kingnovel Chapter 212: A New Look at Rickburg
Chapter 212: A New Look at Rickburg
Rickburg, this solid northern fortress, is the gateway to the entire northern border. It has been a year and a half since it was handed over to Carl. With the industrial plan, its population has begun to surge. At first, it was a winery and a perfume factory, and then a gun workshop jointly established with the dwarf Goswin. With the increase in production capacity, in addition to the initial dwarf team, it even attracted new dwarf immigrants, most of whom are young people who are no longer willing to follow the traditional dwarf social rules and have a strong desire to explore the outside world. Later, with the opening of the textile factory led by Selena, the number of immigrants reached its peak. In just over a year, its population has grown from a few hundred to thousands.
Such rapid growth naturally exceeded the capacity of the original city. Now a large number of new houses have been built directly outside the city walls, forming new urban areas. Most of them are built by immigrants. Unlike the old and solid stone buildings in the fort, these houses are somewhat disorderly, ranging from small wooden houses to simple tents and large shanty towns. Various buildings are crowded together and have different shapes.
Some were made of simple wood, while others were made of discarded cloth and animal skins. Some wooden houses near the main road looked relatively solid, while further away, makeshift tents and dilapidated sheds looked fragile and messy. The ground was covered with gravel and soil. With the increase in population and the melting of winter snow, muddy ruts and footprints could be seen on the streets from time to time. The air was filled with the fragrance of new wood mixed with the smell of fodder and cooking food, and the bustling noise of people came from it.
People were busy shuttling back and forth, as if everyone was rushing to make a living. A group of dwarf craftsmen passed by the street, carrying heavy tools and materials on their shoulders, and were obviously rushing to the workshop to work. The young dwarves were excited, and compared with the castle, the world outside the city walls seemed to be more in line with their expectations.
Not far away, a row of new wooden workshops were being built quickly, with hammering and commanding sounds coming one after another. Some immigrant families have begun to take root near the workshops, especially the women among them, who have experience in weaving and can find jobs even faster than the men in the family. The men, on the other hand, have chosen a good piece of land outside the city and worked hard to build a house.
Meanwhile, along the path at the edge of the city wall, a market was quietly forming. Rows of small temporary stalls were filled with all kinds of goods, from fresh vegetables brought by farmers, furs of wild animals just captured by hunters, to small ironware and handicrafts made by craftsmen. The hustle and bustle of the market was mixed with the cries of hawkers, and it was full of life. From time to time, one or two horses or mules could be seen pulling goods through the market, bringing goods from afar.
In this way, under the walls of Rickburg, new life continues to spread and expand, and every corner is full of opportunities and challenges. Despite the difficult conditions, these immigrants still take root in this land and work hard to build their dreams.
And all this is thanks to their lord, the lord called the Viscount Serf - Carl Flandal.
And now, just a few days after returning to Rickburg, before he could even get comfortable in his seat, Selena dragged him into daily government affairs.
"Sir," she said straight to the point without any politeness, "In the past six months alone, the population of Rickburg has doubled several times. There are a large number of immigrants and vagrants. After preliminary statistics, we estimate that the total number has exceeded 5000."
Carl nodded with satisfaction:
"Well, that's exactly what I want! Anyone is welcome."
It won't be long before Rickburg will even be bigger than Fengzhu Castle, he thought aimlessly.
But I heard Selena reply:
“Although this is good news, there are still many problems.”
Of course, there were bound to be problems. The more people there were, the more trouble there would be. He completely understood this. He nodded and motioned for the girl to continue.
But Selena sighed and then said:
"The first is the issue of public security. A large number of immigrants have poured in, and many of them have not had time to register. The crime rate has risen rapidly in the past few months. Although we have increased patrols, the residential area has expanded too quickly, and the number of local garrisons in Rickburg is limited. Now, as a last resort, even Amira's Inquisition has to be used to participate in public security patrols."
"Hmm..." Karl nodded slightly and thought for a moment, "We can directly select some strong men from these people to join the security team."
It can reduce the number of potential criminals and transform them into law enforcers, while also solving employment problems.
"There is also an increasing friction between dwarves and humans," Selena continued. "It's not just a matter of living habits, but also of working methods. Dwarves are much stronger than humans in terms of both physical strength and energy, especially in work, and humans simply can't do that kind of intensity, which makes them think that humans are lazy. Human craftsmen think that they are deliberately engaging in vicious competition."
Well, is it a natural physique of an ox or a horse? Carl does not reject such a personality, or rather, the more such people, the better. Of course, such evil thoughts are just for thought.
"Regarding this, I've actually always wanted to say that we should set a fixed working time, such as an 8...10-hour work system." He originally wanted to say 8 hours, but then he thought, this was the Middle Ages, and it was actually quite good to be able to find a way to survive. Even many companies in modern society can't do 8 hours.
After saying that, he looked at Selena tentatively again, and found that she actually showed approval in her eyes, and then he breathed a sigh of relief.
Then Selena continued to report:
"Besides that, there is also the issue of security outside the city. Most of the population of Rickburg is now concentrated outside the city walls. There are no protective measures. And the most important thing is that once a war breaks out, the city will not be able to accommodate everyone."
This is indeed a problem. Carl was silent. He was very clear about the positioning of Rickburg. It is the gateway to the north and is essentially a military fortress. Now it is gradually transforming into a prosperous city, but this does not mean that it will become safe. On the contrary, as the city continues to expand, it will become more and more difficult to defend.
Selena continued:
"We need to build a new wall on the periphery. However, this is a huge undertaking and most importantly, it will take a long time..."
Carl understood what Selena meant. The enemy would not wait for them. After all that they had experienced, whether it was the vampires or the so-called madness, there was only one thing that was certain: the North was not peaceful. It could even be said that it was at the center of all disputes. God knew what would happen next. He still remembered his dream, the terrible vision of the future. The new city wall must be built as soon as possible, otherwise all developments would be like a loft in the air, collapsing at the touch of a button.
"Build the wall quickly..." He muttered to himself, and suddenly an idea flashed through his mind: cement. That's right, cement can finally be used. In fact, cement production is not complicated. Use lime and clay, add fine sand and add the right amount of water to make the most basic cement. With this artifact-level building material, not only can the construction speed be accelerated, but the completed building will also be more solid.
Thinking of this, he immediately smiled at Selena:
"Don't worry, I've already figured out a way. I know a special material that can change the current situation, but it just takes some time to try to mix it."
Selena nodded again, as if she was already accustomed to Karl’s strange ideas, and even trusted them immensely.
"Then there is only one last thing left," she said, "the most important thing."
"What is it?" Carl asked curiously.
"Of course it is the ceremony to confer the title of Duke on you, sir. Now, Count Campbell and Count Mia have both arrived at Rickburg." Selena said again.
"Are they all here?" Carl asked again. Mia was naturally not to be mentioned. Campbell's arrival showed that he had finally chosen to stand by his side. This made him feel a little relieved.
"Of course, they are all waiting for your promotion, sir."
Carl nodded with a determined look, this day had finally come, from now on he would become a true Duke of the North, which would also give him a legitimate excuse to attack Sirod and regain this last piece of territory.
More importantly, this way he can truly take charge, maintain the relationship with the tribe, and mobilize the entire northern border to help them resist the common enemy of mankind - the orcs. For this reason, he must sit in this position.
Meanwhile, in the North Fortress, Parn was patrolling the city walls as usual. It was already night, and the surrounding wasteland seemed dead silent under the moonlight. Parn wrapped his cloak around himself, and when the north wind blew across his cheeks, he couldn't help but shiver. Looking at the quiet sky, he planned to go back to rest after completing the last round of patrol.
At this moment, a breathless scout hurriedly ran up from under the city wall, looking nervous and with fear on his face:
"Sir! The enemy...the enemy is attacking!"
Parn was startled, but then burst into laughter:
"Humph! This fellow Sirod really has no memory! If he can break through my city wall, I, Lord Parn, will eat shit in front of him!"
"No, sir, this time... it's different!" the scout shouted in panic.
"What's the difference?" Paan asked curiously.
"Those guys are weird..."
Before the scout finished speaking, Parn saw a knight in heavy armor had jumped directly onto the wall and landed behind the scout. That's right, that guy jumped directly onto the wall, relying on his jumping ability to jump onto the ten-meter-high wall. Parn was stunned and couldn't believe his eyes. What surprised him even more was that the other party chopped the scout in half with a sword. At the same time, a thunderous roar came from his throat.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Then he saw the knight rushing towards him at such a fast speed that he had no time to think. He gritted his teeth, drew his sword and rushed forward without hesitation.