, money, influence, power, and experience they accumulate. But if young people can harness the full potential of magical equipment... do you think, when holding power, young people will still be willing to obey their elders? Everything is about to change dramatically. A revolution is happening before our eyes, and this is its beginning."
Camilla looked a bit confused as she stared at Arthur, seemingly not completely understanding.
Regardless, the demonstration was a success. Be it the Lich and Blood Elf researchers or the future human lord clients, or the members of Giant Snake City itself, they were all very satisfied.
In fact, it was impossible not to be satisfied. In a short time, what they actually received were results from the Krimasha era that took millennia to research.
...
After the banquet, most of the attendees left, leaving only Jones, Dora, Shelley, Yilin, and Camilla.
Everyone had a smile on their face. Only Shelley still had her brows tightly furrowed.
"Shelley, we haven’t seen each other for a long time. How have you been here?" Yilin asked Shelley.
"Not bad, Jones treats me very well."
"That’s good. Jones is very outstanding, much more outstanding than any of us imagined. Although we’ve lost Gray, at least we still have Jones."
Shelley looked at Jones, smiled, and repeated, "Jones treats me very well."
Yilin sighed softly in resignation.
The smiles on the others’ faces gradually faded away as well.
Everyone fell silent.
After a while, Shelley suddenly looked at Jones and said, "Jones, the results you showed today were outstanding; I am very impressed. You have exceeded my imagination by countless times."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mother." Jones replied softly.
"But... will you help Richie? You already have such powerful weapons." Shelley looked at Jones with wide eyes.
"Of course, I will certainly help him. He’s my brother. I will certainly help him."
"Then when do you plan to start helping him? He’s alone in the North now, so lonely."
"Mother, you don’t need to worry. Richie is doing well in the North. I communicate with him frequently. I just received his letter yesterday; he told me he’s safe and well and asked me to wish you well on his behalf."
"When I write to him, I also tell him I’m well... but do you really think I’m well?" As she said this, Shelley’s eyes became slightly moist.
This question, Jones couldn’t answer. He could only slightly bow his head.
Shelley quietly watched Jones.
The gazes of the others kept moving back and forth between Jones and Shelley, each of them keeping their mouths tightly shut.
After a while, Shelley slightly bowed her head and softly said: "I’m not pushing you, it’s just... Richie is still very young. He’s much younger than you. It’s not right for him to bear these burdens. If possible, I hope you can all help him."
As she spoke, Shelley glanced at everyone, then lifted her skirt, stood up, and with a smile said: "Sorry, I shouldn’t be saying these things at such a happy moment, but that’s truly what I think. Normally, I would have been asleep by now. I’m very sleepy... I’ll go rest first. I wish you all sweet dreams."
Shelley curtseyed to everyone.
Everyone stood up and silently returned the gesture.
Then, supported by a maid, Shelley left.
Watching Shelley’s silhouette, Yilin softly said: "She’s not happy."
Jones sighed lightly: "I apologize."
"I’m not blaming you; if I were in your position, I wouldn’t do any better. Gray and Richie are everything to her. Now she’s lost one, and the other is battling gods and demons in the North... No one could be happy under such circumstances."
"Perhaps it was a mistake to bring Mother here and let her know the truth."
"No, what you did was right; there wasn’t a better solution. Salted Fish Port isn’t stable now either. If she continued staying there, she’d eventually get involved."
"I promise, as soon as I have enough strength, I will go to support Richie."
"You don’t need to promise; we all know you will."
Turning around, Yilin slowly sat back down.
The others also took their seats.
"Let’s get back to business?" Yilin softly said: "How many of these equipments can you produce in a month?"
"Fifty pieces. I can increase that to a hundred pieces within a few months, then gradually improve after that," Jones replied softly.
"A hundred pieces a month?" Yilin lightly smiled: "That’s a million Gold Coins. That’s quite a sum, and I’m not sure we have enough money to buy from you."
"Not all need to be sold. Giant Snake City itself also has a not small demand. Aunt Yilin, you’ve seen the power of the equipment. Blood Clan can use them too, and if they’re enhanced a bit more, I might not even stand a chance. Humans, Blood Clan, Blood Elves, Dwarves, all have demands."
"So, you don’t plan to sell to us?" Yilin raised an eyebrow.
"No, of course not." Jones quickly responded awkwardly: "I plan to sell it on credit. Twenty years of payment, five hundred Gold Coins per year, making the price more bearable. I need to borrow this money from other Blood Clan Lords, and they haven’t agreed on the interest yet, so I can’t make it public for now. Moreover, I feel like I’m draining all the Human Lords’ treasuries... you need to find a way to generate more revenue. Relying on current trade and taxes, it’s surely impossible to support a Magic Army buildup."
"Do you have any suggestions?" Yilin asked.
"I do, but it will take time. You can send a large number of people to the Magic Academy and train them to at least partially take up the role of crafting magical equipment artisans. Currently, most Gold Coins are in the hands of Blood Clan Lords. If you can participate in the manufacturing of magical tools as well, gaining some profit, then the cycle will normalize. After all, Blood Clan Lords also need magical equipment. You can earn money from them in return. Dwarves, Blood Elves, some Blood Clan Lords provide the materials, others provide the funding, humans offer labor, and Giant Snake City supplies the technology, thus establishing a whole new magical equipment trade chain. In the circulation of Gold Coins, everyone can get what they want."