A/N: If any of you is interested in reading MEMORIZE after second season ends in manhwa, you can find it in my works.
The Forbidden Mountain Range truly lives up to its reputation as the largest mountain range in the world, boasting a rich variety of species. Deep within the mountains, there are many iron-redwood trees— a resource not found in other places.
Near Sedona City, a branch of the Forbidden Mountain Range contains a small iron-redwood forest. A rough estimate puts the number of trees at over ten thousand, which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise.
Lucas had known about iron-redwood from the beginning, thanks to Ben, who was familiar with this type of wood. Now, the forest has been placed under protection, prohibiting private logging.
In fact, simply selling iron-redwood could bring Lucas an enormous amount of gold coins. However, such a valuable resource was something he naturally intended to keep for himself.
His plan was to build a super battleship entirely out of iron-redwood. After all, constructing large ships from steel was out of the question for at least the next ten years. Given the current level of technology and steel production, manufacturing steel warships would be extremely difficult.
But iron-redwood was different. Although it was slightly less durable than steel, ships made from it could be built within a year or two. Once equipped with ballistae and other weapons, they would be no less than floating fortresses.
"At the current pace, how soon can we start building the ships?" Lucas asked calmly, suppressing his eagerness to begin constructing the iron-redwood warships immediately.
"City Lord, we can start shipbuilding in two months," Weiss replied, standing up straight. Seeing Lucas frown, he quickly explained, "We are already cutting the wooden planks for construction, but they need to dry before we can begin. It will take at least a month."
"Can the ship be launched by next spring?" Lucas's expression eased slightly.
"Yes! Given our current workforce and progress, we can have it ready for launch by next spring." Weiss assured him.
In fact, if they were only building a prototype, the ship could be launched even before next spring. However, such a vessel wouldn't last long.
"Go back to work." Lucas waved his hand dismissively. As long as the ship could be launched by next spring, that was enough for him.
"Yes, sir!" Weiss saluted before quickly running off. He had to oversee the construction of the shipyard— the most critical part of the project, as it would determine whether the ship could be launched smoothly.
"Iron-redwood, spotted fir…" Dahlia muttered absentmindedly. In her fleet, the main keels were made from spotted fir, while the outer hulls were constructed from sand pine, gray teak, or similar woods.
These were common shipbuilding materials. Every year, Dahlia would purchase or replace a few ships, so she was quite knowledgeable about them. If a ship were built entirely from spotted fir, a single one would cost as much as half her fleet.
If they were available for purchase, Dahlia would definitely buy ships made of spotted fir. They were far more durable and sturdy than other vessels— in a collision, a spotted fir ship would remain unscathed while the opposing ship would be wrecked.
From the intelligence Dahlia had gathered, the King of England owned several spotted fir ships, as did Duke Catherine's father.
Simply put, only the wealthy and powerful nobles could afford ships made from spotted fir. Every year on the Whispering River, these ships would ram and destroy numerous ordinary vessels.
"Lord Lucas, will you be selling ships in the future?" Dahlia asked seriously.
"Sell them?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. Seeing the anticipation in Dahlia's eyes, he shook his head. "I have no plans to do so in the next few years."
The ships he built in the next few years might not even be enough for his own use, let alone for sale. His navy alone would need at least twelve large warships.
"I see…" Dahlia's eyes showed a hint of disappointment, but she decided she would ask again in the future.
"Let's go check out the farm." Lucas said calmly as he stepped toward the carriage.
The shipbuilding techniques he introduced were hundreds of years ahead of this era. Even if others couldn't fully replicate his technology, they would quickly learn from the ship's structure if he sold them.
That would significantly weaken his naval advantage— something he absolutely did not want. What he sought was an overwhelming technological gap. Sell ships? Maybe once he had built fully rigged warships like sailing battleships— then he'd consider it.
The farm was located south of Sedona City, near the greenhouse vegetable fields. When selecting the site, they had considered the need for fertilizer for the greenhouse crops.
"Clatter, clatter, clatter…"
The carriage sped along the road, and before long, they arrived at the farm. Lucas stepped down with Mina and Dahlia, only to be met with a filthy, chaotic scene. The area around the farm was extremely dirty, and the wastewater was being discharged directly into a nearby river.
Seeing this, Lucas frowned deeply. This was the downstream section— but what if it were upstream? Would everyone be drinking water mixed with waste?
Lucas clenched his fists, his expression darkening. He turned to Mina and Dahlia, who both looked equally disgusted. The stench of unclean water and rotting waste filled the air, making it hard to breathe.
As they stepped inside, the stench became overwhelming. To keep the livestock warm, furnaces had been installed, but the combination of heat and filth made the air unbearable.
"So smelly!" Dahlia pinched her nose and, without even looking further, quickly backed out of the farm.
Mina also covered her nose, frowning as she scanned the area. Inside, many animals were lying on the ground, packed closely together.
"Call the manager to see me." Lucas ordered, taking a quick glance at the filthy ground covered in a mixture of waste before stepping out of the farm with a deep frown.
One of the War Wolves Squad members immediately went to fetch the manager. When they brought him over, he had been thoroughly searched before being allowed to approach Lucas.
"City Lord." The manager, a middle-aged man, greeted nervously, bowing in fear.
"Did I not issue clear instructions? Why is the farm still in such a filthy state?" Lucas asked, his brow furrowed. He wanted to know exactly where things had gone wrong.
Lucas had already given clear instructions regarding the animals' living conditions. Their waste needed to be cleaned regularly to prevent them from rolling in it, as this could easily lead to diseases—some of which could spread rapidly. If an outbreak occurred, the entire farm could be wiped out within days.
"This…" The manager lowered his head in panic, his face filled with distress as he explained, "City Lord, it's just… I don't know where to transport all the waste. The greenhouses don't need that much fertilizer."
The manager was in a difficult position. If he dumped the waste, he feared being punished since Lucas had explicitly ordered that it be preserved for use.
"The greenhouses?" Lucas quickly understood the issue. The greenhouses only required fertilizer every few days, but the farm produced waste daily.
The real value of the farm wasn't just the livestock—it was the manure. In this era, there were no synthetic fertilizers. To ensure high crop yields and healthy growth, fertilizer was essential, and animal waste was one of the best natural options.
Right now, the greenhouses couldn't use up all the manure, which created a problem. However, once they expanded farmland next year, even with ten more farms producing manure, it still might not be enough.
Lucas's sharp mind immediately began working through the problem. The current issue wasn't that there was too much waste—it was that there wasn't enough infrastructure to properly store and utilize it.
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