Chapter 127

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

[Building Blueprint: Commercial Port]

[Level: 4 stars]

[Construction materials required: 5000 units of wood, 10,000 units of stone

[Area: 100×200]

[Effect: Able to build a commercial port with complete facilities and infrastructure. (1) The attraction to merchant ships will be greatly increased. (2) The speed of loading and unloading goods will be increased by 50%.]

[Building Blueprint: Shipyard]

[Level: 4 stars]

[Construction materials required: 8000 units of wood, 3000 units of stone]

[Area: 150×80]

[Effect: Can build and repair ships]

[Cannon Manufacturing Plant]

I Level: 5 stars]

[Construction Materials: 5000 units of wood, 3000 units of crystal, 3000 units of mithril, 3000 units of fine gold, 3000 units of crude iron |

[Area: 80×100]

[Effect: Able to create all kinds of cannons]

Each of the three blueprints was at least 4-star, and the cannon manufacturing plant was 5-star.

The first was the commercial port blueprint. The commercial port was extremely useful for the development of the Crown of the Ocean s commerce.

The Large Water Fort he had obtained before was mostly used for military purposes. Its relatively closed structure was not conducive to merchant ships.

If he wanted to develop the commercial and shipping industry) he still needed a proper commercial port.

The second blueprint for the shipyard was not bad either, but Ji Chen felt that it was the least useful one among the three.

After all, none of the nine ships he owned were built by himself. They were all snatched from others or delivered directly to his door.

It could be described as a grand-scale acquisition in the foreign realm, at the cost of zero yuan.

Moreover, whether it was due to spending a long time at sea or not, he had completely lost any desire to honestly build ships. Instead, he now entertained the thought that if there was a shortage of ships, he would simply go and seize them.

It was a simple matter of time.

The former would take months or even years to build one, while the latter would only take a few days or even half a day. It was obvious who was better.

Spending several years would be a waste of time.

The last building blueprint surprised him the most.

Cannon manufacturing factory blueprint.

If it could be referred to as a cannon factory, it meant that Crown of the Ocean had the ability to produce cannons on its own.

Not only could it be used to manufacture cannons for ships, bur it could also be used to manufacture cannons for land-based forts.

Previously, he was still worried about how to obtain so many cannons to arm the New Moon and the other ships. However, to his surprise, just when he was feeling drowsy, someone came and offered him a pillow. In fact, they went a step further and smashed the very machine that produced the pillows right in front of him.

After experiencing the large-scale naval battle outside the Mystic Realm Gate, he knew the role of cannons in the ocean.

After that, he had to fill the ship with cannons to cure his fear of insufficient firepower!.

Ji Chen was in a great mood after reading the three blueprints.

The Hanseatic Chamber of Commerce had really given him a few big gifts. It seemed that he had to find time to thank them.

He called Wilus over and gave him these architectural blueprints. He instructed him to coordinate the manpower and physics for the construction.

As Wilus carefully examined the blueprint, a realization seemed to dawn on him. He respectfully bowed and inquired, “My Lord, what shall we do with the new slaves? Their numbers are quite substantial, and currently, the territory lacks sufficient housing to accommodate them.”

“Even with those shabby thatched huts, it’s not enough?”

“Far from enough.” Wilus shook his head.” There are more than 700 slaves in this batch, which is much more than our original residents. Even our newly built houses are not enough for them to live in.”

Ji Chen nodded in agreement. Indeed, the influx of so many slaves must have significantly impacted rhe morale of rhe territory’s residents.

Curiosity piqued, he opened the territory panel and confirmed his suspicions. Previously, the public opinion had stood at a robust 80 points. However, it had now plummeted to less than 65 points, even with the bonuses from ample food and infrastructure.

Massive population influxes often led to such issues, and he knew there was no immediate solution. Only time could gradually restore the people’s sentiments.

Nevertheless, with the addition of so many slaves, the population of the Crown of the Ocean had exceeded triple digits, reaching a remarkable four digits over 1,100 individuals.

Among these 1,100 people, some were original residents, some were native inhabitants, and some were slaves—a diverse mix of backgrounds.

If one were to include the kobolds and the captured Hanseatic Chamber of Commerce guards, the total workforce would amount to nearly 1,900 individuals, approaching the two-thousand mark.

This population resembled that of a town-level territory, and it was now faced with the issue of housing the slaves. However, Ji Chen had a solution in mind.

The solution was straightforward: the slaves would temporarily stay on the remaining ships while simple thatched huts were swiftly constructed as a stopgap measure within the territory. Once completed, the slaves could be relocated to their permanent homes within the territory.

After dismissing Wilus, Ji Chen summoned Raymond.

This poor fellow had experienced days of anxiety on the ship and finally had the chance to rest properly last night. As a result, he slept soundly until noon, and when awakened, he still had a bewildered expression, clearly not fully awake.

A splash of cold water helped him regain his senses.

Rushing to the Lord’s Manor, Raymond first respectfully saluted and then asked, “My Lord, is there something you need me to do?”

Ji Chen smiled and gestured for him to take a seat.

Carefully, Raymond settled into the chair, his face still serious and attentive..