The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

However, that calm demeanor was completely understood by General Hamoldon as something entirely different in his eyes—

The variety of food here was already so rich that it could even allow a Baron to maintain a lifestyle more lavish than that in the Imperial homeland!

The spices were used as if they cost nothing, so much so that they could even be mixed into the candles burning on the silver candlesticks!

General Hamoldon's eyes immediately lit up with eagerness.

He had indeed come to the right place!

Seeing his fervent expression, Ticky thought he was hungry and promptly invited him to take a seat.

The two sides exchanged toasts and engaged in conversation for a while, and then General Hamoldon suddenly cleared his throat, finally revealing the main purpose of his visit.

"Baron, is Prince Colin nearby? If convenient, I hope to visit him later!"

Ticky displayed a look of regret and spoke the words Lumier had prepared for him.

"I'm very sorry, General Hamoldon, His Highness the Prince is currently not at Withered Wood Port. He went to the Holy City Assam of the Armored Dragon Clan half a month ago to discuss trade agreements with the Gutaf United Kingdom. The Lizardman King appreciates him and has kept him there for a few more days."

Upon hearing the word "trade," General Hamoldon immediately perked up, eagerly inquiring, "Trade? What do you need to procure from there?"

Ticky shrugged, speaking candidly, "Grain! As you can see, besides fishing, we have no other source of grain here. The land on the Northern Coast is unsuitable for farming, and we can only rely on the valleys and plains of the inland areas... This is probably why the Lizardmen allow us to live and recuperate here."

General Hamoldon pondered for a moment and then asked again.

"So... what about the grain output of the Gutaf Kingdom? Do you have any knowledge about that?"

Ticky shook his head with a wry smile.

"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics. However, given their population base, they must have a considerable amount of grain, not to mention they use mechanical strength extensively in farming. I've heard that one Lizardman can manage over a hundred acres of land."

This was also the line Lumier had taught him, although Ticky found it rather far-fetched.

From his earlier years as a landlord, he knew that a tenant farmer family could considered high yield if they managed to farm ten acres of land by hand.

With an ox or horse to pull a plow, the yield could increase to 20-30 acres, but it would still be impossible to reach a hundred acres... Not to mention, even if they could, there wouldn't be enough land available to them.

For free farmers, however, he had heard that some villages nearby could cultivate fifty to sixty acres, but usually required hiring two seasonal workers, with the wife and children also helping in the farm work.

Coincidentally, General Hamoldon, who had never wielded a hoe before as a naval military school graduate, had no concept of what managing over a hundred acres of land entailed and therefore found nothing strange about it.

However, when he heard about the mechanical strength at work, he involuntarily widened his eyes and momentarily forgot to breathe.

"Mechanical strength?! Are you saying... they use metal puppets for farming?!"

Although there were still many officers in the Imperial Military Department who looked down on mechanical strength, considering it a cunning trick brought by the Mechanical God that would be eliminated once they completely conquered Hell.

General Hamoldon, however, did not think so.

As an officer of the Imperial Navy who dealt with steam engines daily, he understood too well the incredible power these machines possessed!

The energy hidden within the White Mist was in no way inferior to extraordinary power—

If this could be applied to farming, then these Lizardmen living on the Gana Continent might be more powerful than he had imagined!

Ticky was slightly taken aback, not expecting Hamoldon to mistake tractors for metal puppets.

But on second thought, he realized that such an understanding wasn't much different, so he merely nodded without correcting him.

Hamoldon then fell into intense thought, silently weighing the significance of this intelligence and the pros and cons of cooperating with the Gutaf United Kingdom.

At least for now...

It did no harm to maintain a good relationship with this powerful kingdom, especially since they had no capacity to open up new battlefields at this juncture.

As for the future...

That could be dealt with later.

He couldn't decide the future strategic direction of the Empire for the big figures in the Holy City; he could only make the judgments he deemed correct at present.

With this thought in mind, his expression became solemn, and he stated seriously, "Baron, apart from visiting Prince Colin, there is another important matter I wish to discuss with him. This issue concerns the supply lines at the Imperial front, and I hope you can relay this to him!"

Ticky swallowed, nodding with a composed expression.

"Please go ahead, General."

General Hamoldon's gaze swept over the sumptuous food laid out on the long table before he looked back at Ticky, speaking with a voice both firm and urgent.

"The storm that previously swept across the Vast Ocean severely disrupted our shipping routes along the eastern coastal regions of the New Continent, affecting not only civilian routes but also severely impacting military supplies! To address the supply shortage, I officially request on behalf of Saint Yil Castle that we wish to procure a batch of grain from you, regardless of where this grain might be sourced from."

Ticky took a sip of rum from his glass, calmly asking, "How much?"

"The more, the better!" Hamoldon said without hesitation, "However much you have, we want that much!"

There were over 100,000 troops stationed at Saint Yil Castle.