With each farm tool's revelation, the farmers, and even the slaves who didn't know much, understood that their job was about to become easy.
Marcus was extremely pleased with what he was seeing and the reactions of these farmers.
However, he was still a bit disappointed that none of them had come to ask him about the limestone.
'Should I ask Bradley to get more farmers? This time, curious ones? No, that's not the crux of the problem, unquestionable authority is.'
As he was pondering this decision, the blacksmiths around seemed to be filled with immense pride.
What was the dream of most blacksmiths?
Wasn't it to create something that everyone would find joy in? To gain recognition through their works?
Though they saw the ingenuity of these tools when they were making them, seeing their effects brought greater understanding to them.
They all understood now why Marcus had asked them to sign a confidentiality contract.
If their contracts expire and they choose to leave, they are not allowed to reproduce what they have learned or made here.
Although the contract didn't state anything about using the knowledge to innovate and create their own, they understood that it was easier said than done.
They could produce the tools with guidance from the blueprints, but they didn't truly understand the purpose and logic behind the curves and knuckles.
If they couldn't use this knowledge to their benefit outside of Agard… if they choose to leave Agard, wouldn't that be cutting their arms off?
Marcus had successfully locked them in a quagmire of curiosity.
In front of their eyes, what would have taken a dozen men to complete in an hour was done in less than half an hour.
Just like that, their curiosity towards the irrigation pump increased.
They wanted to see it work.
Even though they could already imagine its benefits, seeing was believing.
"Should we go and help those carpenters make the irrigation pump? For a group with the largest number of skilled individuals, they seem to be slower than us!" Hoffman said.
"No, you guys should return and continue making more of these farm tools. By the end of next week, I want us to have a dozen of each." Marcus said.
The blacksmiths looked at themselves with weary smiles.
They might have done too good a job. A dozen by the end of next week? They'll have to forgo sleep to meet that number.
"I still have more blueprints and designs for you guys to work on, but we can't move on to them yet until we settle some things. Or would you guys rather I invite more blacksmiths to share the workload–"
"No, not now, Lord Marcus!" They exclaimed.
What a joke. They can't afford to share such precious knowledge with others just yet.
They hadn't even eaten the portion of pie handed to them and he was considering sharing the rest of the cake with others?
Impossible!
And even if it was possible, they had to have taken the lead and absorbed the most.
Such was the drive of legacy, thus their selfish notions.
Not even waiting for Marcus to say anything, they all chose to return to the mansion to continue making more farm tools.
Marcus could very well tell what these men were thinking.
Just this bit of innovation was enough to have them excited and hooked.
If they were aware of what he had in his head, they might very well try to dissect his brain.
Nonetheless, Marcus had no intention of disseminating everything he had in his head. Just enough to get what he needs done.
Speaking of what he needs, Marcus said a few words to Surfan and the rest before leaving for his mansion.
He had some work for Bradley. Now that he had seen what these farm tools could do, he wouldn't mind selling one or two of them for the right price…
Upon reaching his mansion, Marcus was welcomed by a barrage of nagging from Bradley, asking him to eat first.
"Sir, have you forgotten that you recovered from an unknown illness not long ago? What if you starve yourself and your body reacts badly?"
At this point, Marcus got tired of his nagging and gave in.
While he was eating, he asked; "Bradley, are there still proper merchant organizations in Agard?"
"Yes, there's the Avanti Merchant House. Iione Merchant House, and Eeste Merchant House. These branches of merchant houses remained in Agard even after many others left."
Two of these names Marcus recognized as they were famous and related to high-ranking nobles in the Kingdom.
Especially the Eeste Merchant House.
"I know of Iione and Eeste, who runs this Avanti Merchant House?"
Marcus had just finished his meal and was pouring himself some water to drink.
"It's a new merchant house that started not long after you were out of commission, my lord. Apparently, it's owned by a family that is originally from Agard, but has long since moved to Eawan. Because of their ties here, they had always left their branch in their homeland open."
"Hmm… a shrewd businessman?"
"I'm not certain of that, Sir."
"If I say that I want to propose a deal or work with either of these merchant houses, which would you recommend?" Marcus dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief before leaning back.
"The Avanti Merchant House, sir."
"Why is that?"
"Because, out of the three houses, Avanti is the one with the weakest backing. They are not nobles, but they possess wealth. If we pick the Iione or Eeste… my lord, these are nobles who had a bone to pick with your father. They might try to sabotage or ruin your plans."
Bradley stated plainly.
"Good, that was the same thing I was thinking. I'll have to ask you to deliver a letter to the Avanti Merchant House and invite whoever is in charge there for a discussion they wouldn't regret." Marcus smiled confidently.
Not long after, he sent Bradley off with a letter carrying his seal.
'If this Avanti Merchant House is too blind to see what I'm offering, then I might have to look for possibilities outside of Agard.' Marcus rubbed his chin as he sank into his thoughts.
Indeed what he was doing wasn't sustainable, and he required more funds to extend his endeavors.
It wouldn't be easy to extort more coins from Baron Savani, nor would it be easy to place anyone in the same position Savani had found himself in.
Currently, Marcus was certain that most of the nobles in Agard were aware of his recovery.
They were just playing dumb to avoid meeting him or crossing paths with him.
With a bit of free time, Marcus found himself searching through the translucent interface trying to see what blueprints he could get his hands on this time.
Before his eyes were hundreds of blueprints that the system considered Lv1 items.
Because of their numbers, Marcus didn't know what to pick.
'If I'm able to solve feeding problems, what next?'
It took him a few seconds for things to click in his head.
'Food and shelter… but, that is a more expensive project to carry out now. Unless…'
Looking at the screen before him, Marcus searched for anything that had to do with construction. Then he narrowed it down to materials that would make construction cheaper and easier.
And that was when he came across it.
The formula for cement.
After reading its description, Marcus became excited, almost jumping out of his chair. But as soon as he saw the price, he calmed down.
"50 points… that's half of what I need to upgrade to Lv2." He began to hesitate.
"I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew. Let's explore everything we can in Lv1 first before spending points to upgrade."
Marcus made his decision. Currently, he has 21 Achievement Points and he needs 29 more to reach his goal.
'It shouldn't be too difficult, right?'
Just when he was about to continue sorting through his options, a knock fell upon his door.
"Sir, I'm back. The manager quickly agreed to meet up with you after reading your letter." Bradley's voice came from the other side…