Before long, the two arrived at an open area where all the blacksmiths and carpenters were already waiting. Upon seeing Velin arrive, they all bowed.
Joseph, the head of the carpenters, stepped forward and respectfully introduced it. "My lord, this is the finished ballista."
Velin stepped forward and examined the ballista. The sight overlapped with images from his memories of his previous life.
"Bring me a Spear."
Upon hearing this, one of the carpenters immediately brought forward a Spear. The other two carpenters forcefully turned the crank, drawing the bow by winding the rear wheel shaft. They then loaded the projectile and waited to fire.
Velin accepted the wooden hammer Orlando handed him, aimed at the trigger, and smashed it down hard.
With a sharp whoosh, the thick Spear shot out, piercing through three wooden test targets and tearing apart the leather armor mounted on them.
By visual estimate, the three test dummies stood at distances of three hundred, six hundred, and eight hundred meters respectively.
Seeing the test results, Velin could not help shouting in approval.
Having received praise from their lord, the surrounding craftsmen and blacksmiths all straightened their backs, savoring the glorious moment.
Joseph hunched forward and, choosing the right moment, boldly asked, "My lord, may I ask what this weapon will be called?"
"Let us continue using its former name. It will be called the Three-Bow Ballista." Velin stroked the ballista, then turned to Joseph. "What is the current production rate?"
"My lord, a team of four can complete one Three-Bow Ballista in six days," Joseph promptly replied.
Velin nodded after hearing that. He was quite satisfied with that speed.
In the wilderness, this weapon would be a devastating killing tool, and for the time being, it would become a formidable weapon in his hands.
As for the future, once he had his own mages and magic blacksmiths, such things would either be phased out or improved with magical elements to unleash even greater value.
Afterward, Velin gathered everyone together and loudly announced before them, "Now, I will honor my promise. In the name of Velin Ex, I declare that your status as slaves is abolished. From this moment on, you are free."
Fifteen blacksmiths and twenty-five carpenters all dropped to their knees, their voices filled with excitement.
"Thank you, my lord."
After having the others rise, Velin continued, "Next is my second promise. If you complete this task within one month, I will grant each of you a woman to bear children for you."
At the mention of women, the craftsmen below became extremely excited.
Many of them had already had children before, but those children had not belonged to them. They had been the property of their slave masters.
Now, they were free men. Their women would belong only to them, and their children would carry on their bloodline.
"Now, I will announce my second task. If you complete twenty ballistas within one week, each of you will receive one Gold Coin as a reward."
"My lord, rest assured. Even if I work myself to death, I, Joseph, will complete the task you have given me."
"I am willing to give everything for my lord, even my unborn child."
"My lord, your will is the meaning of my existence. I will carry it out without regret."
Every craftsman used his own words to express his loyalty to Velin.
Everything they had came from their lord, and it would remain so in the future.
After returning to his room, Velin revised the battle plan.
With the Three-Bow Ballista, he now had absolute confidence in dealing with Brandon's next attack.
If you can't find a book by searching its title, try searching for the author. It may have simply been renamed!
Through this battle, he intended to seize even greater benefits and accelerate the territory's development.
Guidance of Fate would only tell him valuable information, but that alone was something others did not possess. He would rely on it to reach the pinnacle of this world and see the view from the summit.
In Ridge Territory, at Ridge Castle, Brian immediately gathered the territory's troops to provide support after receiving his cousin's letter.
Throughout the entire process, he did not hesitate in the slightest. He directly took away eighty percent of Ridge Territory's army, leaving only one trusted subordinate behind to guard the territory.
At that moment, in the Barony of Klevland, Brandon stood in his study, repeatedly reviewing the previous battle and weighing his gains and losses.
This time, I will not fail again.
Clenching his fists, Brandon looked at the various plans on the paper. This time, he would definitely capture the other side alive.
"Master, Lord Violet, Lord Caisley, and Lord Barry are already waiting in the hall," the Butler reported as he came up behind Brandon.
Brandon picked up the papers filled with plans and headed for the hall with the Butler.
The moment he entered the castle hall, he heard the three of them talking loudly, their words full of mockery over Brandon's defeat at the hands of a mere youngster.
"Ha! That shameless old Brandon actually had to rely on a woman to negotiate before he could be ransomed."
"Violet, watch your tongue. Be careful, or one day you might end up receiving the same treatment."
"Heh. If I had to send a woman to negotiate, I would rather kill myself than suffer such humiliation."
"Ahem."
The three turned their heads at the sound, shut their mouths, and stopped talking.
Brandon acted as though he had heard nothing. Wearing a fake smile, he walked over and sat in the lord's seat.
"Gentlemen, I invited you here this time because of a site with enormous iron ore reserves."
"What? Iron ore?"
The other three all widened their eyes and stared at Brandon.
"Yes, iron ore. This time, I am willing to contribute it. So long as we seize that stronghold, I only want ten percent of the iron ore profits. Everything else will belong to you."
Caisley, the rare mage lord dressed in a magic robe, stroked his white beard and asked suspiciously, "Brandon, there is no trick to this, is there? This is not some lie you made up for the sake of revenge, is it?"
"Do you think that is possible, Caisley?" Brandon fixed the mage with a sharp gaze.
The other two immediately realized that the possibility was very high. They looked at Brandon with suspicion, hoping he could provide proof that the place occupied by the Pioneer Knight truly contained abundant iron ore reserves.
"Ahem, Brandon, it is not that we do not trust you. Unless you produce evidence, we are not fools," Barry, the warrior lord, said at the appropriate moment, easing the awkward atmosphere.
"Since you do not believe me, let Caisley use Lie Detection Magic to prove whether what I said is true or false." Seeing that the three did not trust him, Brandon had no choice but to resort to this.
Seeing this, Caisley stood up, held his staff, and muttered an incantation. A white Magic Array appeared beneath Brandon's feet.
Under the watchful eyes of the other two, Brandon spoke again. "The place occupied by the Pioneer Knight contains iron ore reserves of enormous quantity."
The moment Brandon finished speaking, the Magic Array that detected lies remained white and did not turn red.
Seeing this, they believed Brandon's words. There truly was a site with enormous iron ore reserves there.
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