Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 47

Gerhard returned to Turan.

He tackled the backlog of work from the past few days and restored the administration.

Calling back the officials who had fled proved effective in getting things running again.

They weren’t as efficient as the Familiars [magical beings bound to serve a master], but they were far more numerous.

Once enough of them were back, the stalled administration quickly sorted itself out.

‘It seems I can finally take a break,’ he thought.

With administrative power re-established, he traveled around the north, scouting for locations.

He was searching for environments suitable for building industrial complexes.

All the Familiars attached to the Governor-General’s office were mobilized for site selection.

“This place already has many families involved in hemp weaving as a cottage industry.”

“The environment also has minimal temperature variation, a river flows nearby, and the water quality is good.”

“Hmm. We can add a cotton industry to the existing one.”

Selecting a location for the complex was just the first step.

“Gerhard, where will you get the raw materials?”

“We’ll have to import them for now. But shouldn’t we aim for self-sufficiency if possible?”

“Then let’s factor that in as well.”

The Governor-General’s office also began searching for places to produce raw materials.

“Raw materials should start with silk, of course. It’s a valuable commodity.”

“To produce silk ourselves, we need to establish mulberry farms.”

“Areas with relatively mild winters are best for cultivating these farms because young mulberry trees are susceptible to frost damage.”

‘If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right, from start to finish,’ he mused.

The Governor-General’s office planned to directly supply even the raw materials.

‘Pasimea solved it by collecting rags from all over the country [likely referring to a method of textile production], but I will take a more long-term approach.’

First, they selected several farm owners to cultivate tree farms.

The selected farm owners were given free land to lease.

They were provided with funds to cover the maintenance costs of gardeners to cultivate the leased land.

And they were promised silkworm eggs once the mulberry trees matured.

“If that’s not enough, we’ll guarantee to buy all the silk produced.”

“We might consider tariff or tax exemption benefits.”

“No. That’s too generous.”

“These farm owners aren’t like us. Even if they do little, money still comes in, so they might not put in their best effort, right?”

“It would be better if we managed it ourselves.”

“That’s why we’re doing this, isn’t it?”

After securing the raw material supply, they began gathering workers.

Even while the farms were being established, factories were under construction.

As soon as the factories were completed, workers needed to be put to work.

They gathered people from all over the north, offering settlement support similar to that offered in the Great Plains.

“Support shouldn’t be excessive.”

“We shouldn’t draw away immigrants who would otherwise go to Ollimurs.”

“The north’s role is to support the Great Plains, so we need to adjust our efforts accordingly.”

The Governor-General’s office assigned the immigrants to dozens of specialized processes.

The factory exceeded expectations from its very first day of operation.

Production even had to be temporarily halted due to a shortage of materials.

“It will take time for the trees to mature, so we’ll have to rely on imports for raw materials this year.”

“We need to request an increase in transportation units.”

Gerhard sent a report to Edar in the name of the Governor-General’s office.

It contained a full account of the process and achievements, making it quite lengthy.

It was too large to send by Familiar, so he used the transportation unit.

The report came back with a reply three days after it was sent.

A short note arrived via Griff’s Familiar.

– Excellent.

That was all, but the Governor-General’s office cheered.

###

Soon, the brief spring passed and the long summer arrived.

The young trees on the tree farm continued to grow vigorously.

Meanwhile, the factory ran non-stop, producing textiles.

The transportation unit loaded the textiles and transported them to the Great Plains.

“Shall we build another factory soon?”

“Rather than that, perhaps sending more immigrants to the Great Plains…”

“Reclaiming the swamp and turning it into farmland…”

“Did you hear that Pasimea has invented something again?”

The Governor-General’s office continued to work day and night as usual.

Gerhard read reports and sipped tea amidst the activity.

Then, a servant entered and placed a letter before him.

“Hmm?”

The seal stamped on the wax sealing the letter caught his attention.

Gerhard narrowed his eyes as he recognized the seal.

He took out a dagger from his pocket and carefully opened it.

The Familiars of the Governor-General’s office, sensing his change in mood, stopped their chatter.

Gerhard rolled up the letter he had finished reading and tied it with a string.

“Griff.”

Tap, tap. As he snapped his fingers, the kite [a type of Familiar] dozing on the window frame opened its eyes.

Kki-ruk?

Gerhard held out the letter to the tilting kite.

“Wallachia.”

The kite spread its wings and snatched the letter with a glide.

“Tell His Majesty that Wallachia has moved.”