Uses of Black Ironwood

Luo Ning brought several pieces of Black Ironwood back to the castle.

He had Macken cut off a small piece and let the guards stab and chop at it with their longswords. After several thrusts, they could pierce through a piece less than five millimeters thick. As for chopping, it only left marks on the surface; they could not cut through it in just a few strikes.

The hardness of Black Ironwood gave Luo Ning a pleasant surprise.

The guards found it difficult to pierce Black Ironwood less than five millimeters thick, which meant Luo Ning could make simple breastplates from it to partially replace iron armor.

Of course, that did not mean Black Ironwood was truly equivalent to iron. Protective gear made from it would certainly not be as durable or as defensive as iron gear.

Mountain Forest Town had no iron mines. If Luo Ning wanted to arm his guards, he could only purchase the necessary equipment elsewhere.

On the market, an ordinary set of Chainmail, a helmet, greaves, a shield, and the like would cost no less than twenty gold coins altogether.

With Luo Ning's current wealth, fully equipping all the guards was simply impossible.

Moreover, lords and nobles had little interest in arming ordinary people. Rather than spending money on that, they would prefer to improve the defenses of Professional Knights.

Only extraordinary individuals could bring out the greatest value of good equipment.

Take Wushan Castle, for example. The guards of the seventh squad only had linen armor at best, while the better-equipped ones had Leather Armor.

For Luo Ning, in the absence of iron protective gear and without enough money to purchase iron equipment for ordinary guards, making armor and weapons from Black Ironwood was an excellent choice.

And he was certain that such items could be sold as well.

"This has real potential!"

In the study, Luo Ning found the idea more and more reliable.

The only problem was that Black Ironwood was not easy to fell.

Ordinary people could not possibly cut it down with Stone Axes. Only after equipping them with Iron Axes would they have a chance to fell it, and even then, only with tremendous effort.

Furthermore, processing Black Ironwood placed great demands on a carpenter's physical strength.

"Gallon!"

Luo Ning called out, and his personal manservant standing outside the door immediately entered.

"My lord, your orders!"

"Do you know whether there are any carpenters in town?" Luo Ning asked.

"Yes, my lord."

Like Tom, Gallon was a native of Mountain Forest Town.

Having lived here for more than a decade, he knew a thing or two about some of the town's craftsmen.

"My lord, the best carpenter in town is Uncle William. When Prinster built this building, it was Uncle William who led the men and completed it."

Uncle William. Luo Ning remembered the name.

Luo Ning nodded. "Very good. Take two guards and invite him here now."

Gallon paused briefly, then bowed to accept the order. "My lord, I will bring people to capture him for you at once."

Capture?

Luo Ning frowned. "I said, 'invite'!"

He deliberately emphasized the word.

"Watch your attitude. Do not offend this carpenter."

Although Carpenter William had worked under Prinster, Luo Ning was not so petty as to hold him accountable for that.

What's more, craftsmen were scarce resources in any era, let alone in remote, impoverished Mountain Forest Town.

Luo Ning was still counting on these craftsmen to make money for him.

Cold sweat immediately broke out on Gallon's forehead.

He had only heard the first half of the order. When Luo Ning told him to bring guards over, he had instinctively assumed he was to seize William, and had failed to hear the word "invite" afterward.

Realizing he had nearly made a mistake, Gallon immediately dropped to one knee. "Forgive me, my lord. It was my fault. I did not hear clearly!"

Luo Ning had not expected such a strong reaction, so he waved his hand. "In the future, listen to all of my instructions, think before carrying them out, and do not be so hasty. Go on."

"Thank you for your mercy, my lord!"

Gallon hurriedly bowed, then left the study and rushed toward the carpenter's home with the guards.

On the stairs, he happened to run into Bella, who was heading upstairs. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

Gallon sighed and said gloomily, "I said the wrong thing just now."

Bella became nervous as well. She was about to see the Baron, and if her lord was in a bad mood right now, she would have to be especially careful.

"Did my lord criticize you?" she asked anxiously.

Gallon shook his head. "Not at all. My lord was very forgiving. I am simply afraid I left him with the impression that I am rash."

He shook his head worriedly. "Never mind. I need to get back to work."

Watching the manservant leave, Bella could not help feeling uneasy.

These newly arrived servants in the castle were all extremely cautious around the Baron, afraid they might do something wrong.

They were so nervous for two reasons. First, they did not want to lose such a wonderful job. At the very least, they had been given new clothes in the castle and could eat their fill. Sometimes, Bella could even have a bite or two of the white bread left over by the Baron.

Second, they were still very afraid of Luo Ning. The sight of the Baron leading his men into town that day had been terrifying. The cart had carried more than twenty stacked corpses!

Bella carefully approached the door and knocked softly. "My lord, the kitchen is about to prepare the dinner banquet. Mrs. Bandler asked me to inquire whether you have any special instructions."

Luo Ning looked away from his book and turned his gaze toward Bella.

Today, the maid had put on one of the women's outfits left behind in the castle, and it suited her quite well. After changing into it, Bella's overall appearance had improved considerably, giving her a more youthful air.

He had thought from the beginning that Bella would look better than Prinster's two lovers if she dressed a little more nicely. Today proved him right.

In this remote mountain town, with such a passable maid at his side, if his previous self were here, he would probably have dragged her into some deeper exchange tonight and done something wonderful.

But Luo Ning had no such intention.

It was true that he liked looking at beautiful women, but when it came to actually making a move, he found it somewhat unappealing.

Marriage in this era still had a strong class-based nature. Generally speaking, a noble's other half could only be chosen from among nobles.

Nobles and commoners rarely ended up together. Even if they did, it was usually only in the capacity of lovers.

Stories of a maid falling in love with a knight, or a noble abandoning status for true love and running away with a servant, were more likely to appear in Knight Novels.

For example, the knight novel Luo Ning was currently reading told the story of a Princess falling in love with an Advanced Knight, then casting aside her noble status to wander the world with him.

That was rather absurd.

"Tonight, I will be eating with Elrond, Macken, and the other extraordinary individuals. Tell Mrs. Bandler to prepare thoroughly," Luo Ning instructed.

Under normal circumstances, Luo Ning ate dinner alone, mainly because he preferred peace and quiet.

He was inviting them all to dine together today chiefly for the arrangements to come.

Now that the castle servants and the Administrator of the territory had been properly arranged, and Luo Ning had conducted an initial inspection of the territory, he needed to prepare for a trip to Pasture City.

During dinner, he would have Macken and the others make the territory's defensive arrangements.

"Yes, my lord. I will go and inform Mrs. Bandler right away."

Bella breathed a sigh of relief. Her lord had remained silent for quite some time, and she had thought she had said something wrong.

After the maid left, Luo Ning continued reading the otherworldly novel.

This novel, bound in over thirty pages of Parchment, had a very simple plot. It was nothing more than killing Demon Beasts, rescuing people everywhere, and then dwelling on romantic affairs. It was full of padding.

Still, it was fine to read a little during breaks. If it could pass the boring hours, it had its value.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door was knocked on again. This time, Chahar stood outside.

"My lord, the Squat Toilet you ordered this morning has been arranged. Would you like to take a look?"

Luo Ning immediately closed the book and rose to his feet. "Come, take me to see it."

Thanks to Lord Tong Xinyu for the reward, and thanks to all the lords for your votes and support~