Magic, steel, heavy industry

Chapter 10 Bread

The mornings in Anvil Ridge are shrouded in a thin layer of mist, and the pungent smell of excrement wafts through the town.

For Carl, he had become accustomed to both the increasing cold air and the stench of feces on the streets.

As a boy who grew up in Anvil Territory, these smells had always been there for him as long as he could remember, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with them.

When people feel the urge to relieve themselves, they simply find a spot on the street and do it.

More than that, he cares about eating. When was the last time he ate his fill?

It seems he was already very young. As a lowly serf, he had to do a lot of work every day. Even if he could get some food, it would be quickly consumed by his constant labor.

"I wonder if they still have black bread today."

Karl recalled his experience from yesterday: the lord's knight had hired him to dig up goblin corpses all day, and then gave each of them a black bread.

Although Karl didn't understand the lord's purpose in collecting the small stones from the goblins' bodies, the bread was real.

That kind of dry and hard food didn't taste good at all; for Vilan, it was even like "bricks" that were hard to swallow. But for Karl, the child of a serf, getting a whole loaf of bread after a day's work was already a very good deal.

Now that no one is buying iron ore and the mines are not hiring, and his family has long been running out of food, he is very happy to have work to do.

I wonder if the Knight will need anyone to work today... Although he said yesterday that we would continue today, who knows?

Karl, lost in thought, walked to the town square, only to find a large crowd already gathered there.

Even with his kindergarten-level math skills, he could tell there were at least dozens!

"May the god of ironclad laws protect us! What happened? Why is everyone here?"

Carl stared blankly at the scene, not only his friends, but also many adults. He even saw his best friend Blackie arrive with his whole family.

Just then, Blackie saw him too. He seemed even more surprised and rushed over, "Damn it, Carl, why didn't you bring your mother and sister?"

Carl was a little flustered. "Is it okay?"

"Are you crazy? When did the Knight ever say it wasn't allowed? Yesterday, the number of people increased from a few to over twenty, and they all still got bread, didn't they?"

As if realizing something, Carl immediately slapped his forehead, then turned and ran back, shouting, "I'll go get them right away, wait for me!"

"I reminded you, you have to give me a piece of bread!" Blackie shouted from behind, getting a little anxious.

Fortunately, Karl's home wasn't far from here, and he ran very fast, returning to the square with the two women, one big and one small, in just 10 minutes.

Then he discovered that the number had increased to at least 50!

They were all people who had no work at the mines and no food at home.

They all stared wide-eyed at the cobblestone path leading to the castle.

Carl clenched his fists, his face growing increasingly tense.

With so many people, what if the knight doesn't choose him?

……

Meanwhile, in the lord's castle, Vilan, dressed neatly, was having breakfast.

In fact, he had just recovered. Last night, he turned three piles of magic cores into magic powder, and the price he paid was that he fell asleep immediately. It was Igris who carried him to bed.

It must be said that the maid was quite responsible at this time, at least she didn't let him sleep in the study for a night.

But as Iglesias said, a good night's sleep would do the trick. Now Vilan has recovered his spirits, feels no discomfort, and is even more energetic than yesterday.

Just then, the butler, Hans, came running in, panting, shouting, "Oh no, oh no! There are forty or fifty people gathered in the square, all here to dig up goblin corpses! This is terrible!"

Hans looked resentful and glanced behind Vilan.

Standing behind him were four people: Captain Carreras, guards Saka and Gei, and Igris.

Carreras wasn't here yesterday, and Vilan sent him to do something. He was just about to report this morning when Vilan stopped him here and told him not to say anything.

The person Hans blamed was naturally Saka, who innocently replied, "Sir, I don't know why it turned out this way. Should I go and disperse them?"

Vilan wiped his mouth, his face showing no surprise whatsoever, but rather a calm demeanor.

"These people are already facing food shortages. Of course they'll be excited to receive bread. What if you disperse them and they starve to death?"

Upon hearing this, Saka's eyes immediately lit up. "Lord Vilan is willing to employ all of them?"

Vilan nodded. "There's no such thing as free bread, but as long as they're willing to work, they should be rewarded accordingly. Besides, the magic powder is of great importance; how can we obtain enough magic cores without mobilizing our people?"

"Lord Vilan, you are truly the best lord I have ever met." Saka looked at him with admiration.

Hans was startled. "No, sir! With so many people, how many loaves of bread do we have to give out?"

Vilan rolled his eyes at him. "How much rye can one gold coin buy? Isn't that enough to feed them?"

"But..." Hans' face turned red, unsure of what to say.

Vilan didn't say much to him. This butler was capable and loyal, but he was just too stingy.

It's understandable that he was in charge of the accounts, since he was the one who felt the most pain watching the gold coins disappear little by little.

"Let's go, come with me to see these hungry people. As for safety, I'll leave it to you, Captain."

"It is my duty to protect the esteemed lord."

Karrelas stood ramrod straight, and the greatsword on his back was even more terrifying.

Vilan had tried, and even with all his strength, he could only lift the greatsword. Karelas, on the other hand, could wield the sword with one hand and unleash sword techniques, which was enough to prove that his combat power far exceeded that of ordinary people.

In fact, Carreras was the most promising candidate for promotion to knight among Vilan's guard.

"I remember your brother was a knight, right?" Vilan suddenly said.

A flicker of sadness crossed Carreras's eyes, which then hardened. "Yes, I will too."

"Of course, I believe in my captain."

Vilan smiled and led them out of the castle.

The people in the square quickly spotted him, and the previously noisy crowd immediately quieted down, everyone unconsciously becoming tense.

"What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be just the Knight? Why is the Lord here too?"

"Should we leave? The lord might be angry..."

"He wouldn't want to take back yesterday's bread, would he?"