Chapter 20: Bran’s Territory

Chapter 20: Bran’s Territory

Building the territory was not difficult, as long as there was enough man power . After that evening, there were more than ten weapons damaged beyond repair. Whenever anyone needed a weapon repaired or replaced, they would first think of the Duke’s family’s idiot——Bran. Although this child indeed had talent in some areas, casually giving away divine weapons and sharp tools to others did not seem like the behavior of a normal person. Just for future considerations, some words could no longer be discussed openly.

Bran hung the territory’s design drawings at the castle’s entrance, then stared blankly near the drawings, waiting for the knights to come to him. Black Cat Huahua steadfastly accompanied her master, dozing off with half-closed eyes. A tall figure blocked the sunlight on Bran’s face and woke him up. He realized he was facing the knight who once wielded a great two-handed sword. His mouth opened and closed, and Bran discovered he couldn’t even call the other’s name. In fact, over all these years, the number of people whose names Bran could recall was no more than the fingers on his hands. It’s like, can you know the name of a butterfly? The name of a dragonfly? A knight is just a knight, right?

Faced with Bran’s reaction, this great knight was somewhat speechless. He first nodded slightly, then said, “I am Aisa. On behalf of the other knights, I wish to build your castle for you, in exchange for you replacing our weapons.”

Bran looked up at this tall figure and asked, “How many people?”

“Twenty-three,” Aisa answered after a moment’s hesitation.

Bran rolled his eyes and asked, “Any conditions?”

“No less than the weapon from the birthday.”

“Can’t do it.” Bran shrugged, flatly refusing. Then he explained, “Materials. The quality of a sword or blade is largely determined by its materials, followed by the crafting technique. Give me your broken sword, and I can remake it with better quality than before. But without materials equivalent to that birthday blade, I can’t recreate it.”

Aisa smiled. “We have some materials. You must understand, most Northlanders could be considered half-decent blacksmiths. There are always materials we can’t process or are reluctant to use, left over. We can give those to you.”

Bran thought for a moment and suggested, “First, give me your damaged weapons. I’ll repair them and return them to you, guaranteed to be better than their original quality. Then, give me the materials. I’ll try to make even better weapons. But let’s be clear upfront: the materials must be sufficient, and any leftover will belong to me. Finally, I cannot guarantee the newly crafted weapons will be finished quickly. You should know, even Mana is not omnipotent. It still requires continuous learning. For each unfamiliar material, I need corresponding finished products to compare and learn from, only then can I control the process effectively.”

Aisa readily responded, “That’s fair. The materials will be sufficient, and any extra is all yours.”

“Alright. We can discuss specifics with each individual when it comes to actual repairs.”

…

The next day, Bran looked at the pile of weapons placed before him. He said he had no place to store this junk, which made Aisa so angry his nose seemed to twist. Bran had Aisa carry all the weapons back, agreeing that starting tomorrow, one person would come each day, bringing the weapon in need of repair or replacement. Bran would repair it on the spot. One finished, then the next.

On the first morning of repairing weapons, Bran had Aisa practice with the two-handed sword for a while. He and Danny learned for half a day for free, claiming it was to better understand Aisa’s sword habits. He also had Aisa explain some usage techniques. Then Bran put on an act, telling Aisa he needed to think about it more and they would talk again in the afternoon.

At noon, Bran asked Danny with a grin, “How was Aisa’s two-handed sword practice? Anything you could secretly learn?”

Danny asked back with surprise, “Wasn’t it to adjust the sword for better comfort?”

Bran snickered. “I heard he has used that sword for many years. He’s already adapted to its weight distribution. Any change in appearance or weight would only cause discomfort. So, just simply join the broken sword pieces back together. The most important thing about a weapon is…”

Danny laughed and chimed in, “Its inner quality.”

Danny, led astray by Bran, seized the chance to ask Aisa for many tips on using the great two-handed sword. Bran even cooperated, having Aisa demonstrate several key moves in slow motion. Then, after dragging things out for several days, Bran completed the repair of the two-handed sword in front of Aisa. He had Aisa test it. Finally, an extremely grateful Aisa said the repaired sword felt very comfortable in hand, and he was very satisfied.

Afterward, Bran leisurely used this method on the other knights. In this slightly tense yet relaxed learning process, three or four months passed in a flash. Bran and Danny made significant progress in their understanding of martial skills. As for that so-called territory, Bran completely became a hands-off boss, paying no attention to it.

When Aisa repeatedly urged and reminded Bran about when to hand over the materials to start making brand-new high-quality weapons, Bran just excused himself, saying he had no place to store the materials. So, everything would have to wait at least until his territory was built before considering the next steps. It had already been proven that weapons from Bran were guaranteed to be quality items. So, almost all the knights in the castle were stirred into action. Bran adopted a come-one-come-all attitude, letting the later knights join in the construction of his tiny little territory.

Many hands make light work. Even under relatively backward conditions, thanks to the efforts of these Northlanders who could fight on horseback and build houses off it, when the first snowflake fell, the territory was finally built with high quality and efficiency. Except for the carved rail decorations Bran designed, after everyone explained, Bran generously said he could slowly complete those himself.

Bran’s attic used a design of a heated brick bed plus heated walls. This allowed Bran to spend a warm winter, at least much warmer compared to the original castle. So, after his territory was built, Bran firmly insisted on moving into his manor. Only under the insistence of the Duke and his wife did he promise to return to the castle for dinner every day.

On the same day Bran’s territory was completed, the knights delivered various materials into his manor’s storehouse, then left satisfied.

Although Bran’s territory was only a tiny place, relative to two people, one cat, plus Danny’s two horses moving in, the area seemed excessively large. So that night, after enduring nearly a year of torment living with Danny, Bran, who had just felt liberated for not long by having a room to himself again, woke up in the middle of the night. Shivering, he ran to Danny’s bedroom door, shamelessly called it open, squeezed into Danny’s arms, and only then fell asleep peacefully.

In the morning, facing Danny’s half-smiling expression, Bran began to miss the castle. That castle had thick walls, hefty and burly servant women, and rough knights. Everything felt so secure. But here, now, there were only him, Black Cat Huahua, and Danny.

Ideals are plump, but reality is bony. Bran regretted his decision. He desperately wanted to escape back to that castle he once desperately wanted to leave behind.

Somewhat regretful, Bran shouted, “Danny, you should patrol our territory.”

Danny scoffed and replied, “My respected lord, you should invite your attendant to share breakfast.”

Then the two started staring at each other wide-eyed. Neither seemed to have considered the food problem. They had left the castle full of excitement, only carrying their bedrolls, wearing expressions that said they’d rather die than go back…

Faced with the imminent threat of hunger, the two quickly put on their gear, preparing for their first-ever territory patrol in their lives——hunting.

Heading into the chilly wind, Danny rode on horseback, holding Bran in her arms. Black Cat Huahua squatted on the horse’s rear. Hearing the complaints in his ear: “I say, Danny, this life is unbearable.”

“Want to go back to the castle?”

“Too ashamed to show my face!”

Then both sighed together…

Their luck was good. After wandering around for quite a while, the two and the cat finally had two rabbits and a pheasant added to the horse. This pheasant was Huahua’s merit. Huahua’s body length was now nearly one meter, beginning to approach the size of an adult Lynx. Previously often wandering outside the castle with Danny, this guy’s wild instincts were also increasingly showing.