Ashveil had finally obtained his first ten soldiers.
Unfortunately, there was one small problem.
He couldn’t afford to feed them.
[Warning! Daily Food Consumption: 25 Units]
[Current Food Supplies: Insufficient!]
Ashveil stared at the notification before looking toward the ten spearmen standing outside the Lord’s Hall. They were properly armed and capable of defending his settlement, but their arrival had also increased the territory’s food consumption considerably.
"Wonderful. I finally have soldiers, and now we’re all going to starve."
"How unfortunate, little lord."
Ashveil turned toward Ria, who was standing nearby with an amused smile. Unlike everyone else in Ashen Hollow, the succubus didn’t require ordinary food to sustain herself.
Considering that she had nearly drained him unconscious the previous day, however, Ashveil wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about her alternative diet.
"Easy for you to say. You don’t have to worry about food."
"Indeed. Although I do have certain needs of my own."
Her crimson eyes briefly wandered toward his neck.
Ashveil instinctively covered it.
"Don’t even think about it. I’m still recovering from yesterday."
"My, little lord. I haven’t asked for anything yet."
"That’s exactly what worries me."
Ria chuckled at his reaction, apparently finding his discomfort amusing. Ashveil decided not to entertain her any further and called Rowan over.
Since the territory couldn’t produce enough food yet, they would have to rely on hunting and gathering until the farms became operational.
He assigned four spearmen to accompany Rowan into the nearby forest while the remaining six guarded the settlement. Martha would continue gathering edible plants and overseeing the preparation of whatever food they obtained.
"Remember, don’t wander too far. If you encounter anything stronger than an ordinary animal, come straight back."
"Understood, my Lord!"
After sending them away, Ashveil opened the construction interface and examined the Farm blueprint. Unfortunately, even if they gathered the necessary materials today, the crops wouldn’t grow overnight.
He sighed and closed the interface.
"Who knew running a territory would be this troublesome?"
"Didn’t you mention wanting to conquer the entire world?"
Ashveil glanced toward Ria.
"That was before I discovered how expensive ten soldiers could be."
"Then perhaps you should reconsider your ambitions."
"Not happening. I just need to figure out how to stop everyone from eating me out of house and home."
Ria smiled faintly but offered no further advice.
Apparently, ancient sovereigns weren’t particularly knowledgeable about managing food expenses.
*
By midday, the hunting party had returned with several rabbits and a wild bird. Ria had also brought back a few animals she had encountered while exploring, which considerably improved the day’s food situation.
Martha was delighted by the additional meat, although she immediately reminded Ashveil that hunting could only provide a temporary solution.
He already knew that.
However, something else had caught his attention.
One of the spearmen had discovered wagon tracks near the northern hills. They appeared relatively recent, and several sections of the surrounding vegetation had been cleared.
That was unusual.
Ashen Hollow was surrounded by wilderness, and as far as Ashveil knew, there weren’t any established roads nearby.
"Ria, have you explored the northern hills?"
"A little. Why?"
"One of the soldiers found wagon tracks over there. I’m wondering whether there’s another settlement nearby."
Ria considered his question.
"There is something in that direction you might find interesting."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Wouldn’t it be more interesting to see for yourself?"
Ashveil looked at her suspiciously.
"Is it dangerous?"
"Possibly."
"Could you at least tell me whether it’s worth the trouble?"
Ria smiled. "That depends on how much you value iron."
Ashveil’s expression immediately changed.
"Iron?"
"Indeed."
"Why didn’t you say that earlier?!"
"My, you never asked."
Ashveil stared at her for a moment before deciding that arguing with an ancient succubus was probably a waste of time.
He immediately began preparing for the trip.
After informing Rowan, Ashveil took two spearmen and his Forgotten Kobold toward the northern hills. The remaining soldiers stayed behind to protect the villagers.
Their journey was relatively uneventful. The Forgotten Kobold occasionally hurried ahead to inspect unfamiliar scents, while Ria walked beside Ashveil with her usual leisurely expression.
After approximately half an hour, the trees began thinning.
Beyond them rose two rocky slopes separated by a narrow passage. Several weathered wooden posts stood near the entrance, and the ground was covered in deep wheel tracks.
Ashveil immediately noticed the marks.
"Someone’s been transporting things through here."
"Indeed. The passage has seen considerable use."
They continued forward until an opening became visible between the rocks.
A mine.
Ashveil’s eyes brightened as he approached one of the exposed rock formations and activated the Lord System’s inspection function.
[Resource Deposit Detected!]
[Iron Ore Deposit | Grade: Common]
[Resource Status: Available for Extraction]
Iron!
Ashveil could hardly believe his luck.
His territory desperately needed iron for military equipment and construction. Although the deposit itself wasn’t particularly rare, having a source so close to Ashen Hollow could save him an enormous amount of money.
For the first time since arriving in Eryndor, he had discovered something valuable that didn’t require him to gamble with his life.
Or so he thought.
A metallic clanging sound suddenly echoed from deeper within the passage.
Ashveil immediately stopped.
Several short figures emerged from the mine entrance, carrying baskets filled with dark rocks. Their reptilian bodies were covered in dirty scales, and crude leather clothing hung loosely from their shoulders.
Kobolds.
Ashveil slowly retreated behind a nearby boulder and gestured for the others to follow.
"Of course. Someone already lives here."
Ria peered toward the entrance. "Disappointed, little lord?"
"I was hoping the mine would come with a complimentary workforce. Unfortunately, it seems the employees are hostile."
"Perhaps you should introduce yourself."
"And get stabbed? I’ll pass."
He carefully observed the creatures transporting the ore.
There were at least six of them outside, and judging from the constant sounds emerging from the tunnel, considerably more were working underground.
However, something about their behavior was strange.
The kobolds weren’t wandering aimlessly or digging wherever they pleased. They carried their baskets along an established route, deposited the ore beside a wooden platform, and returned underground without wasting time.
Someone had organized them.
A moment later, a considerably larger kobold emerged from the entrance and struck one of the workers with a wooden club.
The unfortunate creature stumbled, dropping several pieces of ore.
Another kobold hurried forward to collect them, while the larger creature continued shouting angrily.
Ashveil frowned.
"Looks like they’ve got an overseer."
"And a rather unpleasant one," Ria remarked.
From the shadows beyond the entrance, another figure briefly appeared. Unlike the others, this kobold carried a staff decorated with animal bones, and faint magical energy surrounded its body.
Ria’s expression became slightly more serious.
"That one possesses magical abilities. I’d estimate its strength at approximately Tier 2. The larger warrior should be similar."
Ashveil immediately abandoned the idea of marching his ten spearmen into the mine.
Two Tier 2 opponents, an unknown number of workers, and narrow tunnels where his soldiers couldn’t properly form ranks?
That sounded like an excellent way to lose his entire army.
"Can you defeat them?" he asked.
"Individually, certainly. But fighting both while surrounded by their subordinates would be troublesome, especially with my limited magical energy."
Ashveil nodded. "Then we’re not attacking. At least not until we know what we’re dealing with."
"At least you understand your limitations."
"You could’ve just called it a good decision."
"Would you prefer that I praise you every time you do something sensible?"
Ashveil decided to ignore that.
Instead, he continued studying the mining operation.
The wagon tracks were still bothering him. The kobolds had neither horses nor wagons in sight, yet someone had clearly transported heavy loads through the passage recently.
Furthermore, several wooden supports near the entrance appeared much better constructed than the crude equipment used by the workers.
Perhaps the mine hadn’t always belonged to the kobolds.
He turned toward his Forgotten Kobold, which had been watching the workers with unusual interest.
"Hey, little guy. Do you recognize this place?"
The creature immediately nodded.
"Mine. Know."
"You’ve been here before?"
"Yes. Many kobolds. Bad boss."
Ashveil exchanged glances with Ria.
That was interesting.
"Do you know where the bosses stay?"
The kobold pointed toward the entrance.
"Inside. Deep."
"How many workers are there?"
The creature hesitated, apparently struggling to count.
"Many."
"Right. We’ll work on your mathematics later."
Ashveil looked toward the mine once more.
He had no intention of abandoning such a valuable resource, but charging inside without understanding the situation would be foolish.
Fortunately, he possessed something ordinary Lords didn’t.
A kobold who could walk among other kobolds.
And judging by the way the workers were being treated, there might be considerably better ways to take control of the operation than slaughtering everyone inside.
Ashveil smiled.
"Alright, little guy. Tomorrow, I’ve got a job for you."
The Forgotten Kobold immediately straightened.
"Master! Work?"
"That’s right. And if you do well, I’ll give you an extra portion of meat."
"Meat!"
Ria watched the creature eagerly strike its chest before glancing toward Ashveil.
"How generous. You’re certainly skilled at motivating your subordinates."
"Hey, don’t underestimate the power of free food."
"Considering your territory’s current situation, perhaps I shouldn’t."
Ashveil ignored her and looked back toward the mine, where another group of exhausted kobolds was emerging with baskets of ore.
For once, he wasn’t thinking about how many enemies he would have to kill.
He was thinking about how many workers he could keep.
After all, what good was owning an iron mine if he had to dig everything out himself?