Chapter 97

In the midst of the barren landscape of the Wicker Reef, establishing a settlement capable of sustaining human life for the long term, solving the construction material problem was a critical step. Otherwise, it would be a rather unfunny joke to have the pirates learn to live in tents like the Bedouins in the desert.

The climate is scorching and dry year-round, with frequent sandstorms. On the Wicker Reef, there is certainly no shortage of stones and sand, but how to bind them together is quite a challenge. Using volcanic cement was a rather clever solution. Although Luo Zhengdao had no intention of promoting industrial mass production in the new world of magic and swords, he still knew some essential skills as a穿越者 (穿越者 means "穿越者" in Chinese, which can be translated as "time traveler" or "穿越者" in English, but in this context, it refers to someone who has traveled to a different world or dimension, so I will use "穿越者" for consistency). Imagine if he couldn't even smelt iron, make glass, or produce cement, these basic skills; it would truly be a waste of his journey!

The construction that lasted for over twenty days was a severe test. Based on Luo Zhengdao's experience, the surface temperature of the Wicker Reef at noon would exceed 70 degrees Celsius, and after sunset, the temperature would drop rapidly, often reaching around 10 degrees Celsius at night. Living in such a harsh environment, where temperatures fluctuate between extreme heat and cold, is a grueling test of human endurance. Even lying still is a极限运动 (极限运动 means "extreme sport" in Chinese, but in this context, it refers to a test of endurance, so I will use "test of endurance" for clarity). Luo Zhengdao used all sorts of tactics, from coaxing to threatening, to drive the pirates to work hard. Stone buildings began to rise on the desert, and water-soaked straw curtains were placed over the stacked stones to maintain the humidity required for the cement to harden. Sailors from the direction of the mage tower carried buckets of water to continuously replenish the moisture on the straw curtains.

Under the scorching sun, the bare rocks were scalding hot. Luo Zhengdao, with a mischievous streak, conducted an experiment himself. He found a flat rock, brushed it with oil, and placed sliced raw meat on it. In less than two minutes, the meat was thoroughly cooked.

The daytime on the Wicker Reef was like a giant natural oven, so hot that each breath felt like a burning sensation in the respiratory tract. The pirates, deeply troubled by the local high temperatures, had to strictly follow Luo Zhengdao's advice to avoid the heat, covering their heads and faces with white scarves to block the harsh sunlight and cool the air they breathed. Even light work required far more physical effort and sweat than usual. If not for the promise of double the rum ration for dinner and unlimited beer during rest periods, it would be hard to make these unruly fellows work obediently.

As the Wicker Reef settlement gradually took shape over time, recruiting residents became Luo Zhengdao's next major task. When he saw ship after ship full of new immigrants arriving, he began to worry and complained to Vena Dubov:

"Three thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven people, sigh, the number isn't too large, but it will cost a lot of money. This can't go on!"

More people make things easier, and this saying is true. Without the civilians joining the Wicker Reef, the pirates, who never do hard work without complaint, would eventually rebel. With more people, expenses inevitably increase. Luo Zhengdao, feeling both pain and joy, complained to the half-elf beauty while pondering how long it would take to turn the barren Wicker Reef into a pirate stronghold. He was still fiddling with a building blueprint, the design of which was a multi-angled star-shaped fortress, something unprecedented in the new world.

In the military history of the old world, this type of fortress, with its saw-tooth and gear-like appearance, first appeared during the Renaissance and later became a standard defensive structure in modern warfare. These fortresses, known as "star forts," were the most representative land defense structures before World War I.

Compared to traditional linear defense walls with deep moats and high ramparts, the star forts, with their irregular shapes and low, thick walls, had strong resilience against bombardment from cannons and other long-range weapons. The fortification system, consisting of multiple moats, sloping walls, and low, thick walls with gun emplacements, could effectively deflect solid shot and provide a platform for counter-attacks. If enough cannons were deployed within the star fort, the enemy would have no conventional tactics to breach the defense system, except for a prolonged siege.

The new world, while a world of magic and swords, is not a high-magic era where demigods and liches are common. The age of giants, dragons, and magic card masters has passed, and now it is a relatively low-magic period. Heroes capable of single-handedly slaying thousands are rare, and ordinary people's wars are still the mainstream.

Those who have the ability to perform miraculous feats are mostly found in some demi-plane or outer realm, and the chance of encountering them is no higher than winning the lottery. Someone like Steve Shar, whom Luo Zhengdao paid a hefty sum to build the mage tower, is a well-known high-level mage. According to the D&D classification, Master Shar is at the 15th to 18th level, far from the 21st level of a true high-level mage. Even so, Master Shar is still a top-tier mage, as determined by the characteristics of the arcane profession.

High-level mages capable of playing a decisive role in war are rare, and low-level mages on the battlefield are of little use. Most accomplished mages spend years in their mage towers studying arcana and alchemy, not in a game world where they need to level up by fighting monsters. They can comfortably accumulate experience and level up in their mage towers. Therefore, a smart person would not easily participate in activities where the risks and rewards are not proportional. Trying to persuade a mage to risk their life in a bloody battle for some money and intangible honor would likely result in the persuader being spat on and sent away with a barrage of fireballs.

Don't think that Steve Shar, who came to the Wicker Reef to build the mage tower for 20,000 gold coins, took any risks! Unless Luo Zhengdao planned to renege on the payment, the only cost was his time and effort at the construction site, which is different from personally engaging in a war with unpredictable outcomes.

Luo Zhengdao indulged in his vision of the Wicker Reef's future, feeling satisfied, and said:

"Alright, the base is roughly in place. The next step is to improve the facilities. The castle walls and moats will take some time. The most important thing now is to increase income; it's hard to sustain a large population!"

Due to the increasing activities of the goblin fleet, the human refugees temporarily living on the Starry Sea were planning to migrate to avoid danger. If captured by the goblins, their fate would be worse than death. Without any foresight, even a little common sense made people feel the looming threat. Therefore, when Luo Zhengdao recruited human refugees under the guise of a noble, it was not as difficult as he imagined. Civilians sought protection under the noble, which is a normal mindset in the new world. The rapid increase in the Wicker Reef's population was partly due to this cultural tradition.

At this moment, the boatswain Zola, who had just entered Luo Zhengdao's office, heard his words and stroked his chin, saying:

"Captain, are you planning to take everyone out to work?"

Hearing this, Luo Zhengdao greeted Zola Hegel enthusiastically and said with a smile:

"Yes! Everyone has worked hard recently. We have no income on the Wicker Reef, so I'm considering where to find some easy prey."

When it came to the topic of raiding, the boatswain was a seasoned expert. He immediately came to the desk, glanced at the sea chart, and pointed to a spot, saying:

"Captain, please look here."

"Blood Coral Port?"

Luo Zhengdao looked down at the spot the boatswain pointed to and asked in surprise. Was the information on this sea chart not accurate enough?

The sea charts used by pirates were much more complex than those used by merchant ships. Merchant sea charts typically only marked major routes, supply points, and ports, while pirates needed to record many additional details to avoid forgetting or overlooking important information, such as a freshwater spring on a remote reef or a highly dangerous unnamed island. These details were of great practical value. On the sea chart in front of Luo Zhengdao, the name "Blood Coral Port" was circled in red, indicating that it was a relatively dangerous and challenging target.

Hearing Luo Zhengdao's question, Zola Hegel laughed and said confidently:

"Yes, Captain. I received information from an informant that the goblin fleet has captured a group of human refugees and is transporting them to Blood Coral Port to be sent back to the mainland cities for execution, to intimidate human slaves who might resist goblin rule."

Upon hearing this, Luo Zhengdao, who had developed a strong sense of identity with the human race in the new world, could not contain his anger. He slammed his fist on the table and shouted:

"Those damned green-skinned beasts, a pack of animals."

After calming down, Luo Zhengdao recalled a famous saying from the old world and said with a cold laugh:

"No, animals still have a bit of mercy. Goblins have no mercy at all, so they are not animals."

Hearing this cold joke, Zola Hegel was speechless, like a fish out of water, his mouth opening and closing but unable to say anything. Seeing this, Luo Zhengdao gave a self-deprecating smile. Criticizing the goblins from a safe place would not harm them in the slightest, how pointless!

"Alright, I'm not interested in studying those goblins. These poor souls should be useful to me. Call a meeting! Gather everyone, and we'll discuss how to handle this."

---

The page flip begins with an ad.

The page flip ends with an ad.