The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 96: Preparing to Build a City

The Lord Of Blood Hill-Chapter 96: Preparing to Build a City

Henwell spends three days living in the castle. During this time, he interacts with some of the core members of the Phoenix family and spends time with Jansen's family. Baron Jansen even takes an afternoon to guide Henwell in the Silver Wolf sword technique.
Baron Jansen is a formidable knight, having surpassed the standard knight rank in the profession hierarchy. He is considered a Battle Knight, an advanced stage of the knight profession.
From this rank onwards, individuals enter the extraordinary realm, with this level of advancement referred to as "Vague Enlightenment." It signifies the beginning of their awareness of extraordinary abilities.
In his sparring sessions with Baron Jansen, Henwell feels immense pressure. Even without holding back his strength, Henwell struggles to defeat Baron Jansen. However, he feels confident that he could still manage to escape if needed.
Henwell doesn't underestimate himself, knowing his true strength has already surpassed the knight rank. Although he can't yet match the Battle Knight level, Baron Jansen was once the leader of the duchy's inner guards, a testament to his formidable combat skills. Within the Battle Knight rank, he's definitely not a pushover.
Moreover, Henwell is aware of his youth, and as time passes, his strength continues to grow steadily. He believes that within two years, he will reach Baron Jansen's level of combat prowess. With time on his side, Henwell is confident that by focusing on his development, he will become increasingly powerful.
What’s giving Henwell a headache right now is Lady Grace, the baroness. Over the past couple of days, she’s been eager to introduce potential matches for Henwell. Naturally, these candidates are female members of the Phoenix family.
Marriage alliances are a tried-and-true method for ensuring family cohesion, especially for someone like Henwell, who joined the family from outside. The idea of marrying into the family is almost universally accepted.
However, Henwell isn't ready to marry just yet. He's still holding onto thoughts of his own "Snow White." If marriage is bound to involve political considerations, then it should bring the most value possible. For now, Henwell enjoys his independence. Without the constraints of a partner, he can focus on establishing a solid foundation for his territory and his team.
Apart from the Jansen couple, Henwell most enjoys spending time with Jansen's youngest daughter. This little girl is endearingly clueless most of the time.
When she discovered that Henwell was a stand-in, she immediately dragged him to her parents, hands on her hips, proclaiming that she had long suspected this "third brother" wasn’t her real brother. After basking in the praise from everyone, she strutted away like a proud little peacock.
She then insisted on dragging Henwell to find Arius, making the two sit together so she could compare them closely. Now that Henwell has returned to his original appearance, there's no need to mimic anyone else, and the differences between him and Arius are clear. Yet, Arius still occasionally ropes Henwell into switching identities to tease their little sister.
Henwell can't stay in the castle forever. After bidding a fond farewell to the somewhat reluctant young Elisa and Arius, he returns to his own territory with two knights in tow.
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Gazing at the small hill where he once fought, now the center of his territory, Henwell stands still for a long time. He has just celebrated his sixteenth birthday. Sixteen years! Finally, he has carved out a place for himself in this world. Here's to himself!
In the warehouse district of Peace Haven, Knight Mark hosts a welcome banquet for Henwell. Many caravan leaders who frequently visit have been invited, offering their congratulations to the lord of Blood Hill.
After the banquet, a private gathering follows. Most of the attendees are members of the guard who were with Henwell when he first arrived in Peace Haven, now officers in the defense army and patrol camp.
Some are officers Henwell personally promoted while forming the defense force. These people are astounded to learn that Henwell was merely a stand-in and yet fought his way to become a knight lord.
Being military men, Rawkins and Ayla are at ease, sharing their bloody battle stories, leaving everyone in awe. Initially, Knight Mark felt a bit depression. A young lad becoming a hereditary knight lord before him stirred some discontent.
But after hearing about the perilous journey, Knight Mark realizes he couldn't have endured such trials himself. The rewards Henwell earned through life-and-death struggles are well-deserved.
The next day, Henwell gathers everyone again to discuss the development and construction of the warehouse district. The primary issue at hand is the preparation to establish a city. The location of Peace Town isn't ideal, whereas the warehouse district is a site Henwell carefully selected, promising to be far superior to the naturally developed Peace Town.
The name of the city can be decided later; the main concern now is funding. Henwell has money, but when it comes to building a city, his funds are merely a drop in the ocean. His plan is to sell land within the city to raise money from caravans and citizens. Additionally, new city residents must own property within the city.
City walls are essential, representing one of the largest expenses in city construction. The warehouse district is elevated, so a proper water supply and drainage system must be established. Moreover, building a city isn't something that can be completed quickly. Henwell plans to start construction after the Harvest Festival when Peace Haven will have a surplus of idle labor.
The stone for the city walls can be quarried from nearby mountains. Henwell has already invested in a quarry there, but constructing city walls isn't just about piling up stones.
Craftsmen and blueprints are necessary, and the stones must be cut and polished to ensure the walls are straight. This process is extremely time-consuming, and according to Henwell's plans, building a sturdy city's walls could take more than a decade.
Henwell is eager to produce cement but has no idea how to do it! Thankfully, he has a chat group to turn to for help, where a civil engineering enthusiast shares an ancient recipe for making cement.
The tricky part now is finding quicklime. Henwell needs to locate areas with limestone and then burn it to create quicklime. Besides quicklime, he also needs gypsum and slag. Just thinking about it gives Henwell a headache!
Currently, Henwell is the only one in the group with his own territory. Everyone else is eagerly waiting for Henwell to establish a complete industrial system so they can follow suit. For now, Henwell decides to start with the stone and improve as he goes.
The real challenge for Henwell isn’t the city walls or any technical difficulties; it’s his lack of power. As a knight lord, he can only ensure his survival here. If he invents something, he might not be able to protect these industries. The root of the problem is that Henwell's influence needs to become much stronger. Besides personal strength, he needs a formidable military force.
Therefore, building the city can proceed slowly. Henwell first needs to establish a military force entirely under his control. The patrol camp and defense army agree to hand over some elite soldiers, who are about to be promoted to officers, to Henwell. This will allow him to form his own team and lay the groundwork for his armed forces.

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Chapter 96: Preparing to Build a City