I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 190 Fifty steps!
".Can it repel insects?"

Luc circled the maple juice twice, his eyes getting brighter as he walked.

After spending three years in the mountains, Luc was still annoyed by insects and mosquitoes. Although there were mugwort and pine resin that was discovered later to repel insects, the effect was not very good. Moreover, there was smoke that would choke his nose at any time.

"If it can really repel insects, it's not just recycling waste, it's turning waste into treasure."

I suppressed the urge to try it immediately. It was already late today, so I went to bed first.

Luc slept well and woke up refreshed the next day. The first thing he did was to check the maple juice.

The crossbow trigger has to wait a while, Ryan hasn't fixed the bowstring yet.

After thinking about it, Luke ordered Miller, who had come to the Deer Hall early in the morning to receive orders, to bring Jason over. Then he told Miller what he should do and asked Jason to pick up the maple juice, charcoal and clay pot. The two of them went alone to the foot of the back mountain, the edge of a forest slightly away from the manor.

Luc casually broke off a pine branch and said to Jason, who was carrying something heavy without blushing or beating his heart, with his back to him, "There's mugwort nearby. Go pick some. Do you know mugwort?"

"I know him." Jason nodded silently.

I don’t know if it’s because he was born with an inflammation, but there’s always a faint string of snot at the tip of Jason’s nose, which adds a bit of slovenliness to his good looks.

"Those monks are so hungry that they can't choose what to eat. They even eat this."

Luc took out a dagger from his trouser leg. He always carried his dagger with him, tied to his calf in a deerskin sheath so that he could use it at any time.

Chop, chop, cut off the pine branches in two strokes. Thinking back to what Peter said to him last night, Luc couldn't help but shudder.

No wonder Jason, who looks so honest, would commit murder, because people want to poke him.
It's really good for both meat and vegetables.

But it's understandable. After all, medieval peasant women really did look more like unshed bears.
Putting aside all distractions, Luc lit the charcoal and began to steam the maple syrup.

By the way, roast the pine wood together.

After a while, Jason also hurried back with a handful of mugwort.

"Chop all the mugwort into pieces." Luc threw the dagger over.

If maple syrup does repel insects, then adding some wormwood and pine branches might enhance its effects.

Looking at Jason's skillful movements, Luke turned Songzhi over and suddenly said:

"Jason, if I gave you some brand new iron ore, would you be confident you could make iron?"

In Luc's mind, iron has always been a weapon as powerful as salt. If salt is the white blood that can inject vitality into the manor and accumulate wealth, then iron is the black skeleton.

Whether it is agriculture, water conservancy or military.
With it, everything will be different.

"Iron ore?" Jason raised his head, his eyes filled with surprise. "Sir, you have iron ore?"

".No, I just have some raw materials, so I wanted to ask you."

Jason will be staying at the manor for a few more days, so Luc decides not to tell him yet.

"Iron ore is not actually a problem. Smith also started from iron ore. The point is that although I can smelt iron, I haven't learned how to build an iron furnace, and I don't have the tools." Jason thought for a while and said.

"What tools do you need?"

"At least you need a hammer and pliers."

Luc nodded. He bought some hammers in Macon County, but he had to find a way to replace the pliers.

He didn't say anything about the iron stove.

Because Jason can't, but he can!

I don't know how to build a high-end iron furnace, but is there a way to build a clay furnace? Brick kilns have been built.

It's just more time-consuming and labor-intensive.

But at this stage, I don't need a lot of iron.

Luke asked Jason some more questions about his craft, and after finding out that he could make basic hoes and shovels, he stopped asking. After a while, when he saw the maple juice bubbling, he asked Jason to throw in the chopped wormwood, and then picked up a piece of ash wood and stirred it slowly.

After boiling it for a while, he sprinkled the roasted pine resin on top after it cooled down, and told Jason to stir it again until it became thick, and finally pour it into the ceramic pot little by little.

"Let's see after a while if it really can repel insects!"

It really can repel insects, so you can use it yourself even if you don’t sell it.

He specifically called Jason out to ask about the iron, and then had him bring back Miller, the laborer. He had completely replaced Ryan's previous job, but it was exactly what Miller wanted. Happily following instructions, while carrying the maple syrup back to the Deer Hall cellar, he couldn't help but glance up at Lisa on the second floor. Thirteen-year-old Miller swallowed subconsciously, then, unsure what was going on, his ears flushed as he hurried out of the Deer Hall.

Without time to pay attention to the young boy who was just beginning to fall in love, Luke took the two of them to the logging camp again.

He wants to draw the crossbow in one breath!
Today was a sunny and gentle day. When I arrived at the lumberyard, little Maiman was still consolidating the crossbow body he had made yesterday. A qualified carpenter must be able to read blueprints. Although he was illiterate, he spent the entire night analyzing the crossbow structure that Luc had drawn on a wooden board with a reed pen. He got up early this morning to deepen the arrow groove on the crossbow body and calibrate the hole at the front end that fixed the crossbow arm.

Little Maiman was concentrating on his studies and didn't notice the arrival of Luke and his companions until Miller called out to him several times. He came to his senses and quickly apologized.

Luc waved his hand to show he didn't mind, and without further ado, he got straight to the point: "How's the crossbow preparation going?"

"Master, the wood has been ground out and is ready to be forged!"

Luke nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, without further delay, let's get it out this afternoon!"

With little Maiman, carving a crossbow mechanism was not difficult. He used a wood chisel, a knife and a grindstone, and waited until the sun slid to the top of the western mountain before he finally completed a set of crossbow mechanisms.

Why do we say a set? Because the crossbow is composed of two different small parts.

Luc aimed the L-shaped crossbow made of beech at the afterglow of the setting sun. The dazzling sunset passed through the gaps and dripped into his blue pupils.

"Good craftsmanship, press it!"

He handed it over to little Maiman and ordered the young craftsman to assemble it.

The position of the crossbow trigger has been chiseled out at the rear end of the crossbow body. After installation, the barbed trigger is firmly fixed with a wooden peg and tree rope. The two triggers engage with each other, one above and the other below, forming a vertical angle with each other.

The range of a crossbow depends on the crossbow body, but its accuracy depends on the crossbow mechanism and grooves.

This is also the reason why Maiman Jr. improved the groove.

Picking out some more oak arrow shafts, Luc gestured to Jason beside him to take a look. Jason understood his intention and took a closer look before saying, "Sir, if you want a longer range and greater power, I recommend using a triangular arrowhead."

"Will you do it?"

"I've done it once. I'm not sure."

"Experience is enough."

Luc nodded, and carefully adjusted all the parts again. Then he just had to wait for them to dry in the shade.

A week passed in a flash. George came by halfway and told about the situation in Cooper Castle after Jason disappeared. As expected, apart from Smith being furious and accusing Forman of killing Jason, he thought that Forman had killed Jason, there was no disturbance.

"Master Baron Berry has been acting a little strangely lately."

"Oh?" Luc sat up straight. "Why is it abnormal?"

"You know I've been keeping tabs on Cooper Castle. I suspect the bandits who attacked villages during the snowstorm were his private soldiers."

"I understand."

After sending George away, Luc had a deeper understanding of Berry's insidiousness.

The next day, the heavy crossbow began to dry in the shade.

Knightsburg Shooting Range.

Luc took the double-layer twisted deer tendon string that Ryan had dried, put it on the holes at both ends of the crossbow arm, loaded the heavy arrow with a stone arrowhead, and then pulled it back with force.

Although it does not contain iron, the thick deer tendons and heavy hardwood still make it quite heavy.

The deer tendon still had a little elasticity, but it still took Luc a lot of strength to put the bowstring into the groove behind the crossbow body. The string was full like a moon, and the crossbow arm was bent into an arc. Luc fastened the hook, held the heavy crossbow with both arms, and aimed at the target in the distance.

"middle!"

Whoosh!
Luke shouted and pulled the trigger with his finger. The trigger pushed up the hook, and the hook drove the crossbow string. In an instant, the crossbow arrow shot forward!

hum! !

The sound of the arrow tail trembling continued to be heard. Looking at the crossbow arrow that was shot off target, Luke was not discouraged and shot four arrows in succession.

Seeing that an arrow finally landed in the center of the target, Luc smiled in surprise.

"The error is not that big, we need to improve the accuracy."

Luke handed the heavy crossbow to little Maiman with a smile, put his hands on his hips and looked at the target in the distance.

Range fifty steps!
(End of this chapter)