It wasn't easy to accept what the Lea family wanted but they were well aware that it was the only place a big family could settle. While their members were around 20ish, including servants and people that worked for them, they knew it was just a matter of time for them to increase their numbers. No one forgot the declaration they made on their first day inside the walls; 'Who is with me?' this had stirred up everyones hearts. Their 'disposable' mark had vanished and with this they could now sustain their families without any problems. If the big families still remembered it, the common people of Kyus talked about it all the time. The recruitment was going to take place somewhere in the near future and everyone wanted to be ready for it.
The Kriger family had intentions of storming into the recruitment or slide a few people here and there in incognito. But thanks to the intel they received, they had a list of the people that entered and left the Kriger mansion and territory. Sometimes, one or two would slide since it was a single person trying to do all that exhausting job, but that was no problem as anyone related to the Kriger family would expose themselves sooner or later. They were all muscle heads, and while that wasn't a bad thing at all, it wasn't good for them to try other jobs that did not suit their talents.
As soon as the families finished discussing amongst themselves, the Lea family gave them many gifts. All kind of medicines and ores, for those interested they also gave a few more ideas. They were aware that if they gave, gave and gave more people would start to ask for things for free. That is why, they were going to make an example of whatever family started to get greedy against them and dared to covet their resources.
Everyone agreed to sell their part of the forest to the Lea family in exchange for lumber and meat that could be usually found inside that forest. The forest was small, and some used it as a hunting ground. It only had a few yellow rabbits, a few red boars and the like. They were really low danger animals, and everyone with a bow and arrow could hunt them as long as they had a good aim. The boars were a bit more difficult, since they retaliated, but the rabbits were timid in nature and ran away all the time.
While selling a rabbit was a low source of income, it helped a lot since their birthrate was big and the big families never cared to control their population. Leon knew this, that with a rabbit, a normal family could ration it and use it for emergency. Not everyone was a hunter and not everyone knew how to use a bow. If they were weak, they wouldn't have strenght to pull the bow. If they were too strong, they probably were in the army. Not many people fancied the use of a bow in this world, and the reason was that with a single arrow you could barely prick the skin of bigger beasts. Most people used a shield and a sword to face other humans or smaller beasts. Those that knew a bit more of beast hunting, decided to use lances or javalins.
Leon had a good idea. He decided to craft a crossbow. Something that was used a lot in other cities but not in Kyus. If he trained all the previous hunters to use a crossbow, their power would rise. It didn't matter if they were stronger or weaker. As long as the crossbow had a loading mechanism, anyone could use it. Also, considering the difference in strenght, it would be useful in all kind of situations. The crossbow bolts could be smelt by the Smid, and Leon was well aware of what to give them in compensation.
Since the Smid leader exposed himself as an ore maniac, Leon came up with different ores that Kyus had never seen. Their uses were not always practical, but they were good ores and minerals. If it was necessary, he was even willing to send Lufti on a hunt for more ores. He needed everyones help, and he needed it as fast as possible. He didn't mind losing 'resources' as long as he could get it back some other time. He started to understand why their master sent them here. Why her choice was Kyus city and not somewhere else. They lacked many things compared to other human settlements. Be it technology, manpower, individual strength, a leader. Kyus was lacking in all those aspects, and they were one of the most protected and sheltered societies there were.
They needed all those things, and their master sent them as saviours. The more Leon understood their task, the worst the pressure on him became. He was not a leader, he was just a young man. He still had a lot to learn, his knowledge wasn't near 10% of what his master possesed. It was a hard task, but he was entrusted with this city's safety. He wasn't going give up so easily.
He decided to recruit the hunters and train them. The recruitment plan was going to be simple. He decided to separate it into 3 categories: Combat, Production and Planning. Leon understood that the third department wasn't exactly necessary since he had his brothers and the other disciples his master had. Despite that, he understood that they wouldn't always be around and he also knew that they were going to be in the front lines. If they weren't there to guide everyone and tell them what to do, what was the point in preparing all of this?
He also wanted to open a school for all of those that desired knowledge to be able to obtain it. There were many plans in Leons head to push Kyus ahead of its time. But, would he be able to do it in time?