Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 47: I’m Going to Pay Tribute to the Goddess of Wisdom

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: I’m Going to Pay Tribute to the Goddess of Wisdom

The dwarves listened to Romon’s challenge and couldn’t help but looking at each other in astonishment.

A machine that could fly, with its speed and direction controlled by a joystick—something they had no reference for, nor had they ever heard of such a concept.

Precisely because of this, they found Romon even more mysterious.

"We’ll go forge right away!" The dwarves, pondering feasible solutions, quickly jumped back down the tunnel into the factory.

Romon provided them with the concept; the rest of the design, research, and assembly had to be completed by the dwarves themselves.

Watching the dwarves show such respect for Romon, Talia also flew down into the giant pit. Curious, she asked, "Lord Romon, did you know these dwarves before?"

"No, this is the first time we’ve met," Romon replied.

Although it was indeed their first meeting, Romon had already analyzed the personalities and preferences of this group of dwarves in his simulations. Most importantly, the [Pollution Purification Device] was simply too powerful—even Romon, as a transmigrator, was amazed by it, let alone the dwarves.

This poisonous swamp had a history spanning over a hundred years. Countless people had tried—and failed—to resolve the problem. Yet with just a toss of the [Pollution Purification Device], the whole area was cleaned up in minutes.

Even the air had become fresh and pure, no different from the untouched wilds.

If you were to grab a random citizen of Stone Town and bring them here to see this land, they’d probably think they were hallucinating.

"The first time... Lord Romon, your charisma really is impressive," Talia sighed. The dwarves were notoriously stubborn—like a bunch of muscle-bound potatoes—and to win them over at first sight was almost like being a succubus lord.

Nini also jumped down from the edge of the pit. Agile and nimble, she deftly absorbed the impact of her landing, as graceful as a cat.

She came over and asked, "Master, this was once unclaimed territory. Now that it’s under your governance, should we announce to the world that this land will be part of the Thune Lord domain?"

Romon turned and patted Nini’s head. After several rounds of in-depth discussions, Nini had clearly become more proactive, now thinking on behalf of the Thune Lord territory.

"That’s exactly what we should do. Nini, go back to Stone Town and tell the mayor to petition the king—let him know that I, Romon Thune Lord, have begun administering a stretch of land unwanted by any other lord."

All land under the heavens belonged to the king; a lord’s territory was simply land allotted by the king.

This area, once the poisonous swamp, may have been called unclaimed, but in truth, it simply meant that no lord wanted it—it still belonged to the king.

So, to claim this land, there was no need to pay tribute to other lords or declare war upon them; all that was required—and necessary—was to submit a petition to the king.

After receiving her orders, Nini affectionately nuzzled Romon’s palm, then leaped away. Her figure turned into a shadow and vanished in the blink of an eye.

...

Romon and Talia remained at the spot, waiting.Not long after,

The first dwarf emerged from the tunnel, holding his creation in his hands. He was the leader of this group of dwarves—Lukoff.

Lukoff sported a dark red, bushy beard, a bulbous nose veined with red, and round, ring-like eyes.

"My lord, I’ve finished it—does it look like this?"

He offered the contraption to Romon. At a glance, Romon could tell it was rather crudely made. Beneath the lightweight steel frame, the gears were completely exposed, and even the core magic crystal was left unshielded.

At each of the four corners of the frame, there was a fan, but just by looking, it was obvious that all four fans were different sizes.

"Lukoff...are you sure this thing can fly?"

"My lord, it can, really! I just tested it a moment ago."

As he spoke, Lukoff tossed the machine into the air and frantically worked a crystal joystick with his other hand.

As he moved the stick, the fans at the four corners of the airborne device did indeed spin at high speed, producing a buzzing noise that at least sounded convincing.

However—

Because no balancing mechanism had been implemented, it was nearly impossible for the machine to remain stable in the air. What’s more, once Lukoff managed to get it to fly about fifteen meters, it immediately nosedived into the ground.

Clearly, its flight range was extremely limited. As for speed and endurance, there was almost no need to even discuss them.

Watching the battered device hit the ground, its fans sent flying from the impact, Lukoff opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

Romon consoled him: "Your research is on the right track. Go back and make some more adjustments. You’ll need to take balance, speed, and distance into account."

"Yes, thank you for your guidance," Lukoff replied, preparing to leave.

Romon asked, "Was this your work alone, or did you all build it together?"

"I gathered everyone’s skills for this."

Upon hearing this, Romon nodded. If Lukoff had built it all by himself, his talent would have been downright terrifying—he’d be able to hammer out a prototype in no time. After all, the hardest part wasn’t getting the thing to fly, but figuring out how to control it remotely.

But if it was a group effort, it made more sense. All in all, their forging skills were truly top-notch, but when it came to research concepts and creative inspiration, things were still a bit unclear.Romon couldn’t really give them detailed technical instructions—he only knew of such a project in general terms, not as a deep-level researcher. The reason he used this project to test the dwarves was because he desperately needed to increase the [power] of the Thune Lord domain.

At present, the volunteer adventurer conscription plan was coming to an end; those willing to serve had basically all signed up, and their strength levels wouldn’t improve much in the short term.

So, Romon had to look for other solutions.

As a lord, he couldn’t afford to be inflexible. When it came to increasing military strength, he couldn’t rely solely on boosting his soldiers’ personal levels—some people simply lacked the talent, and no amount of training would help. Opening another door was a far more cost-effective way to grow stronger.

That door was called the Gate of Magitech.

As a transmigrator, Romon had brought over all kinds of military technology concepts from his previous life. By combining those ideas with this world’s magic, machinery, and alchemy, it wasn’t impossible to recreate them. In fact, he might even be able to create magitech that far surpassed anything from his old world.

"I’ve already pointed out what needs to be improved. Go back, discuss it among yourselves, brainstorm some ideas. Next time, I want to see a real product—not something that’s not even as good as a toy." Romon said to Lukoff.

Lukoff nodded heavily. If anyone else had insulted a dwarven creation as being worse than a toy, a dwarf would have flown into a rage. But if Romon said it, Lukoff could only listen obediently.

The capable are teachers; the strong are honored. For the dwarves, anyone who could "create" something like the [Pollution Purification Device] was a veritable god of forging!

To the dwarves, his criticisms and instructions felt like divine revelations.

"My lord, I will definitely produce something that satisfies you! You—our dwarven clan is determined to follow you!" Lukoff declared.

He hadn’t forgotten: this was only a test. Only after passing Romon’s test would they be allowed to pledge their allegiance. One could imagine, once they succeeded, there would be endless high-level ideas and never-ending divine technology to forge! That was exactly what dwarves loved most.

Lukoff turned and headed back into the underground workshop.

Watching Lukoff’s departing figure, Romon silently calculated: with the dwarves’ forging talent, they’d probably pass his test in a dozen days or so. With the addition of this world’s magic, it wouldn’t be long before they could combine drones with magical bombardment.

But even a dozen days felt too long. Was there a way to shorten the timeline?

He ran through every method available in his domain, and in the end, the most effective way was to increase his [Culture] value. As long as that was raised, the dwarves would receive more inspiration, speeding up their research and reducing the development time.

But how could he increase his Culture value?He had already tried spreading culture, encouraging study, and even building statues, but none had produced enough effect. Now, only one option remained: offering a ritual to the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom in the royal estate. The church’s nuns could pray to their goddess—so why shouldn’t he seek inspiration and culture by praying to the Goddess of Wisdom?

Romon glanced at Talia and said, "We’re going back to the Thune Lord Great Forest."

"You’re not going to wait here, Lord Romon?"

"There’s no need. They won’t meet my requirements today, so I’m going to offer a ritual to the Goddess of Wisdom and ask her to bless the dwarves."

Increasing [Culture] wouldn’t just stimulate the dwarves’ creativity—it would also radiate throughout the entire Thune Lord domain.

"The Goddess of Wisdom? But the church in Stone Town isn’t dedicated to her..."

"Exactly. That’s why we’re heading for the Great Forest."

The church in Stone Town was dedicated to a local deity, not one of the mainstream gods. If he wanted to perform a proper ritual to the Goddess of Wisdom, he’d have to go to the royal estate in Angelia. Although the estate itself wasn’t complete yet, the statue of the Goddess of Wisdom in the main square was already finished. freёweɓnovel.com

Praying before the statue was as good as praying to the goddess herself.

When the two of them returned to the great forest, they found countless craftsmen still hard at work. From a distance, the workers formed a living boundary—wherever they moved, a new section of the estate was quickly taking shape.

The statue of the Goddess of Wisdom stood out most of all. Normally, no one was allowed to enter the unfinished construction site, but as the lord, Romon’s presence caused both artisans and guards to stand aside and open a path for him. Some even came forward, mistaking his visit for an inspection.

But that wasn’t Romon’s purpose. He waved them away and instructed Talia, "Prepare the ritual items—I’ll wait for you here."

"Yes, Lord Romon!"

He approached the statue. It was about five meters tall, surrounded by a small, newly planted garden. Thanks to the craftsmen’s skill, the statue radiated a dynamic beauty, as if the Goddess of Wisdom really were strolling through the flowers.

The very first surge in the domain’s [Culture] value had come from this statue—even when it was only partially finished, it had brought about a noticeable increase.