"Uh..." Arthur, you really do have a bottom line somewhere.
But compared to this...
"Three children... Is the pregnancy period of elves similar to that of humans?"
"Yes. In a sense, our life span is longer than that of humans, and our gestation and growth periods are similar. However, for hybrids of humans and elves, that is, half-elves, their normal natural life span will be reduced. It will be reduced by about half.
But in the final analysis, few normal elves would give birth to children at a young age. Everyone's life is pretty good now. To suddenly have another child without any preparation is not only a burden, but also irresponsible to the child."
"oh… "
It seems that the elves' current sparse population is not due to "difficulty in pregnancy" or "slow population growth".
They simply don't want to have children.
Yang Hao couldn't help but feel a little breathless: If the elves wanted to have children but couldn't, he actually had a lot of ideas that could be implemented to increase the elves' population. This would also make it easier for Yang Hao to ask the elves to send troops to rescue his little queen and the chief judge...
But you say - they simply don't want to have children, so what
You can't force them to breed, right? All the Romans do—
…
The Romans would probably do it, but how could I possibly do such a thing
Therefore, Yang Hao happily gave up the idea of [allowing the elves' population to grow rapidly to increase their war potential], and instead followed Weiya's lead to the "arrow making room" on the second floor.
She said that although most arrows are made in the mining areas, there is also a great demand for arrows from the elves around Fingal, so the bow factory is also responsible for meeting the demand for arrows in the surrounding areas.
Arthur on the side hummed a few times, and proudly said that one of them was a product he designed specifically for the elves -
Compared to the "outdated perfect" arrows that the elves have used for thousands of years, the arrows he designed are not only easier to make, but also more compatible with enchantments. More importantly, the production cycle is also very short.
Yang Hao walked around silently for two circles, looking at the "elf arrows" that were densely packed with reliefs and gold lines and emitting gem-like brilliance, and then looked at the simple and clear "standard arrows" designed by Arthur... He decided to ask the experts for their opinions.
"Ms. Veya, may I ask what you think of Arthur's arrows compared to the elves' arrows?"
Wei Ya frowned, then shook her head. "I can only give a craftsman's evaluation: Arthur's arrows are very easy to produce, but because there is no way to decorate them, many arrow makers have complaints about this... But from the perspective of a craftsman, this is indeed a product with high production and can meet the needs of enchanting."
She paused for a moment.
“To sum it up, it’s very practical. But it doesn’t satisfy the pursuit of art.”
"But honey, this is a weapon, a consumable item - who would carve reliefs on consumable items..."
"The elves will..."
Wei Ya tapped her husband's forehead again, and at this moment, Yang Hao already understood what to do next.
He looked at the cold elf lady sincerely, then lowered his head slightly and said:
"I understand. Ms. Vea, I would like to borrow your husband for a period of time - so can his legs recover during this time?"
"Um?"
"Fin wants me to lead the reform of the Elven Kingdom."
"Oh? I see. Then please come back tomorrow. After all, it will take the doctor quite some time to restore his leg."
Viya lent her husband out without any complaints, and Arthur had no complaints about it. He just patted his broken left leg excitedly, then curled up in the wheelchair with a bitter face, looking very pitiful.
For Yang Hao, this was the result of careful consideration.
Theresa didn't expect her to be able to help with this kind of political affairs. It was a great fortune for her to be able to stand by her side.
He would not expect this stupid nun to learn something she did not understand for him, and to be honest, she did not have enough time.
Doctor Joseph, his family probably wants to study the medical skills of the elves. The value of the Ling tribe lies in the golems, not to mention that they also need to take care of the wounded, so it is not convenient to go out during this period.
It seems that Arthur, who has industrial knowledge, is also a diplomat, and most importantly, can keep up with his own thinking, is the necessary help for his work this time.
After all, Yang Hao himself is not omnipotent. It is better for two people to discuss together than to work alone - so he wants to borrow Arthur for a while. Borrow Arthur's wisdom and ability, just like in the past.
"See you tomorrow, Arthur."
Thinking of this, Yang Hao reached out his hand to Arthur under the relieved gaze of Theresa who had secretly lifted the tranquility spell.
Arthur also showed a sunny smile: "See you tomorrow, Your Majesty - it's been a long time since we fought side by side again. I hope you can let me rub more of the waves of the lovely elf ladies."
"Your wife is still here."
"ah… "
Ignoring the "family education" that had begun again, Yang Hao and Theresa left the bow factory with various thoughts in their minds.
This trip was very profitable. Next, we have to go to the Green Courtyard to obtain Finn's regent certificate, so that we can go to the elves' mineral resources tomorrow to explore.
At the same time, on the sea, an Ishugard fleet consisting of about seven merchant ships, two old ironclad ships and two eagle mothers finally arrived at Roman's foreign port and docked.
They received a warm welcome as soon as they landed. In response to the Romans' inquiries about their well-being, the fleet commander simply responded calmly and kept the merchants' trading needs in mind.
Through a series of inquiries, the commander suddenly realized that the Roman Empire’s demand for "food" was too much
Even if it was purchased in the name of "brewing", these hundreds of tons of grain did not look like they were purchased for brewing... Instead, it looked more like they were preparing for "famine"
Looking at the ruddy-faced, very strong-looking residents and soldiers in Drake Port, and then looking at the city gate not far away that was tightly closed to prohibit foreign merchants from entering and leaving, the commander first agreed to the merchants' demands in his own name, and then he returned to the cabin and said to the magician:
"Use communication magic immediately to tell Miss Nia that there may be a "great famine" in the Roman Empire. They hope to purchase too much food - but because Drake Port has completely blocked the entrance and exit routes, we have no way to detect it.
If possible, I hope that the "advance team" that is looking for a landing point outside the Roman Empire can secretly send people into the Roman Empire to search. If nothing unexpected happens, we will rest in Drake Port for two weeks before going out to sea. "
The magician nodded, and after a series of complicated chants, he reported the news from the other end:
"The advance team has found a landing point and is now trying to build a temporary dock... Miss Nia is seriously injured and due to the huge losses in the previous naval battle, she is unable to send anyone to the Roman Empire border for reconnaissance... She asked you to ask the person in charge of Drake Port to meet with the Regent to discuss the "secret agreement" later."
"The Regent? Wasn't he expelled according to rumors?"
"Miss Nia said that if the Regent comes to discuss the "secret agreement", then what those scholars said is all smokescreen - but on the other hand, if the Regent really doesn't come, it means that the Roman Empire is now extremely empty... We must seize the initiative in the war, but it's best to wait until she confirms the actual situation."
"I see."
The fleet commander nodded thoughtfully and muttered to himself: Secret agreement
If you think about it carefully, when the fleet of Ishugard came to the continent of Elucia for trade, it was Black Dragonia who led the team...
So it was she who gave the regent a very high evaluation and sent crucial objective intelligence back to the country
This matter must be treated with caution.
The fleet commander pulled his collar seriously.
On the other side, there was a fleet consisting of two ironclad ships and three merchant ships.
The seriously injured Black Dragonia spat out a mouthful of blood. Although her life was saved, she couldn't be expected to work before she recovered.
"Damn the Alesse people... Hiss... Why haven't those sneaky archers outside come over yet?! Are they from the Roman Empire?"
The black dragon transformed into a human form just stared at the branches of a tree in the distant forest outside the cabin window.
She breathed a sigh of relief after vaguely seeing that there seemed to be someone jumping towards her and there was no hostility.
Chapter 18: The "Tradition" of the Elves, the First Contact with Ishgard
In the evening, after obtaining permission from Finn to go to the Oak Mine for investigation, Yang Hao asked about the question of [conscription system reform] and whether "mobilization" was feasible in the elven society.
"There is nothing wrong with the conscription system for knights. Temporary training can at least make them understand discipline, which is not difficult - but "mobilization"... what does this mean?"
Fen was very curious about the new vocabulary, while Yang Hao explained that "mobilization" means that when a war is about to break out, a country needs to mobilize and mobilize all its forces to fight the war.
"That is to say, in order to deal with the upcoming war with the diocese, we need to allocate all resources to all aspects related to the war, right?"
"Yes. However, I do not recommend blindly mobilizing now. On the one hand, I still need some time to confirm the direction of the reform. On the other hand, I think mobilizing now will only cause the elves to put resources in unrealistic places."
"unrealistic?"
Yang Hao and Theresa beside him looked at each other, and then sighed at the same time:
"For example, focusing resources on bow decorations rather than the bow itself."
It's really possible for the elves to do something like this - if they rashly start mobilization before the industry is reformed and a new standard for conventional weapons is established, the elves may really mistakenly think that they need to make more "perfect" longbows instead of "cheap and practical" longbows... and then a hundred years later, only a few hundred bows have been made, and others have already returned home.
So Yang Hao said that he would consider the timing of mobilization after he had investigated the current situation of the elves.
Finn thought carefully that his perfectionist people seemed to be willing to do such a thing, so he agreed with a smile.
After finishing the talks about the initial work, Fen brought Yang Hao some sad news.
On the night of May 10, six days later, the masters will hold the "Elf Council" to discuss future changes - as the core of the change, Yang Hao must be present.
Fen will fully support him, but considering that this parliament will inevitably be questioned and questioned by the masters, she hopes that Yang Hao can at least come up with some practical plans or ideas in the next few days.
"I'm sorry, this is so urgent..."
"Finn, I can understand that. And to be honest, the elf can actually give me some buffer time, which is really great."
"Huh?"
"Because in Roman, every time I face something like this, I was meeting with the black dragon of Ishugard at the port yesterday, and the next day I had to rush back to the capital to debate with them without any preparation—
Although if you think about it carefully, this is all a conspiracy, but at least the Roman Empire does like to let people do certain tasks without any preparation. "
When talking about this, Yang Hao was quite moved: It was really great that the elves could give him five days to prepare.
Teresa on the side also nodded in agreement: After all, when she pretended to convert to the Church of Light and performed mass, she had also experienced a lot of similar things...
From this perspective, the elves' move to notify the parties involved in advance before a meeting is truly a blessing that only civilized people and a civilized society can enjoy... However, if you calculate carefully, is there only 5 days left
In five days, Yang Hao had come up with some ideas and plans at most - it was obvious to the naked eye that the "cheapening" of the longbow would definitely be supported if the elf masters were all smart people.
The industrialization with elves’ characteristics, the reform of the conscription system and the final “mobilization” are likely to be opposed...
The former may cause irreversible damage to the Elf Forest. At least for a long time, the ancient trees in the Elf Forest can only grow towards industry rather than people's livelihood.
The latter may destroy some customs of the current elven society and disrupt the population structure of the elves, making the total number of "soldiers" the majority and affecting the normal alternation of ordinary craftsmen and farmers and other occupations.
The latter will even tilt all the originally equal social resources towards the military, resulting in an unequal situation where other regions are eating dry rice, while the military industry is all drinking and eating meat, which is enviable.
But Yang Hao believed that this proposal could still be passed. Because there is no construction without destruction, the elves have reached the brink of having to go to war, and they must tilt their resources towards the military. No matter how stubborn they are, it is time to change.
However, these proposals alone are still lacking something "decisive"...
Yang Hao must get "actual results", at least actual results that the elves can see in five days and are truly useful.
What to do
Yang Hao fell into deep thought. At this moment, Fen suddenly smiled and said that she already knew that he had brought Arthur back to the team. But when she thought of Arthur, she remembered the first time the Elf King appeared.
"That was the first time that humans outside the Bayerjans Empire were willing to follow our rules, enter our city with a decent attitude, and respect our traditions."
Finn smiled and said, "And you have to admit that Mr. Arthur is indeed a genius. Whether it is the speed at which he understands our traditions, the speed at which he hangs out with women, or the speed at which he integrates into the life of the elves, he is a genius - more importantly, he seems to be naturally very dissatisfied with the elves' "perfect" weapons and workshops. "
"In fact, if we only consider practicality, the elves' weapons will definitely be criticized outside."
"Yes. So I admire Mr. Arthur for speaking out boldly. But I admire his loyalty to you even more."
"Loyalty to me?"
Yang Hao blinked, not understanding what Fen was saying.
Finn, on the other hand, took a sip of juice and said that it happened two days after the Quiet Exile incident.
At that time, Arthur told the elves in a dejected manner that he had resigned as a diplomat of the Roman Empire.
He cried openly that His Majesty, the only one who could understand him, might never guide him in a certain direction again, and then left the city in despair.
There was even a time when this man had thoughts of committing suicide, but in the end the female elves soothed his soul. But then again... Speaking of the women around Arthur, this has to involve the elves' "stubborn traditions."
"Your Majesty Yang Hao, perhaps you have heard that when an elf loves a person, they will love a family especially, and this love will not disappear until the elf dies. This love that lasts for hundreds of years is called the "Millennium Covenant."
Fen smiled without saying anything. She didn't know when her eyes were no longer on Yang Hao's face, but on Sister Teresa's face as she ate with her face puffed up.
“But this is actually wrong.”
"Wrong?"
"Because there is no so-called "Millennium Covenant"... Elves will do whatever it takes to keep the one they love by their side. Even if it is a short-lived ghost who can only live for more than 20 years, we will use all kinds of magic to prolong his life - and Mr. Arthur is a victim of this tradition... or the stubborn nature of the elves."
When you walk around the streets, have you noticed that our city is somehow overcrowded with women
Fen Qing was singing, Yang Hao seemed to be thinking about something, and Theresa blinked and suddenly turned pale.
“Elves have many traditions: men like to become rangers and travel the world after adulthood, while women like to stay in their hometowns and refine their skills.
This is a very normal thing for the elves, but gradually, after the disaster, the rangers who go out cannot guarantee that they can escape unscathed.
Especially after the end of the Demonic War, the extinction of the three males further exacerbated the imbalance between men and women in Japaria, and also caused many female elves who wanted to find a partner to be alone.