The second team, which had remained in Tanzan Town, had finally arrived—a piece of good news for Gawain. This meant more hands to build the dock and sawmill, the possibility of formally beginning mining operations to the east, and, ultimately, the growth of this camp into a legitimate "territory."
Including this group, the population in Cecil's frontier territory now totaled over eight hundred—a substantial increase from the initial hundred-person vanguard. Knight Philip, who had led a few soldiers and several militia members in escorting the group, received a warm welcome from Heidi. Not only had the new arrivals reinforced their numbers, but they had also strengthened the camp's defensive capabilities, providing a sense of security for the settlers on this untamed land.
For Philip, however, the most surprising aspect was the scale and organization of the camp itself. Had they really cleared this much space? They already had carpenter sheds and were even constructing a blacksmith workshop?!
The young knight wandered through the camp in awe, admiring the sturdy tents and the few wooden buildings scattered about. He saw peasants and freemen busily turning timber into planks and building materials. It was a scene unlike any he'd seen before: laborers working in well-organized groups, coordinated as if they were extensions of a single entity. Normally, such people only worked under the lash, but here they worked together voluntarily, driven by a clear purpose.
And where were the overseers with their whips?
After searching around, Philip finally spotted the overseers, who were simply walking along the outskirts, monitoring progress with wooden tablets in hand instead of whips.
"Surprising, isn't it?" Heidi's voice brought the young knight out of his daze. "Even I didn't expect that simple measures could make them so diligent. Even the serfs are learning how to do things outside their usual skills."
"Measures?" Philip repeated, curious. "What kind of measures?"
"Ancestor devised a set of work rules…"
Philip's eyes lit up. "Ah, so he inspired them with ancient knights' ideals of honor and virtue, motivating even these idle serfs and commoners…"
"No, he gave them meat." Heidi chuckled, her eyes twinkling. "Simple logic—work more, and you get to eat meat."
As she explained, she reflected inwardly. She had tried incentive-based systems before, but they usually only worked at the beginning. The serfs would quickly find ways to slack off while still claiming rewards. But by adding competition, precise calculations, strict enforcement, and the concept of teamwork, everything changed remarkably. It was her first time realizing that serfs and commoners were not inherently lazy or dim-witted.
Just then, Gawain appeared nearby, and both Heidi and Philip approached him.
"We'll gather everyone in the western area shortly. Knight Byron will distribute the new equipment," Gawain announced. Then, turning to Heidi, he added, "No need to place the new arrivals into work groups on their first day. There are too many new rules for them to absorb all at once."
Heidi nodded, but Philip looked puzzled. "New equipment? What kind of equipment?"
Gawain gave him a mysterious smile. "Something quite good."
When Philip finally saw the new equipment, he realized his expectations had been far too modest. He'd assumed it might be a batch of new swords and armor, perhaps even a few hand crossbows. Instead, he was looking at an entire set of enchanted equipment.
There were enchanted swords, enchanted armor, and even military-grade crystals from the ancient empire! The long swords, imbued with "Sharpness," glinted with a cold, white light, and the half-armor, engraved with "Elemental Resistance" and "Lightness," shimmered faintly in the sunlight. Though the simple soldiers might not have recognized enchanted gear on sight, they immediately understood the significance of what they were wearing, filling them with excitement.
But what shocked Philip most was that even the militia received a full set of this equipment. Was this all free?
"These are old relics—better to use them than let them decay. A lot of pieces were beyond repair or had lost their enchantments, so we're down to what you see here," Gawain explained. "Frankly, it's a pity, but it's better than letting them turn to dust."
"Extraordinary equipment like this… every piece is invaluable…" Philip stammered. "Even when the Cecil domain was thriving, we couldn't have gathered so many enchanted items!"
Amber, who was standing nearby, scoffed. "What's the big deal? The old man's got a stash—what grandpa doesn't have a few silver coins under his bedboards? Ow, ow, ow!"
Gawain pulled Amber aside by her ear, ignoring her protests. Meanwhile, Philip straightened up and declared proudly, "Our family has always honored Kael, the God of Warriors and Knights. We don't store wealth beneath us!"
Surprised, Gawain glanced at the young man, understanding why he adhered so strictly to chivalric codes—he was a devout believer. Quite unlike someone who claimed to worship the Night Goddess yet improvised prayers each time…
"With this equipment, we'll be much better off if we encounter another 'aberration'…" Philip was still marveling at the new gear when a thought struck him. "We could bring the designs to Tanzan Town's craftsmen. Even if it's costly…"
"That won't work," Gawain interrupted. He'd anticipated the suggestion; Byron had thought of the same thing. "These items were made using magic techniques from the ancient Gondor Empire and require refined magic from the Deep Blue Well. The magic produced by modern sources is too diluted and weak to power them."
Philip's face fell as he realized what this meant. "So… these items…"
"Every piece is irreplaceable. Once the magic is depleted, they'll be nothing more than ordinary weapons, and in their corroded state, probably worse than contemporary equipment—ready for the forge."
The young knight looked worried. "What will we do when that happens?"
"By then, we'll make our own superior equipment." Gawain clapped him on the shoulder with a reassuring smile, projecting confidence even as doubts lingered in his mind. Still, he genuinely believed that as long as the magical tides didn't erupt immediately, there was a way forward.
At that moment, he noticed a small figure running towards them in the corner of his eye. It was Betty, the little maid, hurrying over.
She stopped in front of him, catching her breath, and then looked up with wide eyes. "Master! Miss Rebecca wants to see you!"
Gawain blinked. "What does she need?"
Betty thought hard, then replied loudly, "Forgot!"
Gawain sighed. It was becoming apparent that aside from cooking, Betty forgot just about everything else. Still, he was relieved she'd remembered to pass along the message. After confirming where Rebecca was, he led Amber to meet her.
When he arrived, he found out why Rebecca had summoned him: the first test batch of ore from the eastern iron mine had been delivered.
In the first team, he'd included a blacksmith and several apprentices, along with basic materials needed to set up a smithy. But in the initial phase of establishing the camp, survival had been the top priority, so he'd delayed the mining operation until shelter was secured. Now that the settlement was stabilized, he'd sent a small team eastward to collect a few samples for testing.
They had left early in the morning and had now returned with carefully selected ore, ready to start evaluating its quality.