The Blacksmith Shop's Transformation
At the Carnford Mountain, the former blacksmith workshop area is now a bustling and vibrant place.
The clanging of hammers, the whooshing of air from blowers, and the shouts of craftsmen as they swung their sledgehammers filled the air.
This was a stark contrast to the desolate scene just months earlier, when only Hector was working diligently while the apprentices could only do odd jobs on the sidelines.
Inspired by Karl's new policy of "Teacher Craftsman," Hector finally let go of his fear of "teaching his apprentice only to starve himself" and began to truly impart all his knowledge.
Under a spacious shed, Hector paced behind a row of apprentices who were diligently forging iron blanks, his hands behind his back.
His expression remained serious, but his eyes no longer held the wariness and reserve of the past; instead, they held the focused attention of a stern teacher.
"Stop! Your wrist! How many times have I told you! Your wrist needs to be steady, powered by your waist! Not by swinging your arms around randomly! The iron you forge like that will be brittle at the core! Start over!"
He abruptly stopped beside a young apprentice, loudly reprimanded him, and personally picked up the hammer to demonstrate two steady and rhythmic strikes.
The apprentice shrank back in fright, nodded quickly, took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and started again with even greater focus.
On the other side, several apprentices were gathered around a simple jig, carefully using files to polish the inner wall of a roughly shaped gun barrel.
Hector walked over and carefully felt the inner wall with his fingers. His brows immediately furrowed. "Rough! Like sandpaper! If this went to the battlefield, the lead bullets would get stuck before they were even fired, and a barrel explosion would kill the soldiers!"
"Be attentive! Be patient! Take it one step at a time, feel it! Be able to feel it! If you feel any unevenness, then carefully grind that area! This isn't about blindly filing with your eyes closed!"
The apprentices were so reprimanded by him that they dared not raise their heads, but their eyes were all exceptionally serious, without the slightest complaint.
Because they all knew that the harsher Hector's scolding was, the more genuine his teaching would be!
Before, I didn't even have the chance to be scolded, but now that I can learn real skills, what's a few scoldings?
Karl's reforms to the production process are beginning to show results.
In the past, a craftsman had to complete all the processes from forging the gun barrel, making the precision trigger and flintlock mechanism, carving the stock, to the final assembly and debugging. This was extremely inefficient and required a very high level of skill from the craftsman, making it difficult to popularize.
Now, Karl broke down the entire musket manufacturing process into several relatively independent modules.
A team was specifically responsible for repeatedly forging, rolling, and initially polishing the rough gun barrel blanks.
Another group of more skilled apprentices, under Hector's personal guidance, specialized in learning the most crucial and time-consuming craft of drilling and smoothing the inner wall of gun barrels.
Another group was responsible for making metal components such as triggers and hammers; the carpentry team was responsible for making standard gun stocks.
Finally, a meticulous team performs final assembly and initial testing.
This assembly-line style of division of labor and cooperation, although each apprentice only masters one part of the entire skill, greatly improves production efficiency and reduces the requirements for individual apprentices' talent.
More importantly, core technologies such as drilling and debugging remained firmly in the hands of Hector and his few most trusted disciples, ensuring that Hector's technological advantage did not spread too quickly.
This has made it extremely difficult to become a formal apprentice under Hector, sign a contract, and enjoy future retirement benefits.
Not only does the apprentice need to be talented and hardworking, but their family also often needs to pay a considerable "apprenticeship gift" or make other promises.
After all, once you've mastered the skill, even if you only excel in one aspect, you can quickly start making money, and after completing your apprenticeship, your future is limitless.
Hector's status and position are now vastly different from what they used to be.
Hector, though highly skilled and wealthy, was a loner, a heavy drinker, and unapproachable, and his people kept their distance from him.
Today, he is one of the most respected and sought-after figures in Carnford.
People would enthusiastically invite him to their weddings, funerals, festivals, and celebrations so that their children could become his disciples.
If they meet on the street, they will greet each other respectfully and call him "Master Hector".
Many single mothers raising children alone are attracted by his status and skills, and secretly court him, hoping to find someone to rely on.
Just then, Karl's inspection team arrived at the blacksmith district.
He was unaware that he had been portrayed as the "Light of the Northern Border" in the Royal Capital of Plai, and his mind was entirely focused on the actual development of his territory.
Upon seeing Karl, Hector immediately put down his work and hurried forward, a genuinely respectful smile on his face, "My Lord!"
"Hector, it looks brand new." Karl looked at the bustling workshop and nodded with satisfaction.
"Thanks to you, sir!" Hector rubbed his hands together, his tone filled with the excitement of reporting a task. "According to your new method, I have now officially recruited thirty apprentices who have signed contracts, divided into several groups, each with their own responsibilities."
"This month's production is estimated to be around fifteen Flintlock Rifle, plus a few simple Matchlock Rifle, for a total production of about twenty!"
While this number is still far from Karl's ideal goal of equipping the army on a large scale, it is a huge leap compared to the previous monthly production of only a few units.
"Very good, thank you for your hard work," Karl said approvingly, then asked, "What is the biggest difficulty now?"
Upon hearing this, Hector's smile faded slightly. He pointed to the group of apprentices who were carefully operating a long-handled drill to polish the gun barrel. "Still this one, sir, drilling the bore, reaming—this is the most time-consuming and tests one's patience and dexterity."
"Having more people can certainly work at the same time, but it won't be fast. Each gun barrel has to be ground bit by bit. You can't be impatient, your hands can't tremble. It takes a long time, and the scrap rate is still a bit high. This job... can't be rushed."
Karl nodded thoughtfully. "I understand. For this kind of work that requires extremely high precision and repetition, it's best to rely on mechanical power. I remember you mentioned the idea of drilling machines and water-powered drives. I will keep it in mind and try my best to find a solution."
"Hey! If we could have that guy, it would really save us a lot of effort!" Hector's eyes lit up, full of anticipation.
After finishing their business, Karl changed the subject, his tone becoming much more amiable. "How have you been lately? I see everyone is much more welcoming towards you."
Hector rubbed his hands together somewhat embarrassedly, a rare hint of shyness appearing on his face. "Good, much better! Thanks to you, sir, now... now everyone invites me for a drink whenever they have a happy occasion, and they're polite when we meet on the street... It's great, really."
His words were simple, but one could hear the satisfaction of being accepted in his voice.
Karl chuckled and lowered his voice, "I've heard it's not just about inviting you for drinks, is it? Apparently, quite a few single mothers are quite fond of you, this 'master'? Haven't you thought about finding a suitable person to settle down with? Spending the rest of your life drinking alone isn't a good solution."
Hector hadn't expected the Lord to be interested in his personal affairs, and he immediately blushed deeply.
He waved his hands helplessly, "Sir, please don't make fun of me... I... I have many flaws. I love to drink. My ex-wife left me because she thought I was useless and a heavy drinker... I'm used to being alone, never mind..."
"And what about the child?" Karl looked at him, his tone direct. "Don't you want a child of your own? To pass on your remarkable skills to him openly and without reservation? That's what you want most, isn't it?"
These words seemed to strike the deepest, most tender part of Hector's heart.
He froze, opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.
Yes, no matter how good an apprentice is, they are still an outsider. Teaching them real skills is ultimately for the sake of retirement security.
But if you have a son of your own... the feeling of imparting all your knowledge and hoping your son will become a dragon is completely different; it is a desire that comes from the depths of your blood.
Who wouldn't want an heir?
Seeing Hector's complicated expression, Karl knew he had hit the nail on the head.
He patted the skilled but lonely old craftsman on the shoulder. "Think it over carefully, Hector. When you meet the right person, don't miss the opportunity. When that day comes, I'll officiate your wedding."
Hector looked up, his eyes gleaming with gratitude and a hint of anticipation, and nodded vigorously. "Ah!... Thank you, sir! Thank you for your concern!"