Laurist returned to the Northern Lands in September, accompanied by Fatty Shi and the Flying Tiger Legion. However, the acting commander of the Flying Tiger Legion, Redi, did not return. He stayed in Moronte City with Malek to help Shihuard with the development and construction of the leased territory. Malek stayed because he was in charge. After all, most of the use of the leased territory was for military purposes. Malek planned to return after all the basic planning and construction projects were on track.
Redi stayed because of two reasons. First, he had a close relationship with Shihuard. This was the first time Shihuard had taken charge of the leased territory, and they might not see each other for a few years. Thus, Redi stayed for another two to three months, preparing to hone Shihuard's swordsmanship. Secondly, his uncle Garilando was reluctant to let him return to the North. After much persuasion, Redi agreed to return to the North with Aire's personal guards at the end of the year. That way, he did not have to be sent off twice by the old man.
Princess Sylvia, Spear, Head Supervisor Cordan, and the higher-ups of the family rushed to North Sea City to welcome them. They held a grand welcoming ceremony to welcome the victorious return of the family's armed forces. They also prepared a sumptuous banquet for Laurist and the soldiers of the Flying Tiger Legion at the city lord's mansion and the military camp outside the city.
Laurist originally found it strange. How could a miser like Spear be willing to be so extravagant? Spear, who had returned to the family's territory at the end of last year, explained the reason to Laurist with a face full of smiles. Thanks to the revival of the wholesale market in Moronte City, all the factories and mines in the Norton Family's territory were thrown into intense production and expansion activities. New factories emerged one after another, and the family's territory was a scene of prosperity. Just last year, the family had gained more than three million gold coins from these flourishing industries …
In the past, the family had no money, so Spear had to be frugal. She hated that she could not break a gold coin in half. She was most afraid of Laurist wasting the family's money. But now that the family was rich, Spear finally realized the deeper meaning behind Laurist's investment. Every gold coin invested would bring back more wealth.
Therefore, when Princess Sylvia asked him to prepare a grand welcoming ceremony, he received the full support and approval of Spear, the head of the Norton Family. With money, it was only natural to hold a grand ceremony, because this would show the face of the Norton Family and the dignity of Laurist, the Sword Saint of the Kingdom. At the same time, the soldiers of the Norton Family who had been on the battlefield for many years would feel the care and consideration of the family, which would increase their loyalty and loyalty to the family.
After the commotion died down, Laurist discovered that Princess Sylvia and her four concubines had brought their children with them. It seemed like they were going to stay in North Sea City for a long time. After asking, he found out that the construction of the palace outside the east gate of Furious Bears City, which had been in progress for two and a half years, had been delayed. It should have been completed half a year ago, but Spear had been in a good mood last year because of the family's wealth. She had decided not to tarnish the reputation of the family during the construction of this palace, so she had allocated a large sum of money. Master Xiluba, who was in charge of the construction of this palace, had decided to keep improving and build this palace into a peerless palace that had been passed down for thousands of years. Thus, the construction had been delayed.
Well, Laurist then remembered that last year, when he was in Morant City, he had reviewed a financial allocation document submitted by Spear. It seemed to be talking about this matter. But at that time, he had been thinking about how to deal with the Trade Alliance. Besides, he trusted Spear, so he had left an impression in his mind. He wrote the words "read" and "follow" on the document, and sent it back to Spear. So that's what happened …
Princess Sylvia liked peace and quiet. She did not like to stay in Furious Bears City, which was like a huge construction site. Plus, she liked the sea, so she brought her family to North Sea City and occupied the mayor's mansion. Since the mayor's mansion was still empty, it would be a waste not to use it. Besides, although Oxhorn Bay, where North Sea City was located, did not have a Platinum Beach, there were still some small sandy areas, enough for Laurist's women to bring their children to play by the beach.
That night, in the luxurious and spacious master bedroom of the North Sea City's city lord's mansion, Princess Sylvia and her four concubines turned their longing into motivation to fight against Lollister, entangling themselves to death. Laurist used all his skills to resist the five women's ferocious attacks. He felt as if his body and energy had been drained dry. Only then did he manage to take care of the women one by one …
"Why don't you take your children to the Platinum Beach in Sydgergrad Province for a summer vacation?" After the passion, Laurist hugged Princess Sylvia and began to chat about family matters.
Princess Sylvia's face still carried the lingering traces of satisfaction and climax. She curled up in Laurist's embrace like a lazy kitten, enjoying the sense of security and warmth that Laurist's chest gave her. When she heard Laurist's question, she pressed even closer to his chest and said slowly, "I don't want to go anymore. Two years ago, we went there once and met Duke Kenneth returning from the Mana Hill Plains with his family's armed forces. The Kenneth Family's armed forces numbered nearly fifty thousand, but only thirteen thousand of them returned. The entire Sydgergrad Province was filled with sorrow.
The maids who served us at the Platinum Beach also wore mournful expressions. Many of their family members had died in battle, and we could hear them crying from time to time. Moreover, we were the only guests at the Platinum Beach. It did not have the lively atmosphere we used to have. It only felt cold and deserted. We also heard that most of the nobles in the Andinac Kingdom participated in the war, and they suffered heavy losses just like the Kenneth Family. You can imagine that not many nobles would visit the Platinum Beach in the next few years. So, in the second year, I used Queen Sissi's matter to go to Morent City to find you. We were all very worried about you … "
Laurist was very touched. He was so touched that his dick began to respond again. He gently kissed Princess Sylvia's forehead and said, "It's fine now. You don't have to worry anymore. We won and won peace. I will stay by your side and live a good life. I won't go to war anymore. It's late, and it's time to sleep. Let's hurry up and do it again … "
Princess Sylvia giggled. She was suddenly energized. She reached her hand down and asked suspiciously, "You're still energetic? Weren't you half dead just now? Eh, it's really hard. Lie down and don't move. I want to be on top … "
The next day, Laurist felt like he was floating, and his legs were weak. Who would feel like this after spending most of the night with five women and getting bitten twice in the morning? Even if he was a Sacred Swordsman, he would not be able to withstand it. This was a physiological problem. Even if Laurist became a Sacred Swordsman, he was still a human and not a god. It seemed that becoming a Sacred Swordsman did not enhance this aspect. Laurist began to consider this very serious problem.
However, there should be some benefits. Duke Fisablun was a third-level Great Swordsman, and he was already over 70 years old, but he was still very healthy. It would not be a problem for him to sleep with the two women at night. Perhaps he could ask Duke Kenneth. Although this guy was a Silver-rank, he had trained his Silver-rank Warrior Energy to the ability of this spear. He had become a famous and dissolute duke in the kingdom, and he was very popular among the Imperial Capital's ladies …
His random thoughts came to an end, because Princess Sylvia and her four concubines had finished dressing up. They brought the children to meet their father, Laurist, and had breakfast together. Although they had already met yesterday, the older children still felt a little distant. For example, the naughty child Andabel had long forgotten about his father, who he had not seen for more than a year. On the other hand, the two one-year-old children treated Laurist like a new toy, climbing all over his body. Like puppies dividing their territory, they quickly peed on him, declaring that this was their territory. Laurist had no choice but to take a bath halfway through his breakfast and change into a new set of clothes.
Since Princess Sylvia and the others were unwilling to return to the Ragebear City, which was like a construction site, Laurist had no choice but to stay in the North Sea City. It just so happened that he was going to reorganize the family's fleet at Oxhorn Bay, confirming the size and organization of the family's fleet. In the two years since the decisive battle with the Paragon Fleet at Cape Romani, the Oxhorn Bay shipyard had successively designed and experimented with more than ten new warships. After two years of seaworthiness tests, Laurist would determine the standard model and organization of the fleet based on the performance and function of these new warships.
In actuality, Laurist had only decided on three new models of warships. First was the Thunderbolt warship, which was the main warship of the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet. It was also the warship that made the Norton Family's fleet famous, and the main force that annihilated the Paragon Fleet. But now, the new Thunderbolt warships in the Oxhorn Bay shipyard had been improved. They were sturdier, faster, and more stable. Laurist decided to build thirty new Thunderbolt warships to replace the existing fourteen.
Next was the medium-sized, fast armed warships that Laurist had named destroyers. Compared to the older medium-sized, fast armed warships, these destroyers were all equipped with bronze cannons. The hull was also a double-layered hull. Even if eighteen bronze cannons were fired at the same time, the hull would remain unscathed. Moreover, the streamlined hull structure could not only withstand the strong winds and waves of the Northern Sea, but its speed was also almost doubled.
These destroyers might not be of much use in the Northern Sea, but the Thunderbolt warships were more than capable of all kinds of patrol and guard duties. But Laurist had decided to build these destroyers to deal with the pirate ships of the Southern Sea. The Thunderbolt warships were large ships, and their speed and agility could not compare to the small and medium-sized fast armed warships that the pirates piloted. They could only catch up if the wind and the waves were smooth. But these pirate ships could still rely on their familiarity with the terrain to hide in the shallow reefs to escape the pursuit of the Thunderbolt warships.
Laurist believed that with these destroyers, he would be able to greatly suppress the pirates and pirates that were active in the Southern Sea. Be it agility or speed, there were no medium-sized fast armed warships that could compare to the destroyers. Moreover, with the bronze cannons, any pirate ship that was discovered would not be able to escape. In the end, they would either be sunk or raise the white flag in surrender.
There was also a new type of warship, a super-large warship called a cruiser. This was built based on the performance advantages of the whaling ships and the Paragon Fleet's super-large warship known as Septorium's Sea Castle. The entire ship was equipped with seventy-two bronze cannons, divided into two layers of firing windows. In addition, there were four bronze cannons at the bow and stern of the ship. It was simply a monster that could spit fire from the sea. At the same time, the ship could also carry five hundred-man assault squads. Be it long range or close combat, it could be said to be an invincible leviathan at sea.
There were also three new types of ships. One was a new whaling ship. In order to fight the Paragon Fleet, Laurist had conscripted all of his family's whaling fleet. After the battle at Cape Romani, sixteen whaling ships had been scrapped. They had been loaded with rocks and soil and sunk in the reefs of Cape Romani, becoming the cornerstone of Schwald's Sea Castle.
The new whaling ships were larger and sturdier. They were more suitable for long-distance voyages to hunt for whales. To Laurist, this was Galinthea, not Earth. He was not an environmentalist. This world's seas were incomparably vast, and there were many whales. Every whale's body was a treasure. Nearly a hundred whales were caught every year, and the family could earn more than a hundred thousand gold fords. A single whale could earn them more than a thousand gold fords. This was a highly profitable business, and the Norton family would not give up on it.
The next two new types of ships were passenger ships. They were the size of cruisers, and they were more comfortable and faster. Currently, they had opened up a route from North Sea City to Platinum Beach, then to Silovas Island, Qilin Port, Ametlin Port, and finally to Morent City in Hidden Gold Bay. They planned to build four of these new passenger ships. Every month, one would sail from North Sea City, and the other would return from Hidden Gold Bay. The entire voyage would take twenty-seven to twenty-eight days, and the four passenger ships would take turns.
This was the route to the Northern Sea. As for the route to the Southern Sea, it had yet to be decided. Lolist felt that it would be better to contract the passenger route to the Southern Sea to the private ship owners. The Norton family would provide the passenger ships, and the private ship owners would provide their connections and money. With the southern nobles backing the private ship owners, he believed that the passenger route to the Southern Sea would become a hen that laid golden eggs.
The last new type of ship was an improved version of the large ocean-going merchant ships. They were large ocean-going cargo ships that were specialized in transporting cargo. They could carry almost twice as much cargo as the old large ocean-going merchant ships, and they were faster and steadier. At the same time, they could be used as logistical transport ships, effectively transporting supplies and supplies to the North Sea Fleet on expeditions, supporting the North Sea Fleet's expeditions. The plan was to build twenty-four of these new large ocean-going fast cargo ships. They were usually used to transport goods and raw materials from the north to Morent City.
What made things difficult for Laurist was that, due to the need for secrecy, these new warships and ships could not be built in other shipyards. They could only be built in the shipyard at Oxhorn Bay. The Norton family's armed forces were now famous all over the world. Whether it was the naval fleet or the land army, they had all become targets for those with ulterior motives. Only within the family's territory could they effectively isolate and capture the spies sent by the various parties.
The shipyard at Oxhorn Bay had already expanded to nearly half of Oxhorn Bay's territory. There were more than ten thousand workers and technicians, and it could be said to be the Norton family's largest family business. However, building a ship was a technical job. It was not something that could be sped up by having more people. According to the calculations, they could only build about twenty new ships every year at most. This was already their best effort.
However, there were already more than a hundred and twenty ships on paper. In the next six or seven years, the shipyard at Oxhorn Bay would have a full production schedule. After thinking about it, Laurist decided to expand the shipyard on Sirovas Island. He arranged for the new passenger ships, cargo ships, and whaling ships to be built there. Only then would he be able to turn the warships on paper into reality in four years.
Other than the schedule for the construction period. Laurist also had to discuss with Spear the allocation and supervision of the shipbuilding costs. In Morent City, the seven shipyards around Cangjin Bay would cost about six to seven thousand gold fords to build a large ocean-going merchant ship. However, the Norton family would need to build a medium-sized destroyer several times that amount. Other things aside, the construction of the ship's double hull alone would cost about fifteen thousand gold fords. Including the bronze cannons and the training of the sailors, the total cost of the destroyer would be about forty to fifty thousand gold fords when it was officially commissioned.
Fortunately, the Norton family already owned the Schwald Sea Fortress at Cape Romani, which allowed them to legally collect tolls and escort fees from the ships on the Golden Sea Route. The annual income was no less than a million Gold Fords, which was enough for the expanded Norton family fleet to be self-sufficient. There was even a surplus of money to be handed over to the family every year. In addition, after the surrender of the Commerce Federation's Invincible Fleet and the captured ships from the Chamber of Commerce in Morent City, they sold nearly two hundred ships in Morent City, earning more than a million gold fords. In this way, the family only needed to spend about five million gold fords to complete the shipbuilding project. Moreover, it was not a one-off payment. Instead, it was more than a million gold fords annually according to the progress. It did not pose much of a burden to the family's finances.
After working hard for more than a month, Laurist finally decided on the reorganization and expansion of the family fleet. He also completed the production schedule for the new warships and ships. The next important thing was the new year celebration that would be held at the end of the year. At this year's celebration, the Norton family would promote a large number of vassal nobles. At the same time, a group of meritorious soldiers would be promoted to new territorial nobles.
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