I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 125: The Small House at the Bridge (34)

The gurgling river flows from east to west, passing through countless plains, mountains and grasslands and finally converges into the Seine River, whose source is in Burgundy.

Luc stood by the river, looking at the somewhat turbid water.

Human and animal feces and various kitchen garbage were floating in the water, which was a bit disgusting.

"Phew~ If anyone dares to let the Agate River become like this, I will chop off his head!"

Luc looked away, and saw that the sky was as blue as ever.

This is certainly not the Knight's Castle.

This is Telf Bridge.

Walking down the bridge, Luc was a little frightened because the bridge was not strong due to years of disrepair and it made a creaking sound when he stepped on it.

A bridge like this might break one day, so we must find an opportunity to rebuild it.

But there is no time right now.

Looking at Jean and George not far away, the two were discussing the address of the cabin.

The two men were dressed slightly differently from the ones in the Knight's Castle: Jean was wearing Ryan's former leaky leather armor, while the complete one naturally belonged to the other. He had a German dagger slung around his waist, which was his own weapon and had been taken away by Luc before, but now it had been returned to its original owner.

George also held the short knife that had been returned to its original owner, and was wearing ordinary linen. Both of them had a small round shield behind their backs.

Guarding the bridge and collecting tolls is not fighting, being able to protect yourself is enough.

If you meet a guy who is really tough and powerful but disdains the title of a small knight, Luc's advice is: let him go.

You could say it was bullying the weak or assessing the situation, because in Luc's opinion, it was not worth it to cause casualties for a small amount of bridge toll.

Besides, the current bridge toll is just a transition, allowing pedestrians to get used to it slowly. When the strength grows in the future, the fees for everyone will naturally be reduced.

Luc looked out at the mountains and forests. Although he had not seen the entire barony, based on two years of continuous observation, he had determined that this was the only way to the north.

"Sir, here it is!"

The two men discussed it and finally decided on a piece of vacant land about two hundred yards from the bridge. This place did not exceed the scope of the fiefdom. After all, the one-third mile around the bridge belonged to them.

"Sir, George just went to the lower reaches of the river to take a look. The water there is relatively clean. If we build it here and pass through the forest behind the house, we can save some walking distance to fetch water."

Two hundred yards was not far, so Luc looked at it and agreed. He would wait until the bridge toll was collected and then go to the bridgehead to guard it.

"That's it, then. Take Hans with you to chop down trees."

That’s right, Luc still brought Hans out, but he was here to do hard labor and would be brought back later.

The Barony of Berry and the Knight's Castle have in common that they both have many forests. Even a mere third of a mile is covered by a forest, which is small enough to build a small house on.

You have to know that from now on, most forests belong to the private property of Baron Berry and other lords, and they are not like mountains where they can be cut down at will.

The construction of the hut is quite simple. To put it bluntly, it is just a residence. There are two beds and a fireplace in the house. The extra furniture is at most a wooden box for money and food. Every month, Luke will send someone to collect money and provide food.

There is also a simple stable to accommodate travel horses.

Ryan has already learned the basics of riding. Once he gets started, the subsequent teaching will be much easier. Luke plans to teach him personally. After all, although his lance combat skills are average, he has been riding for more than a year.

Looking at Rang's figure, perhaps he was promoted back to the position of attendant, or he found that he took good care of Du Si and had no intention of coveting her personal property, so he respected him a lot. During this period, Rang also gave him some pointers on lance riding, which helped him improve a lot.

"Sir, there is one more thing."

Hans was chopping trees while Jean and George were digging the foundation. Halfway through digging, Jean suddenly looked up and said:
"My Lord, do you think you could find us a hound like little Charlie?"

Jean touched the scar on his face and said, "After all, if we start collecting tolls, there will inevitably be people who don't want to pay and sneak across the river at night. Having a hound can also alert us at night."

"Well, you've thought it through very carefully. I'll find a way to deal with this."

Luc nodded in admiration. The fact that he had thought so much about it showed that Jean was indeed useful.

It wasn't hard to find a dog; the hard part was training it. I didn't need a real hound like Charlie, though; just one that could guard the house would be fine. As it happened, I was also looking to expand my hound fleet.

"You guys work here first, I'm going to Cooper Castle."

"Yes!"

Holding his horse's belly, wearing chain mail and a pot helmet, with a knight's sword, bow and arrows draped on his left and right, and a wooden lance in his hand, Luc was confident that no one would be so blind as to stop him, and he rode alone to Cooper Castle.

Closer to the fort, he walked straight to the tavern, where he needed to get information.

"Oh my God, it's Knight Luc! Please come in!!"

The long-faced tavern owner was more enthusiastic than ever before and recognized Luc at a glance.

He had not forgotten that John had only argued with the other party here, and then he was hanged in the castle by the baron in the blink of an eye.

"Prepare some ale for me to take with me. And by the way, ask if anyone wants to sell a dog. I need a guard dog. The price is negotiable. If you have one, have him bring it here. Here's your Finney."

"No, no, no, it's my honor to help you, sir. How dare I ask for money?"

"Just take it if I tell you to!"

The tavern owner chuckled and stopped refusing.

"I heard the rebellion in the south is getting worse. Are you leading your troops to war without even waiting for Lord Autumn Harvest?"

The boss put the coin into his pocket and nodded, "Yes, this time the Baron took away two knights of the inner court and four knights of the fiefdom, as well as forty soldiers and ten mercenaries!"

Luc narrowed his eyes. The reason why Baron Berry was so keen on war was not only because he could get a lot of spoils, but also because the current Duke had just arrived.

Why was the new Duke of Burgundy repeatedly rebelled against? It was because he was not a Burgundian, but was sent by the King of France. The previous Duke was forced to take over the County of Burgundy, so it would be strange if he could stay calm.

This also gave Berry an opportunity to try to upgrade his title through military service.

After asking, Luc did not stay for long, but rode his horse straight to the blacksmith shop.

He is going to make an iron plowshare for the wooden plow cart!

The blacksmith shop is located in the center of Cooper Castle. As one of the most prestigious civilians, the blacksmith Smith has a very bad temper. However, no matter how bad his temper is, it is not as bad as that of the knight. When he saw Luke coming, he was quite impressed by this person who often asked him to make strange things.

"Knight Luc, what kind of ironware do you want this time?"

Smith went into battle shirtless, his bulging muscles covered in sweat. He put down the hammer and shouted in a dull voice.

He told him the required iron data for the wooden plow, then pointed to his warhorse and said, "Also, can you replace the horseshoes for my warhorse?"

Horseshoeing is one of the blacksmith's signature skills.

After hearing this, Smith wiped his sweat and walked out of the scorching iron shop. He carefully looked around the warhorse and said, "Okay, but we need to repair the horse's hooves as well."

"Just to my liking."

With the money seized from Robert, Luc is now very rich. This trip is not only to build a bridge, but also to buy more items for Shanlin.

Of course, many things are out of stock, such as armor and war horses. Even if Luc wants to buy them, there is no one to sell them to.

But you can buy some swords.

I asked the blacksmith, but he shook his head decisively and said, "The Baron has made too many swords recently, and there's not enough iron left. We only have enough to make those things for you."

Luc frowned, "No extra weapons?"

Smith thought for a moment and said, "I do have one, but it's a crippled piece, a mace. I added a bit too much iron to it, so it's very heavy. That's why the Baron didn't want it."

"Well, you can take it out and let me see it."

(End of this chapter)