Stepping out of the Star Domain Cauldron, Hua Tianxiong left his cultivation room and headed toward the City Lord’s Mansion. He had barely reached the gate of the Prince’s Mansion when he heard a clamor of noise. Looking toward the entrance, he saw Zhuge Zhan leading a squad of soldiers toward the gate, accompanied by City Lord Li Gang. When the crowd spotted Hua Tianxiong, Zhuge Zhan and the soldiers behind him immediately knelt, shouting in unison:
"Your Highness, we have returned!"
Hua Tianxiong was momentarily stunned; he hadn't expected Zhuge Zhan and his men to return so quickly. "Lord Zhuge, you have worked hard. And all of you, thank you for your efforts. Please, rise quickly!" he said, stepping forward to help them up.
"It was no trouble at all, Your Highness. We have finally located the refined iron ore mine, 380 li directly east of Iron Stone City. Fearing you might be waiting impatiently, we gathered a sample and hurried back to bring you the good news," Zhuge Zhan whispered close to Hua Tianxiong’s ear.
"Excellent, excellent! Lord Zhuge, give me the samples. Take everyone to the new barracks to get some rest, and later, you can recount your journey to me in detail," Hua Tianxiong replied, clearly delighted.
"Very well, Your Highness. Thank you for your concern! We take our leave."
Zhuge Zhan then handed over the storage bag containing the refined iron ore. Hua Tianxiong opened it and was genuinely taken aback—the hundred-cubic-meter storage bag was packed full of pitch-black refined iron ore. To his knowledge, this amount of ore was enough to forge dozens of standard combat sabers.
Looking at the storage bag, Hua Tianxiong’s thoughts turned to his mother, Consort Duan. This bag was the only item she had left him before her passing. While storage bags were not exceptionally rare on the Huaxia Continent—the Continent Chamber of Commerce, for instance, sold them—the difficulty of crafting them meant that those circulating on the market rarely exceeded a capacity of ten cubic meters. A five-cubic-meter bag from the Continent Chamber of Commerce could cost as much as 10,000 taels of silver. In the Great Qin Empire, only officials of the fifth rank or higher were typically equipped with a one-cubic-meter storage bag, which itself cost 5,000 taels.
As Zhuge Zhan and his men were led to the newly built barracks, Li Gang approached Hua Tianxiong. Upon learning that the refined iron ore had finally been found, the nearly sixty-year-old man was overcome with joy, tears welling in his eyes. Iron Stone City had finally secured a resource for high-quality refined iron, providing a glimmer of hope for the city’s future industrial development. Looking at the Prince of Shicheng, Hua Tianxiong, Li Gang felt a profound sense of admiration. For a youth of only fifteen to achieve something that surpassed his own expectations—a man who had spent thirty years in the bureaucracy and served as a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Revenue—revealed both the wisdom and ambition of the Prince.
"Congratulations, Your Highness! You truly are a blessing to Iron Stone City. This official believes that the city will flourish under your guidance, and that one day, Your Highness will surely make a comeback and realize your grand ambitions," Li Gang said, kneeling with genuine sincerity.
"City Lord Li, how can you joke like that?" Hua Tianxiong said sternly. "I am merely the Prince of Shicheng, and my only wish is to ensure the people of this city are well-fed and don't have to endure unnecessary hardships. Do not speak of such things again." Although dynasties rose and fell frequently on the Huaxia Continent and the struggle for succession was common, Hua Tianxiong was unwilling to reveal his edge too early. He had only just become a Martial Practitioner capable of proper cultivation, and exposing his intentions or strength prematurely would only invite trouble—a lesson he had learned well during his decade in the Imperial Palace.
"Forgive me, Your Highness. I was overcome with joy and spoke out of turn. It shall never be mentioned again. We swear our lives to follow you!" Li Gang immediately sensed Hua Tianxiong’s caution. The depth of the Prince's foresight broke him out in a cold sweat, but relying on his years of experience in the bureaucracy, he realized Hua Tianxiong held no hostility toward him and quickly pledged his loyalty.
"Very well, Elder Li. Please have the Ministry of Revenue issue me 2,000 taels of silver. I will repay it double in the future." Having exhausted his own supply of pocket silver, Hua Tianxiong was desperate to purchase more Spirit Medicine seeds and felt forced to borrow from the city treasury, which also served to break the awkward tension.
"Your Highness, you jest. There is no need for talk of repayment. Although the Ministry of Revenue’s accounts are tight due to the construction of the Prince's Mansion—as many materials remain unpaid—we can certainly manage 2,000 taels. I will have Wang Yuan from the Ministry send it to you immediately! Furthermore, according to the customs of the Great Qin Empire, all tax revenue and finances from a fiefdom belong to the Prince. You have the authority to appoint and dismiss officials, and your government structure may mirror that of the Empire, provided you do not establish the three provincial departments and maintain a military of no more than 30,000 men. Your investiture ceremony is in ten days; I suggest you make the necessary preparations."
"That goes without saying, and I was just about to discuss it with you. However, there is a more urgent matter. Now that Lord Zhuge has found the ore, we have the Ministry of Works to handle the extraction, and we can expand their workforce if needed. But we lack smelting and casting experts. While there are a few blacksmith shops in Iron Stone City, they are small and their techniques are lacking. Does Elder Li have any suggestions?"
"Could you grant me a few days to consider this, Your Highness, and allow me to report back later?" Li Gang replied after a moment of thought.
"Very well, there is no rush. Come directly to me once you have a plan," Hua Tianxiong said with a sigh. He had pondered this issue for a long time but hesitated to raise it while the ore remained unfound. Now that the supply was secured, the smelting issue had to be resolved as quickly as possible.
"There is one more matter I must report, Your Highness. According to the latest news, war has broken out between the Xiongnu State and the Zhao State to our north. The Xiongnu have dispatched a million troops to invade Zhao. The Zhao State is currently defending its borders while appealing to the Great Qin Empire and surrounding nations for aid. Many Zhao citizens are now fleeing to neighboring territories, and a small number have already arrived in Iron Stone City. Given that Iron Stone City has not seen war for over a hundred years, though the standard of living is modest, it is at least safe from slaughter. How does Your Highness wish to handle this?"