Luo Lan is undoubtedly a bold person.

Not only did he accept Rick, but he also threatened to make Phuket a mecca for all alchemists. This is an affront to the Church and many nations, especially the North, which was the worst plagued by alchemists back then.

But for now, no one will care about Luo Lan's actions, this prince of waste wood is messing around on the island, and neither the church nor the empire will look at him squarely.

And Luo Lan can do some big things in the contempt of the church and the state.

After accepting Rick, Luo Lan immediately began the construction of the Ministry of Agriculture.

The construction of the Ministry of Agriculture is not as simple as opening an office in the palace, because Rick is not a civil servant, he is an alchemist.

Luo Lan had to find him the perfect place, where there should be mountains, rivers and mines, so that Rick could do his research.

As twilight fell, Luo Lan's feast for Rick was over, and Gandalf, who was busy implementing the provincial system, returned.

Gandalf is tired these days, he has run a lot of places with people, everything is starting from scratch, and today he rushed back to ask for funds when he ran out of money.

Luo Lan naturally would not be stingy, and issued an edict, making it clear that Gandalf could take the gold coins from the treasury at will, so that the old man would be grateful, and he would continue to implement the provincial system for the prince.

Luo Lan hurriedly grabbed him, "Gandalf, don't be in such a hurry, the provincial system and the household registration system cannot be formulated overnight, I have more important things to ask you now." ”

"Your Highness, please speak."

Gandalf was respectful and solemn, and he was only looking forward to Luo Lan. Luo Lan took out the map and asked, "Have we ever developed mining properties in Phuket before?" ”

Mining property, the world's very high-end industry, but the development is relatively informal, people are completely rushing to gold, but ignoring the more important iron ore, the development of the iron smelting industry is not satisfactory, some small countries even break the iron sword.

Gandalf heard Luo Lan ask about the mining property, thinking that he wanted to dig gold to make money, and couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Your Highness, this is going to disappoint you." The history of Phuket is also hundreds of years, but the lords have never found gold on the island. Twenty years ago, the great mining campaign ended on the West Coast, and the lords lost all their money, and the mines were abandoned, not to mention the gold mines, and not even the iron ore was found. ”

"West Coast?"

Luo Lan was overjoyed, there was a history of mining on the island?

"Well, West Coast. Most of our people are on the east coast, which is, after all, across the sea from the land, and there are many plains. The west coast is densely mountainous, unsuitable for cultivation and largely uninhabited. ”

Gandalf explained carefully, highlighting the ambitious mining history of the aristocracy twenty years ago.

The aristocrats of the time did not know where they heard the rumor that there was gold in the mountains on the west coast of Phuket Island, so they invested a huge amount of money in mining, but no gold grains were found.

Many of the abandoned mines in the mountains on the west coast were left over from the original excavation movement.

"It may be a rumor spread by the alchemist, and the nobles listened to the alchemist's words, and as a result, wasted money and manpower. That's why the alchemist is really a god. ”

Gandalf sighed, but Luo Lan was already smiling.

What does a mine on the West Coast mean? It means that you can do it overnight, and it can become a base for "heavy industry". You know, alchemy is inseparable from metals, and almost all alchemists live in caves, and they need minerals and metals.

Rick also needs it, if it weren't for the mines on the west coast, Luo Lan would have had to waste countless energy digging holes in the mountains, and now he can sit back and enjoy it.

"Haha, thank you for the selfless dedication of the nobles. Gandalf, don't leave Phuket City yet, come with me to the West Coast tomorrow, the West Coast is critical! ”

Luo Lan was excited, but Gandalf was dazed, but he still obeyed the order.

Early the next morning, Luo Lan pushed open the window.

He took a deep breath and could already sense that the stench in the air had subsided considerably.

The city has been largely cleaned of garbage and excrement, and the Guards and beggars are working on how to build public toilets under the guidance of craftsmen.

Luo Lan twisted her neck and smiled.

Your career is on the right track, and it would be even better if the mines on the West Coast could be put to good use.

Luo Lan was having fun when the door was pushed open, and Ellie, who was wearing a handsome ponytail, strode in.

"Stupid prince, no money!"

The petite and lovely Elle is very strong, she is a goddess on the outside, but she is a fierce woman in the palace.

Luo Lan rolled her eyes, "I said Miss Ellie, you can't marry if you're so wild."

"Whoever wants to get married, there is really no money, you have no idea how difficult it is to repair toilets."

As the propaganda ambassador and commander-in-chief of the Maokeng Movement, Elle is full of bitterness.

Because the Maokeng exercise is too expensive, there is no money to talk about, and she also began to empathize with Luo Lan.

"There's still money in the treasury, you just go to Gandalf to get it."

Luo Lan has long been accustomed to having a stomach full of bitter water, and he is very calm. Elle sat on the sofa, crossed Erlang's legs and said, "I just looked for Gandalf, and he said that he could only give me a thousand gold coins, and the treasury is already in a hurry." ”

"Urgent? How did it take so fast? ”

Luo Lan was a little surprised, he had given all the money to Gandalf to manage, and he didn't know much about the cost of gold coins.

Ellie gave him a blank look, "You prince don't even know where the money is spent?" The beggars, and the residents who came to apply, everyone had to be paid, and we had thousands of workers, and it was not enough, it was too difficult to dig toilets, and the land in Phuket City was very hard, not as simple as digging toilets in the fields, and we had to dig around the rocks when we encountered them, and our previous efforts were in vain."

Ellie sullenly said, "Moreover, we are so short of tools, we don't have three hundred shovels, and the blacksmiths in the city are also short of iron, so I have mobilized all the blacksmiths to collect as much iron as possible." The blacksmith spends a lot of money on ironwork all day, and the wood needed for ironwork also needs to be transported centrally, and everything costs money. ”

Elle blames the cost too quickly on the wages of the workers and the making of the iron tools.

Because Luo Lan gave the workers high wages, many residents of the city threw themselves into the Maokeng movement, and a large part of their enthusiasm was aroused by gold coins.

After all, the inhabitants of the city had no land, and the commercial market had collapsed, so they had to rely on the Maokeng campaign implemented by the prince to support their families.

Luo Lan listened carefully to Ellie's complaints, he didn't care about the remuneration, but grabbed the matter of striking iron.

"You say you need wood to strike iron? This world ...... Isn't there anyone using coal on the land of the Sea Spirit Country? ”

"Coal? What's that? ”

Elle was very confused, Luo Lan raised her eyebrows, it seems that coal has not yet appeared on the historical stage of this world.

"Don't talk about any charcoal or coal, we must reduce the wages of the workers, and you must know that the money for the armaments of the Guards has been given to the workers."

Elle said quite seriously, she is delicate on the outside, but not delicate on the inside.

Luo Lan shook his head, "You can't reduce your salary, otherwise it will dampen the enthusiasm of the people." And the wages are not high, still because the treasury has too little money. In addition, the tools for digging the pit are too backward......"

Luo Lan said while looking at the people running excitedly outside the window. Elle spread her hands, "What then?" We have no money".

"After a while, I'll arrange Mr. Rick's Department of Agriculture first."

Luo Lan actually can't help it, after all, money is not generated out of thin air, everything has to be done step by step, now let's get the mine that Rick needs first, and then there will be room for maneuver.

Ai Li saw that Luo Lan also smiled bitterly and said nothing, tidied up her hairstyle and clothes and left.

And Luo Lan called Barrett and told him to inform Rick and Bina that they were going to the West Coast to check out the mines today.

Then Luo Lan left the palace, and Gandalf also came on horseback.

On the other side of the street, Barrett followed Luo Lan's instructions and brought Rick and Bina with him.

Today they are going to the West Coast to inspect the mines.

Guarded by twenty guardsmen, the chapel's carriage and the palace's carriage drove Bina and Rick to the west coast, respectively.

Luo Lan rode his horse, and next to him was Gandalf with a heavy face.

Gandalf didn't say a word, he just looked at Rick's carriage.

Luo Lan was a little surprised and said, "Gandalf, I haven't seen you for a night, how can you be a different person." ”

Gandalf pursed his lips and stopped his horse, letting the rest of the group go first.

Luo Lan stopped to look at him, and soon, only Luo Lan and Gandalf were left in place.

Gandalf glanced at Rick's carriage again, then dismounted and fell to his knees.

"Your Highness, with all due respect, you shouldn't have invited an alchemist to the island. I've learned about the situation last night, and you're eyeing the West Coast entirely for Rick. We already have a financial crisis, and the Guards and the Pitted Movement have spent almost all the gold coins. And now you're going to open the mines on the West Coast just for the sake of being an alchemist, it's nonsense! ”

Gandalf's tone was heavy, he was really angry, he had been unable to sleep all night since he knew that Rick was here last night, the prince was so foolish.

"The three-year tax exemption means that we will not have any financial income for three years. The Maokeng Movement and the expansion of the Guards meant that the treasury was depleted. The provincial system and the household registration system, as well as the implementation of the division of land into households, will also cost countless money. Your Highness, you should be diligent and thrifty, and you should not go down the wrong path, please expel Rick immediately! ”