During the Spring and Autumn period, anyone with knowledge was considered talented. Although Gongshu Ban was a carpenter who made woodworking tools, he was still regarded as a high-tech talent and was sought after by various states. Therefore, Ethan Brooks did not look down on William Carter for coming from a family of master craftsmen. He led Samuel Clark to the edge of the brick kiln. Samuel Clark, gazing at the glowing furnace, curiously said, “We spend every day with this black stone, yet we never knew it could burn. It’s truly a good thing.”

Ethan Brooks hesitated and said, “Perhaps this young lord’s hometown also has this kind of black stone. They use this coal for fire in daily life, so it’s possible he knows how to use it.”

Samuel Clark turned to look at the mountains. “This young lord came from the direction of the southwestern mountains. In that direction, the major states are Qin, Di, and the Western Rong, among others. I’ve heard that Qin is actively expanding into the Western Rong. Since Duke Mu of Qin, the state has waged large-scale campaigns against the Rong, destroyed twelve states, and expanded its territory by a thousand li—this person’s language isn’t Qin dialect, so perhaps he’s from a small Western Rong state.”

“I suspect that his country was destroyed by Qin, his ancestors’ sacrifices were cut off, and so he fled into the mountains to hide, only recently emerging…”

Ethan Brooks immediately asked, “What do you think?”

Samuel Clark thought for a moment and replied, “Judging by his appearance, he doesn’t look like a Western Rong; he still has the features of a Central Plains person. But his skin is too fair, not like someone exposed to the wind and sun of the Western Rong. I looked closely—this person at least knows one kind of script. Their writing shares the same origin as ours, all square-shaped characters.

Also, I estimate that their language and writing are very well developed, because every time I teach him a new word, he annotates it with his own language next to the new word—no matter what new word I say, he can find a corresponding annotation. This shows that his country’s language and writing are very advanced.

Such a person would be considered nobility anywhere… perhaps even more than that. As far as I know, many noble sons in the Central Plains haven’t received such a complete education—he’s truly extraordinary!”

Ethan Brooks thought for a moment, then gently instructed, “Today I took a risk to tell you the truth, but what you have heard and seen, you must not tell anyone else—not even Simon Clark.”

Samuel Clark immediately asked, “You’ve made up your mind?”

Ethan Brooks did not answer. He gazed at the fire, deep in thought. Samuel Clark considered for a moment, then quickly added, “There’s one more thing I must especially remind you of. When this person was building the brick kiln, he divided the workers into several teams, as if commanding troops. I suspect he must have received a complete ‘noble’ education before—very complete. He not only knows how to make pottery, but also how to command troops and make weapons…

You should take a look at the double mulberry wood bow he made for his own men. I also heard he’s looking for blacksmiths to make iron weapons. For someone like this, if we didn’t know about him, that would be one thing, but now that we do, missing out on him would be a crime. So I believe: we must keep him, even if not for William Carter, he will still be of great use to our Zhao clan!”

The so-called “mulberry wood bow made by William Carter” was actually something William Carter had seen in a set of photos posted on a forum in the past. That set of photos explained how to use a simple traction device to handcraft a mulberry wood bow. After inventing woodworking tools, William Carter conveniently made such a device, powered entirely by human strength, and made two mulberry wood bows for “Qing” and “Lian.” For the bowstring, he used a length of rescue rope from his car.

Ethan Brooks pondered for a long time…

William Carter was unaware of this conversation in the courtyard; he was currently busy teaching his own class. At present, the lessons had progressed to the simulation training phase. Ethan Brooks had found several servants to practice one-on-one with William Carter, and every afternoon was occupied by this kind of training.

When Ethan Brooks returned to William Carter’s room, William Carter was still practicing. One servant was imitating the ruler of Jin, sitting upright above, while William Carter, under Simon Clark’s guidance, repeatedly trained in ceremonial etiquette. Whenever there was even a slight mistake, Simon Clark would immediately order William Carter to start over.

Ethan Brooks entered the room with a smile. With a wave of his hand, several women carrying a large pile of bamboo slips gracefully entered. Ethan Brooks directed them to stack the bamboo slips on the floor, and explained with a smile, “The lord is getting older and should have some female attendants by his side. I’ve found some women to accompany you in your studies, hoping you will enjoy it… These bamboo slips on the floor are writings left by the late lord. Please read them carefully.”

William Carter looked at Ethan Brooks in surprise, sensing that the usually cold Ethan Brooks was speaking with a bit more warmth today. William Carter quickly seized the opportunity and shamelessly made a request: “I’ve been here for quite a while and would really like to go out for a walk. I wonder if I could get permission?”

Ethan Brooks didn’t hesitate at all: “No problem. If you want to go into the mountains, go ahead. Just remember to bring enough guards, as the wild beasts in the mountains are fierce.”

He could only go into the mountains, not the city—this showed that William Carter’s freedom was still restricted.

Then, Ethan Brooks gently added, “The bow and arrows you made are rather crude. Tomorrow I’ll bring a few carpenters for you to instruct, so they can make better bows and arrows… As for blacksmiths, our Zhao clan has no shortage of them. I’ll find a few more to replicate all the devices you’ve made…”