34. Preparing to build a house

Jason Liu bought 5 iron swords, 5 spears, and 5 shields, spending a total of 155 silver deer. He originally thought about buying a sword for himself, but considering that the quality of swords in this era was poor, he decided against it. He thought that if he got the chance later, he could have a beautiful, strong, and sharp alloy steel sword made, far better than the iron swords of Westeros.

When the five men picked up their swords for the first time, they were awkward and clumsy. They had spent their lives working on farms, using simple tools, and had never practiced swordsmanship. Jason Liu couldn't help but smile, realizing that although these farm boys were hardworking and obedient, it would take a lot of training to turn them into proper soldiers.

Jason didn't know much about military training himself, but he figured it would be necessary to find a swordsman instructor to train them someday.

In the afternoon, right after buying the weapons, Jason Liu was about to train the five McCanns but was interrupted by a group of masons and builders brought by Old Rhodes. They gathered around him with many questions.

"Master East, how big do you want the store to be? Should it be made of stone or wood? Different materials have different plans," one asked.

"And what about the warehouse? How big should it be? What materials should we use?" another questioned.

"If you want it done quickly, we'll need to hire a lot of people, but it will cost more," a third added.

Jason was happy to see them asking questions about their work. He raised his hand to calm them down and replied, "I bought these houses behind me. They're old and seem ready to collapse. The first thing I need you to do is tear them all down!"

The young masons glanced at the five or six wooden houses, which looked just like the ones they lived in, and didn't seem ready to fall apart. They didn't fully agree with Jason's judgment but kept quiet since they were relying on him for work.

Jason explained that he wanted to build the storefront first, entirely out of stone. The warehouses should also be made of stone and be waterproof and snowproof since heavy snow was common in the North. He wanted a stone fence at least 3 meters high around the property. They would also need to build a main house for him, housing for the guards and staff, a large kitchen, and a small training field.

Jason also stressed that they needed separate toilets for men and women and a large septic tank. When he mentioned the septic tank, the masons looked confused. Jason sighed, "Never mind. I'll explain it myself when you start building."

After some discussion, the masons agreed they could handle the job. "I need you to work as fast as possible," Jason emphasized. "Hire as many people as you need, and I don't care about the cost. Speed is what matters!"

Hearing this, the masons promised to gather more workers quickly. They mentioned that their pay would be 30 silver deer each. Jason agreed and even promised an extra reward if they finished quickly and did a good job. This excited the masons, who were eager to start right away.

Jason left the recruitment of masons to the masons themselves since they knew each other well. However, he decided to hire the regular helpers himself, wanting to ensure they were treated fairly and paid properly, instead of letting the masons act as greedy middlemen.

He thought offering better pay would help him build good relationships with people in the local town and nearby villages, which would be important since he planned to stay and do business in the North for a long time.

After sending off the masons, Jason asked Bard, the youngest and smartest of the three Barlow brothers, to go home and get his parents. He also sent Susan to fetch her parents, Hogg and Shula.

Jason decided to hire Old Rhodes's tavern to provide food for all the workers while the houses were being built. When Old Rhodes heard this plan, he was shocked. "You mean, you're going to feed all the workers?!" he exclaimed.

Jason, looking puzzled, replied, "Why? Can't your tavern handle it?"

"No, my lord, we can feed hundreds of people," Old Rhodes answered, still in disbelief. "But you're already paying them wages! Nobody has ever done this in the North!"

Jason Liu just smiled and said, "Well, from now on, things are going to be different!"

Old Rhodes tried to convince him that feeding the workers was a waste of money, but Jason Liu remained firm in his decision.

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