novellaaa Chapter 88: A Glimmer of Talent
Chapter 88: A Glimmer of Talent
"If the space isn't enough, we'll expand it." Mrs. Moriel said without looking up, "The lord said women hold up half the sky, have you forgotten?"
When the Lord was mentioned, Fanta was speechless and dared not refute.
"Alright then! Teach them the rules, the lord will be here soon." That was all Fanta could say.
Although the lord had said a lot, Fanta still felt strange seeing so many young girls here. He glanced at the people he had brought and sighed helplessly.
The situation is better than people.
Most of the physically fit teenagers in the territory are here, so Fanta also brought boys under the age of ten from the territory, hoping to discover more knights.
After all, it's best for knights to start training at the age of eight. People like Sanlil are actually too old.
"Captain Fanta, you choose your knights, and I'll choose my women's guard reserves." Mrs. Moriel patted the shoulder of a little girl beside her. "There are plenty of women in the territory now, so I can choose first. But once there are more men, the good ones won't be available to me."
Before long, Ron arrived. He was different from usual today, wearing a short-sleeved white shirt, loose linen capri pants, and slippers, giving him an oddly matched appearance.
But everyone who sees it for the first time will think that such clothes must be very comfortable to wear.
After all, in a place like the wilderness, the daytime high temperature can reach 40 degrees Celsius, and in some areas it can even reach more than 40 degrees Celsius. Traditional clothing in the wilderness is not only a burden, but also too uncomfortable.
"Greetings, Your Lordship!"
Fanta led the reserve knight apprentices in bowing to Ron. Clearly, Fanta had specifically trained them in the knightly salute before they came.
Among them, Shanlier was the most excited and his movements were the most standard.
Not to be outdone, Mrs. Morrill softly called out, "Bowing!"
The girls and children present performed a knightly salute in unison, their chest-patting and stepping movements executed in one smooth motion.
The synchronized voices drew the attention of everyone present.
Russell, standing not far away, was also dumbfounded: "Women can be knights?"
Ivan's eyes were filled with envy, but unfortunately they had only just joined Ashwood Territory, and if they wanted to become knight apprentices, they would have to wait for the next batch.
On the other side, Mad had a complicated expression. He was too old to become a knight's apprentice, and his child was too young. With the increasing number of knights in the territory, he didn't know how long he could continue to serve as the hunting captain.
Ron had all the apprentice candidates line up in two rows and place their hands on the crystal ball one by one.
When the crystal ball encounters someone with the knightly talent, it emits a cold light of different colors. Most of them only stay lit for a few seconds before going out, but the crystal balls of three people continue to light up.
The crystal ball doesn't measure whether you can become a knight; it measures how high your potential is.
The number of seconds it lights up represents the maximum distance one can go in their lifetime.
The light shines for three seconds, marking the official peak of the Knights.
If it stays lit for five seconds, the Earth Knight may have a chance.
If it stays lit for more than ten seconds, the Sky Knight is on the horizon.
Shanlier's ten seconds meant that he could potentially become the third Earth Knight in the territory, or even higher.
It's easy to become a knight, but difficult to achieve great things; it's difficult to become a mage, but as long as you live to a certain age, your future achievements will not be too low.
What surprised Ron the most was Shanlier; his crystal ball lit up for a full ten seconds, and its light was more stable than the other two.
If you can light up for ten seconds as instructed by the system, there is a chance that you will be able to break through to become a Sky Knight in the future.
"What's wrong with being too old?" Leonardo da Vinci said to Sanlier. "You've killed more goblins than those eight-year-olds have ever seen. On the battlefield, living longer is more useful than training longer."
Although Leonardo da Vinci didn't understand how to read the test crystal ball, he could guess that the longer the light shone, the better the talent.
On the men's team side, Shanlier has the best talent and was taken in as an apprentice by Leonardo da Vinci long ago. The other two knight seeds are both under ten years old, but they are also very talented. Sussley was taken away by Fender, and Bayleden was taken away by Old Hall.
Although Old Hall is not a knight, he has a knight wife, and moreover, he represents the lord's mansion. If Ron is willing to train him, Baladon's future achievements will definitely be higher than the other two.
Next up was the women's team, which Ron didn't pay much attention to.
After all, women are inherently less physically capable than men, which is why the women's team only selected three members, including Melissa. One reason is that the women's team members are too old, and the other reason is also this.
But today, Ron was pleasantly surprised.
More than forty people took the test, and fifteen of them possessed knightly talent. Among them, two had talent that was no less than that of Baladon and Sasley, and the light of both of them lasted for nine seconds.
"Angela, Veronica, from this day forward, you will be my knight's apprentices," Mrs. Moriel said with a smile, putting her arms around the two girls' shoulders. "From now on, you will live with me."
The remaining girls stood there, some looking down at their toes, others secretly wiping away tears.
Mrs. Moriel glanced back but didn't stop. She couldn't take everyone with her, but those left behind would remember the bitterness of today.
Seeing the girl reluctant to leave, Ron shook his head slightly. The matter of the knight apprentice subsidy would be announced tomorrow, and he would not provoke these children any further.
That evening, Ron called old Hall into the pit courtyard.
A newly painted map of the territory hangs on the wall, including the five-kilometer blank zone between Harvest Town and the main city.
"The plan for the safe zone knightly territories." Ron marked three dots on the map with charcoal. "The first circle extends one hundred paces south from the outer edge of the main city wall; this area is a buffer zone. All cultivated farmland south of the buffer zone is designated as knightly reserve land, but it will not be allocated separately. It will be managed by Tang En, and the knights will only enjoy the right to the income from this land. The amount of grain per acre will be written into the land grant deed. The second circle extends west of the main city, within the already explored safe zone, and can be allocated to knights who wish to cultivate it themselves."
Old Hall didn't answer immediately; he stared at the circle on the map for a long time.
"Young master, you're trying to tie the knights to the grain sacks." He looked up. "They get the profits, but you get the management rights. Brilliant, truly brilliant."
"The south is close to the Harland Territory, so I doubt anyone would want to go there. The western city walls have just been built, and there are also Fujian Tulou (earthen buildings), so the land there will probably be in high demand. Young master, I have something to say. Not a single acre of the land in Fengshou Town can be allocated."
Ron nodded; he naturally understood what Old Hall meant.
The yield of ground yams is so high that the territory is now barely able to achieve self-sufficiency, all thanks to these ground yams on the cliff fields.
It is no exaggeration to say that the land of Diyanshuya will not be officially designated as such now, nor will it be ever again.
Other knight families who want to grow rock potatoes will only be provided with seeds by the territory, and they will have to figure out their own way.
"I know what to do." Ron said, pushing the organized documents in front of Old Hall. "The names in here are all meritorious individuals of the territory. They may not be able to become knights, but they can enjoy knightly stipends."
Old Hall smiled knowingly, picked up the list and looked at it, then nodded.
"My lord, rest assured, leave it to me!"
When dealing with important matters in the territory, old Hall would not call Ron "Young Master," but "Lord."