Chapter 103: Child of the Dimension! The Wealthiest in the Bay!

The clever Fisa had already learned in advance of the arrival of the Wolf Fang tribe. She immediately set out with dozens of dogs, carrying three deer heads and five baskets of iron ingots, and arrived at Wolf Fang Village to present her gift of greeting.

The wild hunters of the Wolf Fang tribe, seeing a large pack of dogs approaching, nearly picked up their longbows in alarm.

But with Leo accompanying her, Fisa showed no fear at all. Dressed in her linen sack tunic and colorful feather cloak, wearing a crown of thorns, she strode proudly into the crowd.

“I, Fisa the Wise, King of the Dogfolk, bring gifts to the wild folk and offer myself as your new neighbor!”

Whenever something new appeared in the river bend, she always had to involve herself, asserting her presence as if to gain some form of social standing through it.

One had to admit, this tactic was indeed effective. At least for now, no one at the river bend regarded her as just an ordinary dogfolk.

It was unclear whether Fisa was truly clever or just pretending to be naïve, but she could not tolerate any praise. Whenever someone complimented her, she would repay them tenfold.

The village women cut old, tattered linen sacks into sleeveless tunics, selling them at high prices to Fisa while praising how well she wore them.

Soon, the entire dogfolk tribe was clad in these ragged linen sack tunics.

Inspired by this, many villagers earned a tidy profit by trading various scraps with the dogfolk, while the Dogfolk Valley became cluttered with useless odds and ends.

Unknowingly, the relationship between the dogfolk and the river bend villagers was strengthened without fanfare. The villagers began to take the dogfolk’s presence for granted rather than viewing them with contempt or hostility.

Especially after acquiring barrels of explosives, the dogfolk’s mining speed increased tenfold. The surplus labor continued to build iron furnaces, gather wood, and smelt iron ingots, multiplying the output of pig iron several times over.

Fisa no longer limited herself to trading iron ingots and ore for food; she also exchanged for cloth, ropes, arrowheads, iron nails, and processed timber.

She even hired craftsmen from the river bend to construct houses and dams within the Dogfolk Valley, improving the living standards of her people.

Once the charcoal kiln at the river bend was established, Fisa was among its first customers. She intended to use the high-quality charcoal to smelt better iron ingots and sell them at higher prices.

Owning salt and iron mines, Fisa of the dogfolk had quietly become the wealthiest figure in the river bend.

Urian and Leo were pleased by this situation and even took it upon themselves to uphold Fisa’s authority among the dogfolk, solidifying her position as their leader.

Idealistic and humane, Fisa was an excellent neighbor and ally, sharing a significant burden of survival with them.

Had a fierce and unruly dogfolk taken power instead, the nearby Dogfolk Valley would instantly have become a threat, mirroring the increasingly turbulent wilderness—a true crisis both within and without.

Although Magna had long known of the dogfolk’s existence through Bjorn, seeing them appear in person still struck him as incredible.

When had these weak dogfolk become equals to humans?

Though the wild folk of the Wolf Fang tribe did not eat dogfolk, they did not hesitate to shoot arrows at them to drive these pests out of their hunting grounds when encountered in the wild.

Receiving Fisa’s gifts, the newly arrived Magna was unwilling to offend anyone and bowed in thanks.

“Fisa the Wise, King of the Dogfolk, I thank you for your gifts.”

Fisa’s ears practically tingled with pleasure, her tail wagging rapidly as she shouted, “New neighbor! Good friend! Woof woof woof!”

Seeing the abundant building materials piled up in Wolf Fang Village, she beamed with the warmth of a host. “Dogfolk, warm and hospitable! Here to help neighbors build homes!”

Magna could only continue to thank her.

Leo grasped his arm and laughed, “Stop thanking her, or she’ll want to marry you off.”

Magna was genuinely frightened and began to shy away from the dogfolk wealthy woman’s enthusiasm.

Unable to win more praise or thanks, Fisa left sulkily but still left behind dozens of sturdy dogs, ordering them to help the Wolf Fang tribe clear debris and carry bricks and stones, taking on some of the rough labor the dogs could handle.

Urian’s promised construction team also arrived, beginning to instruct the wild folk on house building.

The able-bodied villagers of the river bend had already accumulated considerable construction experience in building their own homes, with many villagers upgraded to novice carpenters or stonemasons.

Of the fifty villagers Urian selected, all were among the best.

Compared to when they first built the river bend camp, awkward and inexperienced, the villagers now worked with ease and clear division of labor.

Various tools were wielded skillfully in their hands, dazzling the wild folk’s eyes.

Leo’s carefully designed levers and pulleys were also successfully applied at the site, saving massive amounts of labor.

Heavy timber and stone, aided by pulleys, ropes, and cranes, moved through the air like magic in the camp, effortlessly placed in designated spots.

Fisa demonstrated “Boom Boom” twice, blasting open mountain rocks to the astonishment of the wild folk, who even began bowing instinctively when encountering the wandering Fisa.

The construction of Wolf Fang Village camp progressed quickly and well, like stacking building blocks—changing form day by day.

Whether it was the river bend camp, the logging camp, or the Wolf Fang camp, all were built by Urian according to the standards of a small imperial military garrison.

The current state of the Atlantis Empire resembled the Roman Empire in its decline and fragmentation: the economy and culture of the three regions had all suffered to varying degrees, yet centuries of prosperity still left a rich legacy for descendants.

For example, a perfected system of military training, scientific processes for constructing barracks and fortresses, and large-scale siege and defense machinery—all were mastered even by low-ranking officers like Urian.

Of course, this was compulsory knowledge for imperial non-commissioned officers, while higher-ranking generals often knew less about these details.

No matter how elite the imperial standing army soldiers were, none served beyond forty years of age. But at the level of imperial sergeant, the situation was different: some veterans with white hair and stiff legs remained in the barracks.

This was because they possessed extensive military expertise, becoming indispensable talents in the camp.

The troops stationed at the Wind God Fortress were among the elite of the imperial standing army, boasting a long and distinguished military tradition.

Imperial sergeants here were not merely warriors; they regularly underwent training and assessments, attending basic military and cultural courses to at least recognize some imperial script, comprehend basic military documents, understand various orders from commanders, and master basic soldier training and military engineering.

Such talents might need time to become knightly lords, but they were more than capable of serving as village heads, militia captains, bandit chiefs, or foremen.

The camps Urian supervised, though less demanding than imperial garrisons, still boasted strong defensive capabilities while also accommodating daily life.

Sturdy walls, watchtowers, and gates aside, essential communal facilities—kitchens, wells, latrines, bathhouses, warehouses—were all thoughtfully provided, making everything orderly and well planned.

Last month, the wild folk of the Wolf Fang tribe still lived in ancestral thatched huts and had never seen a settlement of such stature.

Thinking that this would be their future home filled the new residents with energy and a sense of belonging.

Especially when the Wolf Fang wild folk visiting the river bend camp discovered a newly built ancestral shrine honoring their own Basaka ancestor alongside others, their sense of belonging deepened profoundly.

The psychological barriers between the wild folk and the river bend villagers vanished instantly, and they truly regarded each other as kin.

Yet bad news arrived simultaneously: a mixed tribe of foreigners to the north had been dispatching raiding parties continuously and had begun migrating southward.

They had already conquered the remnants of the wild boar men in the Crushed Stone Hills and temporarily encamped in the Boar Men’s Nest.

But it was predictable that once the food near the Crushed Stone Hills was depleted, this growing tribe would set out again in search of new plunder targets.