The Witcher World: The Path to Domination Begins in Velen

Chapter 39 Industrial Development and Intelligence Network

Greta was awakened by the scent of herbs on her first morning at the estate, a bitter smell mixed with earth and dew.

She climbed down from the wooden bed in her temporary lodging, her bare feet stepping onto the stone floor. The sun hadn't fully risen yet, but people were already walking in the direction of the herb garden.

Aina was squatting by the herb garden, her fingers pinching a leaf of Hundred-Herb to examine its underside. Gretka walked up to her, stopped, put her hands behind her back, and craned her neck to look. She didn't recognize the leaf.

Aina looked up, picked a leaf, and held it to Gretka's nose. "Smell it." Gretka carefully leaned in and sniffed it. A water droplet touched the tip of her nose. Then she tilted her head back and giggled. She couldn't describe the smell, but she liked it.

Ron stood outside the low stone wall of the herb garden, not going in. He saw Gretka squatting next to Aina, already learning how to pick the leaves of the Hundred-Cure Herb from the stem, picking them crookedly. Aina did not correct her.

The girl with the pigtails ran over from the direction of the church, squatted down next to Gretka for a while, then picked up a fallen white celandine flower from the ground and put it in her hand.

Ron watched for a while, then turned and walked toward the courtyard. Elwin was already waiting for him at the low table in the courtyard, holding a ceramic cup in his hand, the water in the cup had already gone cold.

Erwin opened the whiteboard. Instead of reading it aloud as before, he took out several folded sheets of paper from his leather pouch and flattened them.

There was a simple map of the manor drawn on the paper, with the locations of the waterways, canals, the existing training grounds, and the walls marked in charcoal, and a few places circled. There were also brief annotations written next to them. He pushed the paper in front of Ron.

"The Brewery," Erwin's finger landed on a marker near the river.

"Our current grain harvest, besides being used for food and seed saving, also has a surplus, which can be used to brew ale."

The swamp also has plenty of wild berries; raspberries, blackberries, and juniper berries are plentiful this season and can be gathered to make fruit wine.

His finger traced a small circle on the paper.

"We don't have any decent wineries in Velen. Wines from Novigre can fetch high prices in Crow's Nest. If we make our own, the main cost is labor, and the start-up capital is not high."

Ron nodded, and Erwin turned to the next page: "The paper mill. Velen has no local paper production; all paper is imported from Novigrad."

He placed a copy of a purchasing list in front of Ron, on which a line indicated the price of the paper purchased last time, with an exclamation mark after the number.

"The raw materials are rags, hemp rope, old fabrics, and reeds. Reeds are everywhere along the edge of the swamp, and the surrounding villages also have a stable source of waste materials, so the cost is almost zero."

All that's needed is manpower and soaking pools; the output can supply our paperwork, Aina's instruction, and correspondence with the Baron and other lords.

"Are there any other usable resources in the swamp?" Ron asked.

"Swamp Peat," Erwin drew a line on the map towards the swampy area south of the manor.

"Peat burns longer than firewood and can be used as fuel for forging furnaces, but witches and little mist sprites lurk in the depths of the swamp, so harvesting can only be carried out within designated safe areas."

Peat extraction also helps to dredge drainage, improve swamps into usable land, and incidentally produce byproducts such as animal feed.

He paused for a moment and adjusted his glasses.

"Common sense tells us that safety boundaries are determined by the experience passed down by the local elders; the swamp mist will dissipate before noon."

Only during that period is it safe to enter the edge of the area; old Gott can help lead the militia to conduct harvesting experiments within a safe zone.

Ron kept these thoughts in mind and waited for Erwin to continue.

"Then trade and trade routes," Erwin turned to the next page, which was covered with dense writing.

"Trade between the surrounding villages and the manor is increasing. In the past week alone, at least five groups of merchants have come to our door on their own initiative, without us sending anyone to solicit them."

They came on their own. Our patrols regularly sweep away spies and bandits along the main trade routes, and the results are faster than expected.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table. "Villagers are already using the trade routes to barter for grain and sell cattle and sheep."

"We can cultivate informants and build our own intelligence system," Ron said.

"It's already underway. We've reached long-term trade agreements with three villages, providing regular weapons maintenance and patrol protection in exchange for food, livestock, and firsthand intelligence."

Erwin tapped on the whiteboard, "Each village has a designated contact person, usually an elder or a villager with relatives on the estate, who provides regular payment."

Erwin pulled out a smaller piece of paper from under the notepad, on which were written a few lines of notes.

"Regarding currency, civilians mainly use orens and copper coins for daily transactions, and rarely see crowns, so we pay for the food and supplies we collect with orens, and patrol agreements are also settled with orens."

He unfolded a folded piece of paper, on which were written several lines of conversion formulas: "According to the current exchange rate, 1 crown is equivalent to about 100 copper or 11 orlen. The orlen has been severely devalued after the fall of Temeria, but it is still the main circulating currency of Velen."

This ratio has been confirmed by the villagers; daily purchases and patrol subsidies are calculated in orens, with crowns and florins used as reserve currencies for large transactions.

Ron picked up the paper and glanced at it. "Okay, what about the horses?"

"The number of horses identified so far includes six military horses captured from Nilfgaard, four horses given by the Baron, and fourteen horses originally owned by the estate."

Including the four horses traded from the village, the total is twenty-eight horses. The Calad Empire warhorses carried by the armored cavalry are not included in this count.

Erwin turned to the next page. "Some of them are geldings, but there are at least three mares that can be used as a breeding base. There is an unused pasture on the east side of the estate that can be converted into a small breeding farm."

Suitable mares will be selected from villages with established trade relations. Additionally, there are wild horse herds in Velen, reportedly occasionally seen on the edges of the swamps; this is currently just a rumor, but we can send people to investigate.

Ron ran the numbers through his mind. "A riding horse, not a warhorse."

"Yes, warhorses are strictly controlled and their prices are not suitable for purchase right now. Let's first gather a batch of riding horses to join the cavalry, enough for patrols and messengers."

"Intelligence Network" Erwin closed the notepad and took out another folded parchment from his pocket. The parchment had some scattered place names and personal names written on it.

"The liaisons for the three villages have been confirmed. The elders of Lyndenville will send a message to the manor every Wednesday, and the liaisons in Middlecops will deliver messages through the weekly market."

The contact person for the third village is the village chief himself; his daughter married into our estate. This is the most stable connection, and news travels the fastest through this route.

"Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"Last month, a caravan traveling from the direction of Novigrad was stopped and searched by unidentified armed men when they passed through Lindenville. They didn't steal anything."

They only asked a few questions, such as whether there were any troops stationed nearby and whether the Baron had recently sent troops on patrol.

He pushed the parchment in front of Ron.

"This group isn't bandits. Bandits don't check your belongings; they just rob you. We suspect they're scouts or quartermasters from the outskirts of Nilfgaard, re-surveying the grounds of Velen."

The elder of Lindenville himself only learned of the caravan being questioned afterward, and sent his son to deliver a message several days later. This delay in communication needs improvement.

"We will continue to follow up on this matter."

"It's already being done," Erwin nodded.