Chapter 183: Bricks and Crossbows

“This looks like clay… wait, why didn’t I use clay to fire bricks?”

Phield picked up the figurine in surprise and examined it. “Where did you dig this from?”

“From the well that’s being built—by the river near the logging camp.” Alexia stood on her tiptoes and pointed toward the east in the distance. “The soil they dug out is piled up nearby, so we used it to play.”

“I must be an idiot. I actually forgot the simplest material for making bricks.” Phield was genuinely surprised and burst into laughter. “Looks like I’m lucky today—first rock salt, now clay. Saves me the trouble of searching for it myself.”

“Eh? Praise to our dear lord.”

Alexia’s sea-blue eyes darted around as she said sweetly, “That counts as a contribution, right? Can I skip the punishment?”

You should be grateful you’re young and there’s no defeat punishment.

“No. One thing has nothing to do with the other.” Phield refused mercilessly, then changed his tone. “I’ll have the kitchen make each of you a caramel pudding as a reward.”

“That sounds delicious. Thank you, my lord.”

All three of them were practically drooling.

Resources in Nightfall Domain were scarce. Phield himself was reluctant to indulge in desserts, so setting aside some precious supplies as a reward for them was already very generous.

After sending the three children away, Phield headed to the designated industrial zone of Nightfall Domain.

This area used to be the logging camp. A river ran through it, connecting directly to Starnight City, and the coal-fired kiln had also been built here. The former logging huts had already been converted into workers’ quarters, with fifty to sixty people sweating away at their labor.

Ever since they began receiving daily food and wages, most of the slaves worked diligently of their own accord.

All the craftsmen of Nightfall Domain—except for the stonemasons repairing the castle—gathered around and saluted Phield.

“My lord, the brick kiln has been completed. The molds you requested have also been finished.”

A crude brick kiln, built from stone and packed earth, stood alone on a stretch of barren land. Phield had already ordered its construction earlier.

Phield nodded. “Listen carefully. Once you understand, start experimenting boldly. Whoever produces the bricks I need first will be rewarded with coins.”

The principle and process of brick-making were simple—at its core, it was just playing with mud.

The dug-up clay needed to be cleared of stones and impurities, preferably by sun-drying it thoroughly.

After adding water, it should be repeatedly kneaded and pounded—having oxen trample it would work as well—until the clay fully absorbed the moisture.

Finally, it would be packed into rectangular wooden molds. Once removed, it should be left to air-dry before being fired in the kiln.

As for the exact firing time and temperature, Phield had no idea. Different trades had their own expertise—he had never made bricks himself.

“As long as I’ve given them the direction, they’ll succeed eventually if they keep trying.”

Watching the craftsmen brimming with enthusiasm, Phield nodded in satisfaction.

“My lord, why are we making bricks?”

Thanks to her powerful recovery ability, Ashina had regained her energy, though she still looked languid, her cheeks flushed. She stretched lazily as she walked over with Gogris.

Gogris shrank back nervously at the sight of the surrounding slaves. The only reason she dared come here at all was under the pressure of Ashina’s wolf-like presence.

“Ta-da~ I brought your little craftsman over. She looked bored, so I brought her out for some fresh air.”

“True. There’s no entertainment in Nightfall Domain.”

Phield nodded thoughtfully. Everyone had been too busy lately, and with the constant threat of corrupted corpses, no one had paid attention to entertainment.

“I’ll design some games in the next couple of days.”

Ashina shrugged indifferently. “Being with you is already interesting enough, my lord.”

Only after seeing Phield did Gogris finally relax a little. She rushed forward and clung tightly to his leg, refusing to let go, peeking out timidly with one eye at Ashina.

Wolfkin were indeed terrifying.

“Making bricks is, of course, for building houses. But I haven’t found limestone yet, so we’ll stockpile bricks first.” Phield poked the clay that had just been brought over in a cart. “Brick houses are sturdy and reliable. While they can’t compare to solid stone houses, they’re much faster to mass-produce.”

“But… we already have a castle.”

“It’s not for me—it’s for the people. Once we can build them in large numbers, my people won’t have to suffer from the cold and the rain anymore.”

Both beastkin froze.

They simply couldn’t understand how a noble could concern himself with what kind of homes commoners lived in.

Ashina’s breathing even grew heavier.

“What’s with her all of a sudden… don’t tell me she’s in the mood again?”

Phield’s thoughts went astray, and he was momentarily shocked—it hadn’t even been that long.

“Right, since Gogris is here, I have a task for you.”

Gogris nervously clutched her skirt, then suddenly stood straight and bowed deeply. “Please, Master, give your orders.”

“Cough… that sounds kind of weird.” Wiping cold sweat from his forehead, Phield produced a blueprint as if by magic. “This is a rough sketch I recreated. It’s called a repeating crossbow. I’ll assign the carpenters to you—recreate it. Improve it if you can.”

In his previous life, he had been a weapons enthusiast and was very familiar with repeating crossbows.

He had considered compound crossbows, but with Nightfall Domain’s current manpower and resources, even making a proper bench was a challenge. Compound bows or firearms were out of the question for now.

“This is a crossbow capable of continuous firing. While its penetration is weaker than a standard crossbow, it’s incredibly effective against lightly armored or unarmored corrupted corpses.”

And equally effective against rioters.

“This… what an incredible design!”

Gogris’s mouth fell open wide enough to fit a carrot. She stared in disbelief. “It’s so ingenious. How did you come up with this?”

Phield chuckled. “Well, my intelligence is just that outstanding.”

“Make it. Improve it if possible—I believe in you.” Phield gave a thumbs-up.

“No problem!” Speaking of her area of expertise, Gogris’s voice grew noticeably louder. “I won’t let you down.”

The little fox’s eyes burned with excitement. “I’m going back to start immediately—I can’t wait any longer.”

“Good. The basement of Starnight Castle will be your workshop.” Phield patted her head, then turned to Ashina. “Go gather thirty soldiers and mobilize fifty slaves. We’re going to locate the salt deposit.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Watching the two of them hurry off, then glancing at the hardworking slaves and craftsmen around him, Phield suddenly had an idea.

“Wait… The Ring of Sin can enhance the attributes of ordinary people. If I activate it on the slaves, would their work efficiency increase significantly?”

Phield stroked his chin. “That’s pretty inhumane… but it’s worth trying. Using it on prisoners in the future might be quite interesting.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep