Having a territory but no citizens was like eating meat without salt. Of course it was bland and tasteless!
The barefoot farmers and citizens of the territory could not help the Crimson Family at all, and they had to waste a lot of the family's time and effort to help them make a living. However, in the long run, this was an iron gate that had to be crossed!
Where did Magi come from?
They could be recruited or hired, but these Magi were always outsiders. It was difficult to nurture them into family Magi who were loyal to the Crimson Family. Thus, they had to gather suitable craftsmen and commoners, establish a stable ruling order, and select talented acolytes from them.
Only with this method could the acolytes born in the family's territory not have to worry about their future. Their lives were tied to the Crimson Family's prosperity and disgrace. Only then could they nurture Magi who were truly loyal to Grim.
There were millions of Magi who came from outside. They came for benefits, and they would naturally leave for them. Once they met a difficulty that required them to risk their lives to overcome, the only ones who could do so were the Magi of the family.
Thus, even if the price of nurturing the Magi of the family was very high, the Crimson Family could only build up the family's bloodline one step at a time!
Now that the family had their own territory, and there were no enemies eyeing them covetously, it was the best time to recruit soldiers and raise their banner. Thus, after taking control of the white tower, Meryl could not wait to discuss the issue of the citizens of the territory with Chave.
This was actually a very troublesome problem!
The Icewind Territory was originally a bitterly cold place, and it was adjacent to the Black Forest. There was no Magus Tower to protect it, so even if all the people in the surrounding few hundred miles were gathered together, there would not be more than a hundred.
It would be extremely difficult to build up the prototype of the Icewind Territory with just these few people.
In the end, the Icewind Territory lacked people. They lacked a large number of people!
In the past, there were many stories of Northern Witches who had overcome obstacles and led their citizens to open up a territory in the Black Forest. However, the legendary Witches in the stories had never been like the Crimson Family, who had built up their power from nothing.
They either had the backing of their families or the support of their witches. In short, they had both the manpower and the military force. Even so, it would take more than a hundred years of repeated tug-of-war before they could seize a stable territory from the hands of the many powerful magical beasts, enough for the Sorcerer Family to flourish.
And in this process, the number of civilians who died from the harsh environment, plague and disease, Savage Miasma, ferocious wild beasts, and terrifying monsters were innumerable. Only by relying on the accumulation of human lives and the perseverance of the witches, would it be possible to achieve the final success.
But now, the Crimson Family had the Wizard's Pagoda and the Wizards, but they lacked a large number of citizens who could fill the territory with energy.
"Lady Chaff, I would like to know, in the past, if the Northern Witches wanted to recruit some people, what method would they use?" When the only ones left in the hall were the Cheval witch and Venlier, who was scribbling away, Meryl could not help but ask impatiently.
"The people are the most precious wealth of every Witch Faction, and they would not be sold easily. If Lady Meryl really needs a group of people, I can return to some of the Destiny Witches' hereditary territories and forcibly recruit a group of people. But … "
Saying this, Cheval could not help but pause.
"The environment here is too harsh, and there are no living necessities. Even if we forcibly recruit some people, it would be difficult for them to survive here. We can't possibly let those farmers and merchants live in the Wizard Tower! "
Hearing Cheval's complaints, even Meryl, the person in charge, could not help but worry.
That's right, even if they recruited people, surviving in this world of ice and snow would be a huge problem! Could they get a group of people and not let them do anything, and instead let the Crimson Family support them?
"Why don't we think of a way to move a group of Gnomes from the Gnome Dimension to temporarily serve as citizens? They have brains and technology, and can also help with the maintenance and management of the Wizard's Pagoda … "Meryl hesitated.
"Meryl, I have to remind you of something. If there are too many members of other races in a territory, it will be difficult to recruit those jobless and free citizens. "Cheval kindly reminded.
Meryl could not help but feel sad.
This was something that could be imagined.
Once there were too many other races in a territory, it would definitely affect the perception and sense of security of the human citizens. Once they had reservations and stopped moving forward, it would be difficult to increase the number of human citizens in the Icy Wind Territory. If they scared away these human citizens, would they have to recruit Gnome, Ogre or Dwarf apprentices in the future?
"Then … Lady Cheval, other than these normal citizens, are there any other ways to obtain a large number of human citizens in a short period of time?" Cheval could not help but ask.
"Are you talking about human slaves?" Cheval smiled calmly.
"That's right! I want to know if there's a way to obtain a large number of cheap human slaves in the north. "
"There are very few wars between the Witches in the north. Even if there are conflicts, most of them will be resolved by the Witch Council. So, there are no so-called war slaves here … "
Meryl's expression could not help but darken.
"However, the scattered Tower Forest region is fertile ground for war. There are constant conflicts between the large and small Witches clans. If you really need them, we can buy a batch from the central continent in the name of the Destiny Witches. "
"Oh, there's such a thing?" Meryl's eyes immediately brightened, "If we buy them, how many will there be? And the price? "
"Once a family war breaks out in the central continent, there may be losers. The family members of the losing side would be dismembered and sold to other wizard families. We, the Witches of the north, have representatives there, and can get a share of the profits from the slave trade. The estimated number of slaves is around 2,000 to 3,000 per year. We, the Witches of the north, can get 400 to 600, and the price is around 500 magic crystals per 100 people … "
"That's a very reasonable price! We'll take them all … "Meryl's eyebrows twitched, her pretty little face revealing a look of ecstasy.
Cheval laughed and shook her head, "I'm talking about the Witches of the north. They can get 400 to 600 war slaves, but we, the Destiny Witches, can only get 20 to 30 …"
"Only 20 to 30 …" Hearing this, Meryl could not help but feel discouraged again.
At this rate, even if the Crimson Family worked hard in the Icewind Territory for a hundred years, they would not be able to support a complete Witches family.
"If you think it's too few people, then go catch them! The north does not allow wars between Witches families, but there are endless disputes in the scattered tower forest. As long as you found a good reason, even if you destroyed other Wizard families, those old fellows from the Elder Council could only look on helplessly. When that happens, the citizens and resources of the other families will all be yours … "
Meryl rolled her eyes. Although Cheval's words were harsh, they were not unreasonable. If there was no other way, it was not impossible to try this method.
After politely ending the 'pleasant' conversation with Chave, Meryl brought Wenlir and the report that she had organized to her teacher for guidance.
In her residence on the thirteenth floor of the white tower, Meryl finally met her teacher, Grimm, who was busy from day to night.
These days, Grimm had been busy making his own Witches' equipment.
Now that the fire dragon hide was in his hands, he had to follow a complicated process of tanning and tanning it. As this was Grimm's first time dealing with such a high-grade magic material, any mistake in the process would seriously affect the smoothness of the fire dragon hide's surface.
Moreover, the most precious thing about the fire dragon hide was the strange fire elemental energy it contained. Only by drawing out this energy could the high-grade magic material be used to its fullest potential.
It had to be known that even in large Magi organisations or Magi families, a Master Tanner was as valuable as an Alchemist Magus! After all, the hide of a powerful magical creature could only be used to its fullest potential after it was perfectly processed by them.
Such skills and methods were also a rare type of knowledge!
"What did you say … citizens?" Grimm's mind was still immersed in the pile of magic formulas and experiments. It took him a long time to understand why Meryl wanted to see him.
"Yes, Teacher. Our territory is lacking people now. We need to find a way to get a large number of citizens as soon as possible!"
"Yes, in the long run, citizens are a must!" Grimm muttered to himself, his youthful face showing the calmness and seriousness of an experienced person, "However, the infrastructure of our territory is not complete yet. Even if we get citizens, it will be difficult for them to survive. So, in the short term, it's better to move a batch of goblins from the goblin plane to make up the numbers … "
Meryl gaped in shock. She did not expect her teacher to have such a comprehensive and meticulous thinking even though he was only a few years older than her. His question was obviously the same as Lord Xue Fu's.
"But … Teacher, if there are too many non-human citizens, it will affect our recruitment of human citizens in the future," Meryl voiced her thoughts in distress.
"That won't happen." Grimm smiled, "The first batch of goblins we've recruited are mainly goblin technicians and engineers. Their main task after coming here is to build suitable houses and village models for the future subjects, as well as to build a series of processing factories … "
"Processing factories?" Meryl was completely confused, feeling that she could not keep up with her teacher's train of thought.
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