Ayesha nodded. Sending those with a bit of a temper to build roads was indeed very fitting. If they had an attitude, dealing with rocks and dirt would be perfect for them.
It would wear down their tempers. If that didn't work, they could be sent to deal with the ore in the mines; they were short on manpower over there anyway.
Lucas said evenly, "Pick out some of the more dexterous and meticulous female beastkin among them and send them to the textile workshop. Their salary will be eighty copper coins a month."
"As for the beastkin sent outside the city to build roads, their monthly salary will be seventy copper coins."
Lucas pondered for a moment before adding in a low voice, "If there are any who know how to read, send them to the postal service and the newspaper publisher. They need some extra hands over there as well."
Mina nodded, jotting down everything Lucas said so she could pass it on to the relevant departments to arrange later. Right now, no matter what it was, Sedona City had a specific department managing it.
If anyone was unwilling to follow Lucas's arrangements, they could also go look for work themselves. Of course, when it came to renting housing, Lucas would still provide some concessions, such as offering a month's accommodation upfront. They could simply pay the rent back once they received their salaries.
Otherwise, given the beastkin's current complete lack of wealth, they would likely struggle to afford even a single meal in Sedona City.
"Master, you're too good to them. If they are still ungrateful, I'll send them to the mines myself," Ayesha said resentfully, getting a little angry just thinking about the behavior of those beastkin on the road.
"It seems this batch of beastkin really pissed you off," Lucas smiled, finding the cow-horned girl highly amusing.
He remembered that the last time the cow-eared girl returned, she had complained to him about the beastkin Bella took in, saying they were all lazy gluttons who just waited around for others to provide them with relief food every day.
"Yeah," Ayesha pouted, looking a bit aggrieved.
"You've worked hard. But with these beastkin, Sedona City will develop much better and faster. I'll credit you with a major merit when the time comes." Lucas pinched the cow-horned girl's cheek.
"Hehe..." The cow-horned girl's face flushed. She giggled foolishly, feeling all her exhaustion melt away.
Following that, Ayesha recounted everything that had happened during their journey to Lucas, including the quantity of saltpeter. The only thing she conveniently forgot was the matter Bella had specifically instructed her about before she left.
"Lord Lucas, I pass on Lady Bella's regards to you." Nancy and Obi came over and bowed. As for the others, they were still outside the checkpoint undergoing inspection.
"Welcome back, everyone," Lucas said with a smile on his lips.
"I wonder if Lord Lucas is satisfied with the quantity of saltpeter this time?" Nancy hadn't forgotten what Bella had entrusted her to do.
"Satisfied." Lucas nodded. To him, the more saltpeter, the better; there was no such thing as too much.
He addressed the expectant pair, "I will have people arrange the wheat and linen as quickly as possible. Take this time to properly relax in Sedona City."
"Lord Lucas, we actually came to Sedona City for another matter as well." Nancy hesitated for a moment, glanced at the cow-horned girl, and finally decided to speak up.
"Oh? What is it?" Lucas's eyes flickered. He had a rough guess in his mind as he looked over at the cow-horned girl.
"Another matter?" Ayesha's eyes darted around in confusion.
"..." Seeing her expression, Obi's eye twitched violently. Did she seriously just forget? Did she not pay any attention to it at all?
The corner of Nancy's mouth twitched before she gently reminded her, "Ayesha, the matter Lady Bella discussed with you right before we left."
"Oh! Right, she is preparing to expand her territory and wants to buy some weapons and armor from the master!" Ayesha exclaimed in sudden realization, blurting it all out in one breath.
"..." Nancy's mouth twitched again. Could you not have been a little more tactful about it?
"She wants weapons and armor?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. He had completely anticipated that Bella would make this request.
Nancy and Obi both nodded, traces of nervousness on their faces. They watched Lucas's expression closely, terrified of hearing him say no.
"Sure. She's Ayesha's sister, after all. We're all family here," Lucas chuckled lightly. The more than ten thousand beastkin they had just delivered had already done him a massive favor, solving his labor shortage problem.
Plus, the primary source of saltpeter was in Bella's territory. Asking for some weapons and armor wasn't a huge issue. As long as the quantity wasn't overwhelmingly large, he was willing to supply them. After all, his future plans would also require manpower to execute.
Building a good relationship now would also guarantee that the saltpeter mines remained firmly in Bella's hands and wouldn't be snatched away by others.
Saltpeter was of paramount importance to Lucas. It was directly tied to gunpowder and the implementation of his long master plan; none of it could be achieved without saltpeter.
"R-really?" Nancy and Obi were stunned. Hearing Lucas's words, they thought they had misheard. He agreed just like that??
"Of course," Lucas smiled, his tone carrying a profound meaning. "As long as we are friends, I am always willing to help."
"Thank you so much, Lord Lucas." Nancy and Obi were extremely excited and bowed respectfully. With this, the objectives of their entire trip had been completely fulfilled.
They had suspected Lucas might agree, but they hadn't expected him to be so straightforward and decisive about it. It seemed he had agreed without even needing to think it over. The two of them cast grateful glances at the currently clueless cow-horned girl, well aware that this was mostly due to Ayesha's influence.
"Over the next two days, I'll have people prepare one thousand forged steel spears and one thousand sets of armor. When you leave, have Ayesha take you to pick them up." Lucas waved his hand dismissively. This amount of weaponry was practically nothing to the current Sedona City.
If Dahlia managed to negotiate the iron ore export deal with the Deepstone Kingdom, then this small batch of weapons would be even more insignificant.
"Thank you." Nancy gave Lucas a deep look, her internal impression of him undergoing a new shift.
"Ayesha, take your friends to rest. Come to the castle for dinner tonight," Lucas said softly.
"Okay! I want to eat hotpot tonight!" Ayesha swallowed hard.
"Sure." Lucas nodded in amusement, then watched as Ayesha, Obi, and the others headed in the direction of the castle.
Next, he needed to make a trip to the Research Department. He had received word that there was news regarding the materials he had asked the underground bounty guild to look for.
This made Lucas incredibly curious about exactly which material had been found.
Originally, Lucas and Mina were heading straight to the Research Department. But right after they left the castle, they received news that Ayesha had arrived outside the city.
So, Lucas brought Mina along to welcome Ayesha back instead. After all, they hadn't seen each other in quite a while, and he had missed her a bit.
"Let's go. To the Research Department. Let's hope they don't disappoint me." A sharp light flashed in Lucas's eyes as he boarded the carriage.
"I'm also very curious about what this thing is that has you in such a rush, master," Mina smiled faintly, following him into the carriage.
The driver then closed the door, cracked his whip, and the carriage set off toward the Research Department.
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