Chapter 190: Magic is the Primary Productive Force

Meanwhile, more than a dozen barbarian tribe leaders, both major and minor, were gathered together.

“Ever since Lord Grand Shaman integrated us, everything has changed.”

“They are called Wizards now. Haven’t you heard those southerners talking?”

“We have to work hard every day, and we are ordered around by those people from the south.”

“After working, we still have to learn the headache-inducing Common Language!”

“I really miss the days when we could just sunbathe all day.”

“Should we…” One leader was about to make a fierce expression when his back suddenly grew hot, and a rune structure appeared. His expression immediately softened, and he continued: “We should trust the Lord. He won’t forget us.”

Unbeknownst to them, Leon and his daughter Betty were quietly hiding nearby. Using the Lesser Spell Eavesdrop, they heard the discussion clearly.

Betty’s golden twin tails flicked up. Her eyes revealed ruthlessness. She said to Leon: “Father, should we strike first?”

Leon’s expression darkened. After thinking for a moment, he whispered to Betty:

“Do not be rash. Invite a few familiar apprentices to monitor this place together. I will report to His Excellency the Torch-Bearer. They are only complaining now; there is no substantive action, so we cannot arrest them directly. Moreover, they hold high status among the barbarians. We need them to manage the barbarians effectively.”

Betty listened to Leon and contacted several apprentices through her Grimoire. Leon adjusted his clothes and quietly walked toward Ace’s residence.

Under the moonlight, Leon’s face was somewhat pale. As he walked, he muttered to himself with a heavy heart:

“We still have too few people. Perhaps Lord Ace’s plan to fell trees, build ships, and plunder or purchase population should be advanced.”

At Ace’s residence, after listening to Leon’s report, Ace’s eyes flickered under the cold light of the Controllable Light Orb. He said:

“I also intend to recruit some barbarian leaders into the Administration Office. However, letting them all enter directly is inappropriate. Allowing those harboring dissatisfaction into the management layer would be problematic.”

I cannot always manage them with Charm and Suggestion spells. Problems will arise sooner or later. Why not take this opportunity to let the lurking dissatisfied ones jump out and catch them all in one net! Ace thought.

“I will assign some apprentices to you to monitor this group of barbarian leaders. I will create a window of opportunity soon. We will wait for potential rebels to expose themselves, eliminate the unstable factors, and then gather the remaining loyal leaders into the Administration Office.

Direct recruitment would make us seem weak. Eliminate the disobedient first, then recruit!”

After saying this, a cold glint appeared in Ace’s eyes under the Controllable Light Orb. Ruling and assimilating barbarians could never be accomplished simply by spells. It relied more on iron-fisted means to eliminate dissent and deter the wicked before granting favors.

Leon’s suggestion to accelerate the introduction of people from civilized nations was also imperative. The population ratio determined the capacity for assimilation. Increasing the population from civilized nations as much as possible would allow for better assimilation of the barbarians.

Moreover, he missed Marina’s lettuce soup very much. He wondered how she and Romon were doing. Without him, was Romon drinking every day again? Was Marina missing her son every day? If the Ace Estate continued to prosper, would anyone become envious?

After all, he hadn’t returned to the city-state, and he didn’t know if his Citizenship was still recognized. Various thoughts about his parents surfaced. Ace’s expression showed nostalgia and guilt.

He patted Leon on the shoulder and said with satisfaction:

“Regarding the plundering and purchasing of population, there is no rush. We will decide after this year’s grain harvest. You go back first. Focus on construction openly, but monitor closely in secret!”

Subsequently, under the cover of night, Ace lifted the Suggestion spell effect on the barbarian leaders. Looking at the sleeping barbarian leaders, a sneer appeared on his lips.

A week later, the open space where the Magic School was located had been excavated into a flat, large pit by the apprentices using Lesser Mud-to-Stone and Lesser Corrosion. Piles of earth were stacked near the pit.

Under the command of “Sharp,” the apprentices were divided into four groups.

The first group used the Spell Hand to manipulate the soil into flat mud bricks. The second group used the Mud-to-Stone spell to directly convert the mud bricks into hard stone bricks.

The third group used Spell Hands to lay the stone bricks on the pit floor with gaps between them. The fourth group controlled mud slurry to fill the gaps directly and then cast Mud-to-Stone.

Ace stood at the edge of the pit, watching the apprentices working hard to lay the foundation and build the future castle basement with Magic. A smile appeared on his lips. He said to Bayen beside him:

“This is Magic. We have mastered not only supernatural power, the key to truth, but also an advanced form of productive force. Magic is the primary productive force!”

Bayen watched the apprentices quickly laying and compacting the castle foundation, also deeply shocked. This opened a new line of thought for him. He had always regarded the path of Magic as the path for mortals to become supernatural and approach truth, but he had never thought that Magic could also be used for production and daily life!

He said excitedly to Ace: “A Lesser Wizard Apprentice, as long as they master the relevant spells, can match the efficiency of dozens of mortals. Moreover, they can instantly create sophisticated products that mortal craftsmanship cannot achieve.

Take these stone bricks, for example. If mortals were to produce them, they would have to select pure soil and fire them at high temperatures in a sealed kiln. Often due to insufficient sealing, the temperature of burning charcoal is limited, and the resulting bricks are not that strong.

Pouring mud into the gaps between stone bricks and directly using Lesser Mud-to-Stone to connect the bricks into a complete piece is a miracle that current mortal technology cannot achieve!

But with Magic, all production technology problems are easily solved!”

Bayen bowed to Ace, his black magic robe swaying in the wind. He continued:

“Lord Torch-Bearer! We should mobilize all apprentices. After building the Magic School castle, we should use Magic to build the entire town!”

Ace patted Bayen on the shoulder, helping him up. With stirring emotion, he said to Bayen:

“Your proposal is excellent. Our nearly one hundred Wizard Apprentices represent the most advanced productive force right now. We can use Social Practice Points as rewards to mobilize this great productive force to build our own magical town!

We can use Magic not only to build sturdy structures but also to produce large quantities of iron tools, construct sophisticated water conservancy facilities, and build sturdy ships.

In the future, we can even manufacture countless quasi-Magic Items and Magic Items, cultivate a large number of Wizard Apprentices, and create a glorious magical society!

The desolation and barbarian buildings before us will be torn down and rebuilt under the torrent of Magic. We will use the power of Magic to achieve leapfrog development, building a prosperous town at a speed unimaginable to both Divine Descendants and mortals.

Relying on this town, more Wizard Apprentices will be born. We will use magical methods to overcome more technical problems in production and life, allowing the town to rapidly develop into a great city, and in the near future, build our Wizard High Tower!”

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