The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 108

Despite the fact that the Si-on Duchy was two or three steps ahead in nearly all aspects of technology compared to other estates or nations, shipbuilding was one area where they lagged behind the average of the nations and estates surrounding the Eltis Inner Sea.

To begin with, before Si-on came, the population was far too small, with less than one-tenth of the residents living by the seaside.

Among the few hundred people living there, all they did was cast poorly made nets from small boats to catch fish.

Of course, after Si-on drove the monsters into the Brandin Mountains and the Cheolsan Dwarves settled properly, the lives of the fishing village residents changed dramatically.

The ferry dock became a port, the port turned into a harbor, and fishing boats grew large enough to accommodate dozens of people at once for fishing operations.

But that was the extent of it.

This was because, no matter how skilled or talented the Cheolsan Dwarves were, they were complete outsiders when it came to shipbuilding.

Moreover, during the development of the Si-on Duchy, merchant ships from other estates and nations around the inner sea voluntarily came first and proposed trade.

So, there had been no need to build merchant ships specifically for trade.

“But the world has changed now.”

Now that there was an early adopter, or sucker, like Yazan as their lackey, there was still no need to spend a massive fortune to build merchant ships.

However.

This world had undergone a great upheaval, and that didn’t mean that only ‘the land’ would see an increase in monsters.

Why did so many sailors of the inner sea only sail along the coastlines?

Why had the position of the ‘Eltis Island,’ which had become the official name of the inner sea over such a long time, never been pinpointed?

While part of the problem was the unusual and unpredictable weather of the inner sea, which could change almost hourly the farther one ventured from land.

The bigger issue was the marine monsters, and different races that lived in the sea and attacked human ships the moment they were spotted, using the islands scattered throughout the sea as their base.

Now that a great upheaval had occurred, it was clear that, even if the naga or sea lizardmen were left alone, marine monsters would increase.

The problem was that dealing with monsters in the sea was several times harder than on land.

If a ship had a hole, everyone would die.

No matter how skilled knights and warriors were on land, once they fell into the deep sea, they’d just become a rare delicacy for the marine monsters, who hadn’t tasted land creatures in a while.

All the estates and nations surrounding the inner sea knew this fact well.

But it had now become an established fact that the marine monsters, which primarily lived in the deep sea, would soon expand into coastal and nearshore areas.

Even at this very moment, it was certain that the marine races were bleeding from their sudden increase in monsters in the middle of the inner sea.

Would these marine races, who had their own independent history and culture, just die while bleeding?

Without even thinking about it, they would definitely move toward the nearshore and coastal areas, closer to land.

And inevitably, they would clash with humans.

“So, we need ships. If possible, they should be fast, agile ships with a small crew.”

The place that built such ships the best in this world was Sauden.

Even Yazan, who focused on large merchant ships capable of carrying heavy cargo, still requested that expensive and important ships be built in the shipyards of Sauden.

Si-on wanted Sauden’s shipbuilding technology.

Not only to prepare for encounters with marine races but also, depending on future circumstances, to build a proper ‘monster fish farm’ along the Duchy’s coastline.

“I hope they surrender it peacefully.”

They had already been hit hard once, with their corn half-pillaged.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t be foolish enough to provoke another fight.

He sincerely hoped, as a lover of (the Duchy’s) peace, that they wouldn’t end up losing their remaining teeth and then tearfully paying a fortune to buy the dentures Si-on would make for them.

* * *

Handling the monsters in the Flandre region was much easier compared to Rozin.

“Is it difficult to catch monsters attacking from within the river? I expected that. Here, try using this.”

Although they lacked the technology to build sea-going vessels, the Dwarves were overflowing with ideas and expertise in other fields.

Especially the Cheolsan Dwarves, who had lived in the Si-on Duchy for a long time, made everything the residents needed, and it had been over 50 years since they started doing so.

One of the key items that had allowed the Si-on Duchy’s fishing villages to develop was the ‘nets’ made by the Dwarves.

“Look here. The mesh holes are a bit large, right? That’s because it was made to catch monsters, not fish.

The net’s material is made from the hide and tendons of medium-sized monsters. It won’t tear easily. You could probably even catch a whale with this.

What are these things embedded in the net, you ask? They’re blades made from powdered bones of medium-sized monsters. Once caught, the entire body will be shredded. You could probably slice up the monsters like sashimi.”

Si-on was convinced that the special nets the Cheolsan Dwarves had brought were, in this world’s style, a ‘trawl net.’

Two boats could hold either end and scrape the riverbed, and since the nets were light, they could be cast directly.

As the Dwarves had explained, the mesh holes were large, allowing fish to pass through, while the monsters were guaranteed to be caught.

“But Master Cheolsan, what if the monsters attack the boat directly from the water? That’s the biggest problem, isn’t it?”

“Don’t worry. We’ve got this. Just lift the boat out of the water and attach this. It’s detachable, so it’s easy to use. And it’s so light that it won’t significantly affect the boat’s weight or buoyancy.”

The Cheolsan Dwarves hadn’t just brought special nets to catch water monsters.

They had also made a large net with hundreds of sharp spikes that could cover the bottom and sides of the boat.

“These spikes are all coated with a special solution made from diluted giant mantis venom. You know the giant mantis, right? They love water, and their venom doesn’t dilute easily in water.

However, if left underwater too long, the effect wears off. Our tests showed it lasts about 12 hours before you need to reapply.”

There were over ten jars of the special solution, enough to last a fortnight even if they hunted monsters all day on the river.

“There, that should do it, right?”

“Thank you, Master Cheolsan!”

The 500 soldiers brought by Blaho and the Peregrine Division members boarded the dozens of boats equipped with the Cheolsan Dwarves’ special equipment and dragged trawl nets from the middle of the Flandre River to the lower reaches where the city lay, twice a day.

In less than a week, the water monsters were wiped out.

Some fled to the larger and smaller islands scattered along the lower reaches of the river, but for the Peregrine Division, it was a blessing if the monsters came ashore.

After about ten days of full-scale operations, the number of monsters in the Flandre region returned to the levels of a year ago.

Killing them all would have disrupted the food chain, and the survivors wouldn’t dare approach human-inhabited areas for some time, so the reinforcements were all sent back to their original posts.

All in all, aside from the thousands of dead fish floating on the river due to the giant mantis venom, the Flandre monster crisis was resolved without significant issues.

As for the fish, they could go a few days without eating fish, and since the venom was used in flowing river water, the toxicity would disappear within a few days, making it a trivial matter.

* * *

“Uwaaaaaa!!!”

A loud cheer reverberated through Sionia Avenue, shaking the air.

Bam-bam-bam- bam-ba-bam- bam-bam-!

Amidst the cheers of residents packed around the avenue, the Duke’s personal band played a resounding march as vibrant confetti rained down from tall buildings, filling the sky.

Clack! Clack! Clack! Clack!

The Sionia guards led the procession, followed by the Peregrine Division’s standby forces and trainees marching in formation.

Then came the stars of the day, 50 troops who rode on Gau in orderly rows down the avenue.

Even the Black Eagle Regiment and the former members of the Janstrick Mercenary Group couldn’t hide their pride, and the normally stoic Elf Rangers carried themselves proudly, riding their Gau with heads held high.

Though Sionia’s residents had more opportunities to see elves than those in other regions, most had never witnessed elves, fully armored like knights, moving in groups.

Among them was even a female elf whose breathtaking beauty left onlookers gasping for breath.

“Uwaaaah! Uwaaah!”

“Kyaaaaa!”

The cheers for the returning heroes, who had completely resolved the so-called ‘Monster Crisis’ in the duchy, were louder and more enthusiastic than any festival.

“With this, all the urgent fires have been put out. So.”

Si-on announced to Yonas and the gathered ministers in the grand hall.

“Our duchy has now returned to normal as of this moment.”

“Ooooh!!!”

The highest-ranking members of the Si-on Duchy cheered like children.

With bright faces, they patted each other on the back and shook hands in congratulations.

But that only lasted for a moment, as everyone’s eyes instinctively turned to their Founding Patriarch.

“May the Founding Patriarch watch over us!”

“Victory and glory to the wings of the Three-Headed Eagle!”

At Yonas’s lead, the ministers shouted in unison.

“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations, Your Excellency!”

Having returned unexpectedly after decades to a duchy that had fallen into the worst crisis, smashing each evil force that sought to undermine the Duchy and its ducal family.

In the end, they bowed their heads to the one who had returned everything to its rightful place and ushered in a ‘new era.’

“Well, you’ve all worked hard too.”

Si-on looked around proudly at those who were leading the ‘Si-on Clan.’

How could this have been done by me alone?

Though there was a brief moment of confusion due to the two disgraceful beings who had been erased from the family register, it would have been difficult without those who had remained loyal and upheld their commitment to the duchy and the ducal family.

What good is being an immortal superhuman?

To rule and run land where hundreds of thousands live, dozens of talented individuals like these are far more valuable than a single superhuman.

“Give the necessary staff at the Three-Headed Eagle Castle a holiday, except for essential personnel. No, let them rotate and rest for about three or four days. It’s not just us who have been working hard.”

“Yes, Grandfather!”

Yonas replied, unable to contain his joy.

His heart raced, imagining the middle and lower-level administrators who had turned into panda-eyed creatures from all the overtime work now shedding tears of joy (although, in truth, Yonas was excited because he too could finally rest).

But then.

“However, Your Excellency, the training of the reserve militia in each regional district hasn’t been completed yet….”

“Our grain storage is already 30% depleted due to this crisis….”

“To construct the fort and stronghold at the Forest Without Echoes…”

“The expansion plan for Si-on Road…”

“The village being built near the Peregrine Division garrison—should we make it a town, or designate it as a district…?”

What was the point of extinguishing all the urgent fires?

There were still embers scattered everywhere that could flare up at any moment.

“Ah….”

Si-on thought that fighting hundreds or thousands of monsters, or even resurrecting the Dark Dragon to fight it again, would be 100 times easier than dealing with this.