Chapter 229: A New Situation

“Lord? Have you already solved the problem of not having enough hands?” George O’Brien was unusually excited because he had been waiting for this day for a long time!

George sat in his seat and shrugged: “In fact, I do not plan to use such a strict naval review system as before. I plan to split up the members from the original ‘True Silver Sword’. Using these members who have been strictly reviewed and have experience as the backbone, we will add other personnel to form two combat units.”

Alexa Copsey heard this and frowned: “But in that case, these two warships will not be able to form effective combat power for at least six months. Moreover, nearly half of the members on the ship will be carrying risks. If any disturbance occurs, the situation might be hard to control!”

Although those sailors were not Alexa Copsey’s Private Troops, they were one of the guarantees for him to stabilize his position in some way. That was why he seemed so selfless when recommending George O’Brien to be the captain of the new warship.

Because he knew that the newly commissioned warship would not be of any use in the short term. His position within his Territory would not be shaken for at least three to four years. As for after that time, he would not be standing still. With such a long buffer period, he could create a larger gap with the latter.

But the method George just chose put both of them on the same starting line. It was no wonder the other party reacted like this. Of course, what he said was not without reason. But wouldn’t George notice such an obvious loophole?

“I have considered this aspect of course. Although my plan relaxed the inspection restrictions to some extent, the number of this batch of personnel will never exceed one quarter of the sailors on each ship.” George first made his promise, and then spoke with added emphasis, “Even this one quarter must be permanent residents who have settled in Bolerum Territory for three years, or those who have settled for six months and have a family, especially fathers with children. Moreover, in the previous urban planning, I had previously built a Sailor’s Home. These are nice three-story apartments where those ordinary sailor families will be moved to live in the future.”

Providing concentrated living in a good environment was both a welfare and a disguised soft imprisonment for the sailors’ families. This method of hitting them with a stick and then giving them a fruit could reduce the sailors’ rebellion to the maximum extent.

“So, it means the Navy will not have any major moves in the coming months, right?” Alexa Copsey, although feeling a bit uncomfortable in his heart, was not affected by his emotions in terms of his sharp sensitivity.

George picked up a plan in his hand and said to the two naval leaders in front of him: “Yes! For the next period of time, your main task is to train those rookies. Then integrate them into the new system you have established. During this period, you of course will not have any combat missions outside. If anyone attacks the port, there are enough defensive works on both sides of the port to provide you with help. Do you have the confidence to complete such a task?”

The two people in front of George looked at each other, as if adjusting their way of getting along with the other party in the future. Because from now on, these two were not close partners. They were leaders of two different teams that cooperated but also competed.

Immediately, the two bowed to George in a very coordinated manner: “Guaranteed to complete the task.”

This neat and uniform movement showed how coordinated the two had been before.

“By the way, discuss and produce a specific list within seven days! Since the personnel of the original warship are to be split between the two, there is no one who knows their own needs and personnel composition better than you two, the first and second in command. As for the Marines, I will arrange everything personally. You do not need to worry too much about it.” George continued to assign tasks to the two in front of him, while handing each of them three rolls of Parchment.

The two people receiving the tasks seemed to have sparks flying in their eyes as they looked at each other. George could already foresee that in the next seven days, the two would be in a tense tug-of-war over every candidate. Because even for the same position and the same job, different people’s performance was always different.

The difference in quality among them was obvious in some cases, while in others it was very close. Of course, no one did not want the people under their command to be the best. So the first round of confrontation between these two could be said to have started as soon as George handed over the personnel list.

‘I hope these two can learn the way of compromise after this debate! As a high-ranking general, one needs not only the skills and spirit of leading battles but also at least a basic understanding of politics! Because war is often a continuation of politics. Although there were no such requirements before, now you must first learn to compromise.’ Seeing that his idea, although not fully realized, had a good start, George nodded satisfactorily.

Since the purpose of the disguised warning was achieved and the other party had responded, George felt it was time to throw out a cake: “Also, the existing two three-masted sailing ships need a relatively small modification. On the original basis, there will be an additional room for a resident army Mage.”

Hearing this, George O’Brien and Alexa Copsey were first stunned, and then the two exclaimed: “Army Mage?”

George O’Brien stuttered a bit: “My Lord, what you just said, I… I might not have heard clearly. Could you say it again? It was an Army Mage, right?”

“Yes, it was an Army Mage!” George gave a very definite reply.

But while the two in front of him were still stunned by the pie falling from the sky, George poured a bucket of cold water on them: “However, do not expect too much from them. They are just two Mages of the Gray Rock Rank. They have only just started learning second-circle spells. But if equipped with suitable Scrolls and Magic Wands, they can still play a role as a surprise force at sea. I originally planned to arrange some professional Bards on the ships as well, but I have not been able to find suitable personnel.”

“Mages! I never thought our warships could be equipped with Army Mages! With the power of spells, many of our previous ideas might be realized.” However, George obviously did not realize their thirst for casters. In George O’Brien’s words, there was a very obvious attitude of “anything goes as long as we have it.”

On the contrary, Alexa Copsey thought for a while and then asked quite rationally: “Lord, may I ask a question?”

“Sure.” George raised his left hand and gave a “go ahead” gesture.

“What is the background of these two Mages? Those spells were too strange. We do not have any Knights on our ships. If something goes wrong, it will be very difficult to handle! Moreover, I have not heard of any Mage apprentice returning to Bolerum Territory after completing their studies.” Alexa Copsey voiced his doubts. As the highest commander of the warship, if something unexpected happened, he would be the first to suffer.

Of course, this was also related to the poor magical atmosphere in Bolerum Territory and even the entire Duchy of Nohan. Perhaps because the predecessor of the Duchy, the North Wind Knight Order, had fought a great war with the then Magic Kingdom, the Silver Moon Federation. The overall magical atmosphere in the entire Duchy was much worse than that of surrounding countries.

If the Silver Moon Federation was a high-magic region, and the Kingdom of Lucia and the Kingdom of Coruz were medium-magic regions, then the Duchy of Nohan belonged to a low-magic region. Of course, this high or low referred to the popularity of magic. In terms of high-level casters, the Duchy of Nohan did not appear to be at a disadvantage.

But these powerful high-level casters were often Retainers lured by Knights from other countries. The Duchy of Nohan’s own ability to produce Mages was too poor, with a very obvious gap in medium and low-level Mages.

Although rulers in past generations had not failed to try to find a way, over a hundred years of effort had only slightly narrowed the gap.

Moreover, these medium-level Mages, low-level Mages, and Mage apprentices were basically concentrated in strongholds like the capital Karada or Brandenburg. New commercial centers like Bolerum Territory did not have their own Mage training system.

Because the few high-level Mages above the Black Lead Rank in Bolerum, except for some unavoidable tasks, were all immersed in their own magical research. They simply did not have the time and energy to take on apprentices.

And as for geniuses who could become Mages through self-study alone, the Duchy of Nohan had never produced any, let alone Bolerum Territory. So young men and women in the Territory who aspired to become Mages could only go far away to study. Of course, the most popular destination was Karada.

At the same time, learning magic was not a cheap thing. Even at the apprentice stage, the tuition fees and experimental costs for each year could exceed 500 Gold Coins. Under such expensive costs, the number of Magic Apprentices sent out from Bolerum Territory could be counted on one’s fingers. Although it could not be said that everyone was well-known, people with a certain status like Alexa Copsey were all aware of it.

Facing such doubts and concerns, George immediately made an explanation: “Do you remember the pirate attack last time? These two were among the Mages captured at that time.”

Immediately, before the two future captains could ask again, George waved his hand and continued: “However, these discarded enemies of ours have signed a Magic Contract with us. If they violate it, their lives will end like this forever. As for breaking the contract, the simplest way is to cast a Wish spell through a Circle Ceremony guided by a Legend Mage. So even if the other party has the intention to rebel, they must weigh the consequences. After a preliminary investigation, it can basically be confirmed that there are no problems.”

This was a contract that met legal terms, signed by both buyer and seller, with no loopholes. If one wanted to breach the contract unilaterally without bearing the corresponding cost on the contract, the price to be paid afterwards could be imagined. This was also why, compared to the mere less than 1000 Gold Coins of the Magic Contract, breaking it required such a heavy price.

“If that’s the case, then we can rest assured.” The two naval officers, having got the answer they wanted, showed satisfied smiles.

Seeing the two happy people in front of him, George said with a mix of anger and amusement: “Since you know all this, you should go back and prepare quickly! Remember, you only have seven days!”

Hearing the leader’s order to leave, the two hurriedly withdrew.

As the door closed and George returned to being alone, he muttered: “Did they not realize that in the existing naval combat mode, a low-level Bard is often more useful than a low-level Mage?”

Just when George was busy at the City Hall, Viscount Bolerum was leading Knight Val to inspect the largest gold mine in the Territory—the Wine Estate.

Unfortunately, it was not the grape harvest season now. Otherwise, one could see the vines full of fruit and the hardworking villagers picking grapes in the vineyard outside.

The wine cellar used the traditional mud pool fermentation process. The original wine liquid in the cellar pools, and the layer of latex-like soft mud covering the bottom of the pools, was the most important reason for the different flavors of wine from each winery.

That was the residue that had settled down from the brewing ingredients over decades. This layer was a treasure worth a thousand gold to the winemaker. Of course, it needed careful care here, because once foreign objects were mixed in, the wine produced in the future would have a strange taste. The entire wine cellar would have to be cleaned thoroughly before it could be used again, and it would take a considerable amount of time to cultivate qualified cellar mud in the future. More importantly, even if everything was restored to new, the newly produced wine would not have the original flavor.

This was like the process of making most fruit wines, where the yeast cake was a very important link to speed up fermentation. When making wine at home, the white sediment at the bottom of the container after the first fermentation could be collected and retained to become the yeast cake for the next batch of wine; this yeast cake could also be used to brew other fruit wines.

In fact, in the Chinese Baijiu before crossing over, the special fermentation components required for strong-aroma Baijiu included cellar mud. Because the cellar aroma of strong-aroma Baijiu mainly came from the cellar mud. The saying “rich cellar aroma” was a comment on the wine based on its natural scent. However, the cellar mud at that time was divided into two types: natural and artificially cultivated.

A naturally aged cellar pool was formed over several years, decades, or even hundreds of years. Through the continuous contact, mutual penetration, and aging of the brewing lees and the yellow mud cellar pool, the cellar mud was produced by the continuous accumulation of aromatic substances, microorganisms, nutrients, and other components, thus forming the so-called century-old cellar.

A artificially aged cellar pool was a modern rapid method to achieve the composition of old cellar mud by combining modern microbial means with traditional brewing techniques to produce artificially cultivated old cellar mud.

But in this world, grain-based liquors had not yet developed to the point of using cellar mud for strong-aroma Baijiu. Although this was an effort direction after George took over the winery, it could only rely on naturally formed old cellars, with the required years in units of 10 years. George could only prepare for a rainy day now, waiting for the time when the clouds would part and the sun would shine, so that he could add a new source of income to the Territory.

Touching the sticky cellar mud in front of him, a strong smell of wine hit his face. Bolerum rubbed his fingers and put them to his nose to smell, then showed a satisfied expression and said: “The smell of this cellar mud is getting better and better. You have cultivated it very carefully.”

The winemaker in charge of reception immediately turned red with joy after receiving the affirmation. Then he led the two noble gentlemen to visit the winery’s aged storage room.

According to the saying before crossing over, in the first step of aging, the barrel and the wine formed a stable combination that could hardly be separated. In this combination, the oak provided the tannins and aromas it carried itself, which would slowly blend with the tannins in the wine. However, the balance of various components in the wine could not be ignored either. If the wine was stored in the oak barrel for too long, the tannins in the oak would dominate and destroy the original fragrance and mellowness of the wine.

The filled and tightly sealed barrels would be stored for about six months in a cellar located underground or semi-underground. The temperature difference between winter and summer in the cellar should be less than 5 degrees, and the relative humidity should be around 75%. Such a climate environment would help with slow synchronous oxidation. At the same time, the wine body would slowly evaporate.

After the slow transformation process in the first six months, the wine would be transferred to another barrel to remove the residual substances settled at the bottom of the barrel. The wine would also contact a certain amount of air to let it breathe.

This stage would also last for several months until the wine body itself reached a satisfactory state. After that, both the wine aroma and the taste would present different characteristics. To make them have the same quality, the wines in the barrels from the same production would be mixed. After that, procedures such as clarification, filtration, and bottling would be entered.

This was the origin of the authentic wine commonly found in the market before George crossed over. Of course, most of the wines in the supermarket were often blended twice, or even three times.

But in this era where the filtration process had problems, only the spirits obtained by distilling the fermented grape juice twice had the qualification to enter the oak barrel for aging.

After waiting for several years, it could finally be called standard Brandy. The alcohol in the oak barrel was called the Water of Life. During the process of being tamed by yeast, the alcohol would evaporate into the air through the fine patterns of the oak barrel. This process would make the Water of Life become softer, rounder, and full of flavor.

Looking at the amber liquid in the crystal glass, Knight Val joked: “Lord Viscount, could you leave a few barrels for my little Catherine as her dowry from the next batch? Without decent wine, people might laugh at us.”

Facing Viscount Bolerum’s confusion, the taster next to him began to explain: “Knight, you have good taste. The wine from three years ago had a particularly good harvest that year, so the quality of the grapes picked was also particularly high. The wine from the following two years could not reach such a level.”

“No problem, Isolde! I will specially leave a portion for you. No, I should leave a few more portions. There will be more than just you in the Territory who will have daughters getting married in the future.” Viscount Bolerum laughed and scolded.

After the relaxed moment passed, in a room where the servants had been dismissed, Viscount Bolerum asked Knight Val somewhat seriously: “Do you have any new news about your friends in the Kingdom of Lucia? How is their war preparation going?”

“As far as the current situation is concerned, if they want to launch a comprehensive war, they lack everything except grain. But if it is just a few small-scale battles, that would be enough.” Knight Val said with a bitter smile. “Fortunately, whether in Brandenburg or Bolerum Territory, their several failed actions had also greatly depleted the savings in the state treasury. Plus the hush money from before, the other party would not be fully prepared until next autumn.”

“Just over a year? It looks like it’s a bit too tight! Our Duchy of Nohan will take at least two and a half years to be ready to deal with the war! If we follow the other party’s schedule, the days of war will be hard to endure.” Viscount Bolerum sighed as he spoke. As the Secretary of the Duchy, he knew the situation in this regard better than anyone else.

“But Lucia has also paid a price for their stupidity. At least the various Churches supported us in using the Knight Order for defense, didn’t they?” Knight Val continued to look at the crystal clear liquid.

“Have you received a definite answer? That basically means we can stand unbeatable.” Viscount Bolerum seemed to let out a sigh of relief.