Chapter 124: Chapter 123: Even the Artisan is Flustered

Mountain Forest Town.

In the past two days, Ronin had held a mobilization meeting for the artisans from Mountain Forest Town, letting them know their respective assignments.

The blacksmiths and blacksmith apprentices were busy forging plowshares and farming tools, while also supervising the masons in building a new blacksmith shop.

Some of the carpenters were assigned to make the bodies of the curved plows, while others were sent to the Ironwood Workshop to begin fulfilling the order from Wushan Castle.

The masons were devoted to the construction of new houses.

At the same time, to ensure his people could safely get through the winter, Ronin gave special permission for all residents of the town to fell trees along the routes south out of Mountain Forest Town, north to Cyan Bamboo Village, and in the Ironwood Forest area.

All resulting branches, trunks, and even leaves would belong to whoever cut them down, unlike before, when one had to first purchase felling rights from the Lord.

For a time, Mountain Forest Town entered an era of great construction.

“My Lord, I’ve visited Carlos’s blacksmith shop these past two days. I found the bellows you designed to be very interesting.”

Master Dan followed behind Ronin, walking through the Outer Fortress of Mountain Forest Castle, wondering where Ronin was taking him.

But that wasn’t important. He had studied the bellows yesterday. Although its construction was simple, its design was quite ingenious. He grew even more curious about Ronin. ’This young nobleman is full of ideas!’

“Oh, that’s just a little gadget.”

Although Ronin said this, he felt a little proud inside, as the device was entirely his own creation.

“Master Dan, the item I need your help with today is extremely difficult to make. But if it’s done right, it will be an unprecedented leap forward!”

Ronin turned to face him, stressing, “If we can really build it, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration for others to call you a Grand Artisan.”

The title “Grand Artisan” completely captivated Dan. He had no other pursuits in life; this was all he had left.

Hearing Ronin’s impressive words, he grew as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, desperate to know what Ronin needed him to do.

However, he managed to appear composed and not overly eager.

“My Lord, please don’t be so polite with me. Like the other artisans, I came to Mountain Forest Town to serve you. Please, tell me whatever arrangements you have, and let me know any requirements. I will do my utmost!”

The two continued talking as they walked, soon arriving at a house on the inner west side of the Outer Fortress.

This was where Tom’s mother, Mrs. Liya, lived and worked. It was a tailor shop.

The three tailor apprentices from Wushan City had been assigned here.

“My Lord, you’ve come!”

Leia spotted him from a distance and came out to greet him, looking a bit reserved. She knew her son wasn’t dead, but was serving the Lord under the name Tom.

Although the mother and son had initially been very worried about Ronin’s attitude toward them, living each day in anxiety, their worries had completely transformed into respect and gratitude for the Lord after Tom was given a permanent position upon returning from Pasture City.

Therefore, Leia was especially diligent about the tasks Ronin had specifically assigned her.

“Mrs. Liya, how are you coming along with the silkworm cocoons I gave you before I left?”

Last month, when Ronin left Mountain Forest Town for Wushan Castle, he had given Leia a hand-cranked spinning wheel and several large baskets of silkworm cocoons, and had taught her how to reel the silk and prepare the fibers.

“My Lord, it’s already done!”

As Leia spoke, she led Ronin into the inner room. Ronin gestured for Dan to follow.

Once inside, Leia brought out several skeins of reeled silk thread. “My Lord, this is the silk thread made according to the method you provided.”

“This is…?”

Master Dan’s eyes went wide as he stared in disbelief at the large coil of thread Ronin took.

“Is this woolen yarn?”

That was his initial thought, but he quickly shook his head. “No, this isn’t wool! Wool isn’t this fine, nor could it be so white and lustrous!”

Dan looked at Ronin, his eyes full of confusion. He desperately wanted to know the answer.

Ronin held the strand of silk up to his eyes, examining it carefully. After a moment, he nodded. “Leia, you truly live up to your reputation as the best tailor in town. You’re meticulous and skillful. I’m very pleased with this skein of thread!”

The tailors here didn’t just cut and sew clothes; their work also involved making linen, spinning wool, dyeing, and other tasks. That was why Ronin had entrusted the matter of the silk to Leia.

“Thank you for your praise, my Lord!”

Ronin turned to Dan, holding the skein of thread. The artisan couldn’t help but stand up straighter, adopting an attentive listening posture.

“Master Dan, this is a special type of thread I discovered. Until it is made public, I must ask you to keep it a secret.”

Dan was inwardly shaken. ’This young Lord is even more mysterious than I thought.’

“Rest assured, my Lord. I will not breathe a single word of this to anyone!”

Ronin nodded slowly, then revealed the purpose of his summons.

“The looms we currently use for weaving are either warp-weighted looms or backstrap looms, but both are far too inefficient for my needs. What I need you to do now is design a new type of loom that can drastically increase weaving efficiency!”

Huh?

Dan was stunned. He never would have imagined Ronin had called him over for something like this.

“A loom?”

He hesitated. “My Lord, this loom you speak of… what exactly is it?”

At this moment, Dan was completely bewildered; he had no concept of any of this.

“Weaving is the interlacing of vertical and horizontal threads to create fabric. This is true whether you’re using a warp-weighted loom, a backstrap loom, or the loom I’m talking about.”

Ronin began to explain, “But the cloth woven by the first two is relatively coarse. The warp-weighted loom, in particular, cannot be used to weave a fine thread like silk.”

“In a moment, you can have Leia show you the principles of the backstrap loom. The loom I want uses a frame to support the rods of the backstrap loom, with foot pedals to open the shed of the vertical threads. This will allow the weavers to focus solely on passing the horizontal thread through and beating it into place.”

“This will increase the weavers’ efficiency. At the same time, thanks to mechanical control, the fineness of the weave and the quality of the cloth will also be greatly improved.”

Dan was, after all, an artisan of long-standing fame, but as he listened to Ronin’s description, a flustered look flashed in his eyes.

He now understood why Ronin had just said that creating this device could make one a Grand Artisan.

“My Lord, please forgive my slowness. For a moment… I couldn’t quite understand what you were saying.”

Ronin scratched his head and took out a drawing of the loom he had attempted to sketch.

Unfortunately, the device was too complex, not as simple as the bellows. And since he had never seen one in person, he could only draw a side view showing a rough outline.

“Look, these are the pedals. The weaver just needs to press them with their feet to make the vertical threads cross. This is the reed, used to guide the vertical threads. The gauze I mentioned will be based on a standard of an 800-dent reed, with four threads per dent, for a total of three thousand two hundred vertical threads…”

This explanation went on for half the day. At one point, Mrs. Liya even brought Ronin a cup of water.

The more Dan listened, the more his mind struggled to keep up. A cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He was taking in so much information today that his head was starting to ache.

Fortunately, after the lengthy explanation, he had a general idea of what the Lord wanted to build.

At the very least, he could understand the shape of the frame.

“My Lord, you are a true genius!”

After the explanation, Dan wiped the sweat from his brow and couldn’t help but exclaim his praise.

Ronin handed the sheepskin parchment to him. “Unfortunately, I can only come up with a rough idea. You’re the one who has to actually design it.”

Dan accepted the parchment solemnly, tucked it carefully inside his coat, and a fire of determination ignited in his eyes.

“My Lord, please give me some time. I will first learn the principles of the backstrap loom from Mrs. Liya, and then I will study the loom you described.”

Ronin nodded and clapped him solemnly on the shoulder. “I believe in your abilities, Master Dan. I hope that in the near future, Mountain Forest Town will have a loom like this!”

Dan’s heart felt heavy with responsibility, but he still gave a firm grunt of affirmation.

’Coming to Mountain Forest Town was the right decision after all,’ he thought. ’I’ve finally found my purpose!’

“Mrs. Liya, I have a task for you as well.”

“I am happy to be of service, my Lord,” Leia said, listening intently.

Ronin said, “Although the backstrap loom is inefficient, it can still be used to weave silk. I need you to use this thread to weave a scarf for me.”

“The last day of next month is Marquis Lurans’s birthday. I want to give him this scarf as a celebratory gift.”

Hearing the first sentence, Leia felt the pressure. She had never worked with a thread like silk before and knew it would be difficult to handle.

Hearing the second sentence, she felt immense pressure.

’Heavens, I have to weave a scarf for the Marquis!’

“My Lord, I’m worried…”

Ronin comforted her, “Don’t worry. Just do your best. Even if it’s not finished in time, I’ll prepare another gift.”

Lurans had shown Ronin great kindness, so Ronin couldn’t possibly show up to his birthday empty-handed.

The silk scarf was just one part of his gift; he had other preparations as well. For example, the pelt of the Storm Demon Wolf could be made into a greatcoat.

The fur of a Fourth-level Magical Beast was also a precious material, and giving it as a gift would not be a loss of face.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep