Chapter 141: The Great Expansion of the Red Flame Tribe

After reaching an agreement with Chieftain Barit, Sun Licheng began directing the construction efforts the following day.

They say a craftsman must sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well; thus, the first task Sun Licheng set for everyone was the construction of a blast furnace for smelting metal. Although the Red Flame Tribe possessed a large amount of spoils of war, including many bronze and iron artifacts, most were small and of poor quality. Sun Licheng planned to re-smelt these scraps into urgently needed tools. He believed that once these tools were produced, they would not only accelerate the tribe's development but could also be traded by Chapman. Refined through the power of flame and elemental guidance, these items would certainly fetch a high price. With such capital, Sun Licheng could revitalize the Red Flame Tribe and expedite his own mission.

Due to various limitations, the refinery furnace Sun Licheng built with the ogres was primarily intended for bronze. Bronze was of decent quality, but the main issue was that copper and tin were much harder to find than iron ore. However, since inferior iron lacked the hardness and other properties of bronze, and Sun Licheng had no intention of helping the Red Flame Tribe climb the technological tree for the long term, he abandoned iron smelting altogether.

While the furnace was under construction, Sun Licheng decided to process the harvested cassava into flour. To make cassava flour, the tough roots had to be crushed. After a moment's thought, he called for Henry.

"What do you want?" Henry asked, his tone surly. He was deeply resentful that Sun Licheng kept ordering him around.

"Go get me a large stone. As for the size? Just make sure it’s bigger than you," Sun Licheng replied, ignoring Henry's dark expression.

"I won't do it!" Henry roared. He was a warrior; how could he be expected to quarry stone?

"Caroline."

Sun Licheng, who had prepared for this, called out to the side. Caroline walked over, grumbling. To ensure Sun Licheng’s work could proceed as quickly as possible, Chieftain Barit had specifically appointed his daughter as a deputy, tasked with ideological education. Caroline’s education of Henry proved highly successful; half an hour later, a bruised and battered Henry obediently went into the mountains to quarry stone.

"There is truly justice in the strength of a fist," Sun Licheng mused, watching Henry’s slightly stumbling back. He was thoroughly satisfied with his political commissar.

Henry worked quickly; within a day, the stone was brought back. Sun Licheng carefully crafted it into a millstone. Although the design was crude, it spun well. This was where the ogres' immense strength proved advantageous. Because the millstone was large and heavy, the efficiency of grinding the cassava was remarkably high.

Henry was the one pulling the millstone this time. Seeing that Caroline was preparing to offer him more "ideological education," he solemnly declared to everyone that he was willing to pull it. "It’s good for building muscle," he explained to the others. Sun Licheng, of course, did not let Henry do all the work; he arranged for others to take turns. Through their collective effort, two-thirds of the cassava was ground into flour.

Cassava flour was a treasure; once heated, it was as delicious as wheat flour. To demonstrate its benefits and reward the tribe, Sun Licheng specially made diced-meat knife-cut noodles. After eating the chewy, hearty noodles, Henry forgot all his previous grievances. Although they had not yet found yeast, the value of the cassava flour was already clear—it could easily serve as a staple food.

Two days later, Sun Licheng was astonished to see Barit return with a group of slaves. Upon inquiry, he learned that Barit had traded cassava flour for them. When Sun Licheng asked about the exchange rate, he was immediately struck by Barit’s ruthlessness. Even the Rabbit-folk, known for their business acumen, would have shown great respect for the ogre chieftain’s methods.

"Who said ogres were simple-minded?" Sun Licheng thought to himself.

It was also worth noting that Sun Licheng discovered the ogres possessed a remarkable talent for cooking, which was truly surprising. Yet, it was the truth. When some ogres saw Sun Licheng cooking, they began to mimic him, and with great efficiency; for instance, at least twenty members of the tribe had already learned to make the knife-cut noodles he had introduced. Relying on these amateur ogre chefs, Barit was able to successfully charm other tribes, bringing back a wealth of raw materials and slaves for Sun Licheng.

With more labor, the construction of the Red Flame Tribe accelerated significantly. Before long, the towering refinery furnace was completed. During the first bronze smelting session, the entire tribe turned out to watch. When Sun Licheng poured the glowing red molten bronze into the molds, the whole tribe erupted in cheers. Possessing metal-smelting capabilities was akin to owning a printing press for money. Compared to the powerful nations of the continent, the Goblin Kingdom lagged far behind in both economy and culture; they were unable to be self-sufficient in metal tools, making them a high-value commodity.

With the completion of the bronze furnace, the development of the Red Flame Tribe shifted into the fast lane. Sun Licheng’s planned cassava plantations, snow-rat farms, and smithies were all established in short order. Relying on the bronze ware and the specialty foods created by Sun Licheng, Chapman traded for a large quantity of supplies, including piglets and a bird species resembling a chicken.

"It seems there are quite a few good things in the Goblin Kingdom after all," Sun Licheng realized upon seeing that the piglets and birds were clearly domesticated. He realized this place was much more developed than the Moon Alliance.

"Sun Licheng, can you make anything else unique? I want to travel further to trade," Chapman said, approaching Sun Licheng after returning from another trip with a new request.

Sun Licheng pondered for a moment and felt there was one area worth exploring. "Chapman, do you know about alcohol?"

"Of course I do. There are taverns in the capital of the Goblin Kingdom, but the alcohol there is terrible. And yet, those heartless merchants still sell it at unimaginably high prices," Chapman replied with a hint of bitterness. He had once dreamed of becoming a liquor merchant, but due to his lack of strength, he had been relegated to trading mundane goods like hides and magic crystals.

"That’s perfect," Sun Licheng said, slapping his palm.

"You mean...?" Chapman’s eyes lit up.

"I plan to brew alcohol for you to sell. The profit margin should be quite significant, don't you think?" Sun Licheng said with a smile.

"What will you use to brew it? As far as I know, brewing is no easy task, and it consumes a great deal of grain," Chapman said, expressing considerable skepticism.

"Heh. A hero always has his ways," Sun Licheng said, striking a pose of confident mystery, having already devised his plan.