Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Double Happiness

Ronin’s successful sale of the Curved Plows and promotion of the Ironwood Workshop’s products this time was partly thanks to Lurans taking the lead, and partly because his goods were genuinely valuable—he wasn’t just selling empty promises.

After settling these two matters, his trip to Wushan Castle was more or less complete.

Once Finance Officer Curry delivered the Three Thousand Gold Coins and the Quartermaster provided a formal order list, Ronin could start planning his return trip.

For the next two days, Ronin rested in the castle, studying the new Magic he had acquired and sparring with Macken to improve his combat skills.

Whether it was Macken or Ridder, Ronin had always been outmatched by the strength of these two subordinates. Even when they sparred, they would hold back their full power and killing moves, making it difficult for him to experience the thrill of a truly evenly-matched fight.

He would have to wait until he reached the level of an Advanced Peak Knight before he could have a few all-out bouts with Macken.

“My Lord, Finance Officer Curry has arrived,” a Wushan Castle Guard waiting outside the courtyard announced upon entering.

He had already sent Wodun and George to Wushan City to recruit craftsmen.

Whether they were journeyman craftsmen or apprentices—be they Carpenters, Masons, Blacksmiths, or Potters—as long as they were willing to move to Mountain Forest Town, even bringing their entire families, Ronin was willing to offer appropriate compensation and help them with the paperwork at Wushan Castle.

Although he only had a paltry 35 Gold Coins on him at the moment, that was about to change.

“Have him wait for me in the parlor.”

Ronin put away his Longsword, had the servants waiting outside the courtyard bring hot water and a towel to wash his face, and changed his clothes before heading to the parlor.

“Good afternoon, Baron.”

Seeing Ronin emerge, Curry immediately stood and bowed, his attitude extremely respectful.

Ronin gestured for Curry to sit. “You’re here today, Sir. I take it things are settled?”

“The caravans have already set out for the various territories to promote the Curved Plow. We expect to see some results.”

As Curry spoke, he beckoned to the two subordinates behind him.

The two men immediately stepped forward and placed the six bags they were carrying onto the table. The crisp JINGLE from within told everyone that the bags were filled with Gold Coins.

“My Lord, here are your Three Thousand Gold Coins. Please, count them.”

Ronin was in shock, not because of what Curry had just said, but because two lines of text had appeared in his vision:

[ “Prosperous Fortune” achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +50, Energy Essence +100 ]

[ “Prosperous Fortune” achievement unlocked. Attribute Points +100, Energy Essence +200 ]

After a moment of stunned silence, Ronin understood.

There was only one explanation for this—

The Three Thousand Gold Coins had completed the current ’Prosperous Fortune’ achievement and its advanced version simultaneously.

Ronin recalled that the current achievement required obtaining 1,000 gold coins at once, so the next tier was likely 2,000 or 3,000 gold coins.

He took the opportunity to open his interface and check. The new ’Prosperous Fortune’ achievement was:

[ Prosperous Fortune: Obtain 5,000 gold coins at once. Reward: Attribute Points +250, Energy Essence +500 ]

Judging by the reward amounts, the previous tier’s requirement must have been 2,000 gold coins.

The two achievements together required a total of 3,000 gold coins, which matched the current situation perfectly.

’I can’t believe I completed them back-to-back.’

A smile appeared on Ronin’s face.

He casually picked up one of the moneybags, weighing it in his hand, and said with a smile, “I trust your credibility, Mr. Curry. There’s no need to count these Gold Coins.”

“Your trust is a great honor!”

Curry then said tactfully, “Over the past two days, I’ve had the craftsmen of Wushan Castle begin producing the Curved Plows, but the ones they’ve finished still fall short of the one you brought. I was wondering if I could trouble you to offer them some guidance?”

“Of course!”

Ronin replied as if it were a matter of course, “Providing technical support is part of the deal. Even though the artisans from Mountain Forest Town aren’t here, I can still offer some guidance.”

“You arrange the time. Tomorrow or the day after would be best. Any later, and you might need those craftsmen to come find me in Mountain Forest Town themselves.”

Curry quickly replied, “Tomorrow morning, then. How does that sound?”

“That works. I have time.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Curry left.

Ronin opened his Attribute Panel. After checking in on the fourteenth and fifteenth, Ronin had received October’s second ’Comfort Pack’. Combined with the two achievements he had just completed, his accumulated Attribute Points and Energy Essence were now quite substantial:

[ Level: 3 – Advanced Level Knight (0/300); 3 – Senior Mage (58/400) ]

[ Attribute Points: 177 ]

[ Energy Essence: 557 ]

By the end of the month, the amount of Energy Essence would exceed 600 points.

’I wonder,’ Ronin thought, ’when I break through to the Advanced Level, if I invest all this Energy Essence into Ridder or Macken, could it raise them directly from Bronze Knight to Silver?’

He would then face a dilemma: should he upgrade Ridder’s strength first, or Macken’s?

The former he planned to station at the front lines; the stronger he was, the better he could command the situation.

The latter he planned to keep by his side as a guard; the higher his strength, the better he could handle unexpected emergencies.

’After a brief analysis, the chances of an enemy sending a Silver Level assassin right off the bat are probably low, right?’

’After all, to the outside world, I’m just a novice who has recently awakened his Fighting Qi Spirit Seed, and Macken is only an Advanced Level Knight. Sending a Bronze Knight would already be a sign of great respect.’

「Night began to fall.」

The servants of Wushan Castle were preparing dinner for the few masters staying in their separate quarters. Just then, Wodun and George returned to the courtyard from their trip to Wushan City to recruit craftsmen.

“My Lord, George and I have made some progress recruiting craftsmen today.”

Wodun said, handing over a list. “The accompanying Civil Clerk helped record this.”

As Ronin took the list, he remarked, “I have quite a few Professional Knights under me now, but not many who can write.”

Among those who surrendered from the Wilderness Tribe, only Jenny’s family was educated; the others had little to no literacy.

Even Tom, who claimed his father was a Knight, could only write two or three names. He was practically illiterate.

“Ignorance is a terrible thing! When we get back to Mountain Forest Town, you two, along with David, Dandy, Tomasz, and Jisili, will all start learning. You must at least master basic reading and writing.”

Ronin thought for a moment. “I’ll have Erin teach you all. It will give her something to do so she won’t be so bored.”

The thought of having to call a thirteen-year-old child ’teacher’ made Wodun and George feel a bit awkward.

But they also had to admit that compared to Erin, they were just uneducated brutes who couldn’t write.

’Forcing these men to study will be a bit difficult, actually.’

’But you have to pick the best of the bunch. Maybe one of them has a talent for learning, which would be convenient in the future. I can’t just have a clerk accompany me everywhere I go.’

Ronin spread out the sheepskin scroll and read the recorded statistics, his brow furrowing slightly. “Why are all these craftsmen apprentices?”

Wodun scratched his head, looking somewhat helpless.

“The more renowned craftsmen either have large families and are used to living in Wushan City, or they have stable client relationships. Even with the high daily wages you’re offering, they’re unwilling to leave so easily.”

George added, “Even these apprentices only agreed to move to Mountain Forest Town after hearing about your status and deeds.”

Ronin’s brow furrowed. This situation was to be expected. ’After all, if you can make a decent living at home, who would want to risk their life leaving their hometown to venture into the unknown?’

These artisans weren’t slaves. They were Free People of Wushan Territory and the Oduin Kingdom; they had the right to choose their own lives.

Of course, Ronin could use force to drag them away, but that would not only be bad for his reputation, it would also give others a reason to criticize him.

A nobleman breaking the Kingdom’s laws could sometimes be overlooked, but if someone with an agenda decided to pursue the matter, it could become extremely troublesome.

“Four Carpenter apprentices, seven Mason apprentices, three Blacksmith Apprentices, two Potter apprentices…”

Ronin shook his head. “It’s too few. Not enough. Continue recruiting tomorrow!”

He knew full well that the appeal of a few extra Copper Coins in daily wages wasn’t much. To attract those skilled craftsmen to his territory to work for him, he would need to offer more money.

“Tell them this: for any apprentice who goes to Mountain Forest Town, I’m willing to pay a relocation fee of 1 gold coin. For a regular journeyman craftsman, I’ll pay 5 Gold Coins. This money will be paid when they complete their registration and before they leave Wushan City. Also, I will cover their food and drink on the journey.”

The annual salary for an apprentice or a journeyman craftsman was about that much. The terms Ronin was now offering were equivalent to them receiving a full year’s salary for doing nothing but agreeing to go to Mountain Forest Town.

Ronin thought for a moment and added, “If there are any Artisans or Grand Artisans, I will offer an even higher price!”

Artisans and Grand Artisans were highly skilled craftsmen who, on top of mastering the basic techniques of their trade, were also versatile enough to apply their knowledge to other areas.

Grand Artisans, in particular, could use magic materials to create special items.

For example, they could use Magical Beast Scale Armor to make special Armor and Weapons, or construct special defensive fortifications like Wushan Castle.

However, Ronin felt that people of such caliber would probably be unwilling to go to a small place like Mountain Forest Town.

“As you wish, My Lord!”

Wodun and George immediately accepted the order.

They were confident that with these new terms, many more people would be tempted.

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