Bonfire

"Oh, damn it. I was so out of it that I didn't even get a good look at my savior."

"Father, I remember the Kolman Warrior saved you had a moon and a snake tattooed on his face."

"My child, though the Brown family is poor, we are not ungrateful people. Come, give that fine greatsword your grandfather left you to that warrior. He saved this old man's life, and we should repay him. Oh, I hope that warrior won't find it too small."

"."

Old Brown's ancestors were all blacksmiths, and over the years he had learned some basic mechanical knowledge. Later, he was fortunate enough to become a squire of one of the knights under the Princess's command, responsible for performing simple repairs and maintenance on the knight's armor and machinery.

But just now, during the monster siege, he unfortunately became the unlucky guy who was captured by the dragon as food.

He thought he was going to die. He was gripped by the dragon's claws, which were like iron pincers. The fear and suffocation made him faint.

Then, when I woke up, I saw him in the hospital.

His son and wife told him that he had only broken two ribs and was extremely lucky.

Then, after hearing that his rescuers were Kolman Tribe warriors, old Brown could no longer lie still.

Rein and Ymir returned to the city, while Wudo went to deal with the captured dragons.

The dragon attack on the inner city caused considerable damage, and as the city lord and Prime Minister, he and Ymir naturally had to go and see what was going on.

But while walking down the street, I was suddenly stopped by someone.

It was a family of three, like a mother and child supporting an injured middle-aged person.

The middle-aged man had a thick beard and an aged face, dressed in coarse linen clothes and a leather apron covered in iron filings. Most striking were his calloused hands; they looked less like those of a sword wielder and more like those of someone who habitually held a hammer.

Rein realized that this was an old blacksmith.

The middle-aged man, his face slightly pale, approached and respectfully bowed with his hands covering his chest. "Your Her Highness the Eldest Princess, please forgive the rudeness of a crude blacksmith. But I truly need your help."

Ymir was stopped, but showed no sign of surprise.

She looked at the person who had come, smiled slightly, and asked, "What's wrong, Mr. Brown?"

Old Brown was visibly stunned for a moment when he heard this.

He suddenly forgot what he was going to say, and looking flattered, exclaimed, "Oh! Your Her Highness the Eldest Princess, you actually remember my name?"

"Yes. I remember you were a very skilled blacksmith, your forging techniques were superb, the Minister of the Interior specifically mentioned it to me."

As she spoke, Ymir wore a warm and welcoming smile, and asked, "Have you encountered any difficulties?"

"Oh my god, the Princess actually remembers my name."

Old Brown was so excited that he became somewhat incoherent, repeatedly uttering the same phrase.

His son and wife, standing beside him, also wore incredulous, frozen expressions. They never imagined that the esteemed Her Highness the Eldest Princess would remember the name of an ordinary craftsman.

Yes, I remember.

Ymir smiled kindly, then looked at the young man supporting him and said, "This must be your son, Calen? I remember he enrolled in the first mechanic class at our 'Black Dragon Academy.' With hard work, I believe he will become an excellent mechanic."

Upon hearing that the Princess not only remembered his name but also his son's name, old Brown finally couldn't hold back his tears, which rolled down his cheeks like large soybeans.

He wept bitterly, saying, "Oh! Her Highness the Eldest Princess, little Calen told me long ago that he no longer wanted to be a blacksmith for life like his incompetent father, but wanted to become a true mechanic. But his poor family could never earn enough to send him to the Mechanical Workshop as an apprentice. It was your kindness that gave my son, little Calen, the opportunity to become a true mechanic."

As he spoke, he clutched his stinging wound, prostrated himself on the ground with great emotion, and kissed the ground in front of Ymir's feet.

His son and wife, who were behind him, also knelt down.

In other territories, "knowledge" was a privilege held by nobles and a means for them to control learned commoners.

Commoners had absolutely no opportunity or means to receive an academic education. No aristocratic academy would admit commoner students.

The only way for them to become mechanic apprentices is to spend a large sum of money to find acquaintances in some Mechanical Workshop in the territory to take them on as apprentices for free for eight or ten years in order to learn some basic mechanical knowledge.

That's how Old Brown got through it. When he was young, he made a fortune as a scavenger and learned some basic mechanical skills. It was through this skill that he was able to escape the days of freezing and starvation, and finally get married and have children.

But now, he's old, no longer able to hunt in the wilderness, nor able to create the same opportunity for his son.

He had assumed his son would follow the same path, spending his life as an ordinary, unremarkable blacksmith. But coming to Black Dragon City turned out to be a choice that changed the fate of the entire family.

Ymir quickly helped the simple old blacksmith to his feet, saying, "Everything we have today is not only because of me, but also because of Lord Rein and everyone who contributed to the construction of this city. This Black Dragon City will be our shared home from now on, and it will become better and better."

Before she could even help the blacksmith family of three to their feet, the fact that the old man and his family knelt down seemed to trigger a chain reaction. All the craftsmen who had been watching from the surrounding streets also knelt down in unison, and the sounds of praise rose higher and higher like a tidal wave.

"Thank you, Your Her Highness the Eldest Princess, for your kindness."

"Your Her Highness the Eldest Princess, Lord City Lord, we praise your kindness. Because of you both, our descendants have the opportunity to learn precious knowledge. Our future generations will forever remember this great kindness."

"."

Some of these craftsmen were subjects of the Princess, while others were recruited from elsewhere. Before coming to Black Dragon City, they had no idea what kind of city they would be involved in building.

They originally thought it was just another place to be exploited, but unexpectedly, they arrived at a place that felt like a dream.

Not only are there no high taxes here, but commoners also enjoy the rights that were only enjoyed by nobles and wealthy people in other territories.

Healthcare and education are all free!

It was like a windfall, bringing tangible benefits to all the people.

In other territories, the exorbitant taxes levied by the nobles siphoned away the vast majority of the wealth created by their labor. Those nobles would rather let rats devour the grain in their granaries than distribute moldy food to the commoners.

But everyone felt that this was how their ancestors had always done it, and it should be this way, because they were ordinary people.

In the past, when they were sick, they didn't dare to call a doctor. The exorbitant cost would only worsen their already impoverished situation.

But in Black Dragon City, they discovered that as long as they worked, they would receive their due rewards. Even if they earned a hundred copper lisos, the tax collector wouldn't take eighty. They could keep ninety, enough to live comfortably, and even have some money left over to enjoy rum at the tavern.

This was the first time the artisans realized that they could earn their own future through their own hands, instead of being ruthlessly exploited and oppressed, unable to rise above their circumstances for generations.

This is why, despite the immense danger of clearing land and building a city in the Karatva Basin, they were so enthusiastic and worked tirelessly.

More importantly, he feels that he is alive and respected.

Would other lords remember the name of a commoner?

Rein looked at everything before him, his expression unchanged, but a strange feeling flickered in his heart. He felt that in the eyes of those craftsmen, Ymir was probably radiating a holy light.

Not only were the bystanders moved, but even Rein himself was touched.

Ymir's exceptional domestic political skills are truly astonishing.

Ymir addressed the crowd, "Please rise, everyone. This is all you have created through your own hard work; it is what you deserve. We must work even harder in the future. I believe that the future of Black Dragon Territory will be even brighter!"

"Long live the City Lord! Long live the Princess!"

A wave of praise and cheers erupted from the crowd once again.

After a long while, the boiling emotion finally subsided.

Ymir was very patient; she waited until the old blacksmith's breathing calmed down before smiling and asking again, "Mr. Brown, you still haven't told me what kind of help you need."

Oh, I almost forgot!

After calming down from his excitement, Old Brown slapped his forehead, remembering his business, and said, "I was just captured by a dragon. My child told me that a warrior from the Kolman Tribe saved my life. Therefore, I wanted to give this sword to that warrior as a token of my gratitude for saving my life. However, I don't Coleman Language, so... I thought of troubling Your Highness."

I will help you.

Upon hearing this, Ymir finally understood why he was still wrapped in hospital bandages.

She smiled and asked again, "But do you remember what that soldier looked like?"

Old Brown said, "Yes, my son remembers. That warrior had a moon and snake tattoo on his face."

Upon hearing this, Ymir and Rein exchanged a glance.

She added, "Okay, let's go together."

Old Brown, carrying his most prized iron sword as a token of gratitude for being saved, arrived at the Kolman Tribe shantytown, a place he had never set foot in before.

Behind him were not only his son and wife, but also the craftsmen and their families who had been rescued by the Kolman Warrior.

The Kolman Warrior initially didn't understand why so many Omar people had suddenly come to their dwelling, and they all came out of the thatched huts to investigate.

After Rein explained it to them, everyone understood.

With Wudo's help, she also found the Kolman Tribe warrior named "Mata" who had saved the man.

Mata accepted old Brown's gift and reciprocated with a gift of her own.

The relationship between the two sides has suddenly become very close because of today's dragon attack on the city.

When the Kolman Tribe people make new friends, they celebrate with a grand bonfire dinner.

Ymir had originally invited the tribe's elders to a banquet, but because of this incident, it turned into a city-wide celebration.

As night fell, hundreds of huge bonfires were lit in the open spaces of the city. Kolman's hunting party had hunted down dozens of giant earth dragons, and the people of Omar had brought mashed potatoes, bread, cheese, and fine wine.

Tens of thousands of people in Black Dragon City had a wild party.

Whether they were Kolman or Omar, despite their language barriers, they sang and danced together, using their music and dance to witness their growing friendship.

This was Ymir's first time attending such a lively bonfire party, yet she maintained the poise and reserve befitting a princess. She had initially been watching quietly from the sidelines, but Wudo pulled her along, and together with Rein, they danced Kolman's war dance around the fire.

Court balls are never this wild and unrestrained. Ymir experienced this fiery dance for the first time and danced with great enthusiasm.

The firelight illuminated their bright red and radiant faces, and everyone laughed heartily, as happy as a group of children.

After jumping around for a while, we ate some barbecue.

Ymir invited Wudo and Rein to her apartment.

She enjoyed the carefully prepared desserts and shared her favorite collections.

For the first time, Wudo witnessed the ultimate luxury of human civilization; for the first time, she lay on a goose-down bed that she could sink into.

Following Kolman's custom, Ymir allowed Wudo and Rein to stay overnight.

However, it's not three people sharing a room; there are plenty of empty rooms in the apartment.

But in the middle of the night, Rein still felt a "sneaky" figure open his door.

Before long, a warm and soft body quietly slipped into his quilt.

The timid voice told him that this was the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in.

But then she said sadly that she couldn't sleep well.

She still loves the forest the most.

Then, as she spoke, tears streamed down her face.