Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 506 - 505: The Ancestor’s Business Acumen

”In summary, the situation in Lu An City has basically stabilized. Through public guidance and several effective work-for-relief programs, the officials from the Administrative Office we dispatched have gained the initial trust of the locals. The large-scale renovation of the church district is seen as a victorious result of the ’heroic struggle,’ garnering almost universal praise and support from the citizens of Lu An.”

Aunt Heidi placed a report in front of Gawain as she spoke, a look of relief on her face.

”This way, even if die-hard loyalists of the old church wish to cause trouble, it will be difficult for them to make any significant waves.”

Gawain flipped through the report before him, nodding slightly, ”Very good...but we must still be wary of resurgence. Open movements from remnants aren’t scary; it’s when they go underground that they become most difficult to deal with. Leave this to Amber, as the agents of the Intelligence Agency are skilled in handling such matters. By the way, how is the progress on demolishing the inner city walls over there?”

Aunt Heidi pondered for a moment, ”According to the plan, two-thirds of the west and east sides of the church district’s walls will be demolished. The remaining walls will be preserved only for commemorative and decorative purposes. The west city wall demolition has already begun—naturally, this has the support of the citizens of Lu An, but to be frank...ancestor, is this really necessary?”

”The inner city walls of Lu An City are different from those in other places. For hundreds of years, that wall has been more than just a city wall; it’s a symbol of the absolute boundary between Gods and humans, a symbol of the absolute chasm between the priest class and ordinary people. As long as that wall remains, even if we demolish the great cathedral, the ’church district’ in people’s minds will still be an area off-limits to ordinary people, which completely contradicts the doctrine of the New Church and the teachings of the Church of the Holy Light,” Gawain explained patiently. ”I understand what you’re considering—the inner city wall is part of the city’s defense system, and removing it may reduce Lu An City’s ability to respond to disasters. Regarding this, you can take a look at this...”

As Gawain spoke, he pulled a document from the materials beside him and pushed it towards Aunt Heidi standing across the table.

Aunt Heidi curiously glanced down and immediately realized it was a schematic for a large-scale array of magic symbols—the detailed symbols were not all listed due to space constraints, but the general circular structure diagram clearly marked energy extraction arrays, resonance zones, functional zones, amplification zones, projection zones, and other labels.

”What is this?” Aunt Heidi carefully examined the contents of the document, ”The scale...is this large?!”

”It is the city-level shield of the rocky ridges Fortress,” Gawain took a sip from the cup of tea beside him. ”In the library of the rocky ridges Fortress, we found the original design of the city shield. During the renovations of the Fortress, the engineers dug up the foundations and saw the array of magic symbols from a hundred years ago. After bringing back the data, Jenni, along with her apprentices and assistants, spent more than half a month researching it. This is their achievement.”

Aunt Heidi’s eyes widened instantly, her hand holding the blueprint slightly trembling—for a Mage, this is unimaginable wealth!

Although she, as a Mage, is now almost entirely focused on urban development and domestic affairs...

”A city-level magic shield is a strategic-level creation...there are fewer than ten shields of this grade in Anzu,” Aunt Heidi’s tone carried disbelief, ”The Rune Research Center over there...can even mass-produce such things?!”

”The biggest issues with city-level shields are energy consumption and stability. Due to high energy demands, they must be built on natural magic focal points. To ensure stability, they consume a vast amount of expensive magic materials, which limits their application. But now Jenni has optimized it on two levels and has directly integrated the base structure of the Magic Web with the city-level shield, which creates the possibility for mass production,” Gawain said. ”I plan to install the first prototype shield in Lu An City. During the large-scale renovation of the church district, we can construct it simultaneously. If the effects meet expectations, then every city on Cecil land—even every town-level unit—will have this shield built.”

”To build...to build strategic-level shields onto towns?!” Aunt Heidi exclaimed, while countless budget figures flashed through her mind, almost prompting her to vehemently dissuade her ancestor from this world-shattering idea. ”Ancestor, you must stay calm! This is a massive shield system, not a magic streetlamp...”

Faced with budget issues, Cecil’s Great Steward was instantly disoriented, and like Rebecca, she began to gripe about her ancestor—in fact, the Cecil Clan’s trait of stubbornness is likely genetic, only some people show it prominently, while others remain latent for a time...

Seeing Aunt Heidi’s expression, one that nearly signaled her parting from this world, Gawain could mostly guess why his great-great-great-great-granddaughter was flustered—after all, Aunt Heidi’s distress usually had two causes: overtime work or lack of funds. Seeing that her mental state was still fine and her eyes weren’t shadowy, it was likely the latter. So he shook his head: ”Don’t be so tense—Jenni’s optimized giant shield costs less than you imagine. Also, starting such large-scale projects means the rise of numerous subsidiary industries—manufacturing byproducts of the shield units, new engineering machinery, and lots of jobs. These will all lead to future benefits in the long run.”

”Money gains value when it flows, keeping it in a vault is just like having ingots...” Aunt Heidi remembered what her ancestor had said to her before. Then she looked at Gawain, hesitating slightly as she spoke, ”Ancestor, is there another reason why you want to install this kind of shield in every city and town?”

Gawain looked into Aunt Heidi’s eyes, admiring this great-great-great-great-granddaughter for her intelligence. Her cleverness is different from Rebecca’s; she always finds the crux of an issue with keen insight, which reduces communication difficulties considerably (of course, sometimes Rebecca also inadvertently stumbles upon key points, but that straightforward deer always attempts to tackle the issue head-on). ”As you suspect, the chaotic wave—we must prepare to face it sooner or later.”

Aunt Heidi exhaled, internally noting that indeed, it was as expected.

Installing such large shield systems in every city and town is no minor expense. Even if, as her ancestor said, Jenni has reduced the costs to a level bearable by the Cecil Principality, it remains a colossal expenditure. Given that the principality’s situation has only just stabilized and countless infrastructure projects await initiation, using a significant portion of construction capacity on these expensive shields, which lack direct economic output, leaves only one possibility...

The chaotic wave could come at any time.

”I understand,” Aunt Heidi said, bending slightly and speaking solemnly, ”I will make plans in that regard.”

Watching Heidi, who had a look of grim determination, like she was ready to sacrifice herself, Gawain was lost in thought.

The situation in the principality is stable; internal and external conflicts are mostly resolved or unlikely to erupt soon. The Cecil Clan is undoubtedly entering a phase of rapid development, with the establishment of four new industrial cities. Soon, there will be countless infrastructure projects, basic education programs, and talent recruitment plans... To ensure smooth progress, the Cecil Clan will consume massive amounts of funds and resources.

Currently, the economy inside the principality is indeed booming. Thanks to the new decrees and support from local merchants, the trade routes, previously constrained by the old aristocratic system, are thawing, and gold coins are starting to flow along newly built roads and waterways. However, this... is still not enough.

The magical industry is a voracious beast that needs to consume more to grow. Gawain must ensure it reaches a state of self-sustained development to feel at ease. Relying solely on the economic benefits from internal reforms, the beast’s growth becomes perilous: a singular economic support is unstable, and any minor issue in the economic chain could lead to the potential collapse of the Cecil Principality.

Especially with so many major projects underway... Gawain hopes his hard-won foundation won’t be crushed by the overly rapid development of some of these big projects.

Heidi noticed that her ancestor hadn’t spoken for a long time and couldn’t help but curiously ask, ”Ancestor... What are you thinking about?”

Gawain pondered and sighed lightly, ”Lack of money and resources... It’s a problem.”

”Who are you planning to trick this time?”

”You’re talking about the Anzu Kingdom’s military...” Gawain said casually, but realized halfway through, ”What did you just say?”

Heidi realized what she had said after speaking, her face immediately flushed, and she quickly bent down, ”I’m sorry, Ancestor! I... I was a bit distracted just now...”

To be honest, Gawain was a bit stunned too. He hadn’t seen Heidi, usually mature and steady, lose composure twice in such a short time—indeed, it seemed they were lacking funds, as any mention of a budget related topic sent this granddaughter spiraling.

He coughed lightly and tapped the table, ”Be attentive next time—we never trick anyone; we conduct upright business. Returning to the previous topic, although the Cecil Principality has closed the doors of rocky ridges Fortress, we cannot completely shut ourselves off, nor can we permanently seal it. Some parts of rocky ridges Town were designed to serve as trade hubs initially, and while the fortress is incomplete, the merchants can... start their operations.”

The ancestor is keen on business, and history has proven that the ancestor’s business can sometimes yield more substantial profits than warfare. Hence, Heidi quickly reacted, ”You plan to trade with the Plains of the Holy Spirits?”

”Strictly speaking, doing business with the royal family,” Gawain nodded, ”What do you think the Anzu Kingdom’s military lacks?”

”... Alchemical potions are likely not in short supply,” Heidi said while thinking, ”The Holy Church Army has joined the Anzu Kingdom’s military camp; priests and Church Knights in battle do not skimp on magic power. With support from Holy Water and the Holy Light, the Anzu Kingdom’s military has little demand for alchemical potions. What they lack... should be stronger weapons.”

Heidi paused, then continued, ”The Anzu Kingdom’s military almost never defeats the Eastern Legion even when they have equal numbers. The main reason is the poor quality of troops—the Eastern Legion faces the Typhon Empire and Border Barbarians, making them all seasoned veterans. In the Anzu Kingdom’s military, aside from those from the Northern Mountain Corps, ordinary Soldiers battle almost requires two or three to match one Eastern Legion Soldier... The quality of Soldiers is hard to improve quickly, but with better weapons, the Anzu Kingdom’s military can narrow the gap with the Eastern Legion in a short time.”

”Seems like we can manufacture a batch of ’export weapons’...” Gawain said, stroking his chin, ”Need to have Nicholas Egg design it...”

Heidi looked at Gawain hesitantly, ”Ancestor... Do you really plan to sell weapons to the Anzu Kingdom’s military?”

Gawain replied decisively, ”We need funds, and the rich mineral resources of the Plains of the Holy Spirits.”

Before Heidi could speak, he continued thoughtfully, ”Besides... Since the Church of the Holy Light, adept at healing, is wholly allied with the Anzu Kingdom’s military, do you think the Eastern Legion... lacks potions?”

Heidi: ”???”