"Low price? Damn, why are you telling me this fact? ”

"Boy, you know what? Before I turned 18 and could apply for a credit card, I never had more than $20 in cash on me. ”

"Well, what is even more surprising to you is that when I got my first credit card, I applied for 5 more credit cards from 5 banks one after another. In other words, I used these 6 credit cards to live in the Naval Academy for 4 years. That's right, it's 4 years! ”

"But now, I can go a whole month without spending a penny. Oh, of course, it might cost a few pennies or a dozen pence a day to buy some of the best food for Anne Cook. ”

"So, tell me how I should spend the money I get from selling silver fox skins and other game, and the reward I get for participating in the raids, which together are enough for a farmer to live happily for 100 years?"

"What do you say? Can it be used to buy expensive war horses, riding horses, or pack horses at a modest price? yes, you're right. However, when I was about to spend some money on two fine horses for myself and Effie last Sunday, Henry the boy paid for me. ”

"Do you know how much he paid? The two horses only cost a total of 36 pounds. Well, I know that 18 pounds to buy a war horse is the annual income of a farmer who has worked continuously for almost 3 years. Also, if you don't eat, you don't buy clothes or daily necessities. ”

Isabel, who continued to think, picked up a short sword and admired it for a long time, causing little Beard on the side to fall into a state of wanting to speak and stopping. He didn't know what she was thinking, though she did look like she was thinking.

When he saw the other man trying to touch the blade with his fingers, he knew his chance had come. With a light cough, he whispered, "Be careful, ma'am, the freshly sharpened blade is very sharp. ”

When Isabel stopped her hand movements, she looked sideways at little Beard, as if she had talked to him a lot. With a smile on his face, he said, "Thank you, little Beard." You're a great listener. ”

Little Beard didn't understand what she meant, but didn't ask her directly, but said, "You're welcome, ma'am." Well, these two newly minted short swords, are you still satisfied? ”

Isabel Walton stood up with a smile and walked to the center of the living room with two short swords 24 inches (about 61 centimeters) long and 2 inches (about 5 centimeters) wide from their scabbards.

A sword flower danced in his left and right hands almost at the same time, and after looking at it again, he nodded to little Beard and said, "Very good, very good." I am very satisfied with the weight, length, tip, grid, hilt, blood groove and serrated blade. ”

"Ma'am, did you see that just now?"

"See what? Oh, you mean the serpentine markings. That's right, the markings look as realistic as a snake. ”

Isabel did see snake-like markings on the surface of the sword, but that was before she "meditated". I saw her holding two short swords in each hand, or stabbing, or chopping, or dragging, or blocking, or blocking left and right stabbing, or right blocking and stabbing left and stabbing in the center of the living room, practicing the swordsmanship of two-handed swords.

After practicing for about half a minute, little Beard couldn't help but applaud lightly and said, "Madam, your swordsmanship is really amazing. I have never seen a lady wield her swordsmanship so beautifully and skillfully with a double-handled dagger. ”

Isabel walked back to her seat and put down her dagger and said, "Thank you." Little Beard, what kind of knight or squire do you think would use a two-handed dagger? ”

"Ma'am, I don't know. Because I never fantasized that I could be a knight, I didn't know any kind of swordsmanship at all. ”

"Well, let me tell you, only thieves use two short swords. I mean the kind of thieves who specialize in plundering farmers, peddlers, or monks. ”

"Ma'am, you... You're not kidding, are you? Little Beard looked at Isabel, who was unusually serious, and was a little confused for a moment.

"Hahaha, to show you, I'm joking. Don't let me tell Lord Haswell that a female thief has been found in Richmondshire. Isabel, who suddenly turned into a smile, explained with a smile on her face.

After she put down the dagger, she took a sip of the blackberry wine on the table and said, "Little Beard, how this wine is made, I think it's pretty good." ”

Little Beard smiled helplessly and said, "Ma'am, you really scared me out just now. Hmm, you wonder how blackberry wine is made? It's okay, I can teach you how to brew. ”

"Really? Thank you very much, little Beard, you don't mind what I just said, I'm just saying it casually. ”

"Okay, now can you talk to me about the armor?"

Isabel took out another piece of Henry's duke's letterhead, placed it in front of him, pointed to a piece of armor on it, and said, "Look, this is ancient Greek armor." ”

As for why she came up with ancient Greek armor, it was entirely her reminiscence of some ancient European, ancient Roman or ancient Greek action-adventure movies made by Hollywood in later generations. Among them, a mythological film with a Greek classical style that had won the North American box office during the release period really left a deep impression on her.

"Little Beard, do you understand the characteristics of ancient Greek armor?" Isabel said to the young blacksmith who was looking at the armor carefully.

"I don't know, I don't even know what Latin and Greek are." Little Beard said honestly.

"Can you tell me, then, that you can forge this style of armor?"

"I... I don't know. Ma'am, why don't you use plate armor? As far as I know, Italy and Germany can make well-made full-body plate armor. ”

Isabel certainly knew what little Beard meant, because the 15th-early 17th centuries were the great era known as Western armor, and the full-body plate armor that appeared in this period had reached the peak stage of fine craftsmanship. During these centuries, European monarchs and military aristocrats at that time generally believed that the light, strong, simple and majestic full-body plate armor could compete with the English longbow.

On the other hand, from the end of the 15th century when the English crown equipped the royal fleet with heavy and small cannons, until the arquebuses and flintlock muskets that appeared in the royal army in the middle of the reign of Henry VIII. This shows that the 16th century was another era of rapid development of firearms, the expansion of the scale of warfare, and an era in which the knightly class withered like a yellow flower.

At this time, the whole body plate armor in front of the arquebus no longer has enough resistance. By the beginning of the 17th century, full-body plate armor was no longer able to resist the new arquebuses and flintlock pistols that were light and powerful, and were gradually replaced by three-quarters armor or cuirasses, until they were completely eliminated from the European theater.

So, with an eye on the future of the battlefield, Isabelle Walton had completely abandoned the need for full-body plate armor, and the three-quarter armor she was wearing at this time, which was only worth 16 shillings.

Of course, the cuirass, a lightweight protective gear used to protect the chest and back from cold weapons and firearms, is still worth using. She knew in her heart that the hoplites that would soon appear on large-scale battlefields and in local battles would evolve into a special type of cavalry armed with cuirasses, cavalry swords (or sabers), and firearms.