Herald of Steel

The total number of individual blacksmiths in Midshire came to about five hundred men.

This might not sound like a lot, but considering this was a city of only 30,000 people, this was extremely high- almost 2 percent.

Clearly, the place was a great hub for all metal works.

This was why Alexander had made the generous enticement of money and benefits, combining it with the threat of eviction or worse if denied.

And it proved a deadly combination for the blacksmiths.

Given the size of the stick as well as being given a way out- at the end of the day very few dared to defy their lord.

Only those who had their own agenda- such as the leader of the guild leader, the treasurer, and the like tried to haggle.

These were the people whose true concerns were not for their fellow artisans but over the fact that they would lose all their power and influence should this happen.

It was just too bad they failed to gain any real supporters for their battle- because at the end of the day, they had nothing to give them that Alexander could not.

All the regular blacksmiths understood antagonizing the city lord was simply not worth it over 'sticking together and defending the guild' as the leader of the guild put it.

In fact many even intentionally taunted and sneered at the man seeking their support as the guild was not any flowery palace to begin with, there were lots of old grudges and hidden politics there too.

For example, remember that there was an extra tax for merchants not affiliated with a guild- well this was something heavily lobbied for by the blacksmith guild, all in order for them to hold on to their own power.

This had of course made many blacksmiths very disgruntled but since they were also facing Baron Lamp, they could only swallow their grievances.

So that now they were given an alternative...

Even though the intractable members tried to rally more men in the following days after meeting with Alexander, as the days for their inevitable departure approached more and more, their ranks only began to appear more and more hollow.

The regular blacksmiths chose to use their time much more wisely, such as being busy packing for the trip.

According to Alexander, the men would come with him first alone.

After they settled down and got a hold of things in Zanzan, they could invite their family if they should wish.

This was done both due to a current lack of enough ships to accommodate them all and also because Alexander wanted to let the men see the city for themselves and then decide on what to do next.

The blacksmiths as a whole had no problem with this plan.

The lump sum of 1,000 ropals that Alexander handed them as a direct deposit to help the family tide through the 'tough' times made sure of that.

Even those blacksmiths who were murmuring indignantly about Alexander only permitting one apprentice to come with them changed their tune after seeing the gold.

After all, it was one thing to be promised money, it was wholly another thing to see it in the flesh.

Many were even surprised to see Alexander keep to his words, they half thought the man was speaking in hyperboles.

The weight of the money filled sack hence seemed to change the scales in most hearts.

As for why Alexander only permitted one apprentice per blacksmith, it was of course to open up more opportunities for the lads back in Zanzan- to enable them to learn these techniques instead of the Margraves blacksmiths monopolizing them.

....

Alongside the blacksmiths, another large group who were readying themselves for a brand new voyage were the city's sailors, much to the pleasant surprise of the former. At least they would not be alone, they thought.

These seafarers were roped in by Alexander with a similar deal, the only difference being there was no guild to deal with

They were simply told they were being recruited for the navy and thus given no choice in the matter.

As for any backlash, well given the pay promised, most nodded their heads very quickly.

Being a sailor was hardly as lucrative as a blacksmith.

...

Following the debacle with the nobles, Alexander's stay in Midshire became unusually quiet, as he simply concentrated on organizing his forces and getting ready to get back home.

Even the hunting parties he had sent out to arrest the fleeing nobles were recalled after a few days of fruitless searching- being in an unknown land with no idea where to go, these men lacked their usual sharpness and were unable to effectively lock on to their prey.

All while the various forces around the surrounding lands became predictably incensed after learning what the man had done and chose a variety of options.

Some simply ran- knowing there was no way they could do anything to a man wielding 20,000 soldiers even if he wanted to.

Others shut up and acted like they did not even notice Alexander, going about their business as usual.

Some chose to grit their teeth and pretend to buy Alexander's excuse, swearing their loyalty.

While the majority sent strongly worded letters to Lady Miranda asking what the hell was going on and much more importantly, what was Alexander's plans for them.

The plump lady upon receiving the letters was equally confused by this development.

If Alexander wanted to move his own men here, then this might have made sense- driving out the old to make way for the new.

But she knew Alexander planned to leave his estates at her hands.

And she needed those men.

Hence she found the act utterly baffling, unable to believe it was the work of a shrewd man like Alexander. She had always found him very astute in statecraft.

So she made sure to question him for the reason when they finally met.

But Alexander gave a very lukewarm response, simply saying the former baron had offended him and was plotting with outside force.

The problem was Alexander was quite scarce on the details, causing the lady to at last purse her lips and ask the man to not make things harder for her than it already was.

Given their power dynamic, this was the best admonishment the lady could offer.

Thus over the following weeks, Lady Miranda concentrated more on taking over the reins of the city, while Alexander waited for his ships to finally make their way halfway across the island from Caira to Midshire, taking a large, arching, almost semicircular route.

During this time, Lord Janus also very hastily completed his end of the bargain, sending the thousand agreed sailors on 30 newly built ships for Alexander- the ones which used iron pegs instead of wood to hold their planks together.

This proved to be a surprise for Alexander because he had kind of forgotten about those ships as he did not have any use for them till now.

But upon seeing the vessels, and the quality and the craftsmanship in display, he quickly began to regret a bit not taking the carpenters and other experienced artisans with him instead of all the sailors.

But this was only a momentary flash of thought- Zanzan as well as Tibias also had its fair number of carpenters and the latter's shipbuilding industry was particularly decent.

So Alexander did not have too much of a headache about copying these new designs.

His true concerns lay in having enough good men to use them.

Impressed by the vessels, Alexander would promise to buy each of the vessels for 50,000 ropals from Lady Miranda- which was considered a bit on the premium side.

And the cash strapped lady would certainly not refuse.

She would also receive one of those ships as a gift of friendship when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy a few days before Alexander's departure.

With all of that done, Alexander would find there was truly little left for him to do here.

He was finally ready to get back to his estate.

Hence leaving around 500 men as a garrison under Synodas, one on summer morning, Alexander set out, much to a cheering, somewhat tearful crowd.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Alexander's stint in Midshire might have been short, but he had left a good impression on the people.

His tax exemption still remained and he even gave out free food for a limited time every day as a propaganda play.

The people thus had nothing but good things to say about him.

As for how Alexander himself felt about his newest city, well overall, the things he had done on the island over the past eight to nine months were certainly very memorable.

But rather than feeling melancholic over the left behind scenery, he was much more excited about his return, return to his seat of power, return to meet his family, and return to share his spoils with the others.

However…

.....

"Captain! We have spotted the target! Should we pursue?"

While Alexander was leisurely resting in his cabin, unaware of any dangers, a lone scout ship disguised as a merchant's vessel slowly trailed behind them, trying its best not to act suspicious.

"Of course! We must lead them to the ambush point!"

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

Please come Here!

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