If Roland wanted to develop the Border Town, he would have to put down roots. Even though the area was a wasteland, it could easily be reclaimed and improved. If the size of the territory was too small, people could expand outwards. However, all of talk was useless if no one was willing to stay.
If they could be forced to abandon their land at any time, then who would be willing to purchase it? Who would want to improve it?
After the Assistant Minister left, Roland called in Chief Knight Carter and ordered, "Assemble your men and go and find some of the local guards, hunters and farmers who have lived here for more than five years. Ask them if they have experienced the Months of the Demons. If you find someone who has fought a demon, that would be even better."
After the knight saluted and left, Roland rubbed his forehead and continued to look at the data compiled by the Assistant Minister.
The Border Town primarily exported products from hunting and mining, and mainly imported food. Everything was transported directly along the Redwater River to Longsong Stronghold or Willow town.
The mining exports included all kinds of minerals, such as iron, copper, sulfur, crystal, ruby, and sapphire, etc. This was completely against the concept of associated minerals. He thought about what Anna had said to him: the North Slope Mine area was rumored to be an unknown underground lair, and until now there had been no proven bottom to the mine. It was also unknown how far the mine extended.
The minerals the town exported weren’t paid for with the kingdom’s gold royals, but instead they were traded for the foodstuffs that arrived. It seems reasonable that, since the gems were a high-priced luxury, in these last five years the Border Town should have saved a surplus of food, but there was nothing left.
In other words, the annual mining production of the Border Town was only enough to feed two thousand people. Before the prince had arrived, the Border Town had been governed by the duke who also controlled Longsong Stronghold; it was him who had set up this arrangement. In his opinion, it would save food and also created a warning system for the monsters.
The fur trade was how the local people made their living. They ventured into the Misty Forest to the west and hunted birds and other animals. They then sold the animals to the acquirers of Longsong Stronghold or to the residents of Willow Town. No transactions took place in the Border Town and so no taxes were collected.
Roland thought that, since he had come this practice could not continue; minerals would no longer be paid for with food. The Redwater River ran through the whole kingdom, and anyone could use it. It was essentially a highway; even if they no longer bought food from Longsong Stronghold, there were other places they could trade with.
However, this was all built upon the premise that he could stay in the Border Town and hold off those damn monsters.
Carter worked quickly and by the next day he had found two local guards and a hunter. He reported, "These two men are part of the town patrol, every year they are responsible for lighting the beacon. The hunter said he has crossed paths with the demons. He returned with the head of a demonic beast, which he said he cut off with his own two hands."
The three of them bowed simultaneously.
Roland nodded, gesturing for them to stand up; the first person stepped forward to speak.
"Honor... respected prince... Your Highness." The first guard who spoke was so nervous he was unable to speak clearly, "Brian and I are... are the people, uh... when it begins to snow, we... we’ll go to the North Slope Mine area... to the Beacon Tower. There it is the first possible... it is the first place where you can see the demons, and if they are crossing over in great numbers... we’ll conceal ourselves in the Misty forest... and light the beacon in the tower… We retreat up the road and board the boat, which we prepared beforehand... then we leave."
"Since you both were together, let your partner answer." Roland covered his face to hide his disapproval. "What are the demonic beasts like? Can they be killed?"
The other guard was also very nervous, but at least he did not stammer. "Your Highness, I believe so. They used to just be ordinary animals in the forest, but because of the evil miasma they become manic and ferocious; however, they can still be killed. During every past Months of the Demons, Longsong Stronghold would send cavalry to cleanse the remnants of the demon monsters along the land from Longsong Stronghold to Border Town."
"How long does the Months of the Demons?" Roland asked.
"Generally two to three months... it depends on the sun," said Brian.
"The sun?" Roland asked doubtfully.
"Yes," the guard explained. "Your Highness came to this town not too long ago, so you do not know. In this Border town, once the snow begins to fall it does not stop until the sun shines again and then the snow goes away."
"So the snow indicates the end of the Months of the Demons?" Roland recalled that at least in Graycastle, it was not like this. The next day it would stop snowing, and the sun would seem to be no different.
"It is exactly like this. The longest Months of the Demons I have experienced was two years ago, which lasted for nearly four months and many people starved."
"Why, shouldn’t be the grain reserves in Longsong stronghold large enough to support the town for more than one month?" Roland asked.
Brian’s face got a little angry. "They had enough. But Reynolds, the Municipal Administrative Governor who was responsible for managing such things, declared that the amount of ore and minerals mined was only enough to buy food for three months, and for the fourth month we had to deliver a new shipment of ore. But the Months of the Demons had not ended, and we couldn’t leave the fortress."
"So that is what happened... I understand."
They were fools to be alienating people. If Longsong Stronghold treated the people who lived on the frontier with this kind of cold harshness, like a spring wind, the frontiersmen would most likely want to stay and not leave. At the moment it seemed that the group of people controlling Longsong Stronghold were not the good-natured sort. Roland beckoned the last person forward to answer, while putting the name of the Municipal Administrative Governor in the back of his mind.
The third man looked courageous and strong, standing over 6 feet tall, making Roland feel tense. Fortunately, he came forward on his knees.
"You said you killed the beast?"
"Yes, Your Highness." His voice was low and hoarse. "A demonic boar and a demonic wolf."
"Species?" Roland repeated, "what do you mean?"
"This is the name of the demonic beast, Your Highness. The fiercer the animal was before, the more difficult it is to deal with variation after. The transformation emphasizes the advantages of the animal. The demonic boar’s back fur becomes extremely tough, even within 50 meters it is difficult to hurt it with a crossbow. The demonic wolf becomes more cunning and it runs faster. To kill it, you need to set up traps in advance."
"Stronger animals become even stronger and faster animals become even faster." Roland nodded as he heard this. "But they are still animals."
"Yes, they are, but they aren’t the most terrible kind of enemy," the hunter said. He swallowed his saliva before he could speak further, "The worst ones are the demonic hybrids."
"They are the devil incarnate; only hell is able to create such a horrible monster. I have seen a demonic hybrid. It had not only strong limbs of beast, but on its back there was a pair of huge wings, allowing it to fly short distances. And it always knew where I was. No matter how much I tried to hide, it could always detect me. It was not hunting its prey, Your Highness, but it was just teasing it." The hunter lifted his clothing, revealing a large scar extending from his abdomen to his chest. He said, "Before I lost consciousness I fell into the Redwater River. I was lucky to survive."
"Such a monster actually exists." Roland felt that the world was becoming more and more fantastic. A strong wall could stop all ordinary kinds of demonic beasts, but if they could fly, what should he do? "Demonic hybrids are very rare, right?"
