Chapter 85

With ample money and resources, Gorden did not rush into action blindly. After all, his expertise was not directly applicable, and he needed to put in considerable effort to truly implement and make the movable type printing technology practical.

He needed the help of skilled craftsmen.

Naturally, Gorden thought of Master Dwarven Ironriver.

Due to the vernier caliper, this dwarven master craftsman had formed a deep friendship with Gorden. Gorden had met Dwarven Ironriver several times recently, and they had exchanged insights on machinery.

What they called an exchange was more like Gorden showing off his穿越者知识库, using professional terms like pre-tension force, radial force, worm gears, and couplings, which left the old dwarf Dwarven Ironriver dazed and considering Gorden a mechanical master.

Their relationship was so good that Dwarven was willing to share his cherished wine with Gorden and even let him touch his beard—a gesture of sincere friendship for dwarves who valued their beards as treasures.

Unfortunately, Gorden had no interest in dwarven beards or alcohol.

Gorden remembered that the initial movable type printing used wood or clay, but these materials had many flaws. It was only in the modern era that lead type printing became widespread.

However, Gorden was not quite clear on how lead type was made or what metals it contained, so he needed the help of a metallurgical master like Dwarven Ironriver.

The next morning, Gorden left Rainbow Spring Manor and entered Bluewater City.

Dwarven Ironriver's workshop was at the end of a short side street. Following the road signs, Gorden left the main road and entered the side street. After a few steps, he suddenly saw a group of people blocking the road ahead.

On the left, the warriors wore bronze scale armor, wore helmets with pheasant feathers, and had purple capes. Their round shields bore the emblem of a phoenix rising from the flames. On the right, the warriors wore sky-blue cuirasses, half-helmets, and triangular shields with the emblem of a sailboat.

These two groups were clearly distinct and seemed to dislike each other, secretly competing.

Gorden did not want to get involved with these noble private soldiers, but to enter Dwarven Ironriver's workshop, he had to take this road.

Using the flight spell on his vulture feather boots and flying over seemed too shocking.

So Gorden decided to ignore the two groups blocking the road and walk forward.

"Sir, this road is blocked," a warrior with the sailboat emblem on his shield stopped Gorden.

"Is this road yours?"

The warrior glanced at Gorden with disdain and said arrogantly, "This road belongs to the Lord of Bluewater City. However, the Grubres family has the authority to temporarily block it. My master is discussing matters with Master Dwarven Ironriver in the workshop. Please leave if you are not involved."

"I don't care how powerful the Grubres family is. But this is Bluewater City. Please step aside," Gorden said, trying to control his emotions.

"Step aside? Ha! If it weren't for you being a mage, you would already be on the ground, spitting out your teeth," the warrior said with a proud look. "I am the captain of the personal guard of the first heir of the Grubres family, Sir Ship Grubres. Many fools have fallen to my fists."

On the other side, a well-built warrior with a large two-handed sword, clearly a captain, suddenly interjected, "Hanna, you seem to have misunderstood. The authority to temporarily block this road belongs to our Phoenix family. My lady is negotiating with Master Dwarven Ironriver to forge a knight's sword. All other irrelevant personnel are forbidden to enter."

After speaking, the two-handed swordsman looked at Gorden with a haughty expression, "Sir Mage, if you know what's good for you, leave now. Otherwise, my sword will leave you bedridden for a month."

Gorden sneered inwardly.

The Phoenix family and the Grubres family were truly arrogant, even blocking the road. And from their tone, it seemed they considered dealing with a mage as easy as eating or drinking, not taking it seriously.

It seemed these two families were used to bullying others, and even their subordinates dared to treat a mage with such disdain. Gorden was wearing a dull, unremarkable fire lizard cloak and had no insignia indicating his status, so he was mistaken for a powerless, low-ranking mage.

But even a low-ranking mage was not to be insulted by these noble private soldiers.

Moreover, it seemed they were using Gorden as a tool to show off their family's power. The more arrogant one appeared in front of Gorden, the more powerful their family seemed.

Gorden looked at the captains of both sides and suddenly smiled, "Since Master Dwarven is busy today, I'll come back tomorrow."

"You know your place," the Grubres family's captain Hanna said.

"A wise choice," the Phoenix family's two-handed swordsman said.

"May all the brave warriors have good luck. I hope you can enjoy the beautiful sunrise tomorrow," Gorden said meaningfully and slowly stepped back.

"You..." Captain Hanna felt something was off about Gorden's words, but after some thought, he decided it was more important to compete with the Phoenix family's lackeys, so he ignored it.

He glared at the two-handed swordsman with a triumphant look, as if he had just won a battle, "See that? That cowardly mage ran away as soon as he heard the name Grubres. Are you envious, you weaklings of the Phoenix family?"

The two-handed swordsman snorted, "Just a weak mage. My lady might have already won Master Dwarven's favor, while your fat, stupid pig from the Grubres family will probably be kicked out by Master Dwarven, ha!"

"What did you say!" Captain Hanna was furious and drew his sword with a clang.

He had only intended to intimidate the other side, but the moment he held the blade, an uncontrollable rage exploded in his chest, like a bucket of brown oil added to a fire, quickly burning away his reason.

"I'll kill you!" Captain Hanna lunged forward, aiming a deadly strike at the two-handed swordsman's left chest.

This was an all-out killing move.

The two-handed swordsman, caught off guard by the sudden attack, quickly retreated, shouting, "Bastard, you want to fight?"

Despite his quick reflexes, the tip of the sword still pierced his armor, breaking his skin.

Blood seeped from his chest, and the intense pain and the shame of being ambushed made the two-handed swordsman furious. He drew his massive sword and roared, "Brothers, kill these dirty goblins of the Grubres family!"

The Grubres family's soldiers were not about to back down. Though they did not know why Captain Hanna suddenly attacked, they had long-standing grievances with the other side. Now that the fight had started, they drew their weapons and joined the fray.

Gorden stood at the street corner, holding a stone tablet, calmly watching the two groups of noble private soldiers engage in a frenzied battle.

He was, of course, the instigator of this fight.

When Captain Hanna drew his sword to intimidate the two-handed swordsman, Gorden took out the stone tablet and, using his magical power, cast a third-level Enchantment spell he had just learned, "Rage."

This spell put the target in an uncontrollable state of rage, making them attack the most hostile target in front of them.

With Captain Hanna's weak will, he could not resist the enhanced Rage spell.

Screams, roars, and spurts of blood filled the air. Metal blades sliced through armor and pierced flesh. Bodies fell to the ground with heavy thuds.

The bloody battle, initiated by Gorden, quickly ended.

Most of the noble private soldiers from both families were dead, and the survivors were injured. Captain Hanna had lost an arm and was struggling to stop the bleeding with his remaining hand to avoid dying from blood loss.

The two-handed swordsman was in no better shape, with a large wound in his chest, blood flowing, and a pale face, almost unconscious.

At this moment, the people inside Dwarven's workshop heard the commotion and rushed out.

The first to emerge was a plump young man in a luxurious fox fur robe, with a gemstone ring on each of his fat fingers. He was accompanied by Gorden's acquaintance, Koyan Grubres.

Though one was tall and the other plump, they had a similar appearance, suggesting they were brothers.

Following the Grubres brothers were a handsome young man and a beautiful girl.

The girl, wearing a silk blouse and a rose-colored vest, had a head of lustrous golden hair styled into two elaborate braids. Her long, straight legs were encased in tight breeches, and her long black boots added a touch of bravery.

Behind her, a young man in a sleeveless robe followed. His features were unique, with an exotic charm. Gorden believed that if he appeared at a noble ball, his golden and silver eyes alone would captivate many eager noble women.

"Warlock..." Gorden immediately identified the man's profession from his appearance and attire.

Warlocks with unusual bloodlines generally had distinctive, charming appearances, making them very noticeable.

The four of them approached the severely injured noble guards, all with grim faces.

Koyan and the warlock knelt down to help the survivors with their wounds. The golden-haired girl and the plump young man, however, turned their gaze to Gorden, who looked indifferent.

"I am Jier Phoenix, the third daughter of the Phoenix family, Baroness of Swan Castle. Tell me, what is going on?"

"I am Ship Grubres, the eldest son of the Lord of Goldwater Port, Baron of Greenfield. Tell me, what is going on?"

Both spoke simultaneously.

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