Chapter 112: Talents and Poption


    Heidi and Reba were called to Gawain’s tent, and after hearing what Gawain had in mind, the two were, sure enough, shocked.


    “Educate? Teach every civilian and even the serfs?” Heidi’s eyes were wide; she was this close to totally losing her grace. “And it is to be listed as aw of the territory. Everyone has to receive an education like paying taxes?!”


    “That’s right. Henceforth, learning to read and write will not only be a right but also an obligation.” Gawain smiled; being able to see the always mature and steady Heidi being so startled by him was also a rather pleasant thing. “Now, every person in the territory has to know how to read and write. People whoe to thisnd in the future must also do the same. Otherwise, they absolutely wouldn’t be able to survive in the new order that I’m pursuing.”


    Heidi looked to be absorbed in thought. “New order…”


    Meanwhile, Reba who was beside her was much more practical: what immediately came to her mind was how difficult this would be. “Lord Ancestor, to educate an illiterate civilian into a knowledgeable, cultured person with propriety isn’t that easy. This requires literature teachers, mathematics teachers, history and geography teachers, and also teachers who teach swordsmanship, horsemanship, as well as a couple of natural history tutors. Even afterpleting all this rtively basic curriculum, there’s still the super, super tough courses like art, etiquette, and heraldry. All these subjects would take ten-odd years toplete!”


    Gawain was stupefied; he was about to exin when Heidi who was in front of him held her forehead and spoke up, “Reba… not every person requires ten-odd years to learn etiquette, art, and heraldry. Besides, as a matter of fact, even till today, you’ve yet to grasp them…”


    Reba was dazed. “Eh? Was that the case? Why do I remember my etiquette teacher telling me that I’dpleted my education…”


    Heidi wore a look of exasperation, expecting better from her. “Because he really couldn’t beat you!”


    Reba: “…”


    Amber, who stood behind Gawain, was instantly convulsed withughter; the entire tent was filled with a merry atmosphere.


    Whereas Gawain had to quickly interrupt his granddaughters’ topic that was moving further and further away. “Stop, stop, stop. You’re digressing as you go on. I believe you people have misunderstood what I meant. The education that I speak of is entirely different from the kind of education that you know of, forrge families to foster their heirs. I do not want to cultivate an aristocrat or an apprentice as a result of this but to foster talents who possess the ability to read, write, and understand mathematical logic. And remember, this will be mass cultivation.”


    As he spoke, he shook his head. “Those methods of looking for a group of renowned teachers, teaching from the start of the day to the end, and producing a few young masters and youngdies after ten-odd years of education will not work here. The education that I demand will be very simple. For adults who hold a job, conduct two hours of fundamental general studies, literacy, and counting every day after work, that’s all. For children who still cannot take on jobs, conduct half a day of education. The other half will be left for them to help their parents by working at home.”


    Such a ‘basic’ and ‘inexpensive’ way of education was truly unheard of. Heidi could not help but frown. “In other words, the minimum requirement for them is simply to be able to read and write, and the teachers would also only have to be of this standard… What use would such basic education have?”


    She had actually yet to vocalize another half of her question: what do civilians need literacy for?


    If this was in the past, she most likely would’ve blurted it out, but she wasn’t that sure now. This was because she had realistically seen the other side of civilians and serfs, and ancestor had mentioned, once previously, his ns for every person in the territory to be literate. That was equivalent to having given her a heads-up; only she didn’t expect that this ancestor actually meant business and was getting to it so soon.


    “Being literate means being able to understand reason, being able to shoulder even moreplicated jobs, being able to understand ideas that we ry to them, being able to live with clearer goals, being able to be useful talents.” Gawain smiled and looked towards Heidi. “Perhaps some people were fated to never be mages, knights, or priests since they were born. They were unable to awaken transcendent gifts, but the majority of people are able to grasp knowledge through acquired learning after birth. At least in this aspect, fate was rtively fairer.”


    Heidi had yet to realize what Gawain was referring to at the start, but she was quickly reminded of a person — someone she’d just met today, the silver-haired girl from the capital.


    She finally revealed an appalled expression. “Ancestor, you aren’t intending to… add rune theories into this general-studies curriculum, are you?”


    “That is an intermediate to advanced level curriculum, so why not?” Gawain beamed, his spirits unprecedentedly high and joyful. “Recall carefully, Heidi. Amongst the forms and theorems recorded in that notebook… which has to do with the gift for magic?”


    Heidi’s mouth opened. She finally made a sound sometimeter. “No, none, those… are all solely calctions!”


    “Correct, that notebook verified a thought that I already had previously. That is, that the gap between supernatural powers and mortals isn’t as great as it is imagined to be. Perhaps such powers indeed favor those with unique gifts more, but since it is a natural phenomenon, there is no reason that more than ny percent of theymen in this world are isted from it because of a mere problem with natural gifts,” Gawain said,ment in his tone. “Runes and magic do have rules, and to sum upws… what is required is intelligence and not power.”


    Yes, mortals could also engage with the supernatural realm. Even if they themselves would never be able to release a spell, they could build an indirect connection with supernatural powers through this ‘lever’ of mathematics and logic. And once contact was established, the scarily massive ‘quantity of mortals’ could almost cleanly sweep away the old order — Gawain was convinced of this.


    Heidi pondered whilst in shock; atst, she hesitantly asked a question, “Do most people… really possess such intelligence?”


    “Your tone is very hesitant. Which means you already have an answer.” Gawain looked at Heidi with a subtle smile. “Through your interactions with them these days, are you still not sure that they are the same people as you and I?”


    “I understand.” Heidi inhaled deeply. “I will go make preparations. First, select literate people from the hundred people from the capital to serve as the most basic teachers. Then, convene the various supervisors and arrange everyone’s work and study timetable.”


    “Remember, the most fundamental is literacy.” Gawain nodded in satisfaction and emphasized, “And we cannot dy the construction of the territory. Regardless of teachers or students, they cannot be released from productionbor at this stage. Teachers who teach reading and writing are to participate inbor after sses too.”


    “Please rest assured, I will handle it well.”


    Reba nced at Heidi, then at Gawain, and then scratched her hair in bewilderment. “What were you two talking about at the end? Rune theories? Why can’t I understand…”


    “It’s normal that you didn’t understand because you didn’te with us this morning.” Gawain’s figure leaned back, resting against his chair. He watched Iron-Headed Girl with a merry smile. “Reba, I found you a friend. She specializes in the same area as you do…”


    Without waiting for Gawain to finish, Reba’s eyes lit up. “She can consecutively fire three big fireballs too?!”


    “…Um, I’m not referring to the ability tounch fireballs.”


    Reba’s eyes spun around. She wanted to ask — since she could notunch fireballs, was it knowing how to climb trees, steal from birds’ nests, or grilling locusts? However, as she was afraid of getting beaten up, she didn’t dare to vocalize this thought. Meanwhile, Gawain had be profoundly aware from seeing this youngdy’s expression that regardless of how talented this child was, it could never change the reality of her lively and unbridled character (moreover, she’d had her head clipped by a door before). Hence, he could only tell it straight. “The friend I speak of isn’t to fool around with you. She’s here to do research with you. Her name is Jenni Perot, a member of the hundred-person aid team. She’s a grade-four runemaster and is equally gifted as you are in the area of mathematics and calctions. And the way she studies magic has many aspects that couldplement and correspond with you…”


    To avoid this youngdy letting her mind out of control, Gawain shared everything about Jenni Perot in one breath.


    Whereas Reba listened on dazedly. At the end, she suddenly pped her hands together. “You said that she’d found a technique to do the framework of rune blueprints using calctions instead of spells?”


    Although the process of it was tortuous, Gawain did not exin much of it at present. “Something like that.”


    “Ah! I want to meet that person!” Reba, sure enough, had an ted look. “It feels like she’s really impressive!”


    Gawain was very d to see Reba being fully interested in this but still reminded before the doofus ran wild. “Do not dy the development of the Magic Powered Engine and the ‘cement’.”


    “Don’t worry! I know that!”


    “Then the discussion for this matter shall end here.” Gawain nodded in satisfaction; then he looked towards Amber. “Amber, make another trip and get Sir Byron here.”


    Amber looked reluctant, but her figure still gradually faded in the air. “Sigh, what aborious life.”


    Soon, Sir Byron, who had been resting in the barracks, was brought to the tent. This former mercenary and now a middle-aged knight bowed to Gawain. “Duke, you asked for me?”


    “Are you familiar with the serf market and refugees?”


    Sir Byron faltered for a moment before nodding. “I’m very familiar with the serf market. Previously, I’d represented Miss Reba’s father to purchase serfs from the territories of the other aristocrat ns. As for refugees… I can’t speak of being familiar or not. Those are people who rove everywhere and are more or less like savages. At the old mine to the extreme north of Tanzan Town and the abandoned Goering mill—”


    Gawain cut him off. “I don’t want those who have be ouws, but those whose background are still clean for now.”


    “There are no refugees with a clean background, but I believe I get what you mean. You want those still lingering at the perimeters of towns and viges and have yet to give up on getting a means of livelihood in the civilized world?”


    Certainly, someone who was once a mercenary, who had associated with all sorts of poor people and fought in the gray zone, Byron understood Gawain’s request immediately. Then, he quickly put out a suggestion. “Lord, if you are really prepared to recruit refugees, then I have a suggestion. Why don’t we try issuing a mercenary authorization at Tanzan Town? Just say we want to buy ves in masses —— buy ves at less than thirty percent of the market price. This way, it would not cost more than dispatching announcers to put up notices everywhere andmunicating with the feudal lords of the various aristocrat ns. Moreover, it will be extremely efficient.”