Since leaving Waterdeep, everyone has been longing for the appearance of Heimhill, and now they can finally see it. It is a sparsely cultivated plain, with sparse shrubs growing on low flat hills, large woods in the north, but only scattered wild apple trees in the fields. A stream flows through the valley between the hills, and the croaking of frogs can be faintly heard. Alarmed by the procession, some gray waterfowl flew up from behind the reeds and chirped into the sky.

Baron the raven flies high in the sky, so Siegel has a panoramic view of the land. The land named Heimhill was about fifty miles in size, but since there were no other lords around, there was no very precise border. Starting at the foot of the Walled Mountains, it takes a river channel called the Shield River as its central axis until it enters the area on both sides before the Heim fissure. Within this boundary, there are three small villages with simply fenced fields, shriveled barns and a kiln-firing workshop. There are people in the village who are catching fish in the river, but there will be no good harvest in the shallow water of the river in early spring. Some of them are working in the fields, bending down to work the fields. Siegel saw no cattle or horses, only a few donkeys in the village, and the house dog chased the hens around the yard: this was Siegel's territory.

The eyes of the air did not detect the hunter, but fortunately did not see the beast either. It may be that the backwater swamps of the East have become an obstacle for predators, and creatures like wolves cannot come from there. Legend has it that there are more terrifying monsters in the swamp, such as ghosts, fish monsters, and pythons, and Siegel won't take it lightly.

The walled mountains are just west of this plain, and the peaks here are not as high as the summits of Mora, with the exception of Saint-Ther. It's basically under the clouds. As long as the weather is clear, you can see the peak. As the dawn rises. Saint-T's Peak slowly turns from gray to dazzling white, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day, as if the surrounding cliffs and valleys were filled with sunlight. In a trance, the sun seemed to rise from both directions at the same time, casting a brilliant golden light on the Heim Hill. In the morning breeze, Siegel unfurled his banner, and the nine-clawed squid banner surrounded by magic runes fluttered in the wind. The orcs set up the drum and beat it hard. So in the loud bang of the knock. Siegel entered the first village with his party.

The villagers were so alarmed by this formation that they retreated back into their houses, leaving only brave men with pitchforks and sticks at the entrance of the village. Siegel waved his hand to stop the drumming, then strengthened his voice with magic. So everyone in the village heard the words of the new lord.

"I am Siegel, the first member of the Squid family, the pioneer knight of Waterdeep, the royal baron of the Starry Kingdom, and the lord of Heimhill. I hereby declare that Heimhill is under my administration, and that all those who threaten my territory and the power of my lords are my enemies. The taxes you pay will be used to build castles and armies. In it you will be protected. ”

This voice was repeated three times in a row, and it was deeply imprinted in everyone's mind. Afterwards. Siegel got everyone to their feet. The Phantom Pony drove him through the village, Humm, Mana, and Fezak rode behind him, and the orc twins, carrying the banner of the lord of Siegel and the three-peaked tower of the Mage Federation, followed suit. Only then did the villagers know that it was not a gang of robbers who had arrived, but a "lord".

Heimchu has never had a lord, so there is no protection. The villagers who live here can only rely on fragile wooden fences and muttering prayers to protect themselves. Even if they wanted to build the walls, they didn't have enough manpower and technology. Not to mention fighting ferocious bandits, ordinary beasts, diseases and even a rainstorm can leave them in a predicament where they cannot develop. Without lords, there would be no one to pay their salaries, so it would be difficult to attract professional craftsmen who were free from farming to rely solely on their craft, which meant that there were no blacksmiths to repair farm tools and no mason builders to build mills. Passing caravans will know about the plight of the locals and will raise the price of their goods, and the inhabitants will be powerless to resist.

They had been looking forward to the arrival of a lord to build up these long-awaited things. Their only demand is the justice of the lord.

"My lord, where will your castle be built? ”

The closer you are to the lord's castle, the safer and more convenient your life will be. The villagers hope that there will be a tavern, a temple, a barracks and a market, a benevolent and just lord, and everything that will allow them to live a good life.

"My castle will be built at the foot of the walled mountains, the Saint-Thur will provide me with the rocks on which I will build, the shield river will provide water for the moat, and those who provide labor will have priority to live under the city. Siegel replied.

After that, the group left the village, leaving Fezak and Manna in charge of counting the population and registering their specialties.

They set up camp on a low hill, anchored their tents to the ground, and built sturdy stoves. The nearby Shield River provides them with plenty of drinking water, and there are woods not far away. Everything in this land is Siegel's, as long as he has enough strength to protect it. If it were an ordinary lord, it would take a long time just to patrol the territory and arrange work, but as a mage, the Demon Pet Raven already has a full view of the entire land.

While the tent was set up, Janet was preparing lunch for Siegel, and the servant Moore helped take care of the fire. They don't have much food in stock, but they can exchange salt for vegetables from the people in the village. She was preparing to make porridge with beer, with garlic and mint added to it, and it had a rich flavor. After getting a few carrots, she washed them, chopped them up, and threw them into the porridge.

Fezak came back just when the food was ready, "My lord, the statistics have come out, there are more than seven hundred people in the three villages, most of them are ordinary farmers, only a few self-taught carpenters and potters. Now it seems that they all welcome you and ask for help in the construction of the castle. I asked a few of them that the land was not peaceful, and that bandits such as goblins had climbed up from the rift valley and harassed the village. Bandits sometimes cross the border in the south. Because there is no money here, the bandits will bully the villagers if they can't get oil or water. Thankfully, you're here with a half-orc force, and I think this will be an effective way to deter these bandits. ”

"Good, about what I expected. Siegel greeted Fezak. Let him sit down to eat together. "Solve the stomach problem first. Then let's go up the mountain. Go look at the money bag. ”

There were many people who knew that there was gold on the mountain, but only Siegel, Janet, Mana, Hum, Janis, and Fezak entered the mountain, and the others continued to build the camp and the surrounding guardrails. Until the walls are built, the camp will be their place of residence, and safety will naturally be the main priority.

Hum and Fezak found a large cloth bag containing a pickaxe, a pickaxe, a shovel, and a hook with a rope tied to it. "It's used for climbing mountains and mining. Fezak smiled and said to Siegel: "Hum Ke is very strong, it's no problem to hand it over to him to carry." ”

"You don't have to bring these things. Siegel shook his head: "It's a wasted effort. ”

"My lord, how can you climb mountains and dig mines without these things?" said Fezak, scratching his bare head. I was amazed. "Even if we don't dig today, let's try the soil. ”

"No, I don't. "Siegel was very resolute.

Fezak was not persuaded to do so, and put down the bag, but still let Huck put on a pickaxe and rope, and carried the shovel on his back. These three things are the treasures of the miners, and he does not believe that the mining of mines can be separated from these tools. Seeing this, Siegel just shook his head and tossed with a few people.

The entire Saint-Thorn is white and glows like a light source in bright sunlight. The gold mine is not on the peak of St. Thur, otherwise the platinum dragon would never give up. The waterfall that flows across the shield river from St. Thur's peak, a nondescript grey hill, is the destination of Siegel and his party. In the records of the Dwarven Library at the Top of Mora. The characteristics of this place are very obvious: "On the banks of the Saint-Se peak, beside the shield river, the gray hills are golden, and the red soil and black soil are not forgotten." Gemstones sparkle like stars. ”

Janet climbed the cliff with ease, like a happy springbok. She is responsible for finding a solid place to settle and prevent loose stones from hitting others. But then she discovers that Siegel has cast a spider walking spell for everyone, and everyone can walk freely on the vertical cliff, just like agile spiders. Janet looked at Siegel with a grudge until the mage performed her flying spell.

Hum Ke looked at the rope with the hook in his hand, sighed, and wrapped it around his waist. He knew he wouldn't need it when he went up the mountain.

Halfway up the mountain, Siegel saw what the dwarven accounts call the red rock formations. On the cliff in front of him, red and black rocks were stacked on top of each other, like pages of a book. This strange terrain may only be known to the dwarves who are well-versed in rocks, but Siegel doesn't want to delve into geology, all he needs is gold.

"How can we find the gold mines?" asked Janet, "Do we have to dig all the way from here?"

"If you don't know the direction, you probably won't be able to find the vein for the rest of your life if you dig in the mountains. Siegel took out a gold coin from his purse, he had a lot of these yellow-orange things, but now he didn't have much left. Using the coin as a spell medium, Siegel began to locate the same kind of material nearby. He carefully controlled the spell to prevent it from enveloping in the direction of Saint-Se Peak. Presumably, the dragon named Modisty would never like to have probing spells enter her lair.

Allowing spells to penetrate the rocks and soil required patience and delicate spells, and Siegel kept saying the words, the power of magic spreading from beneath his feet into the depths of the earth. Gradually, the features of the mountains began to emerge, and some potential faults and fissures came into view. Since there were no traces of excavation in the mountain here, the mage believed that the gold vein would not be particularly deep, otherwise how would the dwarf judge? After more than ten minutes of exploration, he finally found the direction of the vein.

An unimaginable vein of rich gold ore hovers inside the mountain like a giant python. Siegel smiled, and a large stone in his heart finally landed. The mage gathers the power of the elements and summons the earth elementals halfway up the mountainside. With the power of Siegel's spells, he can steadily maintain the existence of earth elementals that are the same size as his own body. The earth elemental summoned here has red and black stripes on its body, as if it were wearing a comical garment. It's just that its huge fists and hard body stifle everyone's laughter. In front of the earth element, rocks and dirt are like sticky water that can be drilled directly into it. Siegel ordered the Earth Elemental to dig a path that led in the direction of the vein.

The dirt area through which the original native elements pass will automatically close after passing through it, and will not form a passage. Therefore, the earth elemental must swing its fist behind it to avoid this, which slows it down considerably. Siegel needs to constantly replenish the power of the spell in order to keep the minions alive and well. Finally, before he could feel his energy run out, a passage three hundred meters deep enough for one person to pass through was dug up, and at the end of the passage was a vein of gold.

"If there's gold here, call it the Spotted Mountain Gold Mine. Siegel put down his wand and said slowly. (To be continued......)