Chapter 740
Having a territory, but no citizens within its bounds, was like eating meat without salt– bland and flavorless!
Those barefoot farmers and citizens were of practically no help to the Crimson Clan. They even wasted much of the clan’s time and effort to help them develop a living. However, out of consideration for the long term, this was one step across the iron threshold that had to be taken!
Where did adepts come from?
They could be recruited or hired, but such adepts would always be outsiders. It was difficult to cultivate such adepts and turn them into loyal clan adepts of the Crimson Clans. They needed to recruit a suitable number of artisans and civilians, establishing an orderly rule and selecting apprentice adepts with exceptional talents.
It was the only way to produce individuals that could be trusted. There was no need to doubt apprentices that came from the clan’s territories, for all they owned and all they were would be bound to the Crimson Clan’s prosperity. That was the only way to cultivate clan adepts that were truly loyal to Greem.
There were tens of thousands of outside adepts. They chased the benefits and, naturally, would leave for benefits. If the clan were to ever run into a crisis that demanded overcoming a sacrifice, the only ones that could step forth would be those clan adepts.
That was why the Crimson Clan had no choice but to establish the clan’s system for new blood, one step at a time, even if the price for cultivating clan adepts was immense!
Now the clan already had a territory of its own, with no opportunistic enemies around them. It was the best time to recruit en masse and establish their banner. Meryl couldn’t wait to start discussing the matters of the population with Snowlotus immediately after taking control of White Tower.
Over the past few days, Greem had been busy forging his adept set piece.
He had obtained the fire dragon’s hide, but he needed to tan the hide through a complicated process. It was the first time Greem was dealing with such high-quality magical materials. The smoothness of the dragon’s hide would be severely affected if any problems cropped up during the tanning process.
Moreover, the most valuable thing about the fire dragon’s hide was the strange fire elementium powers contained within it. Greem had to find a way to draw out this power to ultimately bring out the value of this expensive material.
It was important to note that grandmaster-level tanners were equally as precious as alchemists in major adept organizations and clans! After all, the hide or skin of a powerful magical creature could only unleash its fullest potential after perfect and proper treatment.
Such technique and methods were also rare alternative knowledge!
“What did you say, population?” Greem’s mind was still immersed in his magical equations and experiment. It took him quite a while to finally understand Meryl’s intention in visiting him.
“Yes, teacher. Our territory is severely lacking in people right now. We need to find a way to obtain a large number of civilians as soon as possible!”
“Mm. In the long term, civilians are a must!” Greem fell silent for a bit and a sort of composure that only the long-lived possessed appeared on his face, “However, the facilities of our territory are not yet complete. The civilians will have a hard time surviving even if we manage to recruit them. So, in the short term, it’s best to bring some goblins over from the Goblin Plane to fill in the numbers for the moment.”
Meryl opened her mouth in shock. To think her teacher would have such a comprehensive and detailed thought process, despite only being a few years older than herself. The matters he addressed matched those of Lady Snowlotus.
“But…teacher, if there are too many non-human civilians, it will affect our recruitment of human civilians in the future.” Meryl explained her thoughts with some frustration.
“It won’t happen.” Greem smiled and said, “Make sure to have the majority of the goblins we recruit this time be technicians and engineers. Once they arrive, their main mission will be to construct housing and village models for other civilians to come. Then, they will build processing factories.”
“Processing factories?” Meryl was utterly confused. She felt as if she couldn’t quite keep up with her teacher’s ideas.
“Of course. Processing factories are a necessary existence!” Greem casually continued, “Icewind is too cold. It’s not suitable for farming or herding. Yet, we must provide the civilians we recruit with a stable living. My idea is to organize adepts and apprentices to hunt and gather in the Black Forest. Then, the hunted spoils and gathered plants will undergo the necessary processing in the clan factories. We can then have the new civilians learn to become craftsmen with specialized skills.”