Return of the General's Daughter-Chapter 250: She Made the Move

The moment the king left Justice Hall, the generals and nobles swarmed around Prince Reuben. General Odin, Asael, Galahad, Bener, and Gideon had to stay for the sake of appearance, and the Minister of Defense requested their presence.

Lara and Peredur slipped out of the Justice Hall unnoticed. They don’t have business staying there, and Lara had better things to do.

"Brother, can you show me around the capital?" Lara asked. It was still early, and she had wanted to go around the capital but did not have the chance to do so in the last few days.

Peredur’s face brightened. Finally, he got his chance to be with his sister. "Where do you want to go, Sis?"

"Can we go to the metalsmith first?"

Peredur was perplexed. A metalsmith? Why would his sister go there?

Even though he was confused, he let his sister board the carriage, and then he followed after her.

"Sis, don’t you want to go to the park? Or perhaps we can go to the lake and go boating?" Peredur offered.

"We can go there later. Do you know of a good metalsmith?" Lara asked while looking outside at the passing scenery.

"Not really. We can ask around." Peredur answered unenthusiastically.

Soon, they reached the marketplace. The coachman stopped the carriage, and Peredur got off. Before he could place a stool for Lara to use, she jumped and landed beside him. She was wearing a black cloak over her clothes, hiding the attention-grabbing fatigues.

The mid-morning sun was beginning to cast long shadows across the tightly packed stalls, and the air was thick with the mingling scents of freshly baked bread, spiced meats, and damp earth.

"Sis, do you want something to eat?" Peredur asked. They left very early and had just a few bites for breakfast.

"I am not hungry. We can have our lunch later." Lara glanced at Peredur and pondered before asking, "Are you hungry?"

"No," Peredur answered without hesitation. Even if he was, he would not say it. How could he be hungry when his sister was not?

They walked through the arched stone gateway marking the entrance, and the lively hum of commerce greeted the two—vendors calling out their wares, buyers haggling over prices, and the occasional bray of a donkey pulling a cart piled high with sacks of grain.

Further down the cobblestone narrow street, a line of stalls stretched out, each packed with vibrant displays of their produce.

Lara stopped at a stall where bundles of fragrant herbs hung from wooden beams. After inquiring, she bought a few unfamiliar herbs. She found the price too expensive, but then that was the capital. freewēbnoveℓ.com

They reached the main square, which bustled with activity. In the center, a stone fountain trickled with fresh water, and adults and children filled clay jugs and splashed their faces.

Lara looked at the fountain in a daze. This fountain had survived the test of time and had become a tourist attraction in modern-day Azurverda. There were cracks in a few places that the government had restored.

The fountain was called the Fountain of Life because it existed for as long as people could remember, and the water coming out of it never ran dry.

Lara was mesmerized as she watched the reddish brown water shoot up two feet high before trickling down to the top basin and then to the second and lowest tier. Even in modern times, the fountain continues to spew out the same reddish brown water which was proven to be safe for human consumption.

"Has this fountain been here long? She asked, and curiosity got the better of her.

"Not very long. The first king from the Kromwel family built this half a century ago. He commissioned a blacksmith to build a narrow, long pipe and drilled it through the soil." Peredur explained.

Lara approached the fountain. She cupped her hands, drew water, and splashed it on her face. She felt refreshed.

They turned a corner and walked through the narrow alley. The goods became more specialized—blacksmiths hammering iron, sparks flying from their forges, cobblers stitching leather boots, and potters spinning clay into delicate shapes. The rhythm of labor was constant, each clang and shuffle a heartbeat of the market’s daily life.

Peredur led her into one of the stalls where a few metalsmiths were busy forging kitchenware.

"Can I talk to the one in charge of this shop?" Lara asked one of the metalsmiths respectfully. She did not mask her voice.

The man, probably in his mid-thirties with muscled arms, regarded Lara carefully before answering hoarsely. "I am the one in charge."

Lara took out a parchment from her backpack. "This is a hollow needle. Can you make it?" The man took the parchment and studied it carefully. His workshop specialized in crafting jewelry and small tools.

"Hmmm. Is this a needle and hollow one?" He asked curiously why the effeminate man before him wanted to make the needle hollow.

"Yes," Lara answered without hesitation.

"Of course, this is not difficult to make," the workshop owner said. He studied Lara once more before asking, "Why make it hollow? Wouldn’t that make the needle less durable?"

"I have a use for it," Lara answered. Can you complete that by tomorrow?"

"I need three days," the man replied

Lara nodded. She took out another parchment and handed it to the man. "How about this one? Can you make this?"

Before the man could take the parchment, Peredur grabbed it. His eyes seemed to pop out as he studied the drawing.

"Sis, did you draw this?" Peredur looked at her sister incredulously. How could her sister’s drawing and penmanship be this good? The drawing looked so real. It was something that Peredur had never seen before. But the drawing was so distinct that Peredur could deduce its purpose.

Lara nodded. She took the parchment from her brother and passed it to the metalsmith. "Can you make this?"

The man’s eyes widened. He had never seen such a machine before. How could the young man who seemed still underage come up with such a concept?

"I, Mathias Howe, had never seen this machine before, but I think I can make it." He said confidently.

"That’s great, then. Let us sign a contract." Lara added.

Lara turned around only to crash into a wall of hard muscles.