Iron Powder and Spellcasters Chapter 385

   Chapter 385 Ascent

   On the first day of the "reverse auction", nothing happened.

   None of the forge masters offered an offer to the Baron and his wife. Anna didn't take the initiative to negotiate with the various workshops, and also rejected the social invitations that came in succession - Mingming.

   Privately, she asked Carlo Ed to find more "books"

  Buyers and sellers confront each other in silence, and both sides understand that whoever wins or loses is more composure.

  Dinner time, Berian cooked the bones of the uncut meat, then removed the meat and tendons close to the bones, poured sauces and made a tender and delicious main course.

   The bone that should have been knocked out to **** the marrow was cheaper by two wolf dogs.

  At the dinner table, Anna enthusiastically told Winters about her new discovery: "...It is precisely because of the fine division of labor in the Steelcastle workshop that their operations are very interesting.

Take the sword workshop of the Schmidt family for example. The Schmidt family neither smelts iron nor burns charcoal. They even leave the hardening and sharpening to other workshops. They are only responsible for turning iron into sword bars. , knife blade..."

   "Hmm." Winters responded subconsciously, stirring the vegetable soup absentmindedly.

  Anna looked at Winters carefully for a moment, then asked softly, "What's wrong? The job of hiring a craftsman didn't go well?"

   Winters wasn't bothered by hiring a blacksmith, but he did not go well during the day to visit and invite a Steelcastle blacksmith.

   He came back to his senses and shook Anna's hand apologetically: "It's nothing."

   "You can tell me." Anna slightly dragged a long tone.

   Winters sighed: "It's not going well, no blacksmith is willing to go to the new land, and it's useless to offer a high salary."

   But what really annoyed Winters was something else, which he could do nothing but count on Colonel Berne.

   "Don't be discouraged." Anna's voice has the magic of inner peace: "You will find someone who is willing to work for you."

   Winters' mood was much more relaxed. He nodded and asked with a smile, "Let's talk about the Schmidt family. What happened to them? You can't make a sword directly from iron, can they smelt steel?"

   "Mr. Schmid's eldest son runs a steel-making workshop with two forging furnaces." Anna has already kept the inside story of the Schmid family in her mind, and can give the answer without consulting the records.

She continued: "Because many of the processes are left to other workshops, old Mr. Schmid can focus on forging swords, which makes them extremely efficient. There is only one sword workshop in the Schmid family. The forge can produce so many knives and swords, thanks to the fine division of labor of the Steel Castle Blacksmiths Guild."

   "Isn't this an advantage?"

"I haven't finished yet." Anna blinked her beautiful eyes and took out a loaf of bread from the basket: "Although the Schmid family's workshop is very efficient, because they only do one business, they are resistant to risks. The ability of the loaf is terrible. Just like this bread, even if it is very long and long, but the thickness does not change, it does not require a lot of force to break it.”

   After saying that, Anna broke the bread into two pieces, and couldn't help but give half of it to Winters.

   "Then how do you break it?" Winters asked, puzzled.

   Hearing this, Kaman, who was drinking soup, glanced at Winters inadvertently.

"Breaking is just a metaphor." Anna's tone seemed to be coaxing a child: "The point is still about funds. Mr. Schmid doesn't buy raw materials with first-hand payment and first-hand delivery. 'Deferred payment' is a matter between the workshops in Steel Castle. It's a very common situation - it's on credit. Other workshops pay Mr. Schmidt for raw materials and services in advance, and Mr. Schmidt can wait until the goods are sold and the funds are returned before paying the money..."

Winters heard the end silently, digested it for a while, and then tried to repeat it in his own words: "You mean, old Mr. Schmid is actually borrowing money to produce, if the ordnance can't be sold, he can't A debt?"

   "Accurately speaking, it's not borrowing money." Anna tilted her head and thought for a while: "But it's almost the same."

   "He owes some money, but then what?"

  Anna put away her naughty and brisk tone, and said seriously: "It's not just that you owe some money. If old Mr. Schmid is insolvent, his chair will be smashed."

   "Smashing chairs?" Winters heard the word for the first time.

   "Yes." Anna hesitated for a moment, then softly spit out another word: "Bankrupt."

  The table became quiet, and both Winters and Kaman stopped.

   Because bankruptcy is not a small thing. In current law, bankruptcy means not only the loss of property and goodwill, but also severe criminal penalties, including but not limited to imprisonment, hard labor and corporal punishment.

   "Bankrupt?" Kaman asked suspiciously: "Old Mr. Schmid has worked hard all his life, and he can always save some savings, so he won't go bankrupt with one failure, right?"

"Old Mr. Schmid really saved a lot of money, so he has seven forges." Anna explained to Kaman: "Except for wood, lake water, iron ore and a little grain, Steel Castle produces almost nothing. Sustaining the city also costs money, especially in Monta. Old Mr. Schmid doesn't seem to be a pleasure-seeker, perhaps with some contingency. But the workshop owners who live as extravagantly as the Flores , I doubt they have enough money to deal with this crisis."

  Ana looked at Winters: "So you should change your thinking. Before, you always wanted to cooperate with the big workshop, because the big workshop has a backlog, and one transaction can meet the demand. But in the future, we must first target those small workshops.

  Although there is a large backlog of large workshops, their volume is large and the cost of negotiation is sufficient. The small workshop is like a sampan, which is more likely to overturn in the face of the waves. When the small workshops sank one by one, the large workshops would also be dragged to the bottom of the sea. "

"Hmm. It's like a battle between two armies. If the weak flanks are defeated, no matter how powerful the central army will be outflanked?" Winters propped his chin and begged Anna: "I like hearing you say 'we' so much, Can you say it a few more times?"

   "I have finished eating, and I have to do evening prayers, please forgive me." Kaman stood up suddenly and bowed to Winters and Anna: "Mr. Montagne, Ms. Navarre, good night."

  Kaman thanked the chef Berrian again, and then walked out of the restaurant without looking back, "dong dong dong dong" went upstairs to his bedroom.

   "What happened to him?" Winters asked knowingly.

  Anna kicked Winters hard under the table.

   Winters let out a low scream and lay on the dining table in pain.

  Anna was at a loss for a moment, turned to Winters, and asked distressedly, "Have I touched your old injury?"

   "Well...it's okay..." Winters pleaded angrily: "I want to hear you say us again."

"you!"

   "Just say it once."

   "We, we." Anna said in a lower voice: "We..."

   "Okay, I'm fine." Winters sat up neatly and squeezed Anna's hand: "Hurry up, the soup will be cold in a while."

   Before she finished speaking, Anna kicked Winters again, this time aiming at her right leg.

   "You kicked me bad." Winters rubbed the sore spot and warned solemnly: "It's you who will suffer in the future!"

  Anna was completely defeated. She didn't know what to say, blushed, and sat back to her place angrily.

  In terms of business acumen, ten Winters **** are not worth one Anna. But in terms of bickering, how could Anna be the opponent of Winters, who has been friendly with Kaman all the year round.

   Winters knew that Ms. Navarre was thin-skinned, and quickly changed the subject: "What if the Steel Castle Blacksmiths Guild came forward to maintain the Price Alliance?"

  The sudden change of topic made Anna a little surprised. She thought about it and said, "The castle is always the easiest to break through from the inside. I already have some ideas. How to do it, I have to learn about Monta's current commercial law before deciding."

   "Whatever you want to do, I support you."

"Sometimes, I can't help but think about what Father Karman said." Anna whispered: "Is this really the right thing to do? Father Karman makes sense... I am indeed taking advantage of other people's disasters, even pushing them away down the cliff..."

   Winters did not interrupt Anna, but listened seriously.

He took Anna's hand and said seriously: "Don't care what Father Kaman said. You are doing this for me, for me. Right or wrong, if anyone needs to bear the moral condemnation, then It should be me too."

   "It's not 'I'." Anna corrected equally earnestly: "It's 'we'."

   On the second day of the "reverse auction", nothing happened.

  The two sides continued to stand still, and Steel Castle spent another day in subtle tranquility.

  At dinner time, Berrian took off the fat meat on the belly of the pig, cut it into equal-sized slices, and fry the fat on a low fire.

   After the fat slices are golden brown on both sides and the lard is boiled for a small pot, pick out the fat slices, burn the lard until it emits green smoke, and fry again.

   Finally, a peculiar plate of "pork fry fat" was put on the table.

   Winters, who had never eaten this dish, blurted out, "Isn't this greasy?"

   After tasting it himself, he regretted that the evaluation was too reckless - the fried fat is not only not greasy, but crispy and fragrant.

  Berlian also made a clear soup as a side dish for "oil residue". After soaking the oil residue into the soup, the surface of the oil residue is dipped in some soup, but the inside is still crispy and more delicious.

   Even Anna, who is easy to eat "tired", was full of praise for Berian's cooking skills, and the Dussac boys who were brought by Winters even swept away the plates in a few strokes.

  At the dining table, Anna smiled and asked Winters, "How? Did you find a blacksmith who is willing to go to the new land today?"

   Winters, who had been running outside for another day, shook his head.

Charles, who was sitting next to Winters, complained loudly, and said angrily: "Brother Montagne has given enough face and money, but these Montagles! Ha! One is more stubborn than the other, like a stone in the toilet. —Stinky and hard. I can't wait to pull out a saber and put it on their necks! Let's see if their heads can be that hard!”

   "The transaction should be yours and I." Winters laughed instead, and patted Charles on the back: "We can't do anything if they don't want it."

  Charle gave a "hmm" and continued to deal with the bread in a gloomy manner.

   "Oh, yes, I almost forgot." Anna whispered a few words to her close mother, and she nodded, turned and left, and came back with an invitation soon.

"The people from John H. Sherlock's firm came to visit today. I said that you were ill and inconvenient to see guests, so I declined." Anna handed the post to Winters and said in confusion: "Then they left this invitation. post."

  Winters opened the invitation. There was no signature or title in it, only a short line of text:

   "Please be sure to come and see John H. Sherlock Firm."

   Winters asked, "Just leave this invitation?"

"right."

   "Did you leave no other words?"

"No."

   Winters sniffed the invitation, but didn't smell anything.

He took the invitation in his hand, thought about it, and said, "Tomorrow I'm going to find out what's going on with this John H. Sherlock firm. If they send people again, you try to keep them, and wait. I'm back."

"OK."

   "How's the bidding going?" Winters asked Anna, "Is it going well?"

  Anna smiled happily: "Of course."

   On the third day of the "reverse auction", nothing happened.

   At dinner time, Berrian served a rich stew. He mysteriously refused to say what it was, but asked Winters and Anna to taste it first.

  Winters took a look, and the lumps on the plate should be translucent, with soup poured on the outside. It looks a bit like boiled radish, but it smells like some kind of meat.

   He tasted a piece, and it tasted soft and glutinous at the first mouth, but when he continued to bite down, it brought out some chewiness. The soup wrapped around the meat is rich and fragrant, with a little sweetness in the mouth.

  It is hard to imagine that such an amazing dish comes from a blacksmith who spends most of his time changing horseshoes.

  Anna also liked this dish very much, and it was rare that she emptied her plate faster than Winters. After thanking Berion, she asked curiously, "What is this? Some kind of sugar or paste?"

   "Ma'am." Berian replied with a little pride: "It's beef cheeks."

  Anna's expression became a little unnatural, because beef face meat is a "quirky leftover" and is generally not placed on a formal table, but she had to admit that she liked the dish that Berian brought out.

Anna quickly regained her composure, and she praised Berian with a smile: "I heard that the most brilliant chefs know how to serve a plate of farmhouse dishes that guests usually dismiss as a special dish at the last moment of a banquet. Thank you, Mr. Sawyer, your special meal was delicious."

  Berion bowed deeply and thanked Anna from the bottom of his heart. He was about to return to the kitchen, but was left behind by Winters.

Winters pressed Bellion to the seat, and asked helplessly and seriously: "What exactly is the guild oath of the Steelcastle Blacksmiths? Where does it come from? Why are all the blacksmiths silent and loyal to it? ."

   "What?" Anna asked, "Is there no harvest today?

   Winters shook his head, then looked at Berrian.

  Berion looked down at the toe of the boot: "Your Excellency, I can assure you—I have not taken the oath of secrecy by the Blacksmith of Steel Castle. So I don't know the specific content of the oath."

   "Don't worry, you can just say what you know." Winters patted Berrian on the shoulder: "Just say what you want to say."

   Berian was silent for a moment, then asked with difficulty: "Like what?"

   Winters tried his best not to put pressure on Berian: "For example, where does the oath of secrecy come from the steel castle blacksmith? Isn't it just a sentence? Why does everyone value it so much?"

   "Dear." Anna gave Winters a reproachful look: "A vow is more than just a word."

   Winters made an apologetic gesture.

  Berion's mood returned to calm and calm: "Your Excellency, instead of worrying about the validity of the oath, have you ever considered 'what kind of person can become a Blacksmith of Steel Castle'?"

   "What kind of man?" Winters asked.

Berian said, "First of all, the blacksmith must be a local resident of Steel Castle, with a family and a clean background; secondly, to become an apprentice, you need a guarantor, usually a number of relatives and friends to pay the guaranty; finally, the apprentice He also has to endure a long apprenticeship period. During the apprenticeship period, there is no salary, he is often beaten by the master, and he may be fired if he does not work hard. After several years of tempering, a child can become an officially registered steel fort blacksmith.

   Sounds brutal, right? But compared to those 'mule workers' who have no skills and can only do the lowest-level manual labor in mines and workshops, the treatment of blacksmiths is already amazingly generous. They have better wages, high status, decent living, civil rights, and the possibility of masters of the forge. Most importantly - they can learn real craftsmanship. Many people never get through this door in their lifetime just because they are not from Solingen. "

   Winters concludes: "You're saying that blacksmiths who have mastered the craft are not enough and more than others, so they don't want to change and are afraid of change."

"Not only that, Your Excellency." Berian said in a deep voice, "If any of the registered Steelcastle blacksmiths choose to serve you, his family, relatives, and even the guarantor when he entered the trade will all suffer. When I say suffering, I mean life. As for the blacksmith himself, it is even more difficult to escape death. The blacksmiths' guild of Steelcastle will kill the betrayers at any cost - they have the ability and the determination."

   Winters and Anna looked at each other. Assuming that it is true as Bellion said, then the steel castle blacksmith is not a monolith, at least it is much stronger than the relationship between the Union Republics.

   They are a collective tightly bound by interests and violence. Privately recruiting blacksmiths may not work.

   Winters stared at Bellion's face with sharp eyes: "So, has the Steelcastle Blacksmith ever had a case of 'betrayal' in the past?"

  Berion couldn't face Winters' gaze, he lowered his head and swallowed: "I don't know, Your Excellency."

   Winters sighed secretly, and Berian was obviously reluctant to talk more. Since the other party is unwilling to speak, it is not good for him to force pressure.

  Berion followed Winters in and out of the Great Wasteland all the way. Winters knew no more about the character of this old subordinate. Berian doesn't want to say that you can't do anything about him. Forcing him to speak, Winters was reluctant.

   Winters patted Berrian on the shoulder and said nothing more.

  Berion stared down at the toe of his boot, silent.

   "It's no big deal." Winters tapped the dining table, pretending to be relaxed, "If a blacksmith can't handle it, can you still get someone who can handle a blacksmith?"

  One road can't go through, sometimes changing the direction, the thinking becomes open.

   Winters slammed the table hard: "If you really can't hire anyone, buy the forging hammer and drill press! Bring the furnace back to Iron Peak as it is!"

   "Furnace? I'm afraid not, how can you find such a big carriage?" Anna said with a smile.

   Winters laughed loudly: "Then make one exactly the same, ten, one hundred."

   Winters' positivity also seemed to be passed on to Berrian, whose tense cheeks relaxed a little. He got up, saluted, and went back to the kitchen.

  Only Winters and Anna were left at the table, and Father Kaman did not dine with them.

   "Dear ma'am, how is your busy business going?" Winters asked casually.

   "The dominoes have been placed." Anna replied with a smile: "Just a little push."

   On the fourth day, the "gentle push" came.

  The horn fort sent back news that the appeal and defense against the trade ban... was a complete failure.

   [Although it is a big chapter, but I am late and not enough for six thousand words, I owe one chapter OrZ]

   [About the guild oath/secret oath]

   [In ancient times, it was a natural decision to master a unique craft and keep a secret. It should not be difficult for today's Chinese to understand that the phrase "passing on without passing on women" is familiar to everyone.]

   [Same in other civilizations]

   [In the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the technique of making clear glass (glass as transparent as crystal) was known only to the glassmakers of Murano, north of Venice. The Murano people strictly keep secrets, and the craftsmen who make glass cannot leave the island for life.

   [So transparent glass has been the exclusive technology of Murano for a long time, relying on the manufacture of glassware and mirrors, Murano has maintained considerable prosperity]

   [The blacksmiths in Solingen, the city of blades, also have a "secret oath", they swear not to tell outsiders the secret of "forging swords". From the 12th to the 19th century Solingen was an important source of swords. Even today they are still selling kitchen knives… (Zwilling)]

   [However, all vows of confidentiality will eventually be broken]

   [Murano's transparent glass technology finally leaked in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and blossomed everywhere]

   [In the seventeenth century, a group of swordsmiths from Solingen fled to England in order to escape religious persecution, and finally returned to their old business at what is today Shortley Bridge in England, bringing their skills to England. The names of the blacksmiths who escaped can still be found in the documents: Oley, Vooz, Molle and Bertram]

   (end of this chapter)

Chapter end