Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 25 Vilan Workshop

"Young Master Vilan, this is utterly absurd! At your rate of spending, that chest of gold coins will be gone in less than three months!"

Inside the castle, Vilan prepared to go to the workshop, followed by Carreras, Iglesias, Llorente, and old Hans.

The one who kept nagging was none other than old Hans. Ever since he learned about Wieland's recruitment plan, he hadn't stopped complaining and nagging.

There was no way around it; he was in charge of finances and taxes, and only he knew how easily that box of gold coins could be spent.

But what about Vilan? A single recruitment plan costs almost a hundred gold coins!

Miners aside, this is the pillar industry of the Iron Anvil Territory, and it certainly cannot be stopped.

However, Hans couldn't understand why so many gold coins should be invested in the workshop and the guard.

It's one thing if the workshop is small, but Vilan is clearly expanding like crazy, and he's recruiting all sorts of craftsmen.

And a guard? Does Anvil Territory need this?

As a member of the Stone Family, Vilan only needed to ensure order and tax revenue in Anvil Territory; he didn't need to train so many soldiers.

Moreover, according to Vilan, the guards were professional soldiers who received a monthly salary.

Good heavens! Hans felt he must be going crazy, otherwise how could he hear such terrifying things, professional soldiers... Are you trying to start a mercenary group?

Faced with old Hans's advice, Vilan helplessly poked his ear, then muttered to himself, "They can actually hold on for three more months? That's longer than I expected."

"Young Master Vilan! The lordship is not a game. Don't you want the Duke to look at you with new respect?" Hans's tone became slightly harsher.

As Vilan's mentor and family member since childhood, he had a responsibility to offer advice.

"Mr. Hans, if I do nothing, will my grandfather look at me with new respect?"

Vilan sighed, then changed the subject, "Let's go to the workshop first. Maybe you'll change your mind after you see it."

"I don't think so." Hans shook his head, but still agreed to go with Wieland to take a look.

"By the way, has Wirtz's estate been inventoried? He's been mayor for five years; he should be able to make up for the losses these past few days."

Vilan looked at Llorente, who had gone to confiscate Wirtz's property after Wirtz was arrested yesterday.

Llorente nodded. "After a rough estimate, this mayor is probably not a man who knows how to make money."

"How so?" Vilan asked, tilting his head.

"He only has 30 gold coins in his house, not many silver or copper coins either, but the food in his cellar is plentiful. It must have been what he kept for himself after this year's taxes. This food is enough for you to continue providing free lunches for two more months."

"By the way, he also has a wife and three servants at home. As you instructed, they have moved to a small, ordinary house and taken with them a little enough food to live on. Believe me, they are extremely grateful for your kindness."

"As for his house, it is the largest house in the entire Anvil Territory besides your castle, and of course, it belongs to you now."

Llorente quickly finished reporting the situation, and Vilan suddenly remembered something.

"Is there a large flat area outside his house?"

"Yes, that's where his wife holds outdoor tea parties. It has a nice view and leads directly to the hillside behind."

"A tea party? Such a small place, and they have this kind of atmosphere?" Vilan was speechless.

Llorente also laughed, "After all, Wirtz has always wanted to become a nobleman, and his wife naturally longs for noble tea parties."

Vilan waved his hand. "Perfect timing. The guard team is missing a training ground and a dormitory. Let's convert that place into a military camp. Captain, I'll leave this to you."

"It's my pleasure, my lord." Karelas accepted the task without hesitation.

Vilan said no more, and the group quickly arrived at the location of the workshop.

The craftsmen acted quickly, having already selected a suitable location well in advance.

This is a series of abandoned low-rise houses, whose residents have either moved away or starved to death, making it a perfect place to be converted into a workshop.

With the participation of carpenters and stonemasons, the renovation was carried out quickly, and the zoning is already visible.

For example, the area at the very front, where you can constantly hear clanging and hammering sounds, is the blacksmith's workshop.

Vilan went inside, and Baum, the foreman of the blacksmith's workshop, and Miles, the deputy foreman, immediately came to greet him.

"Lord Vilan, you are truly a genius!"

Baum praised without hesitation, his eyes filled with admiration, which left Hans and the others puzzled.

Baum explained, "The blueprints Lord Vilan gave us are incredibly useful, especially the ones for the blast furnace and blower. Although we haven't produced a real prototype yet, we've already proven their feasibility!"

"Oh? Tell me about it," Vilan said with some curiosity.

Baum immediately became animated, gesturing as he spoke, "With the help of the stonemasons, we built an experimental blast furnace, and with the help of the carpenters making a blower, plus your red magic powder, we indeed raised the temperature inside the furnace to an unprecedented level. Using this method, we successfully smelted molten iron!"

"Then why haven't we succeeded completely yet?" Vilan was very satisfied with their progress, which had exceeded his expectations.

Miles said awkwardly, "Because the experimental blast furnace broke down after only a few uses, and there were also some problems with the installation of the wooden blower."

Vilan nodded in understanding.

Inventions and creations don't happen overnight; you'll eventually succeed after a few failures.

Unfortunately, he wasn't a metallurgist, so besides offering some ideas, there wasn't much else he could do to help.

"How's the new weapon coming along?" he asked, changing the subject.

Baum raised his head, regained his confidence, and then led Vilan into a warehouse.

There were five neatly arranged daggers inside, all of them the most common straight-bladed daggers, without any fancy decorations.

"Lord Vilan, please look. These are magic powder daggers we've crafted. We've tested them several times and found the perfect mixing ratio of magic powder. As long as you add the magic powder according to the ratio, even a dagger made with outdated technology can surpass all similar weapons we've ever seen before!"

These words surprised not only Vilan, but also Karelas behind him.

"Is it really that powerful? My greatsword was forged by a top-notch blacksmith in Stubborn Stone City. Is it really inferior to your daggers?"

Baum confidently raised his head. "Dear Captain, your greatsword is a heavy weapon, so of course it cannot be compared to a dagger."

Carreras curled his lip in disdain. "I have a dagger too. What difference could there be between these little gadgets?"

Sensing the tension between Carreras and Baum, Vilan smiled and said, "Why don't we let the captain give it a try? He's an excellent warrior. Only by gaining his approval can one become an official product of Vilan's workshop."