It had been three days since the return to Blackhammer Fort.

Even on the way back to Blackhammer Castle, Rhodes kept thinking about what had happened in the Ring. A smell of corruption and decay was spreading through the castle, a danger that even Alves had not felt. The new prom girl was where it all began. Rhodes couldn't imagine how many men she had slept with, but the Ring City was indeed in such a crisis. The threat of chaos has never been just militarily, but also in people's hearts...... Thinking of the way Aubrey's son Dean looked at the dancing girl, Rod felt a chill in his heart. He thought about alerting Lord Aubrey, but it seemed that Lord Rings was immersed in the illusory prosperity and would not listen. can only go to Alves, but it seems that Alves is suppressed by his arrogant nephew, and he can't make a difference, plus the relationship between the purple-robed girl and Dean, it's good that this relationship is not broken, and if it is broken, I'm afraid even Alves himself will be in danger......

The chaotic situation left Rhodes at a loss, so on the third day, Rhodes rushed back to his castle.

Although this black castle is not as large as the Iron Ring City, it is so thriving. But as soon as you enter the door, you feel a breath of freshness. At least, the corrosion of chaos hadn't polluted the place. Although Blackhammer Fort is small, it is a pure land in the north. The warriors know that they must train every day, always on the lookout for all kinds of dark creatures that go south, even the dark legions.

And on the day that Rhodes returned to Blackhammer Castle, good news came. The development partner of the deep pit mine was found. A Kislev nobleman named Raheim Meldev from Erlengrad......

As previously planned, Ruder Finn signed a five-year agreement with him for the pit mine. The deep pit mine will adopt a co-development, co-benefit approach, with Laheim bearing 40% of the cost of developing the mine and 40% of the final benefits.

However, the ownership of the mine still belongs to Rhodes. Since the town was heavily walled and well defended, there was no need to worry about the safety of the mine for a short time. This is valuable to Laheim. Because if he develops alone, he needs to invest too much in the early stage, including a series of unknown issues such as exploration and management rights are waiting for him to face, while Ruder Finn's side has ready-made mines and contracts, so he does not need to take risks to invest in new projects, as long as he invests a small amount of money, he can sit back and wait for the benefits.

One needs capital to develop scale, and the other needs a safe investment environment, so the two sides hit it off, a real win-win situation. It's good for both parties. In fact, Ruder Finn has thought of other options for developing deep pit mines, such as contracting out directly, or transferring part of the ownership of the mines. But both of these options were later rejected, and Blackhammer had to have only one owner, and if outsiders were given too much autonomy, sooner or later there would be conflicts.

On the night the contract was signed, Rhodes hosted the new investor, the first noble resident of Blackhammer. With his family, it is conceivable that the humble living environment outside Black Hammer Fort will definitely not be able to meet his elegant and exquisite quality of life. He had to ask the craftsmen to build a new building. It will also be the first high-end residence in Blackhammer Castle.

Of course, Rhodes didn't expect too many nobles to come and live there. After all, with the current situation of Blackhammer Fort, it is not suitable for the rich to come and settle down. At the very least, the environment is a big issue, and if it weren't for the benefits, no one would want to relocate to the cold north to live. The real rich, who have long since moved to live in the big cities of the empire.

"Cheers to the future of Blackhammer!"

"Cheers to the smooth development of the mine cooperation!"

"Cheers to the money!"

There weren't many people at the simple banquet, just Rhodes himself, Murros the butler, Virgil, the chief knight, and the Laheim family. The whole hall plus the servants did not exceed ten people. Compared to the wedding dinner in the Ring City a few days ago, there were very few people here. But Rhodes doesn't care, this is Blackhammer Fort. The North has always been so deserted, too lively and not like the style of the North after all.

"The North has never been so good, so I hope you don't mind. Unlike Errengrad, where there is a busy port and bazaar, the produce of Blackhammer is only a little better in the last year, and before, like the people of the city, I could only eat some coarse bread and porridge. ”

Sitting on the chair, Rod introduced with interest while biting on the cured meat. He must let his collaborator know what kind of life he will face. Of course, Rhodes also knew that Raheimken had settled here and must have heard about the living conditions at Blackhammer Fort. Or, he is a person who pursues profit first and enjoys life second.

"It's okay, friend, since I've chosen this place, I'm prepared for what to expect here. It's hard here, but at least the air is fresh and the food is clean. The north has always been like this, cold and silent. It will not be like the capital, or Errengrad, noisy and noisy. You may not know it, but my family still loves it, they're fed up with the squalor of city life. You can't imagine life in Erlengrad, where the city is prosperous, but the hygiene is terrible, and you can smell feces and sweat everywhere you walk down the street. ”

Laheim said. His family, his virtuous wife, and his quiet daughter, were quietly eating dinner, looking up and smiling from time to time. Aristocracy is nobility, and I have to say that this kind of scene makes people feel very comfortable. Full of order and etiquette.

"Well, this is the first time I've heard of someone who doesn't like city life. ”

Rod returned with a smile. In the place where they lived in the previous life, many people did not like the fast-paced life of the big city, but this is in the medieval world, and there are still people who do not like the life of the big city, and Rhodes really heard it for the first time. The number of human beings here is small, with less than 100 people in the countryside and between 500 and 1,000 in the towns. Slightly larger towns, like the Iron Ring, have about two or three thousand people, which is already considered a big town. People prefer life in big cities to in the countryside.

What Rhodes knew was that there were no less than 300,000 people living in the capital city of Kislev alone. Cities like Errengrad are also home to at least 100,000 people. Compared to the desertion of Black Hammer Castle, it can be said to be a paradise. At least for those who haven't been.

"People in the country want to go into the city, and people in the city want to go out of the city. Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. ”

Raheim said, suddenly remembering something, and changed his words to apologize. And Rhodes doesn't care, it's a typical speaker who doesn't have it. Since they are here to cooperate, they will definitely not despise each other.

"It's fine. "By the way, Your Excellency, I have something to ask you. ”

"Say, friend, since we are partners now, I will tell you as long as I know. ”

Laheim returned. He shoved a slice of fish into his mouth, then took a sip of wine and stared at Rhodes.

"Erlengrad, what the hell is going on?"

Staring at the Laheim family, Rhodes asked seriously.