Farming in the Magical World

Workshop No. 2 is still in the backyard, right next to Workshop No. 1.

Jimmy had gained some experience during the construction this time, and it was much better than Workshop No. 2 in terms of both appearance and structure, and the interior space was also much larger.

This is mainly because there are stoves and other such things inside. If the heat dissipation is not good, it will be almost impossible for people to stay inside in the summer.

Of course, for safety reasons, no windows were opened on the side facing the castle this time. The ventilation openings were all located on the sides and back to prevent guests from seeing inside the castle through the room windows.

Of course, soundproofing is also an issue; hearing the clanging of metalwork every day inside a castle would be incredibly annoying for anyone. While this kind of isolation isn't perfect, it's better than nothing!

Lanny plans to use this place entirely as a laboratory. For mass production, he will need to build another workshop downstream of Hexi Village, which is adjacent to the river, has an open terrain, and is convenient for obtaining water.

In addition, this little-known river, which Lanny named the Caster River, has a rather rapid current, and perhaps it can be used to build a hydroelectric generator.

Of course, before doing all this, he had to deal with his immediate problem: the threat from the Grummans. All of his recent efforts, from building a security force to forging red-tasseled spears and shields, were in service of this.

Three stoves had already been set up in Workshop No. 2, and Lanny, along with Hammer, Jimmy, and two others, were watching over these things.

"Hammer, these two are yours." He pointed to two blacksmith tables built according to the previous samples, then to a blacksmith table next to it with a noticeably thicker outer insulation layer and no bellows installed yet, before looking at Cody.

"For now, we'll let you experiment with the manual blower. We'll discuss further arrangements once you've succeeded."

"Master..." Before Cody could say anything, Hammer looked at the two blacksmith tables and looked at Lenny with some difficulty. "There are only the two of us, master and apprentice. Zach is still learning and can't operate independently. Isn't it a bit of a waste?"

"Ha, no problem. I'll find you two more apprentices. You'll only need to do the final shaping and quenching."

Lanny's method was to have Zach lead the new recruits to do preliminary iron pretreatment, which involved 49 folding and forging processes. This work didn't require any special skills, just strength.

As for this final step, it requires the master craftsman, Iron Hammer, to perform the final shaping and quenching.

This can be considered a simple assembly line model. Iron Hammer's eyes lit up when he heard this. If he followed this method, his work would be much easier and more efficient.

As for why Lenny was chosen to recruit instead of letting Iron Hammer recruit on his own as before, Lenny didn't say, but there were some considerations involved.

He was worried that if the practice of cultivating connections continued, it would eventually lead to factionalism. Although it didn't seem like a problem at the moment, it was necessary to plan ahead.

In this regard, it's not that Lanny is exceptionally intelligent; it's just that he was taught these basic things enough and frequently in his previous life, so they can be considered common sense.

"Sir, sir, can I do the same at my carpentry shop? Cody is already a master carpenter, and I'm the only one I have left. What do you think...?"

Seeing that Iron Hammer's side immediately became four people, Jimmy was naturally envious and couldn't help but ask for more.

Although he was initially pleased that Iron Hammer had moved away, allowing him to have all of Workshop Number One to himself, he now felt envious upon hearing that Iron Hammer's team had suddenly gained three more members.

Lanny glanced at Jimmy, feeling a slight displeasure. But Jimmy had always been like this; he was clever enough, but lacked experience and was indeed inferior to Cody.

However, the castle would soon bring in a large sum of money, so he wasn't stingy. With a wave of his hand, he generously declared, "Alright, I'll give you three more apprentices then."

"By the way, how's the shield making going?"

Just as Jimmy was grinning happily, Lenny asked about the recent progress, causing Jimmy's smile to freeze instantly on his face.

The shields currently being made in the castle are actually just wooden shields, with the main body made of some hardwoods from the surrounding Caster Ridge. To increase their hardness, a circular patch has been added in the middle, somewhat resembling a breastplate.

The reason for placing this breastplate in the middle is mainly to prevent arrows from piercing the shield, thus preserving a chance of survival for the team members behind.

The shield is about one meter high and 80 centimeters wide. An adult can almost cover his whole body when he squats down. The upper part is V-shaped, which makes it easy to hold a red-tasseled spear.

Although it is a bit large, because the main body is made of wood, the weight is not exaggerated, only about 20 kilograms, which can be easily carried by an adult.

"Sir, time is too tight. We've only finished less than ten so far!" Seeing Lanny's expression, Jimmy immediately assured him, "As long as we have the manpower, I guarantee we'll complete the required quantity within a week! Don't worry, sir!"

Nodding, Lenny didn't say anything. He had Jimmy do this and that, and even took away someone else's apprentice to study the blower. There was indeed a shortage of manpower.

Hammer needs three people, and Jimmy needs two more... As he pondered how many people he would need for the next recruitment drive and where to recruit them, Frank's figure walking into the workshop interrupted his thoughts.

"Young Master, Young Master..." Frank pushed open the door and entered the workshop, his steps slightly unsteady, no longer as composed as usual.

"Wait, wasn't Frank supposed to have been sent out to warn the defenses of a few villages? Why is he still at the castle?"

When Lanny saw the old steward suddenly appear in the workshop, and in such a rare hurry, his heart skipped a beat. He wondered if the security guards had encountered a problem in actual combat.

Frank strode up to Lanny, calmed his breathing, and then lowered his voice, saying, "There's news from the hunters we sent out. Lord Tim wants you to go there."

Hunter? What hunter?

Lanny was initially confused, thinking to himself, "I used to play priests, I don't have a hunter."

He then realized that the hunter he was referring to was probably the hunter that Tim had sent out to scout the Grummans.

So, you've heard news of that band of outlaws?

Thinking of this, Lanny became a little anxious. He forced himself to remain calm and gave Cody a few instructions before leaving the workshop.

On his way to the study, Lanny, who had been somewhat anxious, gradually calmed down. He thought that if the situation were really urgent, Tim would not be waiting for him in the study, so the matter was probably not that pressing.

Although he has never been a great figure in his life, he still gets flustered when things happen, but he knows the importance of staying calm. Now that he has some time to adjust, he can naturally try to adjust his mindset.

So after entering the study, he gestured to stop Tim from speaking, returned to his desk, poured Tim a cup of tea, and then gestured to Tim, "Tell me, what's the situation now?"

He couldn't remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, so he had to use these actions to slow down and soothe his emotions.

Tim nodded inwardly as he watched Lanny's series of actions.

Although one could tell from Lanny's slightly rapid breathing that he wasn't as composed as he appeared, it was good that he was trying to control his emotions.

That's good. Just as his knightly training taught him, the more intense the battle, the more calm and collected one must be, otherwise one might lose one's life in a moment of carelessness.

This trait can even be found in some of the counts and dukes he has come into contact with, as if the higher the status, the more obvious this trait becomes.

And Lanny in front of me is really starting to look like one of those big shots, but he's just a baron, and only in his early twenties!

Seeing Tim's strange look, Lanny raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled. Tim had seemed anxious and agitated when he came in, but now he seemed calm and collected.

"Uh, it's like this, just now, one of the two hunters I sent out returned, and he brought back a message!" Seeing Lanny's actions, Tim realized that he had been daydreaming, quickly put aside those random thoughts, and got down to business.

A few days ago, he sent two hunters from Black Mountain Village to inquire about the whereabouts of the Grummans. Today, one of the hunters returned to the camp on horseback, bringing with him some worrying news.

Three days ago, this group of Grummans was moving towards Elfen, but the next day they suddenly turned and headed straight for Castel Ridge.

The two learned on the way that the army of lower-ranking nobles summoned by the Earl was beginning to encircle the city from several directions, while no one was blocking the way from Caster's direction.

"So, judging from this news, they will most likely break out of Caster Ridge and return to the Grumman Mountains, just as we predicted? Based on their speed of travel, they will most likely pass by the castle in three days?" Lanny stroked his smooth chin, deep in thought.

This is indeed worrying news. The security guards are not fully equipped. Currently, each person is only equipped with a red-tasseled spear and does not even have a shield, let alone protective gear or armor.

In addition, the training of the security guards is far from sufficient. The focus of training in the previous period was on drills and discipline, while combat training and combat formations have only just begun in the last few days.

Of course, the most important thing is that there are too few people, only about thirty, which is less than half the number of the enemy.

Not to mention that the Grummans are tall and savage, and after rampaging through the North for half a year, they are practically all veterans of the battlefield, making them even more difficult to deal with.

Sending the security forces to intercept this enemy force now would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

"We need to change the plan; we can't take the initiative," Lanny said after much deliberation.

Tim nodded in agreement, but then raised his concerns: "Are we just going to let them and the noble soldiers behind them wreak havoc on Castor?"

“Of course not,” Lanny shook his head firmly, having some new ideas about this.