The two deputy commanders of the Black Feather Guard: one is the golden spearman George Hill, renowned for his mastery of the hooked spear, unmatched in the world. He ranked eighteenth during the grand assembly at Liangshan, but since he wasn't lured to Liangshan here, he naturally wouldn't let his own subordinates be abducted. However, after being knocked down and stunned by Emily Harris with three spear strikes, George Hill now seems to be questioning his life, still in a daze and on leave.

The other deputy is Benjamin Turner, famed in the martial world for his "Broken Ridge Blade." He wields a nine-ring broadsword with dazzling flair, but having previously roamed the underworld in Tokyo, he was inevitably of lower status and always very polite to everyone he met.

As for the thirty yuhou officers, William Carter doesn't bother to remember their names. As long as he arranges a few of his own men, that's enough. Once he's earned enough silver, he can go into hiding and disappear, never intending to be a local tyrant in the capital for life.

Speaking of making money, he currently has no clue at all. Sitting behind his desk drinking tea, William Carter finds it rather dull. He notices Lucy Frost sitting behind the side table, flipping through case files—she's turned the same booklet back and forth at least ten times, still pretending to work diligently. He can't help but find it amusing. After thinking for a moment, he calls out, "Lucy Frost!"

"Here!"

Lucy Frost quickly stands up and respectfully moves to the front of the desk.

William Carter writes a long list of items on paper and instructs, "Go find these things for me."

He is about to start planning a jewelry shop. Naturally, the jewelry and ornaments he sells can't all be sourced from Bianjing; he needs to create a few stunning pieces to catch people's eyes. With his craftsmanship and accumulated modern aesthetic sense, all he lacks are the tools.

Moreover, as a fellow descendant of Yan and Huang, now that he's come to the Song Dynasty and holds a high position, he still wants to do his part.

Lucy Frost glances at the paper and sees it's a list of things like chisels and screwdrivers. She nods lightly and heads out.

He sits down to start sketching designs, but the brush doesn't feel right, so he sharpens one end of the brush handle to make do.

But before he can start drawing, Lucy Frost, who had just left, returns to the room.

Eight burly men carry in a huge pile of implements, and a servant brings in a wooden box containing: a boning knife, a scraper, a bloodletting knife, steel needles...

All sorts of torture devices, from the large tiger bench to small wooden clamps—some even William Carter can't name. At the end, they even carry in a wooden donkey that must have been stored for who knows how many years!

"What the—!"

Master Carter's face changes dramatically, and he jumps up in shock: "Lucy Frost, what are you trying to do?"

He's a young master, after all! If this little maid harbored ill intentions, there'd be no need to use the wooden donkey! If he had to sit on that...

A shiver runs down his spine!

Lucy Frost looks baffled and bows her head respectfully: "Young master, didn't you ask for these?"

Why would I want these things?

He is both angry and amused, realizing Lucy Frost misunderstood his request. He quickly waves his hand: "Find a jeweler and get me a full set of his tools. Take all these things away."

Lucy Frost bows and signals for the subordinates to leave.

William Carter is rather helpless and sits back at his desk to continue drafting the structure diagrams for the musket and jewelry.

Lucy Frost is about to leave, but seeing the young master holding the brush upside down, she can't help but feel curious and cautiously asks, "Young master, you..."

"If you don't understand, don't ask."

He puts on the air of a young master and replies calmly. Lucy Frost immediately falls silent and retreats obediently.

"And find me some goose feathers, thick and long ones."

"Yes, sir!"

For the next two days, he doesn't go out, staying in the Dian Kui Office, focused on designing blueprints. Jewelry is his area of expertise and doesn't require much thought, but the musket needs careful consideration and is an urgent matter.

He holds the title of Black Feather Guard Commander, a top inner-court expert at the emperor's side, and the leader of three thousand imperial guards. Not to mention the humiliation of being ambushed, if one day the emperor goes out and he is accompanying him, and they encounter an assassin, he would be exposed.

If the emperor were injured, as a bodyguard, he would probably be executed a thousand times over.

He has a natural talent for intricate mechanisms, and with his memory, he quickly sketches a rough blueprint for the musket—a simple structure. He certainly doesn't need to do the hard labor himself; he can have Lucy Frost find a few craftsmen to work on it.

Once the musket is completed, it can be handed over to the court for mass production, and cannons can also be put on the agenda.

Whether or not this world will be ravaged by war, it's always better to be prepared. Using advanced firearms to fend off foreign invasions is his current plan. After all, he's just a businessman—making money comes easily, but warfare is not his forte. Relying on technology to save the country is the simplest method he can think of for now.

After arranging all these matters, on the ninth day of the second month, William Carter leaves work early and heads to Yanglou Street to continue searching for a suitable shop...

===Chapter 10: Fellow Travelers===

At dusk.

William Carter arrives at Shiquan Alley on Yanglou Street and first checks the house in the courtyard. The place is clean, with even the bloodstains wiped away, everything tidied up. Emily Harris has already left, leaving only a note on the table, which reads:

The green hills remain, the rivers flow on, may your days be as warm as spring.

He picks up the note and glances at it, feeling quite impressed. To recover so quickly from such serious injuries and move about freely in just a few days—she truly is a formidable female bandit.

It's good that she's gone, as long as she doesn't cause him trouble in the capital.

Though night hasn't fully fallen, the street is already lit with lanterns. Between the flying eaves and buildings, scholars and ladies come and go, while merchants and workers bustle back and forth.