Duke Mason's castle was built to protect the Herman family and hoard the army, and had a distinct military purpose, but in this era, the army mostly relied on the land cultivated by the farmers, so there were three villages outside the castle to provide wheat for the nobles and knights in the castle, and the area that the castle could cover and radiate was the most effective area for territorial control. Where there are human gatherings, there will be an exchange of goods, and the bazaar was the most effective way for people in the Middle Ages to exchange goods.

"It's really lively here, if only the Black Marsh Village could be so vibrant." Arold led his long-haired strange horse and looked at the people who were dressed in various clothes representing all walks of life, some of them were dressed in the bright clothes of the nobility, some wore round cakes and turbans and hats, and they wore clothes no less than those of the nobility, but most of them were farmers in coarse linen clothes, and the farmers held their own eggs and other tax-paid things in exchange for some silver coins.

Sheds of linen dyed of various colors lined the open spaces beneath the castle, and people haggled over the goods on both sides, and blacksmiths built sturdy houses out of wood, with tinkling iron, and from time to time sergeants in armor went in to see the hanging swords and chain mail. The blacksmiths are members of the blacksmiths' guild, but they also belong to the Duke of Mason, and after completing the annual tasks in the castle, they can also use their spare time and materials to craft some farming tools or weapons and the like, which is also one of the blacksmiths' extra money, and it seems that gray income will exist in that era.

Arold did not have the support of his father, Sir Wendell, in his argument with Yves, who thought that it would be more reliable to purchase some weapons and equipment for himself and his men, but Sir Wendell was now very confident in his young son, and he agreed that Arold would go to the market after purchasing weapons, and if possible, he could buy a little stock. Knowing that he could not turn his father and brother's stubborn mind around at once, Arold agreed to go to the bazaar, and he found that the blacksmiths in the dukedom still used the relatively backward method of hot forging, and that all trades in the Middle Ages had guilds, which were inherited from ancient Rome, and the blacksmiths also had their own guilds, which played a great role in protecting the rights and interests of blacksmiths, but also caused a monopoly in the industry and brought resistance to the innovation of technology.

"You idiot, what are you doing? Who told you to put your sword in the water? As Arold watched the blacksmiths make a fuss, there seemed to be a quarrel in the blacksmith's shop, and he was involuntarily attracted and walked over, while the other blacksmiths just turned around and shrugged their shoulders and went about their work.

"But I've seen the Milanese do that, and they make very hard swords." A young blacksmith had a pair of iron tongs in his hand, he had long yellow hair, probably because he had been by the stove for many years, his hair was curly and yellow, his face was freckled, his blue eyes were aggrieved, and he was wearing a leather apron that was dirty.

"Shut up, weren't you and your father driven away by the blacksmiths' guild in Milan? I've kindly taken you in, so you should work honestly and stop thinking about those weird things. Standing in front of the young blacksmith was a big fat man with a full beard, who did not wear an apron like the other blacksmiths, and his clothes were clean and neat, and around his neck hung a round medallion that Arold seemed to remember as if it were the sign of the head of the guild.

"It's uncle." The young blacksmith replied with a bitter face, bowing his head and hanging his head.

"Well, Oun, you have to do a good job, become a good blacksmith, don't think of strange things like your father, you are always like this, how can I give my daughter to you." The big fat man saw the young man's dejected look, and felt that he was too harsh, so he patted him on the shoulder and comforted him.

"Are you really going to give Bonnie to me?" Orn's face flushed with excitement, the freckles on his face lit up, and he didn't know where to put his hands in excitement.

"That's right, let's do it." The big fat man with a beard nodded, and then strode away from the blacksmith shop, the direction he walked was the castle, and the general guild leaders were allowed to enter the castle, which made Arold a little envious, it seemed that no matter how high or low the status was in that era, it was always very popular to have a skill.

"Who's that?" Arold asked curiously to a blacksmith next to him.

"That's Lambert, the leader of the local blacksmith's guild, a master blacksmith." The blacksmith buried his head in his own business, and said to Arrod.

"Did that young man really go to Milan?" Arold asked curiously.

"The young man's name is Orn, and his father was also a master blacksmith, and he almost became our chief, but he ran to Milan in search of some superb sword-making skill, and was driven back by the Milanese, and the position of leader was taken by Lambert." The blacksmith raised his head and looked at Arrod, and saw that it was a nobleman with a sword, so he patiently explained to him, "How about my lord, do you want to buy a sword, I have just made it here." ”

"I'll take a look." Arold walked into the blacksmith's shop, looking at the dazzling array of goods as he went, but he was not satisfied, except for a helmet that made his eyes shine.

"My lord, have you taken a fancy to this helmet?" A young voice sounded beside Arold, who looked over and over with the pot hat, which was densely woven of wicker, but fastened along the roof with a rice-shaped iron bar, the outer surface of which was covered with leather and nailed with iron studs, which was both light and strong, very suitable for light infantry, and most importantly, completely unobstructed vision.

"You did this?" Arold saw Ouen standing beside him helplessly, raised his hat and helmet in his hand and asked.

"Yes, this hat is used by the city militia of the Milanese, but they are not fixed with iron bars, I have added something fixed, very cheap five silver coins a if you want." Ouen looked at Arrod with expectant eyes, and took the initiative to lower the price and said.

"Orn, at first glance, this is a knight, he will only buy a sturdy bottle-type iron helmet like this, how can your hat made of wicker get into the eyes of the knight." The blacksmiths on the side saw the business and hurriedly gathered around, picked up the bulky iron helmet they made and sold it to Arold, this kind of helmet has a one, Arold knows the disadvantages of this kind of helmet, that is, when wearing it, the field of vision is very narrow, and because of the weight, it can only be carried on the shoulder, which is very inflexible, but the Germanic knights especially like this kind of bulky and textured thing, just like the German tank that their descendants love.

"Guys, I'm not a knight, I'm just a squire." Arold looked at the blacksmiths who were gathered around, and hurriedly said to them.

"What? Chamberlain? When the blacksmiths heard this, they were not interested, and everyone knew that the squire had no mining of his own, and that he had little money on him, so they all scattered to do their own work, leaving only Orn and Arold standing there awkwardly.

"Well, your peers don't seem interested anymore, let's go somewhere quieter." Arold shrugged his shoulders and said helplessly to Orn.

"Yes, my lord, then go to my house, where I still have a few hats and helmets." Orn hurriedly led the way, and they left the blacksmith shop and walked out of the market, where there was a gathering place of the castle's handymen, and a crowd of simple houses, and Orn led Arold to a ravine outside the castle where the sewage was drained, and his home was beside the stinking ravine.

"Father, I'm back." Orn pushed open a creaking wooden door, and the courtyard was littered with all sorts of rubbish, a large compound with a two-story wooden attic, and between the stairs there were all sorts of coarse linen clothes, and when strangers entered, many people's heads poked out of the attic windows and looked curiously.

Orn's father did not respond to his son, Arold and they went straight into the courtyard and went up to the attic, and walked into a room with various iron parts in it, looking at this scene Arold actually had a very familiar feeling, an old man with gray hair sat at a large wooden table with his back to them, looking at something intently, and muttering to himself.

"For what? How could it be broken, I can see it very clearly, this is what the Milanese people do. Arold stepped forward, and saw the old man holding a broken piece of iron sword in his hand, and a small iron hammer beside him, and the old man picked up the hammer and struck the iron sword lightly, and it shattered, which made him even more anxious.

"Hey, my father has been obsessed with the Milanese's cold forging method since he saw it, but no matter how we do it, it's not as good as the Milanese's sword, and the longer the cold forging time, the less the sword will be used." Horn wiped his nose and said heartbrokenly.

"When using cold forging, you can't use it for too long, and when the sword is not too hot." Arrod's eyes were also a little moist, as a master of the arts, he knew the soulful desire of a master of the infinite perfection of the arts, so he couldn't help but step forward and said to the old man.

"I've tried, it's a lot stronger than our sword, but it's not a match for the Milanese's sword, what secrets are they hiding?" The old man said with straight eyes as if he was stunned.

"Ha, then I understand, they must have used secret techniques in cold forging, and I happen to know the secret of Lu Dao." Arold only thought about it for a moment, then smiled and said casually.