Inside Sedona Castle, after finishing lunch, Lucas and Mina were reading in the study. They were reading none other than Lucy's novel.
"Lucy's novel is selling like hotcakes right now," Lucas's finger brushed over the words 'Published by Sedona City Library' on the book, a faint smile on his face.
"It definitely will, the plot is fantastic." Mina sat on the edge of the chair with half of her buttocks, also holding the novel and reading it with great relish.
Last time she had only read a little bit of Lucy's manuscript and hadn't finished the rest. Now was the perfect time to read it completely.
"It is quite good," Lucas smiled, turning his head to look at Mina and teasing, "Could it be that you wanted to read it because you make an appearance in the book?"
"No, not at all... I-I'm just curious," Mina's eyes darted away guiltily.
"Really?" Lucas teased further.
"Yes," Mina pretended to answer very seriously.
Knock, knock-knock... The study door was suddenly knocked in a rhythmic pattern, like a secret code.
"..." Mina's face instantly turned serious. She exchanged a glance with Lucas, put down the novel, and left the study with light, agile steps.
Creaaak!!
A few minutes later.
Creaaak...
"Master, a letter from Dahlia and the others," Mina said as she trotted into the study and handed the letter to Lucas.
Riiiip... Lucas curiously tore open the envelope, unfolded the letter, and read it from beginning to end. At first, he only had a slight smile, but by the end, he couldn't hold back his grin.
"Hahahaha... Good, excellent," Lucas laughed heartily.
"It seems Dahlia succeeded," Mina's face broke into a radiant smile. She knew that the master was actually quite worried about Dahlia, Elisa, and Mira traveling so far away. After all, if something happened, it would be impossible to reach them in time.
"Take a look," Lucas handed the letter to the cat-eared girl.
Mina took the letter and muttered softly, "This is Dahlia. We have already started our return voyage..."
The letter mentioned three things. First, the iron ore deal was successfully negotiated, to be traded for linen and grain.
Second, a dwarven princess was coming to Sedona City.
Third, Dahlia and the others were already on their way back.
"This is great," Lucas was in a fantastic mood. This completely solved Sedona City's steel problem.
Sedona City's development had been heavily restricted by the lack of steel resources. Without steel, many projects couldn't proceed. For instance, the city wall project had been put on hold for a long time due to this exact shortage.
There was also the landmark building—the tallest high-rise in Sedona City—which was currently only built up to the third floor. The steel required to finish it was a massive amount.
Then there was the construction of the new castle, plus the road leading to Liberty City, along with the relay stations and towns along the way. The steel needed for all of this was enormous, not to mention the steam trains.
But now everything was fine. Dahlia had negotiated an iron ore export deal with the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom, so Sedona City wouldn't have to worry about steel for the time being.
"But master, they want that much linen? With the current inventory in Sedona City's warehouses, it doesn't seem like we have enough," Mina frowned slightly, a bit worried.
"As for the linen, that's easy to solve. Didn't those allied City Lords write to us before, saying they had a lot of linen piling up in their warehouses without channels to sell them? This is the perfect opportunity," A flash of wisdom passed through Lucas's eyes.
"Does the master mean to have them sell their linen to the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom?" Mina blinked her eyes in astonishment.
"Of course not... You'll know when the time comes. For now, notify the City Lords and nobles who cooperate with us to gather in Sedona City in ten days. I have something to announce," Lucas ordered with a faint smile.
"Yes," Mina didn't ask further. She picked up a pen and paper and wrote a letter. This was the draft; later, she would arrange for dozens of copies to be printed and sent out through special channels.
"How is the newly reclaimed wheat land doing?" Lucas asked softly.
"It's being managed very well. We will definitely have a bumper harvest this autumn," Mina said happily.
"That's good. Send a few more people to keep an eye on it, don't let anyone steal it," Lucas said calmly.
The reclamation he mentioned was the land cleared while building the road. It was many times larger than the grain fields across the Whispering River. This batch had been planted just in time for the autumn harvest.
Dahlia and the others would still need over a month to return, by which time it would already be autumn. They could trade the first batch using the current inventory of wheat. By the time the second shipment of iron ore arrived, the newly planted wheat would be ready for harvest. Were they really worried about not having enough grain to export? No!
Moreover, Sedona City was continuously reclaiming wasteland. Once all of it was planted with improved wheat and rice, the yield would be astronomical. It would easily be enough to export to the entire Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom next time.
"Yes," Mina replied earnestly. The areas surrounding Sedona City weren't just planted with wheat and rice, but many other crops as well. Losing even a little bit would be heartbreaking.
"By the time Dahlia and the others return, it will be autumn, not far from the harvest season," Lucas sighed emotionally. He remembered when he first arrived in Sedona City; the citizens here couldn't even get enough to eat.
They couldn't even dress warmly. Even though they planted a little wheat, they had to constantly worry about bandits plundering it. Not only that, but they also had to pay all sorts of messy taxes. Life was incredibly bitter.
Now it was completely different. Every household ate well and slept well. When it got cold, they had clothes to wear, and there weren't so many ridiculous taxes to pay. Life was becoming very pleasant.
"Mina, remember to remind Annie to instruct the brewery workers again. Have them hurry up and brew another large batch of Whispering Dawn during this time," Lucas instructed.
"Yes," Mina nodded. She knew the master intended to sell these liquors in bulk to the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom. After all, dwarves were notorious alcoholics. Once they came to Sedona City, they would definitely buy all sorts of alcohol in massive quantities.
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