"My lorddd~, I heard the Viscount gave you quite the large sum. As expected from our lord!" Idgar, the financial minister, entered Aldric's office with a wide grin. "We can finally breathe a little with the tight money problems."
"I guess he did," Aldric said, leaning back in his chair. "But don't get too excited yet. We have a lot to spend it on."
Idgar chuckled. "Even so, it feels good to see gold flowing in for once."
Aldric nodded, then looked toward the window. Outside, the dwarves were walking around the empty lots on the southern side of the city, checking the land with curious eyes.
"Speaking of spending," Aldric said, turning back to Idgar. "I want to give those dwarves a place to build a workshop. Somewhere close to the city wall. They'll need a good space, maybe near the south district. Make sure they get what they need."
Idgar raised an eyebrow. "A workshop? For what, my lord?"
Aldric paused for a second. "To make a new kind of weapon."
"Ah. Another sword or a new kind of crossbow?" Idgar said spectically his eyes slighly crouched not believing Aldric information.
"No," Aldric said, shaking his head. "Something different. It's called a musket. A kind of long weapon that uses powder to fire metal bullets."
Idgar blinked, confused. "Powder? You mean like fire dust?"
"Something like that," Aldric replied. "I don't know how it works exactly. But I've seen it once, and I know it's powerful. I want our craftsmen to try building one."
Idgar scratched his head. "And the dwarves? They know how to make it?"
"They said they've worked on strange machines before. I'll ask Klow and his team to figure out the musket. As for the powder, we'll deal with that later."
Idgar still looked unsure, but he nodded. "Alright. I'll see to it that they get the land and the materials they ask for."
Later that day, Aldric met Klow near the empty plot by the southern walls. It was a wide space, mostly dirt and weeds, with an old shed standing in one corner.
"This is the land I'm giving you," Aldric said. "Build your workshop here. Make it strong, safe, and big enough for your tools."
Klow studied the area for a moment, then nodded. "It'll do. Good space. Quiet side of the city, too, my lord"
"You'll be working on something important," Aldric said. "It's called a musket and it's like a bow, a long weapon that shoots metal using powder. I want you and your best men to build one. I'll handle the powder part later."
Klow raised his eyebrows. "A musket, huh? I've heard the word before. Never seen one up close, though."
"I've only seen it once," Aldric admitted. "But if we can make it work, it'll change everything. No more sword against sword. We'll have range and power."
"Here's a rough sketch I made it should provide you some insight on the musket." Aldric said while handing over a piece of paper to Klow.
Klow scratched his beard, thinking. "Alright, young master. I'll gather the tinkerers and smiths. We'll start shaping parts. Might take a while, but it sounds like a challenge worth our time."
"Good," Aldric said. "I'll have workers bring wood and iron tomorrow. If you need more, let me know."
Klow gave a small bow. "We'll do our best. Thank you for giving us the chance."
As the dwarf and his crew began clearing the land and marking the ground for their new workshop, Aldric stood watching, hands behind his back. The sun dipped low over Valoria, casting long shadows on the old walls. For the first time in years, something new was being built not just buildings, but hope.
Aldric left them to work and returned to the castle. He called a meeting with his military officers later that evening.
There, he stood before a round table, maps spread out in front of him. Gale, Ronald, and a few other captains stood at attention.
"Windsor County has two thousand soldiers, fifty of whom are knights," Aldric began. "But numbers alone aren't enough. We need more soldiers recruited, trained, and ready for the external threats."
Ronald nodded. "We've got men, but many are aging or poorly trained. We've also lost some to desertion during the hard times."
"Start recruitment this week," Aldric said. "Focus on strong, able-bodied men. Farmers, hunters, even woodsmen. Give them steady pay and decent meals."
Gale raised a brow. "What will they be trained for, my lord? Sword? Bow?"
Aldric looked at him and said, "For now, the usual. But soon… they'll be using muskets. Once the dwarves finish building the first ones, we'll train them to use those instead."
Some of the officers exchanged confused looks.
"A musket," Aldric explained, "is a weapon that shoots with fire. You won't need years to master it. That's the advantage. With the right training, even a new recruit can hold his ground."
The room fell quiet as the men processed that.
"How did you know about such a powerful weapons, my lord?" Ronald asked Aldric in a confused manner.
"I came to know through a old book, I found in our family library." Aldric gave a light answer hoping to switch the topic and not get further question asked.
Aldric was a bookworm from young age and everyone in the household knew about it, so although skeptical they didn't inquire much about it.
"I want three hundred new soldiers within the next two months," Aldric continued. "And I want the officers to help the dwarves if they need protection or manpower. If this plan works, we'll be the first in the kingdom to have such weapons."
Gale grinned. "You're always ten steps ahead, my lord."
Aldric gave a small nod. "Let's make sure we don't fall behind this time."
Outside, the city was slowly coming alive again. People talked about change. Merchants noticed the guards seemed more alert.
And in the eastern part of the city, smoke rose as the dwarves began building something new something that could change the future of Windsor County forever.