The Arathi Highlands welcomed the first snow of the year, and the people of the highlands began to celebrate the Winter Veil.
This festival originated in the Hillsbrad Foothills, perpetually contrasted by white snow. The dwarves of Ironforge consider themselves children of the mountains, dwelling amidst the snow-capped peaks, blessed by Greatfather Winter. At the year's end, they celebrate by recounting ancient Titan stories and welcoming a time of renewal.
Galen strongly suspected that the dwarves just wanted an excuse to drink openly.
The biting winter wind at the year's end brought with it a sky full of swirling snowflakes, enveloping the earth. The people of the highlands wouldn't concern themselves too much with the origins of the festival itself; they were only concerned with celebrating and exchanging gifts during this time, which is the current custom of the Winter Veil.
Now, the image of Greatfather Winter is also widely used for commercial purposes, rather than being portrayed as a supernatural Titan giant. This festival is both loved and hated by young men, who have to spend a lot of money buying gifts for their beautiful partners.
At this moment, the Arathi Highlands were covered in snow, ensuring that the grasses would be lusher and the soil more fertile in the coming year, nurturing rebirth and the beginning of new life.
Thoras adopted Galen's suggestion to reclaim the Northward Farm and make it the property of the royal family. In this way, the royal family would hold the two largest farms in the Arathi Highlands. With ample food, the power of the royal family would grow unprecedentedly.
Thoras did not bestow the lands of the two earldoms and three viscountcies. Instead, they were managed by the royal family. The industries within the territories were auctioned off, contracting the operation rights of shops and mines to various nobles, who all benefited greatly, resulting in a win-win situation for everyone.
At this moment, in the royal palace, in Thoras's room, Galen was handing his father a Winter Veil gift.
The document was titled "Stromgarde Farm Reform Plan," and Thoras read it very carefully.
Galen didn't write too much in the plan, simply stating (fabricating) the origin of the farm: the masterpiece of the ninth-tier peak arcane master Gandalf, an efficient alchemical soil, combined with the function of the elemental spirit gathering array, to quickly ripen crops.
Wheat, beets, potatoes, and other common highland crops ripened thirty times a year, and herbs ripened once a month, which made Thoras's heart flutter.
As early as a month ago, he had received a report from Amor that his son possessed a magical creation that could double the kingdom's food supply in the short term, but he didn't quite believe it.
Today, Galen formally gave him the farm reform report. One was his son, and the other was his confidant; they couldn't be joking with him.
"What is the cost of this farm?" Thoras asked the most crucial question. He understood the alchemical creations of mages, which were generally expensive. If the cost of the farm was too high, the plan would be counterproductive.
"Four hundred gold coins each. If you plant royal blood grass and bruiseleaf, you can recover the cost in about a year. If you only plant wheat, it will probably take more than two years!"
Galen was still too embarrassed to ask for eight hundred gold coins. After all, Galen felt a little guilty about directly taking twenty times the gold coins from his father. Too little would make the new farm seem less impressive.
When Thoras heard Galen's words, he was shocked!
A business with ten thousandfold profit!
Just by being a little diligent, the annual harvest would increase twentyfold, a sure-fire profit!
"How long can the alchemical soil and spirit gathering array guarantee the effectiveness of the farm?" Thoras was not lacking in courage. He was willing to try anything that was beneficial to the kingdom, but after all, he bore the rise and fall of the people and had to act cautiously.
"Teacher Gandalf said that he can guarantee that there will be no problems for at least five years. Afterward, new potions may need to be added and the spirit gathering array maintained."
Galen spoke off the cuff, like a professional salesman. In fact, he had never thought about the issue of warranty, because the creations of the Heart of Origin, as long as they were not destroyed, could be used normally even if only a little durability remained!
"One hundred farms, located in Go'shek. I will allocate the required gold coins to you later." Thoras was still conservative, preparing to first pilot the project at the Go'shek Farm.
Now Galen had to increase his Deception. This time, he had plundered at least 300,000 gold coins worth of property from the Northward family, not including farms, mines, etc., because another commander, Ms. Amarelin, was notoriously disgusted with evil, and Galen did not dare to blatantly learn from Lord Vayu's method of confiscating property for personal gain.
Moreover, his father also had an income from the contracting fees of nobles, so it can be said that Thoras's treasury was unprecedentedly wealthy at this moment.
Galen couldn't help but be envious.
"Father, I have already experimented with the effectiveness of the farm in Helm's Valley. The wheat has already been harvested six times! Moreover, the farm does not need to be in fertile land like Go'shek. It only needs flat land to be built on, and the planting effect is the same! You can rest assured and place your order boldly!"
Thoras stared at Galen intently, and Galen immediately showed an appearance that he needed the money.
Seeming to have gotten something, Thoras said: "One hundred thousand gold coins, three hundred farms!"
The price was cut by 20,000 gold coins at once. Fortunately, there was still a profit of 88,000, but he still had to fake a painful look.
"Okay, Father, three hundred farms for one hundred thousand gold coins. I think the site selection can be in the valley in the center of the highlands. The terrain there is suitable for defense, and three hundred farms will become the new lifeline of the kingdom."
"Okay, the first phase is three hundred farms. If the farms are as you say, I will increase the number of orders."
In this way, a food reform of the Kingdom of Stromgarde was completed, from a farm economy with long maturity periods and dependence on rainfall and weather, to an intensive agriculture that ripens every ten days and wins by quantity.
Ignoring natural disasters, as long as the farm is not destroyed, it can continuously produce food, and the population of the kingdom will at least double in the future.
In an era of backward technology, what is war about? It's about population. The size of the population determines whether the labor force is sufficient and whether the size of the army is large.
Population is the capital of war. Although Galen has the Heart of Origin to create soldiers, he also hopes that the national strength of the Kingdom of Stromgarde can grow. After all, he is now the crown prince, and he will be the king in the future.
If I am crowned king, will the kingdom's population be recognized by the Heart of Origin?
If the kingdom's population is also counted in the blessing of the power of kingship, wouldn't my strength directly increase to the demigod level?
This is one of the reasons why Galen put the farm on the bright side and handed it over to his father. Another reason is to tell his father that he has a secret, but all the secrets come from his mentor Gandalf, grafting the object of suspicion, so he is much freer.
Galen stayed in the Stromgarde Palace until the end of the New Year. Under Thoras's means of wooing and dividing, the kingdom's situation slowly stabilized. This time, Galen controlled the scope of the arrest to the noble level, without affecting the civilians.
After the Northward family and the interest groups it condensed disintegrated, only a few kittens and puppies remained, and their strength was weak and unable to influence the kingdom's decisions.
The kingdom's cohesion reached its peak after the founding of the country. The royal family and a group of royal party members divided a large amount of land and industry, and their strength rose unprecedentedly.
Seeing that the kingdom was stable and peaceful and thriving, Galen once again set his sights on lands outside the Arathi Highlands.