Barna seemed to recall something and pointed outside the door again: "My Lord, fortunately, I brought back all those discarded equipment you asked me to retrieve from Seaguard."
"It's just... we have already captured the House Ryger's fine equipment. Do you... no longer need these old scraps?"
His voice held a hint of worry, fearing that the items he risked his life to bring back would ultimately become a pile of useless trash, failing to provide Arthur with any help.
Arthur, hearing this, smiled.
"No, Barna, you brought them back at just the right time."
He turned to Lucien.
"Have someone slightly repair these old, broken pieces of equipment. No matter how tattered and worn, there will be liegemen who want to buy them."
The policy of buying back equipment ignited the liegemen's enthusiasm beyond his expectations. Almost all the old liegemen used their spoils of war to buy back equipment. If it weren't for warhorses and plate armor not being for sale, some wealthy liegemen would have even wanted to acquire warhorses and plate armor.
Arthur's simple decision stunned Barna. He hadn't expected that a decision and mission, clearly outdated due to his failure, would still hold such an important place in his Lord's plans.
A tremendous sense of satisfaction and value instantly washed away the unease in his heart.
Arthur's voice rang out again: "Barna."
"At your service, My Lord!" Barna immediately straightened his back.
He walked over with a smile and patted Barna's thin shoulder: "You've worked hard this time. Go get some good rest for a few days, take a bath, and change into clean clothes."
"Afterward, I have an even more important mission to entrust to you."
He paused, looking at Barna's expectant eyes, and slowly announced the appointment.
"I appoint you as the mayor of Riverbend Town."
"Barna, you are a smart man. Tell me, what are some ways to make money by the Green Fork River?"
Ways to make money... Barna's mind was still a bit muddled. He had learned about the recent events and the news of two new towns on his journey. After a long silence, he spoke with some uncertainty: "...Fish?"
"Fish?" Arthur shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "How much money can fish make?"
He turned and walked to the large map on the wall, his finger pointing at the location of Riverbend Town, an inconspicuous small dot beside a tributary of the Trident River.
Then, his finger slowly moved upward, landing on the vast, dark green area behind Vicon Gorge.
Barna recognized it as the Brightmoon Mountains.
Arthur turned to him, his voice not loud, but it echoed in the hall: "Barna, I grant you full authority over Riverbend Town."
"You can apply to Evelyn for manpower and funds. I have only one requirement."
He turned around, his gaze fixed on Barna with intensity.
"In the shortest possible time, make it profitable, and even increase my revenue!"
Barna felt immense pressure. A newly established village, without money or people, how could it increase revenue?
He spoke with difficulty: "But, Lord Arthur..."
"The ways to increase revenue are limited. We could, like other small towns on the Trident River in the Riverlands, build a simple dock for passing fleets to stop, collecting a small mooring fee and supply fee..."
Arthur abruptly interrupted him: "No."
"We are not building a dock."
He looked at Barna's confused eyes and said, word by word.
"We are building... a fleet!"
Barna, along with Evelyn and Lucien, thought they had misheard.
Arthur's finger heavily pressed on the Brightmoon Mountains on the map.
"Do you see? There are hundreds, even thousands, of ancient trees here, some a century, some a millennium old! These are all the finest shipbuilding materials!"
His voice held an uncontrollable excitement. Regions in Westeros rich in trees did not have powerful fleets, yet the desolate Iron Islands somehow managed to conjure fleets, similar to how the Vikings of the Middle Ages, with their vast forests, developed their naval power.
"I want you to establish our territory's own shipyard in Riverbend Town!"
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