CHAPTER 249: LEARNING CURVE

Dominic finished the wall just in time for dinner, but there was still no gate, so anyone could walk in and out of the estate.

That was fine, he decided. They didn’t want to make the house look unwelcoming, just like it could be properly secured. If they really did come under siege, he would be better off completing the wall and hanging a ladder for people to enter by than building a gate.

Dominic turned in before dark, completely exhausted from the intensive magical output, and woke early the next morning, planning to head to the forge to create a few items for the Merchant Guild caravans.

Pops had the production for the residents well in hand, and the Forge should have more than enough room for them both.

But Dominic was running low on spare parts for rifles, and he still didn’t have his spells up to the level that [Clay To Steel] would create suitably high-quality metal to resell the pistols at higher levels.

That was another thing that he should be working on: creating mana crystals to imbue into his book.

However, Dominic had an idea.

He might not have to create the crystals. He might be able to imbue the magic directly into the book using the same technique. If he just sat and focused on it for most of a day, he could likely get it from Rank nine to Rank ten.

That would make a small difference for most spells, but it would bring Clay to Steel a bit closer to perfection.

Dominic joined Pops at the forge, and tossed on his work coat, the leather one that would be spark proof.

"Oh? The Duke is here among the commoners doing manual labour?" Pops joked.

Dominic laughed. "What better forge to make Noble weapons at than yours, Master Smith?"

"I warned you, didn’t I? Once you start, you can’t stop. But I understand why you’re continuing. The Duchy needs money as much as it needs people, and the Merchant’s Guild has more of it than anyone else.

How many more tractors and other large pieces of equipment are you planning to buy?" Pops replied.

"One more tractor, unless they bring two with the next caravan. Then we can start focusing on the smaller things and letting the shops in town be the ones who make most of the orders.

I’m going to need to get the level of my spells up, so I will do as much forge work as I can in between training sessions." Dominic explained.

"Well, working the forge is better for it than most other occupations. I take it that you’re making revolvers again?"

Dominic nodded in response.

"That’s what they requested. By the time that most of the caravans realize they’re in trouble, the ambush is already on them. So, their guards view pistols as more practical.

I have some rifles for the huntsmen as well, but I suspect that we won’t really need them with Alexis and the Royal Guard here.

They have to be getting anxious to head out and check the area for monsters by now."

Pops nodded. "Well, they’ve got to do something to pass their days. Nobody expected a bunch of Royal Paladins to be content simply sitting around and looking at the interior walls of a Manor.

Being trapped in the Palace was hard on the boys while you and the Princess went gallivanting around Dagos without them."

Dominic chuckled. He was absolutely certain that it was. They would need some time to forgive him and the Princess for that, even if the plan to escape detection worked out just right.

Then Pops gestured to the corner of the room. "There are prepared blocks and blanks there for cylinders and frames. You can use that steel. I was expecting you to be here eventually."

Dominic nodded, and started to place out his jigs and forms so that the pistols would come out identical to the ones he had produced before.

They were much smaller than the ones for rifles, and within minutes, the happy sound of hammers on steel was the only sound in the forge as the two men worked.

Dominic had just finished the first batch of cylinders when a knock at the door caught his attention.

"Master Smith? Did you have any chisels made? One of mine cracked." John called.

Pops frowned, and gestured for the carpenter to come in.

"Keep working the bellows. I will get you a new one. It was your wide chisel, wasn’t it? That one looked pretty worn." Pops asked.

"Actually, the narrow one for cutting fitting joints. I hit a spike embedded in a log that I was trying to dovetail for beams, and it cracked up the middle."

Pops nodded, and came back with two chisels. The one that had broken, and the one he expected to have broken.

"I will put it on your tab. How is the work going?" He asked.

"As well as can be expected. A few of the homes weren’t in the greatest condition, and I’m replacing roof beams or floor joists for the lofted sections. They’re liveable, but we don’t need a house coming down on someone’s head."

Pops nodded, and the carpenter rushed back to his work.

"Never a slow moment." Dominic joked.

"You have no idea. The steam fitter and carriage maker are hating life already. The farmers only have a vague idea of how to work the tractors, and they’re not all good about slowing down for rocks and obstacles, so they’ve damaged more than a few parts and implements already.

Nothing that will disable the tractors, but it’s keeping the two of them working long hours, mostly overnight so that the tractors will all be ready in the morning."

Pops smirked at Dominic under his beard. Nobody had been brave enough to tell the Duke that they had broken his tractor, or to beg the Techno Wizards to do more than make them more coal to keep them running.

So, it had fallen on the carriage maker, who had lived in the core of a major city all his life, and didn’t have any more experience plowing and seeding with expensive steam tractors than these rural farmers did.

But they would figure it out soon.