142: Chapter 88 Financial Crisis_3 142: Chapter 88 Financial Crisis_3 Facing the imminent threat, Azeryan’s original plan to rely solely on a few villagers for patrols was definitely insufficient.
Adjacent to the Nightmare Forest, Selva and Lokhak had to possess armed forces capable of dealing with large-scale Living Corpse attacks.
Mobilizing the subjects to defend their homeland spared the need for military pay, as food and drinks were provided at home with little additional expense.
In an emergency, the sixty or so able-bodied men who had returned to Selva could be assembled to form an infantry phalanx to resist the Living Corpses.
Thanks to the military ordinances of the Orland Kingdom, they were equipped with simple spears and iron helmets, with most wearing ordinary quilted armor and a few wealthier households even owning rudimentary chain armor.
They had also undergone basic training at the fortress, and with proper command, they could be considered a reluctantly combat-capable force.
However, Lokhak had a small population to begin with, and in times of danger, they couldn’t muster many fighting men; relying on a few young men and elders to protect the entire village’s women and children was unrealistic.
Azeryan thought for a moment, and now the situation had reversed; originally planning to recruit archers from Lokhak to help in Selva, he now likely had to transfer people from Selva to protect Lokhak.
Then the problem came back to money.
Transferring militia to defend another village meant that their expenses for food and drink had to be covered by the Lokhak side.
With Selva Village already short on labor, the soldiers would have to leave their own lands unproductive; they couldn’t simply expect the militia to work without reaping anything the following year.
Either pay them or provide food.
The two calculated that even if only twenty spearbearers were dispatched to stay in Lokhak, their monthly food expenses alone would amount to nearly three to four hundred Dier.
At this rate, without spending three months, Leon would have to consider bankruptcy and selling horses.
The main expense on the domain currently was the nine Warhorses.
Now, selling the surplus six was also a feasible solution.
But Leon was reluctant, they were Urian’s fine horses, and the price they would fetch if sold now would not come close to the cost of repurchasing them later.
Ultimately, their awkward situation began before becoming Lords, with the domain’s primary workforce conscripted to fight in the war.
Had there not been an emergency, they could have waited for the war to end and the able-bodied to return, but who would have thought they’d urgently need troops now.
“Can we ask Baron Eriv to let those young men conscripted from Lokhak return to their hometown?” Azeryan suggested.
He had been planning to report to the Sealing Lord at the Mamor County frontline as soon as possible, to report the threat to the Thorns Flower family’s southern territories after the Cursed Land disappeared.
Once the situation in the Nightmare Forest was explained to Baron Eriv, if the conflict on Mamor’s side wasn’t too intense, he probably wouldn’t refuse.
After all, more regions than Selva and Lokhak under the Baron’s rule border the Nightmare Forest.
They demanded Lokhak’s archers to return home to defend their land as part of their military obligation to resist the Undead.
But while the source of troops could be resolved, the money issue remained without a clue.
They could ask the Sealing Lord to return their subjects, but it was impossible to recoup the funds and food previously conscripted.
Lokhak and Platon’s territorial revenues couldn’t be collected until the latter half of the year.
If they didn’t want to sell the horses or weaponry, even without other expenses, funds would still fall short.
Leon almost envisioned a giant symbol of poverty rising above his head.
Of course, he wasn’t too anxious; there were still solutions.
For instance, a return trip to the Nightmare Forest to find Miss Lora and move the remaining few gold and silver ingots from the Mage Tower could solve the immediate financial crisis, even if it wasn’t a long-term strategy…
So, what could they do in the future to earn quick money?
Supporting his chin and lost in thought, Leon gazed at the wood grain on the table surface, which seemed to morph into the Nightmare Forest, his mind wandering.
Disappearance of the Cursed Land…
Leon sat up straight.
An idea had flashed across his mind, one that had been overlooked due to too much concern over the Undead.
now that the Cursed Land has disappeared, in the future, won’t this place become a border directly bordering Kantadar?” As realization dawned on him, Azeryan couldn’t help raising his head and frowning as he sought confirmation from Leon.
“Yes, that’s it!” Leon slapped the table, cursing himself for overlooking such a vital matter.
He and Kovis had escaped northward into the Nightmare Forest from Kantadar territory, witnessing several villages and towns near the forest that were defenseless.
Along the way, there were few military strongholds, as the Southern Kingdom never imagined an army invading from the direction of the Nightmare Forest.
Now, the natural barrier of the Nightmare Forest, which had existed for over a thousand years, had vanished, and besides themselves, no one else knew this.
Just that piece of intelligence was worth far more than gold.
If the Orland Kingdom could assemble an army and take this opportunity to cross the Nightmare Forest and head south…
What were minor concerns like Undead attacking the village compared to this?
The current time difference he possessed was a matter of utmost importance.
He had to go to the Mamor County Army camp immediately to meet with Baron Eriv.