Chapter 341: Scientific Shearing of the Sheep
Chapter 341: Scientific Shearing of the Sheep
"Hmm, this dish is indeed quite delicious. Don't be fooled by Teacher Luo Zhen living in France; he's actually a German. Now that Alice has mastered Alchemy, she's completely given up on cooking and spends all her time in the Laboratory. If it weren't for your robots, I bet that father-daughter pair would be using Nutrient Serum to solve their meals right in the Laboratory."
Rose Crystal used her small fork and knife to sample the French Pigeon Meat Tart that Liam had brought for her, taking the opportunity to comment on the German diet. Liam remained silent at this point, as Britain, where he was currently located, had a culinary level that was even lower than Germany's, leaving little room for criticism.
They were now sitting in the Multiverse General Store, with Little Qing having conjured a table and two chairs. The two sat across from each other, with Rose Crystal eating her meal elegantly and quickly, while Liam sipped on sweetened milk and watched the puppet devour its food voraciously.
"Hmm, I'm starting to understand how Rogen felt as a father", Liam thought, holding his cup. This was the first time in his two lives that he had experienced this special feeling. "Raising the next generation is truly a wondrous thing!"
Soon, Rose Crystal finished the entire dish. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and began reporting on her recent achievements, starting with the loot from the last mission.
The loot from the Vampire Castle was initially split in half. Later, to express his gratitude for Teacher Luo Zhen's teachings, Liam gave most of his share to him. However, what remained, though small in quantity, was of high quality. For example, Rose Crystal discovered a small box of Fairy Silver Ingots during her sorting, which could be used to forge weapons on par with Gryffindor's Sword.
In addition, there were a pile of valuable blood samples and many extremely rare herbs, such as a soccer-ball-sized Dragon Heart and Rheem Cow Blood. These items were kept fresh using special Vampire techniques. For any Alchemy practitioner, these were invaluable treasures.
As the manager of Liam's entire fortune, Rose Crystal's final report concerned his largest asset, the kingdom located in the World of Ice and Fire.
The kingdom was running smoothly. The modern structure, honed through centuries of refinement, was far more efficient than the crude feudal system of the Medieval era, especially with a sufficient number of personnel to maintain it.
The major events she reported included the death of the Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, in Westeros. The new Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, had sent an envoy to Meereen Bank to request a loan.
"I rejected the proposal", Rose Crystal said. "Not only is that region likely to descend into chaos according to historical patterns, but we are currently in a period of rapid development. Any large sum of money would be better invested elsewhere than thrown into that bottomless pit. It would certainly accumulate wealth faster than in a Medieval state."
"Very well, you handled this matter well", Liam praised her. "But when refusing, be polite. If you can't avoid it, you can offer a portion of the funds, but they must provide sufficient collateral, such as the pier in King's Landing. This will help us expand our market."
Rose Crystal nodded, noting the advice.
"Second, we eliminated a large group of pirates who tried to sneak attack Meereen. They had nearly three hundred ships. The backers were Tolloth, Elyria, Mantarys, and Volantis. Our liberation of the Slave Cities cut off their supply of slaves. What should we do next?"
"Isn't there the Scarlet Temple? Why would they still attack us?" Liam asked.
"Most human matters are still managed by humans. The Crimson Temple isn't as patient as we are and doesn't deal with everything. Moreover, the Crimson Temple believes that killing so many people is wrong, and the Temple's influence can't control the slave traders blinded by money, especially in the three eastern City-States, where there are hardly any Temples. Many of the pirates were disguised as naval forces from those City-States."
"That's simple. Send our navy to blockade Volantis's ports. Then, work with the Hand of the Holy Flame to eliminate the slave traders. Don't worry about the other free trade City-States; they aren't a unified entity. In any case, give them a lesson and then bring them into our trade circle."
"What about the other three City-States?" Rose Crystal asked.
"The three Slave Cities on the western side of Slaver's Bay have always been resentful of our efforts to liberate slaves. This time, we might as well just occupy them outright. Our people have been seething with anger over those Slave Cities and hope to free the slaves there. Besides, the grain taxes for this quarter have all been collected, so we can afford to launch another campaign to expand our power and control the entire Slaver's Bay." Liam made the final decision on their next strategy.
We have the strength to crush them now. We didn't deal with them before because it was too much trouble, but if they start attacking, we must strike back hard and knock them down for good to avoid future hassles.
This victory is thanks to our technological advantage. After the Amethyst City electronics factory started producing vacuum tubes, scholars quickly proposed the idea of using electromagnetic waves to detect enemies. Liam was shocked when Rose Crystal reported this to him. It was amazing that people who were still in the Medieval era just a year and a half ago could come up with the concept of radar, proving that knowledge can indeed change a lot. The ancients lacked exposure, but they weren't necessarily less intelligent than modern people.
The Meereen Radar Station, which played a key role this time, is a perfect example. The Synths Liam brought only provided some suggestions, while the main design was completed entirely by local talent. For instance, the chief designer was a Priest from Amethyst City, and Liam noticed that Rose Crystal's team of Priests made up 60% of the project's personnel.
"My subordinates know I value knowledge, so now even Priests must pass exams to be promoted. They don't have other daily tasks, so learning and scholarly pursuits have become their routine. It's no surprise they appear frequently on the list", Rose Crystal explained.
"Still, I think you should just rename the church the Church of Science and Technology", Liam couldn't help but comment. The next part was predictable: the 120-kilometer radar detection range gave Meereen seven hours of warning time, allowing the 20 steam ironclads to easily sink over 100 enemy ships.
"Finally, there's the issue of population migration", Rose Crystal flipped to the last page of the documents. "Our merchant ships have brought many Wildlings from beyond the Wall. They are a great addition to our population."
"Are they willing to come?" Liam remembered that in the original story, the Wildlings would never have agreed to move south to the land of the so-called kneelers without the threat of the White Walkers.
"Of course, they are willing. The climate there is like the Arctic, unsuitable for human life. We don't have the feudal hierarchy common in the west, which suits them just fine", Rose Crystal explained. "Moreover, they are very easy to manage, adhering to rules even more strictly than so-called civilized people. In such harsh conditions, breaking the rules means certain death."
"Excellent, we will do our best to bring in the Wildlings", Liam concluded, knowing that this would not only provide a labor force but also reduce the number of potential wights. "By the way, does the Night's Watch not object?"
"They have no idea", Rose Crystal explained. "After the radar was developed, our ships are equipped with radar, allowing us to avoid the Night's Watch fleet at Eastwatch-by-the-Sea. Besides, the Wildlings' shipbuilding skills are so poor that they can't venture into the open sea, so the Night's Watch only patrols the coastal waters. Our ships can easily avoid them by taking a detour in the open sea."
"Also, the Dragon Eggs are about to hatch. You'll need to go back and bring the Dragon Eggs here. After consulting with the Wizards, we all recommend that you take the Dragon Eggs to a world with a higher concentration of magic power before hatching. This will ensure the hatchlings have a greater potential for growth", Rose Crystal reminded him, presenting a batch of recently collected magic materials.
"The world of A Song of Ice and Fire can now produce some mid-to-low-level magic materials, but the process of trading, cultivating, and gathering raw materials is still slow. I know their treasure troves are no match for us. Why don't we just raid them and take what we need instead of painstakingly building our influence from scratch, investing so many resources and efforts? I know many factions have their warehouses brimming with treasures, and the King's Landing Cellar even has a large stock of dragon bones."
"You're still too direct. That approach is like slaughtering a sheep to shear it. You get everything at once, but then you have nothing left. I prefer to fatten the sheep and even let them breed. That way, I will always have wool to harvest", Liam earnestly taught Rose Crystal.
"I understand", Rose Crystal said, sitting up straight and nodding. "Today, I've learned another lesson. Thank you, Big Brother."
(End of Chapter)
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