Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 28 Conscription

the next morning.

Sarah excitedly shook her sleeping husband awake.

"Wake up, Miles! You're going to be late! Have you forgotten we're going back to Silverflow City today?!"

"Silver City!"

Miles suddenly opened his eyes, and after a moment of stunned silence, he realized what was happening and rubbed his eyes helplessly.

"Damn it, I don't know what came over me yesterday, I actually agreed to Lord Vilan so readily."

Miles had a hint of anxiety on his face. The reason he left his father's side and came to Anvil Territory with his wife was because he had a conflict with his father's ideas.

Now that I'm suddenly going back, I don't know how to face my father.

Sarah noticed her husband's worry, gently touched his forehead, and then hugged him. "It's alright, Miles. Go back with Lord Vilan's mission. Father will be very proud of you when he sees the weapons you've created."

"Thank you, Sarah. It's just a pity I can't take you back with me this time," Miles said with some guilt.

Sarah shook her head and smiled, "There will always be a chance, won't there? As long as you make contributions for Lord Vilan, we will never have to worry about being looked down upon by others again."

"Salad...I love you."

I love you too, darling.

After a passionate kiss, Miles immediately put on his clothes, packed his luggage, and left.

As soon as he opened the door, he saw a man with blond curly hair and an upright posture looking him over.

"Hello, Mr. Miles, my name is McGinn, and I am Lord Vilan's bodyguard. I am looking forward to this journey, and I hope you will take good care of me."

……

"Skinny, have you thought it through? Are we going to be miners or apprentices?"

Inside a half-collapsed mud house, Heichai looked anxiously at his two friends.

Skinny held half a piece of dry, hard bread, munching on it while staring wide-eyed. "I don't know. I'll go wherever you go."

"Damn it, don't you have any thoughts of your own?" Blackie complained.

Skinny nodded. "Yes, my idea is to follow you guys, as long as there's food."

"Is there nothing else in your head besides eating? And Carl, what do you think?"

Blackie nudged Karl's body with his elbow.

The latter was stunned for a moment, somewhat unable to look directly into Hei Chai's eyes.

"I...I don't want to be a miner...and I don't want to be an apprentice..."

"Huh? Do you want to keep picking up stones? Or do you want to join the guard?" Blackie raised his voice, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Karl hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Yes, I want to join the Guard."

"Are you crazy! My mom said that people can die in the army, aren't you scared?" Blackie felt his lips were a little dry and quickly reminded him.

After all, in their minds, serfs going to the battlefield were meant to be servants and cannon fodder.

"Of course I'm scared, but Lord Vilan is different from the other nobles... and don't you think the knights are incredibly powerful? I've been dreaming about them these past few days. If I could become as strong as them, no one would dare bully Mom and my sister anymore!"

Karl clenched his fist, and the scene of being bullied by the free people that day seemed to reappear before his eyes.

Looking at his determined eyes, Hei Chai hesitated and sighed.

"Okay, since we're best friends, I'll go with you."

"I'm going too!"

Skinny followed suit, and in fact, no matter where they went, Skinny would always go with them.

Karl grinned. "Becoming a member of the guard means you get one gold coin a month! I've never even seen what a gold coin looks like before."

"What are we waiting for? Recruitment has already begun. If we don't get selected, we won't get any gold coins!"

……

The square was divided into five areas.

One area was overseen by Igris, whose task was to direct the women in cooking and select some of them to be sent to the mines and military camps as full-time cooks.

The other area remains a collection point for goblin magic cores. Although the total number of people is less than in the previous days, the number of women has increased significantly.

The remaining three areas are all recruitment areas.

Recruiting miners was the easiest task, since many people had done it before, and the person in charge was the former mining team leader, with Ge Yi assisting from the side.

The recruitment of apprentices is personally handled by the heads of each workshop, who have the highest standards. Many people are eliminated after only two questions.

Despite this, all the craftsmen had furrowed brows.

There are too few people in the anvil field, and even fewer talented individuals. Despite lowering the requirements, it is still difficult to find suitable candidates.

What surprised Vilan the most was the recruitment situation of the guard.

Almost all the young people in the Iron Anvil area signed up.

Yes, apart from a few free men who were unwilling to endure hardship, the rest of the young men flocked to the recruitment office, which startled Carreras.

The reason is simple: the monthly salary of 1 gold coin is just too tempting.

For serfs, many might never earn a single gold coin in their entire lives, and even for free men, it would take several months to earn one.

In comparison, even though the guard team is in greater danger, the high reward is enough to make them take the risk.

When Karl and his two companions arrived at the square, they were also horrified by what they saw.

They thought no one would choose to join the army.

Blackie's expression changed. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and sign up! Damn, those guys are really fast!"

The three of them hurriedly ran over, but because the knight was watching, they didn't dare to cut in line and could only obediently wait in line.

It wasn't until the entire morning was over that it was their turn to register.

"Name, age, family situation, and why you want to join the Guards," Rossi asked, pen in hand and head bowed.

"Karl! I'm 16 years old, I have a mother and a younger sister, and I want to become as powerful as the knights!" Karl answered loudly.

Then he saw Rossi and Carreras exchange a glance, both showing helpless expressions.

Unfortunately, this is the 20th identical answer today; the rest of the answers are all about wanting to have enough to eat.

Each one is more simple and unpretentious than the last.

"Alright, let's go to the military camp this afternoon, which is Wirtz's house. The real selection won't start until this afternoon."

"Yes, sir!"

Carl answered loudly, feeling that he had taken the first step even though he hadn't passed the test yet.

While recruitment was taking place in the square, on the other side, along the Amber River to the north of the town...

Vilan was strolling along the riverbank with a few people.

Llorente naturally followed by his side, with Saka and Mount acting as his guards.

The remaining five were all hunters from Anvil Territory. The leader, Vilan, was very familiar with him; his name was Scarface.

The hunters carried their bows and arrows, feeling somewhat uneasy.

They didn't understand why the lord had summoned them personally.