Frost's words seemed to set off a bomb in the council members' heads.
The Niflheim base camp hadn't even existed for an entire year yet Frost already had the ambition to turn it into a full-fledged city, a territory that could officially be placed on the continental maps.
Though initially shocked and blown away greedy smiles started appearing on everyone's lips as this ambition would not only influence Frost and the territory but them as well. They'd go from being an impromptu council with limited powers to true big wigs, the profit alone was secondary to the authority they'd have control over.
A territory with a defendable wall and a standing army was on a completely different level to any Camp. It would give them true standing, allowing them to officially interact with other territories, as an entity at the same level.
Seeing the ambitious looks in their eyes Frost also smiled knowing that he'd have full support even if his request was nearly impossible to fulfil. These council members were all on his side, each wanting the Niflheim territory to flourish and quickly become a leading figure among the surrounding nations. Most of them had bet their lives' and all their savings such a result.
"What do you need?" It was Rana who replied first with a smile that was impossible to hide. Such an ambitious venture would surely need many labourers.
"I'm glad you asked Rana, first off I'll likely need every labourer you can muster since the plans I have for this wall are not only intricate and detailed but with a very strict timeline."
Frowns gradually appeared on everyone's faces bar Rana's.
"What's the time frame?"
"...I want at least 80% of the wall done within two weeks."
Silence absolute silence followed by rounds of sharp breaths. Then shaking of heads and a chorus of "impossible" mutterings. Only Rana remained silent as she ran the numbers through her head.
'Alone even if I summon every labourer in the territory and even those in Furano it's impossible, the scale is just too much but....'
"Who else is going to be involved?" It was already well known that Frost had some rather significant backing and had the allegiance of quite a few forces thus Rana couldn't immediately reject such an ambitious proposal.
"Along with my Ronsos of course, there'll be a tribe of yuki-onnas helping as well as a group of gnomes that are currently heading our way from the glacial mountains." Another round of sharp breaths reverberated throughout the room.
The Ronsos alone were a force to be reckoned with let alone the magically inclined yuki-onnas but never in their wildest dreams did they imagine Frost had connections to a group of gnomes. Dwarves they could understand even if they were ice dwarves, but gnomes signified something else entirely.
It seemed that even with their already high opinions, Frost and the territory he planned to create was still beyond all expectations.
"Very well I'll seek out the local merchant caravans and if needed ask for my grandfather's aid."
"Much appreciated Calder." If Sebastian the old kingpin of the merchant guild got involved getting those supplies would be a piece of cake.
"Of course Lord Frost, the development of the territory is as important to my interests as it is yours." The more Niflheim flourished the more money he could make.
Though he was certain Calder would surely make a great deal of money with his control over the supplies Frost still felt grateful for his aid. Having someone trustworthy and skilled like him handle a large portion of authority greatly eased Frost's overall burden.
Frost and the council thus further discussed the fleshed out plan for the territory's evolution with each member giving a fair amount of input even the major businessmen who simply got their seats due to being first had quite a lot to say.
Therefore Frost's plan that included not just the wall but also the military encampments and some future depiction of what could be developed within the newly paved 3 kilometre space grew more and more detailed.
"It's a shame that Dakar couldn't be present since he'll be playing a major role in the aftermath, but his health must come first."
"Agreed, since his vision isn't needed until after we're done we can let the man rest and shore up his strength."
"He's going to be rather busy in a few weeks." A few council members couldn't help but laugh as they imagined the poor Dakar who frequently complained about a lack of work being swamped in the future.
A large percentage of the newly enclosed land as well as certain sections beyond the upcoming wall were slated for farmwork. The territory could supply a large chunk of its meat from the Dungeon, but it was sorely lacking when it came to vegetables and grain, a problem Frost was keen to remedy.
"Alright everyone has their initial assignments so let's wrap this meeting up. I'll have some of my subordinates deliver the updated estimates to you later. Please as soon as you can write up your own reports and send a copy both to myself as well as Calder who will be in charge of procuring any excess materials we're currently lacking, dismissed."
The council members thus quickly shuffled out of the meeting room with determined and slightly anxious expressions, Frost had placed a lot on their plate after all."
"Phew the die is cast now we just have to wait for the results to come through....will you be able to handle your workload?" Frost fell into the comfort of his seat and exhaled before glancing at the woman by his side.
"It'll be difficult, not only am I lacking skilled hands and materials the sore fact that we have a limited amount of forges will likely forestall our progress." Daki shook her head not feeling as confident as the other council members.
With her being a blacksmith and in charge of the territory's overreaching forging output she was tasked with turning their tons and tons of iron ore into refined steel as well as other high strength metals.
This grand development would see her having to abandon all her current projects and even then she could see herself struggling with the intense workload.