Listening to Aaron's words, the people on the deck were stunned. None of them had expected Lord Aaron to be so strict at a time like this.

While most of the men felt disappointed, the women were quietly relieved.

Kelly, the businessman's daughter, gained a new understanding of Lord Aaron. She began to feel that he might be different from the nobles she had encountered before.

-----

Meanwhile, in Lord Alaric's study room…

He looked at Moria and asked in a slightly confused tone, "Grandpa Moria, did Aaron do anything out of the ordinary?"

Moria shook his head and replied, "No, Master. As usual, he only bought supplies and some slaves for his territory. Other than that, nothing unusual. It seems he's already prepared to leave by noon tomorrow."

Alaric looked relieved, "That's good. At least we won't have any trouble during Alice's marriage ceremony."

Moria hesitated, then sighed, "In that case, Master, I'll go meet Miss Alice."

Alaric nodded, "Okay, Grandpa Moria."

Moria walked out of the room, sighing to himself, "Master is such a fool. He drove away a rare talent. So what if Aaron's background is poor? With proper training, he could've developed new ideas, ideas that might've brought more gold to the territory."

But after a moment, he sighed again, "Perhaps it's for the best. If Aaron had stayed, Miss Alice's public reputation might've been ruined."

-----

As he approached Alice's room, he found her standing by the window, gazing into the distance with a blank expression.

Moria gently said, "Miss Alice."

Alice turned to look at him and asked in a slightly confused tone, "Grandpa Moria, did Father do anything wrong today?"

Instead of answering directly, Moria asked, "Miss Alice, you live a life of luxury. Here in the castle, all your wishes are easily fulfilled. Can Aaron offer you the same?"

Alice's eyes gained a look of clarity.

She smiled and replied, "Indeed. With his background, he can't afford anything I like, except for his ideas."

Moria smiled, relieved by her response.

Then he spoke in a serious tone, "Miss Alice, I've discovered something important about Gloden and Dominoz."

"First, Gloden practices an evil breathing method that requires him to mate with women. His strength has reached the Knight level. But any woman who mates with him will have her vitality drained, and die within a week. I found it from the letter sent by our spies at White River City."

"As for Dominoz, the second prince, he's ambitious. He might be a good candidate for you."

Alice's eyes showed understanding.

She asked, "Grandpa Moria, if both of them compete in the ring, who would win?"

Moria replied immediately, "The second prince. He advanced to Knight some time ago and has more combat experience."

Alice nodded and said, "Then remove the questioning process. Just ask knights under the age of 18 to compete. The victor may be the one I marry."

Time passed.

By the next day, it was already noon. Aaron stood aboard the lead ship, which had begun its voyage under the command of Captain Monga.

This ship carried the women and Torvald. The second and third ships were loaded with supplies and other slaves.

Torvald gazed out at the distant sea and said, "Aaron, now that we've left Starfall City, it's time for you to share your ideas."

Aaron smiled, his expression finally relaxing. He had been under constant pressure, even last night, he had spotted spies lurking nearby, watching him. He had feared an attack, but it seemed he was wrong.

He replied in a calm tone, "Of course. Torvald, I want you to build a new weapon. It's called a Ballastia. It can shoot massive arrows capable of injuring, or even killing, monsters at the knight apprentice level."

Torvald's eyes lit up with excitement. He was eager to learn something new.

Aaron added, "Bring me ink and leaf paper."

Kelly immediately went to fetch the materials. She had been assigned as Lord Aaron's attendant, a role much like a secretary in his previous life.

While carrying the inkpot, feather pen, and papers, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "If such a weapon exists, why haven't I heard of it?"

But she shook off the thought and quickly returned, placing the items beside Aaron and Torvald.

Aaron said with a chuckle, "Torvald, my drawing skills aren't great, so don't laugh."

He picked up the brush and began sketching a rough diagram, adding notes as he explained the concept.

Torvald felt as if a new world had opened before him. He was especially intrigued by the idea of a release mechanism that could be triggered after aiming, dramatically improving accuracy. Aaron had even added wheels to make the Ballastia mobile.

Just this concept alone made Torvald look at Aaron differently.

After finishing the explanation, Aaron asked, "Torvald, how many days will you need to build it?"

Torvald, still buzzing with excitement, asked, "Aaron, can this weapon be mounted on a ship? And how big should I make it? Can I build it as large as a boat?"

Aaron's eyes twitched at the suggestion.

He quickly replied, "Torvald, get serious. We don't have much time, only about fourteen days until we reach the territory. Your invention could be crucial by then."

He paused and added, "You can make the arrow as big as I am. So think accordingly about the size of the Ballastia."

Torvald slapped his thigh with enthusiasm, "Exactly! Don't worry, Aaron. I'll perfect the diagram today, and we can start building tomorrow. With the wood and resources we brought, we can make ten of them."

Aaron smiled, "Go ahead. Even one successful prototype would be enough."

Torvald nodded and immediately immersed himself in his work, sketching and planning.

Captain Monga, who had overheard the conversation, was stunned.

He muttered to himself, "Can such a weapon really exist? If so, why hasn't anyone built it?"

Aaron heard Monga's words but didn't respond. 

He knew the answer: people had limited their thinking because of the dominance of knights. And weapons capable of threatening knights were forbidden, any commoner who tried to develop such tools could be executed for treason.

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