Pioneer Lord: A Leisurely Imperial Life

Chapter 195 Why Not

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Playing around is fine, but serious matters concerning the territory cannot be neglected.

With an additional thousand unicorns and their voracious appetite that increases their food intake tenfold, they consume at least one million kilograms of food per day.

So Richard converted another hundred acres of farmland in the gap between his camp and the southern city wall to barely feed this group of gluttons.

Of the original hundred serfs, the remaining dozen or so were finally given special posts and assigned to agricultural teams.

Although it cost more than 600 gold coins to transform this 100-acre field, spending money like water, the effect was immediate.

The abundant food allowed the unicorns to grow rapidly. In just ten days, a thousand unicorns advanced to the intermediate extraordinary level.

The strength of the Chiffon Army has once again surged.

The unicorn's advancement came at just the right time, as the mine had already been conquered to the fifty-ninth level.

Starting from this level, a small number of high-level monsters began to appear.

The Imperial Guards, who were already more than capable of dealing with high-level monsters, have now fused with a mid-level extraordinary unicorn, further enhancing their offensive and defensive attributes.

Even if you encounter a group of high-level monsters, you can easily crush them, maximizing the safety of advancing down the mine.

However, new troubles followed.

The fortieth to eightieth levels of the mine are ice prisons. The first forty or fifty levels are okay, but it gets colder and colder as you go down.

By the time we reached the fifty-ninth floor, some of the rock walls had even begun to condense into a layer of ice.

The entire mineral layer is like a natural ice cellar; when you stand inside, your breath can instantly condense into white mist.

The soldiers are all intermediate-level superhumans, with physical constitutions far exceeding those of ordinary people. They have a certain resistance to temperature changes and can withstand wearing a thin layer of armor.

But the gathering teams were different. They were still ordinary serfs, and it was so cold inside that their butts would freeze off. They had to wear several layers of thick cotton-padded coats, otherwise they couldn't even lift a pickaxe.

This is also why the progress of the mine has been slowing down recently.

In the game, the so-called ice prison layer is just a blue texture with different types of ores and materials; it doesn't have a realistic temperature feel.

In reality, however, this will produce real changes in temperature.

If this trend continues downwards, starting from the sixtieth floor, the entire mine layer will become as cold as a giant refrigerator. Without certain means of insulation, even soldiers probably wouldn't be able to withstand it, let alone the mining team.

However, everything has its advantages and disadvantages.

Although the Ice Prison is extremely cold, it produces a large amount of rare ice-attribute minerals, such as [Tear Crystal] and [Ice Marrow Stone].

Equipment made from this mineral, like his [Ice Silk Robe], will not only have built-in fire resistance, but will also feel cool to the touch when worn.

Once the mine reaches the magma layer below the 80th layer, this ice-based equipment will be of great use.

Conversely, the fire-type materials produced by the magma layer also have cold-resistant properties, which can be used to cope with the extreme cold of the ice prison layer, thus complementing each other.

...

However, distant water cannot quench immediate thirst.

The most urgent task right now is to figure out how to solve the problem of keeping the collection team warm.

Fortunately, this is the North, where there is no shortage of ways to keep warm.

The most common one is the basic cold-resistance potion from alchemy. This potion is not rare, and drinking it can ward off the biting cold.

These are essential supplies for lords in the North to prepare for winter battles and cope with the harsh environment; almost every territory stockpiles a batch of them.

Richard remembered that Simon knew how to make this kind of potion, and with that in mind, he left the lord's mansion and headed straight for the temporary alchemy workshop outside the city.

...

Simon's alchemy workshop was located next to the training ground. It consisted of two stone houses side by side, with piles of messy herbal residue at the entrance, and a pungent smell of herbs wafting from afar.

Richard frowned as he pushed open the door and entered. The room was so messy that there was nowhere to step.

The table was covered with crucibles, flasks, and grinding jars, with herbal roots and stems scattered everywhere, and several pieces of parchment covered with hastily written formulas lying on the floor.

Simon squatted in front of a large, bubbling crucible, staring at the pot of green liquid inside with a worried expression.

Holding a dried grass stem that shimmered with a faint glow in his hand, he seemed to be hesitating whether to throw it in.

Anthony's wife, Leila, stood behind him, holding a leather notebook, her eyes filled with curiosity and longing for alchemy.

Judging from Simon's miserable expression, it's obvious without asking that he's been researching the giantification potion for a long time but still has no clue whatsoever; he's just wasting his time.

Upon seeing Richard enter, the two quickly bowed in greeting.

"Good day, my lord!"

Richard waved his hand and went straight to the point, asking about the cold-resistant medicine.

Upon hearing this, Simon scratched his messy white hair.

"My lord, making cold-resistant potions is simple, but I've almost run out of the materials I brought, especially the main ingredient, Blazing Flame Grass. This herb only grows in the hot and dry desert regions of the Eastern Territory. I only have a few plants left, enough to make at most a dozen or so bottles. If you want a large batch, you'll need to prepare enough raw materials for me first."

Richard's brows furrowed instantly.

With the North in chaos and war, sending troops to the East to purchase Blazing Grass would be a waste of resources due to the long journey.

Let's just ask Lucy to buy the potion ready-made!

Frosthold has been rooted in this harsh, cold land of the North for so many years, it must have a lot of this stuff stockpiled in its warehouses, so let's deal with it for now.

"understood."

Richard nodded and turned to leave the alchemy room, which was filled with a strong smell, but Simon called him back.

"My lord, please wait!"

Simon ran to the wooden cabinet in the corner, rummaged through it for a long time, and finally found a small, mended cloth bag.

"My lord, I have some medicinal herb seeds here. Could you perhaps find a plot of land within the territory for the serfs to plant them?"

Richard was slightly taken aback. He took the package and opened it. Inside were some oddly shaped little seeds, some with icy blue frost marks, and others that looked like shriveled little berries.

Without exception, these seeds were all covered with a very faint but pure magical fluctuation.

"My lord, these are seeds of Icethorn Orchid and Frostbite Grass. Other territories in the Northern Territory will plant a small amount to avoid having to search for them when needed. If Chiffon Territory can grow them themselves, they won't have to travel around to purchase small quantities of potions in the future."

Richard picked up a seed and examined it closely.

Cultivating medicinal herbs?

In low-magic environments, ordinary grains can be transformed into living crops by being infused with energy, while some plants can be transformed into magical herbs.

These herbs cannot be eaten directly; they must be refined and formulated by alchemists to be made into various medicines.

However, the system's judgment mechanism is rather rigid.

These plants, which are neither food nor flowers and possess a faint magical power, cannot be entered into the system and therefore cannot be gamified for cultivation.

If cultivated naturally using real-world methods, the growth cycle of herbs is extremely long, ranging from a few months to several years.

Compared to the terrifying efficiency of the system's fields, which ripen every few days, this harvest cycle is so slow it's almost despairing.

Let's forget about planting it.

It's better to just buy it directly...

well...?

and many more!

Why can't we plant it?

The game "Pioneer Lords: Leisurely Empire Life" is full of classic quotes, come and find resonance.