From a hired knight to a master of Game of Thrones

Chapter 102 You get paid for doing the work?

Council hall.

Seeing that all his retainers were seated quietly, Don Quixote said, "Phoenix, later select two knights and send them to Sir Nigel's territory."

"His territory is located to the west of my territory."

"Sir Nigel may not be in the territory. If so, inform a suitable person, such as his retainers or family members."

Phoenix nodded, then asked, "Sir, would you like me to come along?"

Don Quixote shook his head and said, "No, just send two knights. I trust your judgment and their abilities."

"As for you, I have something to tell you tomorrow."

Phoenix replied with some doubt, "Yes, sir, I will go and select two good men in a moment."

After giving instructions to Phoenix, Don Quixote then gave his other retainers several important matters to attend to in the coming period.

For example, have the stonemason Kieran talk to the baker Timothy and ask him to build a house for Timothy's family to live in as soon as possible.

For example, have the carpenter Vansto make some wooden items and build a few small boats.

For example, have Zachary arrange for people to fish in the Broken Branch River, then process some of the fish and sell it to Rodney.

Many things were quickly arranged.

The brief meeting ended quickly.

Dafengling, quarry.

This is a spacious area located on the outskirts of Grayhill Village, which is used by the Great Wind Territory to store the natural stones, polished stones, and gravel from the polishing process that they have brought back.

It was also the place where the stonemasons, stonemason apprentices, and other sergeants of the Great Wind Territory worked.

The quarry was surrounded by a wooden fence.

Zane handed Mavkel and Jess the hunter over to a few familiar stonemason apprentices at the quarry and then left.

He wasn't worried that Mavkel and Hunter Jess had the guts or the ability to escape.

They could eat meat at almost every meal, and they also had to do strenuous physical labor every day.

The stonemason apprentices, carpenter apprentices, and hunter apprentices in Great Wind Ridge are all quite physically fit.

Moreover, these apprentices were frequent visitors to the training grounds.

Training can be done independently, through sparring with others, or by receiving guidance from a knight.

These apprentices, once they pick up stone chisels and hand saws, become diligent and hardworking leaders; once they put down their chisels and hand saws and pick up longswords and bows and arrows, they quickly become qualified warriors.

Therefore, even if Mavkel and Hunter Jess had the guts to try to escape the quarry, Zane was not worried at all that they would be able to escape the quarry and escape Great Wind Ridge.

Outside the quarry, it's almost outside Gray Hill Village.

That area was also the territory patrolled day and night by several knights and riders from the Great Wind Territory.

In the open-air quarry, the northern sun warmed many of the stones.

Mavkel knelt beside a rough stone, holding the bluish-gray stone steady with both hands to prevent it from wobbling.

A stonemason apprentice was sometimes holding a sharp chisel and sometimes a small hammer, tapping and striking.

The rising pale blue dust made Mavekel frown, but he dared not wipe it away.

Meanwhile, the hunter Jess kept walking back and forth, gathering up the broken grinding stones and pebbles. Before long, he was out of breath, with sweat beading on his forehead.

Because they knew that Mavkel and the hunter Jess dared to trespass into the lord's woodland and secretly hunt the lord's prey.

The three stonemason apprentices at the quarry were somewhat angry. They wouldn't let Mafkel and Hunter Jess rest for a moment, and kept making the two of them work, doing some heavy and tiring work.

Time passed slowly as Mavkel and Hunter Jess found themselves in an increasingly difficult state.

Night falls.

Kieran, the stonemason who had just returned to the quarry from the lord's council hall, summoned a stonemason apprentice and asked, "How were the two poachers? How did they behave?"

The stonemason apprentice thought for a moment and answered truthfully: "Master, although I don't like the two of them, their attitude and performance have not disappointed us."

"Neither of them slacked off on any of the heavy or strenuous tasks we assigned them."

Stonemason Kieran nodded and instructed, "Take these two to the food street later. This is their payment: 50 copper coins each."

After saying this, the stonemason Kilan took out 100 copper coins from his purse and handed them to the stonemason apprentice.

Although Don Quixote had almost all gold dragons in his possession, he didn't even have many silver deer.

However, he had already taken into account the currency circulation situation. He had exchanged a lot of copper coins for silver deer from White Harbor and some copper coins for silver deer from merchants to ensure that there were enough copper coins for silver deer circulating in the Great Wind Territory.

The merchants were naturally very willing to make such a deal.

A single gold dragon is worth more than ten thousand copper coins, but the two are far more convenient to carry.

The stonemason apprentice looked at the handful of copper coins in his hand and asked in surprise, "Master, should we also pay them?"

"They've been hunting the lord's prey without permission!"

Stonemason Kieran nodded and explained, "This is the lord's intention. If the two of them work diligently, they will be paid some reward, half that of the others."

"Yes, also, we can let them get used to working at the quarry later, arranging a mix of heavy and light work for them."

Having just returned from the council hall, he knew that the lord wanted these two to stay in the territory to work long-term.

So if these two people were to get exhausted, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the lord.

The stonemason apprentice frowned, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly replied, "Yes, Master."

The stonemason apprentice turned and walked over to the two men, Mafkel and Jess, who were panting and resting, and said slowly, "You did a good job. Here, this is our lord's reward for you."

"Come with me, I'll take you to a place in our territory where we can buy food."

"Don't think about saving anything later, eat well, we still have to work tomorrow."

"As long as you continue to work as diligently as you did just now tomorrow, I will report to my master and you will receive additional pay tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Mafkel and Jess, who had expected to be assigned tasks again, felt a wave of extreme weariness wash over them, which instantly turned into astonishment and delight.

I estimated the amount of copper coins in my hand by visual inspection.

—At least forty copper coins!

Mavkel and Hunter Jess looked up in disbelief and exclaimed, "This—this is for us?!"

The stonemason apprentice said expressionlessly, "If you don't want it, you can give it to me."

Mavkel and Hunter Jess exchanged a glance, their tired faces beaming with undisguised joy. They hurriedly said, "Thank you, thank you, Lord Don Quixote!"

The stonemason apprentice sneered, "Now you know how to thank our lord! Hunting secretly in our lord's woods—you really have a lot of nerve! You really don't respect our lord at all!"

Mavkel and Hunter Jess exchanged a few smiles, wanting to explain something, but they found that the stonemason apprentice had already turned and walked out of the quarry.

After a moment's hesitation, Mavkel said in a low voice, "Jess, I think I'm finding it quite nice to work here."

Hunter Jess lowered his head and carefully counted the copper coins in his hand.

Fifty coins! A full fifty copper coins!

He had never seen so many copper coins at once before.

Hunter Jess nodded emphatically, "I think so too!"

As Sir Nigel's subjects, the two of them often worked without pay.

Forget about any reward; it would be good enough if they didn't have to pay out of their own pockets.

Like this time, something really happened.

They are the ones who are abandoned.

Just then, the stonemason apprentice, having walked a short distance and realizing no one was following behind, turned around and shouted, "You two idiots, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and catch up! You may not be hungry, but I'm starving!"

Upon hearing this, Mavkel and the hunter Jess dared not think too much and carefully put the extremely precious copper coin in their hands into their tattered pockets.

They exchanged another glance, a smile appearing on their faces, and hurriedly followed.

At this moment, the two of them felt their fatigue gradually disappearing, and the exhausting work they had done during the day was no longer unacceptable!