Chapter 179: Long-term Planning
AI Model: gemini-2.5-flash
Roger wished he could slap himself; he was almost led astray by this strange dog!
If it were really to be used on the battlefield, wouldn't it be more convenient to train birds of prey like eagles and falcons directly?
An eagle's eyesight is many times stronger than a dog's, and its flight ability and stealth are also more suitable for reconnaissance. Was it necessary to spend so much time and effort to create such a bizarre magical creature?
"Mr. Morris, this is indeed an interesting creation, and it would certainly make hunting much more convenient. However, I came today because I wanted a new type of bird."
He briefly explained the characteristics of homing pigeons, which is that no matter how far away they are released, they can rely on their innate homing instinct to accurately fly back to a fixed location.
"It should ideally be able to adapt to various weather conditions, have the ability for long-distance flight, and also possess a certain degree of self-defense so it isn't preyed upon by certain birds of prey mid-journey."
Morris listened, twirling his messy beard, and fell into deep thought.
"Increasing speed, endurance, combat power... this requires deep optimization and integration of avian bloodlines. Perhaps we could introduce the bloodline of a Wind-Patterned Falcon to improve speed and flight altitude, and then use the bloodline of a Rock-Nest Dove to strengthen its homing instinct and adaptability to harsh environments... Brilliant!"
Seeing him so excited and eager to try, Roger asked, "How long will it take to get it done?"
Morris's excited expression paused, and he began to calculate cautiously.
"My Lord, this involves bloodline fusion and stabilization; it cannot be rushed. If all goes well, a stable primary breed will take at least a year. To meet your standards of 'faster, stronger, and more reliable,' it may require two to three years of continuous selective breeding and optimization."
Two or three years?
In two or three years, he might even be able to develop a signal transmitting device.
However, with nothing available now, he could only accept this reality.
"Alright, this task is entrusted to you. Whatever resources you need, just ask."
Morris was overjoyed and repeatedly promised to do his best.
Before leaving, Roger thought of the previous question. "Mr. Morris, can you make birds of prey like eagles and falcons speak? Or, in some way, transmit the scenes they see back?"
If this could be achieved, it would be an otherworldly version of a real-time battlefield monitoring system, with immeasurable value.
Morris opened his mouth, thought for a moment, and then answered cautiously. "Making birds of prey speak... is almost impossible. Harris, for example, has an innate high-level bloodline and was not magically modified.
Ordinary birds of prey, even those with demonic beast bloodlines, have vocal organs and intelligence levels that are insufficient to support complex language."
Morris spread his hands helplessly.
"As for transmitting what they see in real-time... theoretically, a magic contract for shared vision could be established, but this would require very advanced contract magic."
Roger understood his hidden meaning.
"Mr. Morris isn't skilled in this?"
"Yes, My Lord," Morris admitted somewhat awkwardly. "I am not proficient in areas involving soul contracts and high-level magic. This would require finding a master specializing in contract magic or mental magic."
It seems the matter of visual sharing would have to be handled another way.
The next day, Bear Two rushed to find him in a hurry.
"Boss, an envoy claiming to be sent by the King has arrived!"
"Oh?"
Harris had mentioned this before; the King was sending an envoy to collect taxes, but he had no intention of paying them obediently.
"Drive him away and tell him that if he dares to come again, I'll break his legs."
That so-called King had a mere force of less than two hundred men; could he really march over here?
"Alright!" Bear Two responded excitedly and ran out.
Harris, who was nearby, asked curiously, "Are you planning to go to war with the King?"
"I don't have that intention. But if the King is foolish enough to ask for a beating, I don't mind making him suffer a bit."
Harris joked, "Why don't you just defeat the King and take over the entire Swelog?"
This was not difficult; it could be said to be effortless.
The King's guard, plus the forces from the other eleven territories, amounted to only over 400 people.
Just sending 100 Bearmen would easily take care of it.
Even just sending Bear One and his four companions, a round of slashing would probably scare away the King's so-called "grand army."
"That's too much trouble. This one territory isn't even fully sorted out yet; suddenly having eleven more messes to deal with makes my head ache just thinking about it."
If this territory were small and couldn't accommodate people, he would consider expanding his domain.
But the current problem was too much land and too few people; the existing residents and resources were barely enough to develop the land they already had.
In this situation, taking on eleven more backward and barren messes would undoubtedly be asking for trouble.
"Instead of cleaning up those messes, it's better to develop our own territory first."
When this territory became strong and wealthy enough to rival a kingdom, he might consider "taking over" other territories.
Not long after, Bear Two came to find him again.
Roger initially thought the King's envoy was so troublesome that even Bear Two couldn't scare him away, but that wasn't the case.
"Boss, some Mercenaries calling themselves a Mercenary group have arrived with a bunch of beggars."
Beggars?
It seemed his bounty for recruiting displaced people, posted in the Mercenaries Guilds of Trador and other nations, had received a response.
"How many people have come?"
"A huge crowd, at least two or three hundred people! The Mercenary captain leading them said he safely brought the people and wants to settle the payment with you."
"Good, bring them to the open space in front of the castle. Call some more of your Bearmen brothers to maintain order."
This was to give these newcomers a show of force, to make them understand the rules here.
Soon, Bear One rode a Magic Pig, leading a group of people to the open space in front of the castle.
The Magic Pig's massive size and fierce aura not only terrified the displaced people, making them tremble, but also made the faces of the few experienced Mercenaries turn slightly pale.
Behind the crowd followed twenty burly young Bearmen. Although not fully armed, the oppressive feeling brought by their towering physiques was no less than that of the Magic Pig.
Roger stood on the castle rooftop, scanned the crowd, and waved to the leading Mercenary captain, signaling him to come up.
The captain quickly ascended to the rooftop and saluted Roger. "Are you the Lord who posted the bounty?"
"Hmm, which Mercenary group are you from?"
The other party's equipment was not refined; their leather armor was covered in wear and tear, and their weapons were just the most common standard issue.
"Reporting, My Lord, we are the 'Grizzly Mercenaries,' and I am the leader, Henry. This time, we have not failed your mission. As per your request, we have safely delivered a total of three hundred and twenty-seven displaced people."
Roger nodded, without much small talk. "Do you know the bounty requirements?"
Henry pulled out a piece of parchment from his in my arms.
"My Lord, this is a copy of your bounty. All these people are able-bodied young adults between sixteen and forty years old, and among them are fifty-eight skilled artisans."
Roger scanned the crowd below. They were indeed all able-bodied. Although some were emaciated from hunger, most of their eyes were still clear, and they didn't appear to be suffering from serious illnesses.
He had someone carry a Lie-Eating Warbler's cage and randomly selected a dozen people to question.
It was confirmed that these were indeed desperate displaced people who had voluntarily come seeking a new life, and their identities and skills were largely accurate.
He stood before the magic loudspeaker and announced loudly, "I am Roger, the Lord here. As long as you are law-abiding and work hard, I guarantee you will have food to eat, a roof over your heads, and a stable life."
"There are no laws here for now, only simple rules."
"Thieves will compensate, those who injure others will be punished, and murderers will pay with their lives! The method of death will be to become food for that Magic Pig."
After confirming that everyone had heard clearly, Roger promptly paid Henry his reward.
Taking the heavy money pouch, Henry's face showed a relieved smile.
He hadn't expected this Lord to be so decisive and immediately decided to go back and find more displaced people.