The sight of iron ingots was beyond her wildest expectations.
Although she acknowledged that her developmental pace might not reach TZ status among the myriad of lords, surely T0 5 was within her grasp, wasn't it? Even now, she was perplexed by the existence of iron ingots, having never laid eyes on them, let alone knowing where to procure them.
While she speculated that mining might be necessary, the question remained whether the undead could mine, but she set that aside for the moment.
Surely, there must be some mines within the 6,000 m radius of her castle, which spans a diameter of 12,000 m, not particularly small.
Yet, her territory lacked mountains or even a small hill.
The only mountain was the snowcapped peak, a conspicuous highle map daunting for Bayou, who had yet to emerge from the novice village.
However, it struck her as improbable that a snowcapped mountain would harbor iron mines.
The trading information for iron ingots was exorbitantly priced, practically extortionate.
One iron ingot exchanges for 80 pieces of wood, two portions of food, or two magic crystals.
100 iron ingots can be traded for a spirit core.
The trading price was a staggering four-fold markup compared to what Bayou had expected with a single ingot directly swapping for two portions.
100 iron ingots in exchange for a spirit core.
The lord initiating such a transaction must be delusional.
At present, iron ingots are as scarce as the food supplies on the very first day.
The lords have been granted a false sense of security.
When they eventually upgrade their castles to level 9, they will realize the absence of iron ingots, only to discover that upgrading their castles to towns demands a staggering 10,000 ingots.
At that moment, they will be left utterly astounded.
The disparity in value between 10,000 iron ingots and 100 spirit cores is self-evident.
Spirit cores remain the most coveted high tier resource, and Bayu would never part with hers lightly.
The trading platform only reveals the identity of the initiating lord at the moment a transaction is listed.
Thereafter, this information is concealed, requiring one to access the trading order for details.
By you, filled with indignation, powdered her lips, determined to uncover the identity of a scoundrel who had the audacity to act first.
What a detestable individual.
Chapter 26.
The identity of the orphan of the Xiao clan by you opened the transaction order notification and at last beheld the name of this nefarious capitalist.
Upon seeing the name, her mouth gaped wide enough to fit a chicken egg.
Goodness, the orphan of the Xiao clan.
You truly are an orphan.
Bayou never anticipated that the one trading iron ingots would be her very first friend.
The orphan of the Xiao clan playing the role of a fool.
Are we? How dare you play such tricks on me? Bayou felt her previously established persona of a formidable figure completely collapse before the orphan of the Xiao clan.
She had unwittingly become a jester while the true powerhouse stood before her.
How infuriating.
Bayou could not bring herself to approach the orphan of the Xiao clan to discuss the iron ingots.
Should she simply purchase them directly from the trading house? That would be a disgrace unlike herself who is a legitimate player.
A hem.
At this moment, thousands of miles away from Bayu's castle, a grand fortress, primarily constructed of stone, loomed beside a great mountain.
Surrounding the castle were white stones and several towering mountains.
Nothing else could be seen.
The fortress was nestled at the foot of the largest of these mountains.
Inside the castle, a live and alluring young woman was seated in the kitchen, savoring her exquisite lunch, which was merely a piece of roasted rabbit that had unfortunately been charred.
The young woman stood at one 72 m.
Her flowing black waves cascading down her back, and her strikingly beautiful face was adorned with delicate makeup.
Her beauty was only slightly eclipsed by that of Bayou.
She wore a fitted white shirt that exposed her navl.
The first button was undone, revealing a glimpse of her alluring figure, while the second button was strained under pressure, threatening to pop off at any moment.
Her lower half was clad in a black ultrashort minikirt showcasing her long, slender legs, which were adorned with translucent black stockings that bore an unknown letter, extending all the way up to a mysterious region beneath her skirt.
The girl lounged in her chair, crossing her legs with a precarious high heeled shoe dangling from her toes.
This was the very lord whom had just chastised.
The orphan of the Xiao clan.
The girl's name was Xiao Yianua, age 21, 3 years senior to Bayou.
True to her name, she like Bayou was also an orphan.
In pursuit of a livelihood, Xiao Yianua had chosen to drop out of school early and in gratitude to the orphanage had taken a position at a company.
However, her superior was a leerous old man, both greasy and balding, which made her stomach churn.
Enchanted by her beauty, he perpetually sought to impose the classic workplace rules upon her.
Yet, before his plans could come to fruition, he was transported to this magical realm.
Xiaoi had navigated the vicissitudes of society for many years.
Prior to her trans migration, she also enjoyed playing various games such as certain farming simulations.
Hence, she possessed a modicum of understanding regarding games and coupled with her keen intellect, she swiftly adapted to her current predicament.
The troops she summoned were dwarven craftsmen, conjuring 10 each day.
These dwarven artisans were adept in construction, mechanics, smelting, and forging.
Their only shortcomings lay in their relatively feeble combat abilities and their considerable appetites.
On the first day of her journey through time, Xiao Yinshua meticulously surveyed the surroundings of her castle.
Encircled by mountains and with a scarcity of wild creatures.
The area promised a lower level of danger, suggesting that highle beasts would also be few and far between.
This circumstance granted her a relatively safe and stable environment for development.
However, the dwarves required sustenance in considerable quantities.
Xiao Yinshua instructed them to venture forth for hunting.
Yet, they often returned empty-handed.
Surprisingly, during one of their excursions, the dwarves brought back fellow kin, wandering dwarves who agreed to join her castle on the condition that she would provide meals.
Thus, the number of dwarven artisans in her castle swelled to 200.
Inquiring about their plight, Xiaoa learned that the old dwarf king had passed away, plunging the dwarven kingdom into a significant civil war, which had already begun to show signs of fragmentation.
These newcomers were mere victims of the conflict.
Moved by their misfortune, Xiao Yianu welcomed them into her fold.
While the efficiency of stone mining surged, the daily food requirements escalated accordingly.
Gradually, she came to understand the combat abilities of these dwarven artisans and abandoned the notion of having them hunt for food.
Instead, focusing their efforts on quarrying stone to trade for sustenance.
However, food prices were exorbitant.
Although the cost of provisions had decreased somewhat from yesterday to today, the availability of affordable options remained dismally low.
At times could procure only one or two portions and on other occasions not a single morsel.
This meager supply was wholly insufficient.
Everyday she kept a vigilant eye on the trading post poised to seize any opportunity for discounted food.
Fortunately, her troops excelled at stone mining and the castle was flanked by several imposing mountains.
Resources were plentiful, and the trading post functioned splendidly.
With no wood at hand, she traded stone.
Lacking food, no matter trade stone.
The abundance of stone was undeniable.
As the dwarves dug deeper into the mountains, they stumbled upon iron ore, and uncovered a blueprint for a unique building, which delighted Jiao Liua immensely.
This special structure, a furnace, was successfully unlocked and constructed, allowing the iron or to be smelted into ingots.
It was Xiao Yiani's first encounter with iron ingots.
Yet, she understood their immense potential.
Yesterday, the dwarves returned with over a hundred more kin, overwhelming Xiao Yiani and rendering her strategy of securing lowpriced food from the trading post utterly feudal.
Reluctantly, she sought out lords who possessed ample provisions.
Among them was Bayou.
Though Xiao Yianua was no fool, she did not intend to rely solely on Bayou.
However, Bayou<unk>s food supply was the most abundant, making her seem the most reliable source.
Today, Xiao Yianua finally succeeded in trading stone for wood, magic crystals, and various other resources, elevating the castle to level 9.
She also grasped the significance of iron ingots.
With the iron mine's vastness and the furnace's output, coupled with the 300 dwarven artisans within the castle, they could produce 500 iron ingots daily.
Yet, upgrading the town required 10,000 ingots, meaning it would take 20 days at this rate.