"Someone captured one so quickly?" Kayal was a little surprised when a command issued that morning had already received a response by the afternoon. He opened his notebook, looked at the monster distribution map, and then nodded, "A wild boar... its purpose is to improve pig breeds, and it seems that's the only one, isn't it?" Kayal lightly tapped the sand table. It couldn't be ridden, nor could it be used in combat... In other words, its only use was to improve bloodlines. By breeding with ordinary sows, it could improve the pig breed, turning Camelot's pigs into meaty yet docile porkers.
This way, Camelot's meat supply would increase... Kayal, as the head of the household, knew the value of every grain of rice and drop of oil, and he utilized everything he could to improve the lives of his people.
Improved living standards -> Comfortable conditions -> Population growth -> Economic growth -> Increased military reserves -> Stimulated domestic consumption -> Advanced economic and technological progress -> Strengthened national defense and military power -> Maintained living standards.
This was a constantly circulating national chain. Any broken link would lead to a change in government, domestic turmoil, military chaos, and the rise of warlords. A strong and healthy nation must be one with a well-functioning chain.
Kayal firmly believed this.
"Gura, take two teams of Knights to the vicinity of the Shar Mountains. A small team there has captured a monster." Kayal pushed open the window and called out. Immediately, a Knight of the Round Table took the order. The sound of horses neighing and hooves thundering arose. Kayal thought for a moment and then called out again, "Oh, and don't forget to bring sturdy chains. Although I don't know how they captured it, they certainly don't have the tools to restrain it."
Because monsters were generally two to ten times larger than wild beasts, Kayal and his men brought many sturdy chains.
Knight Gura took the order and disappeared into the forest with thirty Knights of the Round Table.
Kayal was in a good mood, staring blankly at the sand table. If there was one, there would soon be a second. These children, raised by him and possessing their own intelligence, would gradually absorb battlefield wisdom and become the officer class. The soldiers under them, after gradual training, would only need a slight promotion to become the backbone of the army's middle ranks again. In other words, as long as economic conditions permitted and logistics were solid, Kayal could even instantly recruit an army of one hundred to two hundred thousand men.
Although these large armies seemed like mere commoners to the Knights and not worth mentioning, with Kayal's art of command, using one hundred thousand infantry to defeat one hundred thousand Knights did not seem like too difficult a task... Kayal had not yet directly clashed with the Romans, but he always held an indescribable vigilance towards the behemoth that was Rome. He would not reveal all his cards. Even if he effortlessly defeated the Romanian Empire, there was an even larger empire, spanning three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa: Macedonia, behind Romania. If Kayal wanted to realize his ambitions, he would sooner or later come face to face with them.
It was unrealistic for Camelot's population to conquer Romania, and it was even more unrealistic to conquer Romania and then go head-to-head with Macedonia.
Kayal's goal was to use Camelot as an economic base, and within five years, to achieve great development in population and agriculture. After Camelot's population slowly approached its limit, it would demand more land. At this point, Kayal would not set his sights on the New World, seafaring, or the island of Ireland, but rather guide the struggle for continental dominance through public opinion. At this time, the entire Camelot, desperately needing commercial interests, meritorious titles, land, children, and wealth from the continent, would erupt, and all these voices would converge into one word: War!
Indeed, just as Hitler's Germany roared out of poverty, Kayal would induce war through greed. The advantage was that not only would no brainwashing be needed, but the entire country's middle class would be very clear-headed and calm. The entire country would not fall into the vortex of war, but merely the greed for profit.
When they realized that war brought them countless benefits, they would operate the nation's chariot like a fully wound gear. By then, Kayal believed Camelot would inevitably erupt with the same enthusiasm as the Age of Exploration two thousand years later.
Kayal greatly anticipated that moment, that moment of national fervor.
But for now... it was still a long way off!
Kayal smiled slightly and took a sip of juice.
Artoria had gone hunting and gathering grain with the Knights. Since Scotland was closer to the North Pole, many crops were different from those in Camelot. Artoria also wanted to contribute more. She did not want to be a flower of the battlefield, nor a god of war, but rather to fulfill her duties as a King.
Kayal did not object to her ideas, but he believed that in the future, after they both entered middle age and settled down, Artoria would gradually relinquish power with him, handing the helm of the great ship of Camelot to more excellent young people.
But a commotion made Kayal put down his wooden cup in surprise and walk out of the house.
Artoria walked in front of everyone, her face covered in blood. Kayal's heart tightened at first, but then he relaxed. If Artoria were injured, the Knights would not let her walk; carrying her would be the best option. In other words, the blood was not hers.
With his mind at ease, Kayal quickly stepped forward and asked, "What happened? Lily, who's injured?"
"Keane," Artoria said with a pained expression, pointing behind her. "Keane was bitten on the neck, his artery was wounded, and the blood won't stop..."
Kayal was startled. He took the brandy offered by someone nearby and poured it on the youth's neck. This simple method of disinfection and sterilization had quickly become common knowledge among the Knights.
After being washed with brandy, a row of bite marks appeared on his neck.
He pressed his hand against the youth's neck, which was already covered in blood and unrecognizable. A faint white glow emanated from his fingers. With full exertion, the wound slowly healed within three short seconds, but the lost blood was not so easily replenished, so Knight Keane remained unconscious.
Kayal moved his neck, examining the bite marks: "It's human... no, the canines are slightly larger, but not as long as a Vampire's... What is it?"
"I don't know. In an instant, Keane fell to the ground. We were far from him and didn't see what bit him," a Knight replied.
"Clearly, this thing has intelligence, otherwise it wouldn't have directly bitten his vital spot. An ordinary wild beast would instinctively bite the closest place—a hand, a foot, the waist—rather than jumping higher and more strenuously biting his neck... What could it be...?" Kayal pondered.