The territory is cutting down trees again, because it has to be done; ships must be built, and bigger ships and more ships must be built.
Most of the people in the territory were at work, while Ed was sitting in the castle hall making a small crossbow. The basic shape of the crossbow was already done, and he believed it would be completed soon.
Ed wasn't originally planning to do it, but just in case, he decided to give it a shot.
"Master, what is this thing you made?" Adelaide looked at the object, which resembled a bow and arrow.
But then she felt it wasn't quite right; this thing was much smaller than a bow and arrow. It also looked more complex than a bow and arrow.
"This?" Ed held up the unfinished crossbow.
"This is a great thing! This thing is called a crossbow, and it's much better than a bow and arrow. We can't even draw the bow handle, so we can't shoot the arrows. But this crossbow can be drawn easily, and the arrows it shoots are just as good as those from a bow." Ed talked about it with great interest, gesturing wildly, as if afraid that Adelaide wouldn't know how good this thing was or how to operate it.
Men may have a natural interest in these things, while women may not.
At first, Adelaide seemed quite serious, but gradually she appeared to be about to fall asleep. She was only interested in what good things Ed was making, but when she heard that the good things were actually similar to bows and arrows, she lost interest.
Ed glanced at the drowsy Adelaide.
"Adelaide, you don't look like you slept well last night!" Ed felt he had a real talent for teaching. His only student was already fast asleep.
"Ah! No, Master, I slept very well yesterday, but your words seemed to have some kind of magic, making it impossible for me to open my eyes." Although the Adelaide looked dazed, his mind was still clear, and he spoke logically.
"Really? Adelaide." It seems it was still his fault for not being able to open her eyes.
"Yes, Master. If you don't believe me, you can say it again."
Will Ed say it again?
Of course not.
That would be like casting pearls before swine, and he didn't want to make the same mistake twice.
Ed ignored Adelaide and stood up to stretch his body. He put down the unfinished crossbow and went up to the castle. He wanted to see how the shipyard was doing.
From a distance, the shipyard is located on a vacant lot not far from the lake where waterwheels are being installed. Preliminary preparations are underway, and many people are working there.
Of course, it's still quite rudimentary right now because there's a serious shortage of manpower. The current population is the primary factor restricting the territory's development.
This also troubled him greatly. The wasteland left after the trees in Chitie Village were cut down had not yet been cultivated, and there were no extra people to mine the iron mine. Now, shipbuilding was to begin, and there was a shortage of people everywhere. Everywhere in the territory, as long as people were mobile, they had their own things to do.
What should we do? Should we go and kidnap some people from somewhere else? But where should we go?
Hmm, Ed suddenly remembered the market he went to last time, where you could buy slaves.
Should we go back to that market and buy some slaves?
Hmm, we might really have to do that. There's no other way to quickly increase the population right now. Thinking of that market, Ed suddenly remembered the little girl who had been his guide.
"What an interesting little girl."