My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 59: Money Power! Scoring a High-Caliber Follower
"You wish to recruit a Knight’s Squire?" Ande asked, a little surprised.
"Something like that," Fang Zhen replied. "I need an Attendant to help me carry my gear, handle some chores, and assist me in battle."
"So you truly are a Wandering Knight," Ande said. "Please wait a moment. I’ll go gather the townspeople for you right away."
Ande turned and went to ring the bell.
The bell in Redstone Town’s central square wasn’t large, only about half the height of a person, and it hung from a sturdy wooden frame.
Ande walked over and struck the bronze bell with the ram. The toll that rang out sounded rather inspiring.
Fang Zhen waited.
The solution he’d come up with for his weight limit problem was to recruit an attendant.
A load that was too much for one person would be much easier to manage when split between two.
Ande kept mistaking him for a Wandering Knight, so Fang Zhen decided to just go along with it. Recruiting an attendant as a Wandering Knight was perfectly reasonable.
From what Fang Zhen understood of the Middle Ages through movies, novels, and games, a Knight was already an incredible profession.
To become a Knight, one needed horsemanship skills at the very least, a horse, a suit of heavy armor, a lance, and a Longsword. They also needed corresponding skills in Swordsmanship, combat, archery, and more.
The complete set of equipment was a huge fortune in the Middle Ages. Combined with daily maintenance and expenses, even a minor noble’s domain might not be able to support a professional Knight.
That was why Knights in the Middle Ages were all nobles; a commoner simply couldn’t afford the cost of maintaining one. Moreover, the military might a Knight possessed put them in a completely different class from commoners. In a favorable battle, a single Heavy Armored Knight could suppress several hundred peasants with little will to fight.
Throughout history, both at home and abroad, social status was derived not only from wealth and power but also from another important source: martial strength.
Possessing the might of a Knight was like being a human-shaped tank, an overwhelming force against commoners. Thus, a Knight’s status was far above that of the general populace. The awe people felt for Knights stemmed not only from their own class consciousness but also from a natural reverence for powerful martial strength.
And a proper Knight would typically have one to four Knight’s Squires.
The duties of a Knight’s Squire were to assist the Knight in battle, maintain their weapons, and provide support.
In a way, a Knight’s Squire was also an Apprentice Knight, though promotion was difficult, as a full-fledged Knight was incredibly resource-intensive.
Fang Zhen was mistaken for a Wandering Knight—meaning a Knight who had lost his domain and its support—most likely because his gear looked quite expensive. In this era, it could probably be passed down as a family heirloom.
Ande’s deferential attitude also came from his reverence, or perhaps fear, of a Knight’s power.
Fang Zhen gave up on explaining and just went with the flow, tacitly accepting the role.
As Fang Zhen was lost in thought, the people of Redstone Town had already gathered. Most were men, but there was also a small number of elderly, women, and children.
Before long, more than two hundred people had assembled in the square.
Fang Zhen nodded slightly at the sight.
The population of Redstone Town was probably only a few hundred people, and half of them were here now.
"Quiet!" Ande called, maintaining order in the crowd. Once things had settled down a bit, he announced, "Townsfolk, you must have heard! A noble Wandering Knight wants to help us drive out the Kobolds occupying the Redstone Town Mine!
"Now, this Lord Knight needs to recruit an Attendant. That is why I have summoned you here."
After speaking, Ande turned to Fang Zhen and asked, "Do you have any requirements for your Knight’s Squire?"
Fang Zhen looked at the townspeople and called out in a loud voice, "People of Redstone Town, I know your mine has been taken over by a band of vile Kobolds! They have stolen your jobs and deprived you of your income! Your women are complaining, your children are enduring hunger! Are you content with this? Are you content to let everything that belongs to you be snatched away by those crude Kobolds?"
"No, we’re not!" someone in the crowd immediately responded, his voice filled with emotion.
"Good. Now, I am going to crusade against the Kobolds occupying the mine, and I need an Attendant. I need him to be strong, loyal, and obedient. He also needs to be familiar with the mine, and it would be best if he has some combat skills."
"I need him to assist me in battle, and I will pay him a handsome reward."
"But there is some risk involved."
Instantly, the murmuring in the crowd seemed to die down a little.
Having said this, Fang Zhen turned to Ande and asked loudly, "Ande, how much does a miner here earn for a hard day’s work?"
"Before, it was about fifteen to twenty Copper Ropes, and occasionally they might earn a Silver Rope. But now they can’t even earn a single Copper Rope, my lord," Ande replied.
Fang Zhen had wanted to offer a huge reward, to use the ’superpower’ of money, but he suddenly realized he didn’t know the currency exchange rates in this instance-dungeon world.
"Then tell them, loud and clear, how many Silver Ropes a Gold Rope is worth, and how many Copper Ropes a Silver Rope is worth!" Fang Zhen didn’t miss a beat, tossing the question to Ande.
Ande, perhaps thinking Fang Zhen was using some rhetorical technique to build atmosphere, loudly proclaimed without a hint of doubt, "One Silver Rope is worth twenty-four Copper Ropes, and one Gold Rope is worth twenty-four Silver Ropes."
’So it’s a base-24 system,’ Fang Zhen thought to himself.
He pulled a handful of coins from his waist pouch, containing both Silver Coins and Gold Coins.
"Do you see the coins in my hand?"
"Become my Attendant, enter the mine with me, and you will earn three Silver Ropes a day. If you are disabled, I will grant one Gold Rope as compensation. If you fall in battle, I will provide a death benefit of three Gold Ropes to your family."
"This opportunity is reserved for the brave and the useful. Let me see which one of you has the most guts!"
Fang Zhen raised the coins above his head, showing them to the residents of Redstone Town. He deliberately singled out a Gold Coin and brandished it in his hand.
The sight of so much money electrified the residents of Redstone Town. Waves of clamor and agitation spread through the crowd.
Even if the miners earned a Silver Rope a day, their living costs were about the same, leaving very little to save over a year. A month without work could wipe out three to five years of savings.
Among the restless crowd, some looked eager to try, but most were still undecided. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Suddenly.
"My lord, I want this opportunity." A man with a rather sturdy build pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.
Fang Zhen’s gaze fell upon him.
The man had a square face and jaw, with skin tanned to a bronze color. He looked to be in his early thirties and was about 1.58 meters tall, which was considered burly among the residents of Redstone Town.
"My name is Quade. I once underwent three years of training as a Knight’s Squire."
"I believe I can do this job well. I need it. You were right, my lord. My wife is waiting for me to bring money home, and my children are starving," Quade said.
Ande stepped forward at that moment and said to Fang Zhen, "My lord, Quade speaks the truth. He was once chosen to be a Knight’s Squire, but an accident occurred, and he returned to Redstone Town to work as a miner."
"Everyone in town calls him Quade the Loyal. He’s an upright and good man."
Fang Zhen looked at Quade and asked, "Why did you stop being a Knight’s Squire?"
"The Knight I served contracted malaria and unfortunately died," Quade replied.
’Fair enough. That wasn’t his fault in battle,’ Fang Zhen thought.
"What skills do you have?" Fang Zhen asked.
"I can use a Shield and a shortsword. I’m also quite strong," Quade answered.
"Go pick up that pack over there, and my Shield," Fang Zhen said.
Quade nodded silently, walked over to Fang Zhen’s motorcycle, and shouldered the pack containing the Molotov Cocktails. He then lifted the Shield with his left hand and the backpack containing the Dragon Gall Crossbow with his right.
Quade let out a grunt, likely finding the items heavy, but his movements seemed steady enough.
"Not bad," Fang Zhen said with a slight nod.
"You were a Knight’s Squire. What did your trainers teach you about how to treat the Knight you serve?" Fang Zhen asked.
"Loyalty," Quade said, "and obedience."
Fang Zhen was very satisfied with that answer.
’I really lucked out.’ An attendant of Quade’s caliber was beyond Fang Zhen’s expectations.
"Alright, you’re hired," Fang Zhen said, handing Quade three Silver Coins. "Here’s an advance to take care of your family."
"Give this to your family, then follow me into the mine."
Hearing that he was hired, Quade’s face instantly lit up with joy.
Quade handed the Silver Coins to Ande and asked him to give them to his wife.
"My lord, I don’t want to delay you. I’ll go to the mine with you right now!" Having received the money, Quade was full of motivation.
"Good. You’ve got spirit," Fang Zhen said. "Let’s go."
Fang Zhen started the motorcycle. He didn’t actually make Quade carry the packs for this stretch of the journey, instead loading them onto the bike and driving ahead.
Quade jogged along, following the motorcycle toward the Redstone Town Mine.
Their figures receded into the distance.
At that moment, back in Redstone Town among the crowd still watching Fang Zhen leave, two men separated from the others.
One of them had a sharp nose and shifty eyes that glinted with cunning.
It was the Mercenary, Rex.
Rex stared at Fang Zhen’s departing back, his gaze filled with malice.
"Boss, this outsider... he can’t really drive out the Kobolds and take back the mine, can he?"
"I heard about what happened at the Goblin Camp. This outsider looks like he’s playing for real."
"Could he mess up our business...?" a shorter, stockier man dressed as a mercenary said worriedly beside Rex.
"Pah! He doesn’t have what it takes," Rex spat, his voice cold. His eyes, fixed on Fang Zhen’s retreating figure, flickered with uncertainty and even a hint of killing intent.
As Rex secretly watched Fang Zhen’s back, he failed to notice that not far away, a boy with freckles on his face was hiding in the crowd, observing his every move.
