Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Lydia looked serious.

"First, you must recruit that craftsman; we cannot afford to risk a weapons supply disruption. Second, this person must ensure that he can produce sixty crossbows by the end of the year. Your goal is to expand the army to one hundred men by the end of the year, which would be ten squads, each with three archers, and each person would need a spare weapon. If these two conditions cannot be met, I dare not rashly implement the new weapon."

These are all reasonable requests; I would have done them even if she hadn't mentioned them. Seeing that I readily agreed, Lai Mei revealed her sly smile again.

"Sir, you invited Standal's Watchers to eliminate the vampires, but you're recruiting their subordinates instead. Is that really alright?"

"Of course, do you think I'm someone who lacks discretion? Train your troops well, don't worry about such things, I, the Duke, have my own plans."

Lai bowed and took her leave, taking the crossbow with her.

"This thing is just sitting idle in the adults' hands. I'll take it and study it first. What if it really works?"

I'm fairly confident about recruiting Soline. In the game, Islaan formed the Dawnguard and, after hearing that the vampires possessed an Elder Scroll, asked the player to find Soline and Ganmar. From their dialogue, we know that they both had clashed with Islaan before, went their separate ways, and were separated for several years.

This is another difference between games and other worlds: the plot in games is not affected by time. Although there is the alternation of day and night, and the passing of summer and winter, no one has the concept of age. Children are forever young, youths are forever strong, the elderly do not need to worry about running out of lifespan, and even prisoners may never see the day they are released after serving their sentences.

This is why the characters in the game remain unchanged. They experience neither a sense of urgency nor do their ways of thinking and acting change with experience. But in the other world, I witnessed the growth of several people. Lund is now an indispensable second-in-command under my command. My relationship with Rachel has gone through suspicion, testing, and estrangement before we barely managed to get through the adjustment period.

At this stage, the conflict between Islaan and Kasiti is intensifying, and the former is about to leave the Vigilantes. If the dialogue in the game is believable, then Islaan will soon fall into a tragic situation of being abandoned by everyone, until a few years later, when the Vigilantes' Hall is attacked and the Valchihar vampire clan rises, and people such as Seran, Solini, and Gamar reunite in Dawnguard Fortress.

Based on this deduction, the skilled technician Solini will soon be unemployed. I only need to seize the opportunity and take her down. After that, she can serve me faithfully for several years, which should be enough time to build a mature crossbow manufacturing industry.

Just a week after our last meeting, Islaan and I were sitting at the same table again. But this time it wasn't in Granite Village, but at his camp. The Red Guards had chosen to encamp on the hill east of the village, and from what I observed, there were a dozen or so people coming and going, the most conspicuous of whom was my target, Soline Yurad.

She was a petite Brighton girl with short red hair neatly pulled back behind her ears. She sat outside the tent, intently fiddling with her crossbow. Beside her, many similar weapons were neatly arranged. Islaan led me past her, the two exchanging a few words as they passed.

"Solini, good girl, you'd better take a look at mine first, you might need it tomorrow."

The girl didn't even look up.

"How many times have I told you? Can't you have any sense of proportion? This thing is made of wood; it can't withstand your bear-like brute force. Even Drak knows to cherish his weapons; you're not even as good as an orc."

"Hey! Girl, do you have a prejudice against orcs?"

"Shut up! Or we'll take your crossbow away!"

The orc was about to get up, but then sat back down dejectedly.

“Listen, Islaan, unless I can properly study how dwarves are made…”

"Alright, Solini, forget all that nonsense about dwarves. The crossbow is good enough, especially after you tuned it. Your job now is to get to work."

"That's not some dwarf's nonsense, you arrogant fool..."

Solini looked up and noticed that there was another stranger following Islaan. I leaned forward slightly, but she just turned her face away angrily and continued to struggle with the crossbow in her hand.

"We often do this, you don't need to worry about it. We are all very united when we work together."

I remained noncommittal, secretly hoping they would argue even more fiercely. Islaan seemed genuinely used to it; he ignored Soline and led me directly to his tent.

"The situation with the vampires has been largely ascertained, and it's more optimistic than I anticipated. Since you're a straightforward person, I won't beat around the bush. The price for this operation is two thousand sectins. If anyone unfortunately dies in action, you will have to pay an additional compensation of five hundred sectins per person. Before the expedition, I will submit a list of personnel participating in the battle. After the mission is completed, I will also bring back the remains of the fallen and all the vampire corpses for you to inspect."

Islaan said there were probably between seven and ten of them, hiding in a secluded cave. Typically, each vampire seduces one to five humans to serve as slaves. In his experience, vampire clans generally prefer to live in seclusion, only seeking to control human villages when their numbers exceed ten. This is because a stable food supply is necessary to sustain a large number of slaves.

The vampires in the hills north of Granite Village haven't reached the point where they have to take risks. Their aggressive behavior can only be for two reasons: either they want to take advantage of my unstable foothold and weak control over my territory and people to drive in a thorn in my side, or they are overconfident and therefore acting recklessly and erratically. In any case, they have already exposed themselves without realizing it.

"If you're planning to act tomorrow, could I arrest those three households in the village today? My men got hold of a batch of silver weapons; they were just delivered yesterday. Do you need them?"

Islaen pondered for a moment.

"The best time is tomorrow at noon, when they are at their most vulnerable. You can ask Seran for specific precautions. As for weapons, I suggest you don't use them either. There is no room for carelessness when dealing with vampires, and using unfamiliar equipment is a big no-no."

This bearded guy might have a confrontational personality; I feel like if we keep talking, we're going to start arguing.

"Then it's settled. I will prepare a banquet, and I hope you will grace us with your presence after your triumphant return."

As I prepared to leave, Solini was still adjusting the remaining crossbows. As Leslie Cheshire said, poaching someone directly was too much; I planned to first make myself known and then try to get closer at the victory celebration.

Although the capture was scheduled for tomorrow, the mission had to be assigned tonight. Seran gathered Lydia, Masinisha, and several captains, emphasizing the plan for dealing with the vampires and the procedures for isolating and treating injuries.

According to Lund's intelligence, the guy who left under the pretext of visiting relatives has returned, which means we have to deal with four vampires in two locations. Seran and Leigh will lead three combat teams to take care of the two households and three vampires in the southeast of the village; Massinisa and Stein's security team will take care of the lone vampire in the southwest of the village; and I will lead the last combat team to provide support in the center to prevent any from escaping.

Whether we overestimated the fighting power of the newborn vampires or Lydia's training was truly effective, the entire operation went incredibly smoothly. Because I gave the kill order, four vampires died instantly. Massinisa killed two more who resisted and captured an old woman and a child. Lydia, on the other hand, displayed remarkable skill, impaling three vampires on crossbow bolts in the foreheads, while capturing their entire families alive.

With over a dozen more prisoners added at once, plus the bear tribe still serving their sentences, no one expected that the first building in the village to run out of space would be the prison.

The interrogation wasn't urgent. Islaan had only taken twelve people with him; three, including Soline, didn't need to fight and I had already invited them to the village. After hearing that I was interested in crossbows, this carefree Brighton girl quickly made me her confidante and we began an enthusiastic discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of crossbows with arm spanners and crossbows with foot spanners.

"Your Excellency's statement is biased. While strangulation can indeed increase the power of crossbow bolts, it sacrifices speed. Once the opponent gets close, the power of the crossbow becomes useless."

“What you’re talking about is individual or small-group combat, but the situation I face is different. If my soldiers are arranged in three ranks, the first rank fires and then quickly retreats to the last rank to reload, so that the second rank, which is already on standby, can fire. By repeating this process, we can maintain suppression at all times.”

When I proposed the three-stage firing tactic, the previously distracted Levi instantly perked up and joined the discussion. The topic naturally shifted from the usability of the crossbow to the sturdiness of its materials. If the tension the crossbow arm could withstand increased significantly, the current wood would likely be insufficient. Solini once again expressed her desire to study the dwarven craftsmanship.

Since I was determined to bring her under my wing, I naturally had to approach our conversation in the opposite direction of Islaan's. As a result, Miss Yurad was pleasantly surprised to discover that the unremarkable-looking Baron Lockel was not only a master of crossbow tactics but also a scholar with unique insights into dwarven technology, and he even corresponded with renowned experts in the field, such as Kasemer.

It’s a pity that we met too late!

The Yurad family has produced several well-known mages and has ties to the military, politics, and business worlds, making them a respectable family in Gaoyan Province. While not a top-tier aristocratic family, they possess a certain depth and influence. As a daughter of such a family, and possessing striking good looks, Solini should have been used as a tool in a political marriage. However, this girl was lucky; her parents were open-minded and allowed their daughter to decide her own path in life.

Solini believed that the great war sweeping through the heart of the Empire would soon reach the northern provinces, especially considering that Hammerfall Province, south of Highrock Province, had already declared independence. Therefore, joining the army was a shortcut to quickly rise through the ranks. During her two years of service in the Tosher City Guard, the scout Solini honed her marksmanship to an exceptional level.

As the most important trading port on the eastern shore of Bone Bay, the city of Tuxedo had always had a thriving shipbuilding industry. Both shipbuilding and repair involved a great deal of engineering knowledge, including pulley systems, tenon joints, lever principles, and so on. Solini had an extraordinary interest in this, and it was from then on that she began to experiment with using mechanical principles to increase the range and lethality of her bows and arrows.

And the situation within the empire was indeed as she had predicted, except that the province embroiled in war was not her home province of High Rock, but rather her neighbor to the east, Skyrim. A woman who loves a good spectacle wouldn't miss such an opportunity, and the not-yet-twenty-year-old Solini, armed with her newly developed crossbow, embarked on a solitary journey, seeking unknown adventures.

Unfortunately, her new invention failed to garner sufficient attention. The Nords preferred individual combat and close-quarters fighting; a brute wielding a large axe and hacking through enemy lines was their hero. The idea of ​​ambushing enemies with arrows from the shadows was somewhat despicable. Moreover, the early crossbow did have many flaws, and the different specifications of crossbows and bows meant that mass production would require a significant investment of money.

Soline was not discouraged. She bought several dwarven machines on the black market, hoping to find some inspiration from them.

Having been pampered since childhood, the young lady maintained a habit of extravagant spending. Having no relatives or friends in Skyrim and unwilling to write home for money, she quickly fell into financial difficulties and was forced to work as a mercenary to survive. By chance, she met a discerning expert. Islan invited Solini to become a temporary member of the Vigilantes, promising to secure her a permanent position after a year.

Initially, the collaboration went smoothly, but Solini gradually discovered that Islaan's personality was too domineering. This stubborn man treated her like a slave and constantly ridiculed her research. To make matters worse, he suffered a crushing defeat in his power struggle with Casiti, which prevented him from paying her commissions on time and in full.

Solini wasn't particularly concerned with the infighting among the Vigilant's higher-ups, but it severely hampered her crossbow improvement plans. The two had argued several times, exchanging many hurtful words and completely losing trust in each other. The bearded man was unwilling to work with Solini anymore, even though she had already proven herself to be a sharpshooter.

Lai Mei looked like she shared the same hatred.

Why would you still follow someone like that?

The Brighton girl lowered her head shyly.

“What can I do? Those dwarven items aren’t cheap. You know, black market goods are mostly ridiculously expensive. But I can’t possibly explore dwarven ruins alone. Besides, people have to eat. So, I need some income.”

"In other words, it would be best to have someone who supports your crossbow improvements, pays you a monthly salary, and lets you eat delicacies that even Brightonians have never seen before."

Solini gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“How could that be? There’s no second Islaan in the entire Skyrim, and no food in Tamriel that the people of Brighton haven’t seen. If there really is such a person, I would be willing to go through fire and water for him, even if it means my death.”

The room suddenly fell silent. Solini looked up and stared at me blankly.

"My lord...you..."

“Miss Yulad, please forgive me for a moment. Preparing a dish that the people of Brighton have never seen before will take a little time.”