The World Dragon's Heir

Dominic waved goodbye and made his way to the barracks, where the soldiers under Prince Russel were going through a training exercise, keeping their skills fresh before they had to go looking for monsters and Dagos invaders.

"Gentlemen, I have your upgraded spears. One hundred units, all Uncommon Grade." Dominic announced as the officers turned to face him.

"Your Grace? Did I hear that right?" One of the Lieutenants asked.

"You did. I made you a hundred Uncommon Grade spears. They're only level five, but within military guidelines for a reserve regiment, and they'll be much better at their job if and when you do come across monsters in the patrol zone.

While some close fighting is inevitable, if you can fight Ogres from spear length, it is much safer." Dominic agreed.

"Thank you, Lord Dominic. The men are practically drooling over the opportunity." Prince Russel joked from the back of the group.

Dominic looked at the spears they had arranged for inspection, and they were all level one common grade weapons, hardly worth calling magical. A high-quality knife would cut cleaner than them, and the design was the simple leaf pattern spearhead, as opposed to the brutally serrated edges and longer head on the ones that Dominic preferred.

The standard issue were a gentleman's weapon, suitable for parades and marching along the city walls.

But the ones that Dominic made were what you actually wanted in combat.

"I will leave you to your training. I have some more work to get finished before the next caravan from the Merchant's Guild comes along. The magitech that the Duchy produces is the primary source of our income, and the demand is incredibly high." Dominic explained.

Prince Russel nodded simply. "I won't keep you. My men will head out on patrol tomorrow morning, as they now have their upgraded weapons.

We will do the immediate area as well, with care not to bother the Troll village. Then we will explore the western regions."

Dominic nodded. "I will speak with my wife later and see about taking a short trip to explore the east. It isn't known to have any threats, so if I can check it for squatters and remote peasantry,- we can finish your mission here with far fewer trips."

The Prince shook his head. "I will send a light cavalry unit east. They will be faster than you on foot. They are trained for surveying, and they will record the villages that they pass, inhabited or not.

Where they come across intact buildings, they will check them for suitability to house new Barons and Untitled Noble Families.

Keep in mind that while the peasantry of the Stansia Province might be eager to move to your village, there are many younger sons who have earned war merits and are eager to ask for lands of their own."

Dominic nodded. "I eagerly await their arrival. I know that some of them are from larger branch families, so they will be coming with experience and trained help. That will go a long way to helping settle the region.

I will warn you, though. There were never a lot of villages in this region.

Cygnia might not have been openly hostile, but it was never on friendly enough terms with Wavemates that they saw a need to build border villages and encourage trade."

Prince Russel laughed. "Oh, I remember. Despite my dear sister's assertions, I am old enough that I was already a junior officer when the Dagos Wavemates war started. This was the only border town, and it only existed because the Earl of Wistover was doing a favour to the King and hosting political meetings between the two nations."

That was a new tidbit of information that Dominic had not known.

He rarely saw Noble visitors to the Manor, and didn't recall any of them having been from Cygnia. But given what he knew now, it was more likely that he was simply kept at home when they were present so that nobody saw him and started asking questions.

"Are you expecting another caravan soon?" Prince Russel asked as he sent his soldiers back to work.

Dominic nodded. "Every week or so. They've made this the primary route from the cities to Castle City, since we're the only inhabited spot in between. If you need anything, just make a note and leave it with the Castellan.

He was an accountant for the Guild before we poached him, and he's got plenty of contacts to get what you need."

The Prince smirked at Dominic. "And your town can make nearly anything that I might ask for. If you had a Cavalry Artificer to make new horses, you would be able to do a full resupply for passing military units."

Dominic frowned. "You have a good point. We should get one of those. We've got a carriage maker who is good with trucks and tractors, we've got Techno Wizards, a small Mage Tower that is still lacking Elders, and Pops in the forge to make everything else."

Dominic also wouldn't mind learning how to make mechanical horses.

They were a marvel of magitech engineering, and far beyond his skills. But it was certainly something that he would love to learn to make. There was just something so much more elegant about the mechanical horses than a truck or even an airship.

"Is that the goal? To make Wistover into the hub of magitech manufacturing for Cygnia? That's how Kinewen was before the war, and they got fantastically wealthy from it.

If you're aiming for the same, you might not have to worry about that two-year deadline to build a successful Duchy. You'll be worried about how much tax will be levied on you after those two years." Russel joked.

Dominic sighed. "You have a point. That production levy is going to hit us hard at this rate. But I'm sure that we'll do alright. With the factory in the Duchy's name, we've got steady income, even without considering putting tax levies beyond the basic tithe."