6kv Chapter 8 Contract
Chapter 8 Contract
"I swear to the God of Iron Laws, I have forged the finest dagger in the North! It can even pierce the skull of a magical beast!"
On the first floor of the castle, six people sat around a table. Although they were all wearing worn-out work clothes and their faces were covered in dirt, they were all in high spirits and there was a hint of mutual dissatisfaction among them.
As soon as one person finished speaking, someone else immediately shook their head in opposition, "No, old Doron, everyone knows your skills; you simply can't forge daggers."
"Yes, aren't you only good at forging sickles and spatulas?"
The others burst into laughter, showing no respect for the person who had spoken, even though he was in his fifties and the oldest person present.
Old Doron had a conspicuous red nose. Faced with the ridicule of the crowd, he simply snorted and slammed a dagger on the table.
Miles' eyes lit up immediately. "Huh, it really is a dagger? Could it be that old Doron has finally figured it out?"
"Come on, without Lord Vilan's magic powder, he would never have made any progress in his life."
A burly man with a large beard crossed his arms and shook his head dismissively.
His name was Baum, the best blacksmith in Anvil Territory, and also the most arrogant.
Of course, all six people present had their own workshops, so none of them were willing to submit to the others. Only the lord's order could bring them together here.
Upon hearing Baum's words, the others stopped laughing and instead frowned.
Having witnessed the power of the magic powder firsthand, they knew that the era of traditional blacksmiths was over...
At this moment, Vilan and Llorente came down from the second floor.
"I apologize to you gentlemen for keeping you waiting."
With an elegant and confident smile, Vilan took the seat at the head of the table.
Miles and the others stood up and bowed to Vilan, their eyes filled with a hint of doubt.
Miles, in particular, immediately reported to the advisor after forging the magic powder ironware, and was then told that the lord wanted to see him.
When he arrived at the castle, he discovered that not only he, but all the other blacksmiths had also been invited, which made Miles feel a little nervous and a little threatened.
Vilan smiled and glanced at everyone, roughly guessing what they were thinking, but he didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "Yesterday I asked you all for a small favor, and this is the reward."
He looked at Llorente, who immediately took out several gold coins and placed them on the tables in front of the six blacksmiths.
This scene startled the blacksmiths.
"Lord Vilan, this is too much, I can't accept it!" Baum said through gritted teeth, suppressing his desire for the gold coins.
The others nodded in agreement, but their eyes remained fixed on the gold coins in front of them.
It's important to know that gold coins have a strong purchasing power in this world. Even for these free artisans, it would take at least two months to earn just one gold coin.
Seeing their expressions, Vilan waved his hand generously, "Take it, it's only right. I've seen your work, it's good, but I think you can do even better."
"Lord Vilan... what do you mean by doing better?" a blacksmith asked boldly.
Vilan had been waiting for these words, and he immediately put on a serious expression. "I've heard that the ironware business in Anvil Territory has been taken over by other places. You probably know why: the transportation costs are too high. At the same price, of course, others won't choose us."
Vilan naturally changed the form of address to "we".
"But iron ore is the foundation of Anvil Territory, and there's no point in sitting idly by and waiting for our demise. So I think we need to make a change."
Vilan gave Llorente a wink, and the latter immediately produced six parchments.
These contracts were the same as those for employing Igris, only the contents were different, and it took Vilan an afternoon to carefully consider them.
"You watch and I'll explain."
"What you have here is an employment contract. I'm planning to set up a Vilan Workshop. If you accept the employment, you will become the first employees of the workshop, and you will receive a salary of 1 gold coin per month. If you make outstanding contributions, you will receive even more bonuses."
"Of course, the workshop will need to be merged with your workshop. I will convert your workshop into appropriate assets and return them to you in the form of bonuses. That is to say, for the first three months, you will receive at least two gold coins in wages each month."
After Vilan finished speaking, he took a small sip of fruit wine and then waited in silence for their reply.
He knew the answer was yes.
Because the salary he offered was twice their current income.
Furthermore, they had all witnessed the effects of the magic powder, and the facts told them that Vilan's workshop was the future. If they refused, they would have no choice but to leave Anvil Territory, because they could never compete with Vilan.
Sure enough, all six blacksmiths stared wide-eyed, their expressions incredibly conflicted, but none of them directly refused.
Miles lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly, his messy hair obscuring his eager eyes.
If what the lord said is true, then he and Sarah won't have to leave Anvil Territory! They will have enough supplies to get through the winter!
Or, why not ask...
"Lord Vilan, what exactly do you mean by 'work'?"
Suddenly, Baum asked a question, and Miles was stunned for a moment, then felt annoyed. He should have known better than to hesitate for so long!
Vilan nodded in satisfaction. "Good question. For now, there are only two tasks: one is to continue forging magic powder ironware, and the other is to further study the magic powder formula, such as how much to add for the best effect and when to add magic powder. You will need to conduct continuous experiments to master these. In addition, upgrading the iron smelting technology is also very important."
"Upgrade?" The blacksmiths looked at each other, all seeing the confusion in each other's eyes.
Vilan continued, "That's for sure. I think the current iron smelting technology is too inefficient and the quality is difficult to meet standards. Upgrading is necessary. I will give you the specific plan in a few days. Now, it's time for you to give me your answer."
He didn't go into details about the upgrade because he himself only had a vague understanding of it. After all, he studied civil engineering, not metallurgy, so he could only rely on his memory to roughly decide on the direction of development, and he wasn't in a hurry at the moment.
After hearing what Vilan said, the blacksmiths fell silent again.
Miles lowered his head again, pondering the benefits of becoming an employee.
He didn't doubt the truthfulness of what Vilan said. After all, the lord was a baron. Nobles had no need to deceive ordinary blacksmiths like them in such a complicated way; they could have just robbed them directly.
But with six workshops merged, a leader is needed...
"Lord Vilan, if we become employees of the workshop, won't we need someone in charge?" Baum asked again.
Miles pinched his thigh hard, wincing in pain.
Damn it! I hesitated for too long again!
"Of course, I've already looked into it. I've heard that Mr. Baum is the best blacksmith, so you'll be in charge of the workshop for now."
"I'll definitely do it! I'll sign it right away!" Baum's eyes lit up, and he excitedly signed the contract immediately.
Watching this scene, Miles sighed inwardly. What a pity, he missed his chance...
"As for the deputy head, let Mr. Miles take on the role for now."
"What, me?"
Miles looked up abruptly, pointing at himself in disbelief.
Vilan nodded and said seriously, "Mr. Miles is very courageous, and I believe that is a necessary quality for a qualified deputy."
Seeing the sincerity in Vilan's eyes, Miles had no more hesitation and immediately signed the contract. Of course, after signing, he didn't forget to take the gold coin from the table.