After gathering everyone together, Isaac stated the purpose of his visit: "I need to recruit ten new soldiers, one squire, and one blacksmith."
Silas was somewhat surprised. The first two requests were common enough, but the need for a blacksmith was puzzling. He couldn't help but point out, "The family blacksmith can at best repair farming tools. Forging ordinary blades and swords is likely beyond his skill. And if it's just for fixing tools, why recruit a blacksmith specifically?"
"Rest assured, I have other uses for him," Isaac said, his eyes gleaming.
"By coincidence, we have a batch of young men who have just completed their initial training. Twenty spots would be more than enough," Silas said, stroking his beard with a smile. "As for a blacksmith, the son of our old blacksmith, Evan, is around your age and has already learned the true craft."
Silas was indeed thoughtful and had even made preparations in advance.
"I also need to buy a house, and preferably use the training ground," Isaac added.
"Why buy a house? The training ground outside the farmland, managed by the constabulary, has everything you need. You can stay there and save me the trouble," Silas waved his hand dismissively. After all, it was all his father's estate.
Isaac thought about it and decided that saving money was a good idea. His relationship with the family couldn't be completely severed, so he might as well take advantage of the situation.
With the support of the local power, Isaac's preparations went very smoothly, and everything was arranged in just one day.
Silas covered everything from bedding to daily necessities. He even sent over several bags of wheat, saving Isaac the trouble of buying food.
Other relatives were also busy sending gifts. They were all very practical:
- His third uncle sent 30 spearheads.
- His fourth uncle sent three simple leather armors.
- His eldest aunt sent five iron swords.
In the blink of an eye, Isaac had all the equipment he needed without spending a single coin.
Looking at the dozen strong young men, he almost couldn't contain his joy.
"Back in the day, when my crew first started out, we only had... well, never mind, that's too much of a humblebrag."
This was the joy of nobility—something a commoner-turned-knight could never understand.
The value of these gifts ranged from one or two gold coins to three or five gold coins. They were generous because he was the only one in the family choosing to venture out; otherwise, the gifts would have been even fewer.
With a solid foundation in place, the first thing Isaac did with his new recruits was to build a blacksmith's forge.
Yes, a blacksmith's forge.
The blacksmith's son, young Evan, officially joined and was listed under the "army" section of the panel.
Evan
Occupation: Army Blacksmith Level 1 (22/100)
Experience Pool: 0/100
Indeed, the scope of the panel was even broader than Isaac had imagined.
The new function he had discovered gave him more options.
Compared to risking life and limb, dealing in arms and armor was far more lucrative.
Especially high-value weapons and equipment, which were extremely profitable.
A full set of heavy armor could cost sixty to seventy gold coins—how long would it take an ordinary person to earn that?
The other eleven recruits began their training, while the blacksmith, young Evan, embarked on his forging journey.
In fact, being a blacksmith was a decent trade to support a family.
Why was young Evan in the military camp? Of course, it was "voluntary."
If the baron's son took a liking to you and you weren't "willing," you might find your family mysteriously "suiciding" with knives in their backs the next day.
Young Evan was prepared to become a soldier, but after arriving at the training ground, he first built a simple furnace and set up a workbench.
Then an iron hammer was handed to him, and Lord Isaac said very gently, "Young Evan, your family has been blacksmiths for generations. If you need anything, don't hesitate to go home and get it. I'll pay for it."
"I... I... I only know how to make farming tools and repair broken weapons," Young Evan was on the verge of tears. He didn't think the lord would expect him to forge weapons and armor. If he produced substandard goods, wouldn't he be killed?
"I know. Start with spearheads. I'll use them for training. I won't hold you accountable for quality issues."
Lord Isaac was unusually easygoing, but Young Evan remained skeptical.
The credibility of a noble lord... well, the Villar family was known for its integrity.
That day, after Young Evan explained the situation at home, Old Evan packed up his equipment and sent it over.
If it weren't for Isaac's refusal, he would have taken Young Evan's place himself.
Indeed, it was like a punishment.
How could he expect Young Evan to do something he himself couldn't do?
Isaac didn't explain further. He just put on the air of a baron's son, and the Evan family fell in line.
Before leaving, Old Evan tearfully said, "Son, you must hold on. I only have you as my heir, and I'm counting on you to support me in my old age."
Young Evan also had tears in his eyes, feeling uncertain about his future.
As soon as he turned his head, Old Evan closed the door at home.
"Wife, let's hurry up and have another child."
It was said that Old Evan closed his shop for the next few days.
...
Young Evan fired up the furnace and began his forging career.
The next day, the recruits' training began.
"Thrust!"
"Retreat!"
"Thrust!"
Crack!!!
The spearhead broke.
The spearhead forged by Young Evan was of seriously substandard quality.
Isaac, with an expressionless face, continued to command, "What are you looking at? Just because the spearhead broke, you think you can relax? Enemies on the battlefield won't wait for you. Continue... thrust."
The training went on!
During the training days, Silas would come by occasionally. Seeing Isaac's methodical approach, he couldn't find any faults. As for the results, they wouldn't be apparent in a short time.
It was Young Evan's situation that drew his criticism. After trying to persuade him a few times without success, he decided to let it go. He figured it was better to let his nephew learn the hard way and suffer a minor loss. It wouldn't cost much anyway.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed.
When he checked the panel again, due to the increased training intensity and stricter requirements, all eleven recruits had reached a militia level of five or above.
Young Evan's progress was a bit slower, having only reached level three.
After level three, the experience acquisition speed slowed down again.
At the current pace, it would take at least another month to level up.
Evan
Occupation: Army Blacksmith Level 3 (11/100)
Experience Pool: 0/100
Forging weapons and equipment, after all, had daily limits and couldn't compare to training.
Moreover, the higher the level, the more difficult it was to gain experience.
After reaching level three, the spearheads forged by Young Evan were good enough. The cost was only around twenty to thirty copper coins, and they could easily be sold for seventy to eighty copper coins.
Young Evan could forge three to five spearheads a day, with a profit fluctuating around two hundred copper coins.
The official exchange rate was 1 gold coin for 10 silver coins, and 1 silver coin for 100 copper coins.
However, the so-called official rate was mostly useless, as the civilian exchange rate was constantly changing.
One gold coin could actually be exchanged for 15 to 17 silver coins, and one silver coin could be exchanged for 120 to 130 copper coins.
In other words, a competent blacksmith could earn over one and a half silver coins a day.
That was two to three gold coins a year, three times the income of an ordinary soldier.
If his skills improved further, he could earn even more.
But Young Evan had already signed a contract, and there was no way he could leave.