Chapter 771: Bloodhorn Town

Does that mean the other powers have no chance of developing steam engines?

Of course they do!

They simply cannot do it overnight. Henwell spent twenty years reaching this point. Why should anyone else get there in a single step?

They have to begin with the earliest steam-engine prototypes, then develop and refine each new design step by step. All the while, supporting industries such as metallurgy and forging must advance alongside them.

Most of all, they need vast resources and plenty of time.

Those are exactly what the noble lords lack.

Without a unified, centralized authority, none of them can hope to catch up with Peace Haven.

Only two people on the continent have even a chance, and each of them counts as half a candidate at best.

The first is Obilian of Lumir. He wants to reform his country, but too many people are holding him back.

His helpful big brother to the west keeps him in check, while opposition at home grows with every reform he pushes through.

Sometimes, he has to compromise just to keep domestic factions from joining hands with that helpful big brother.

Obilian has the vision and understands the steam engine's value. Turning that vision into reality is another matter.

The other half is the Young Triumvirate, represented by Ogiro's Sixth Prince Sundike.

After years of keeping their heads down and building in secret, Sundike and the other members of the Young Triumvirate have become a major force within Ogiro.

Together, their territories cover more than one hundred and seventy thousand square kilometers, and their population has surged to three million.

They field only five legions, but those legions copy Peace Haven's organization and doctrine. Even their equipment comes from Peace Haven.

That makes the five legions far stronger than Ogiro's standing forces.

The industries they imported from Peace Haven have also given them a growing pool of industrial workers.

Their own mining, metallurgy, forging, and processing industries are taking shape one after another.

Over the past two years, they have begun challenging Peace Haven for Ogiro's domestic market.

Their weapons and equipment are already finding buyers among noble lords across the kingdom.

The quality cannot match Peace Haven's, but the goods still roll off industrial production lines. Against anything else made in Ogiro, their price and quality are overwhelming.

That success has drawn fierce resistance from Ogiro's vested interests. Diversion Bay has tried several times to break up the Young Triumvirate and divide everything the three men built.

Cutting off a man's livelihood is as good as killing his parents!

And these people were going after the very foundation of the trio's survival!

The Young Triumvirate immediately prepared to fight to the bitter end. They would rather face a civil war than give in.

Sundike and his two allies lead their armies into a standoff with Ogiro's standing forces.

Peace Haven's Eastern Military District can barely contain its excitement. Its soldiers are already preparing for a righteous intervention.

In the end, there is no profit to be had. Diversion Bay still does not dare start a civil war.

The moment Diversion Bay moves, Peace Haven's Eastern District and Expeditionary Zone, Obilian of Lumir, and Billie's War Rose will all reach for their carving knives.

A country may look powerful, yet one wrong decision can still destroy it.

Diversion Bay's old king and dignitaries are not senile enough to ignore dangers like these.

With the Calamity War drawing near, every faction is busy building its strength.

Diversion Bay has even backed down and begun buying the Young Triumvirate's weapons and equipment on a large scale.

Still, the same truth remains: industrialization requires a stable, centralized government.

At least, it does if a country hopes to industrialize quickly.

Henwell clearly has no intention of giving them that much time.

Bloodhorn Town originally produced its weapons and equipment for its own use.

Then Ruper of Yinxin City arrives in person to negotiate a purchase.

Catherine, the War Rose, has two legions stationed in Yinxin City. The other princes naturally want to keep those forces from growing stronger.

Ruper does not approach Chick for those legions at first. He only wants better gear for the Yinxin City Defense Force and the local garrison troops.

An old friend is asking for a favor and offering to pay. Chick sees no reason to refuse.

He promises Ruper one thousand sets of equipment every month.

The other princes soon hear of the deal. They immediately demand that Bloodhorn Town stop selling weapons and interfering in Billie's internal affairs.

At the same time, each of them sends envoys hoping to buy Bloodhorn Town's entire output.

Ruper has never been mild-tempered. With Princess Evelyn's quiet approval, he deploys two legions and makes it clear he is ready to fight.

Tension grips all of Billie until the Western Federation's representative in the kingdom steps in to mediate.

The two sides finally sit down to negotiate, while Chick insists the dispute has nothing to do with him.

He is only doing business. His monthly output is limited, so they can decide how to divide it.

After endless wrangling, the factions barely reach an agreement. None of them will obstruct Bloodhorn Town's supply purchases.

Bloodhorn Town may buy raw materials freely, and every faction will arrange caravans to deliver them.

In return, Chick agrees to raise monthly weapons production to two thousand sets, provided he can buy more slaves.

Ruper is furious afterward. His monthly allotment of one thousand sets of fine equipment has fallen to seven hundred. Of course he is unhappy.

And when a man is unhappy, he drinks with an old friend. A guest visiting an old friend should bring a gift, and nothing says sincerity like gold.

When Chick's old friend arrives bearing gifts, Chick naturally treats him well. The man's subordinates look terribly underdressed, so surely they need armor and weapons to keep themselves safe!

And when an old friend leaves, should Chick not offer a gift in return?

His friend is alone in a foreign land, surrounded by danger. What better way to show concern than to send him home with a little equipment?

Everyone is furious at Ruper's shameless behavior, but there is nothing they can do.

Ruper and Chick really are old friends, after all!

In the end, they can only limit Ruper's large trading visits to Bloodhorn Town. He may go once a month.

No one needs to visit an old friend every day!

Each time, Ruper brings several hundred men and a few large wagons. When they leave, the wagons are full and every one of those men is armed to the teeth.

Once the trading dates are imposed, Ruper can no longer smuggle... or rather, visit his old friend with so many people.

He may bring only one hundred men each month and no more than three four-wheeled wagons.

Even with those restrictions, Ruper still gets two hundred sets of equipment from Chick every month!

Weapon sales have become one of the pillars of Bloodhorn Town's finances.

The weapons trade alone brings in more than one hundred thousand gold coins a month.

Add the proceeds from trade week, and Bloodhorn Town clears a monthly surplus of two hundred thousand gold coins.

The unusual situation makes those profits possible. First, everyone knows that civil war will reach Billie Kingdom sooner or later.

Second, the Calamity War is coming, and every prince and princess has been assigned part of the coastal defense sector.

Finally, Peace Haven's craftsmanship really is superb, and the equipment is both good and affordable.

That is how Bloodhorn Town earns such outrageous profits.

Even so, Chick keeps building his strength. Who knows whether the Calamity War will spread this far?

According to the intelligence Henwell provided, enemies have reached the walls of Divine Revelation City more than once!