Natha's only reaction to Roddy's words was "astonishment."
As a weapon that she had used for three years, Natha was already very familiar with this short bow. After three years of hunting, Natha had long adjusted the attributes of this short bow to its optimal state. She had already memorized the position of each arrow when it was shot, so she couldn't believe Roddy's words at all.
However, for Roddy, who had once reached the Grandmaster level in bow making, he could basically tell whether a bow was good or not without shooting it.
The structure of the bow seemed simple, but the simpler it was, the more difficult it was to adjust it to its optimal state. Although the Wood Elves were good at using bows, their level of technology couldn't compare to the High Elves. Even though the bow had a rough bow window, the craftsmanship of the Wood Elves still couldn't compare to that of the humans.
Natha's short bow was strong and had a high initial speed. However, its weakness was that it had a low tolerance for mistakes. If there was a slight mistake in the fingers, the arrow would greatly deviate from the original target. It was only suitable for experienced hunters to use it.
Generally speaking, the longer the bow, the lower the initial speed, the higher the tolerance for mistakes, and the more stable the trajectory of a heavy arrow would be. The famous English longbow in history was the extreme of the "stable" type.
Every type of bow had its own characteristics. Natha's short bow was small and nimble, and it was easy to shoot at close range. However, in Roddy's eyes, it was still a distance from its "optimal state."
Natha looked at Roddy in disbelief. Roddy didn't waste any time. He immediately removed the bowstring and adjusted the short bow under the light of the bonfire. He took out the tools he carried with him from his bag, and without waiting for Natha's consent, he immediately started polishing the bow window.
"The wood of this bow is good, but the craftsmanship is rather crude. You could even say that it's crude." Roddy lowered his head and evaluated the bow as he lowered his head. "The curve of the bow is too extreme, and it focuses too much on the speed of the arrow. Naturally, the accuracy will be poor the first year you use it. I think you'll need two or three years to get used to it?"
This was a very professional evaluation, just like how an old blacksmith would evaluate a newbie's weapon. Roddy definitely had the right to make such an evaluation. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Natha's expression changed again. Finally, she blushed and lowered her head.
She had made this bow herself.
Although she admired Roddy's ability, Natha didn't expect him to be so proficient with the bow.
His evaluation was very impressive, and could even be said to be flawless!
At first, she thought that Rody was just pretending to nitpick. However, she did not dare to say anything now. She lowered her head and stood there silently like a child being scolded.
"This can't be said to be a weakness. Every bow has its own characteristics. Fast bows have their own advantages, and slow bows have their own advantages. A weapon is just a weapon. It depends on who is using it. "
Roddy raised his head and looked at Natha who was at a loss. He smiled and then blew off the debris left on the bow window. He took out a piece of fur the size of a finger from his bag and nailed it with a special iron nail. It was made into an "arrow platform made of animal fur" similar to the hunting bows of the later generations.
"Water lazy fur is better than horse butt fur."
Roddy explained, but Natha didn't know what it was used for. The elves didn't use such an arrow platform at all, so she could only nod. But in her heart, she kept reminding herself to seize the opportunity to remember everything in front of her.
After adjusting the bow window, Roddy slightly polished the edge of the bow, then put the bowstring on and adjusted the bow … He was quiet and focused during the process. Natha held her breath and waited, but she felt that Roddy's deep gaze filled her heart with a sense of security.
Twenty minutes later, Roddy finished adjusting the bow. He then asked Natha to nock an arrow and try it. But he didn't let her shoot the arrow. Instead, he picked up the arrow and looked at it. He directly removed the arrowhead, shortened the arrow by a centimeter, and put the arrowhead back. He then pointed to a tree not far away and said, "There's a lizard up there. Try shooting it."
Natha took the bow hesitantly and immediately shot the arrow.
"Whoosh!"
The moment the arrow left the bow, Natha's expression suddenly froze.
In the past, the uncontrollable trembling and slight pulsation of the arrow had always been her greatest headache when shooting. However, when this arrow flew out, she only felt the short bow in her left hand shake slightly, and then the arrow spun in a perfectly straight line as it shot out!
Refreshing, unprecedentedly refreshing.
There was no need to resist the tremor of the bow, no need to correct the distortion of the arrow, all the obstacles were almost completely gone!
"Tut!"
The arrow hit the tree trunk but the arrowhead was nailed to the top of the lizard. Due to the increased efficiency of the bow, the arrow's landing point had also changed. The arrow missed and was completely within Rody's expectations.
"The arrow nest still needs to be adjusted, but it's almost there."
Roddy recalled the arrow's trajectory, still not satisfied. Next to him, Natha stared blankly at the arrow nailed to the tree trunk in the distance, her mind blank.
She stood there for a full three to five seconds, and finally said to herself, "Why? Why is it like this? "
Following Roddy out of the forest, Natha wanted to learn archery from Roddy. As for other aspects, she did not think that this human had the qualifications to teach her. But the reality mercilessly shattered her pride, and Natha had no choice but to bow her head.
"Can, can you tell me how you did it?"
Natha's calm voice finally had a little ripple. Her expression even surprised Roddy a little. In his memory, Roddy had never seen this iceberg teacher ask for advice like this.
But he would not hide anything, and directly began to explain to her the function of the bow itself. Ordinary people would naturally think that the bow was too simple, just pull and release the arrow, and that was it. Who would have thought that in order to use a bow to its fullest potential, there was a lot more to it.
"The moment the arrow is shot, it is curved, so its length, material, and center of gravity will affect the landing point and flying speed. Your pull determines the length of the arrow, and the pull of the bow determines the angle of the arrow … Oh, it is the degree of softness and hardness …"
This kind of explanation did not say too much. Roddy knew that she needed time to digest, but it was obvious that this arrogant elf girl was completely subdued by these systematic and detailed theories. Although her expression was still cold, there was an invisible sense of respect.
Roddy sighed in his heart. He really did not expect that there would be a day when the teacher would listen to him so obediently …
As the night gradually deepened, Natha and Akasha returned to the tent to rest. Roddy sat in front of the campfire to keep watch. From this angle, he could still see the faint light in Akasha's tent. She must have let the ring shine because she was afraid of the dark. But obviously, she was finally no longer pestering him and could sleep alone. The DeBuff on her body was gradually subsiding, and it seemed that she would fully recover after a period of time.
Looking at the orange charcoal, Roddy thought for a moment and took out two books.
One was the notebook left behind by the witcher Dukal, and the other was "The Essence of Energy" that he borrowed from Brody.
Flipping open the notebook, the High Elf language was a little messy, but from the format, he could tell that it was a diary. Roddy frowned and skimmed through the first entry. The content mainly talked about Dukal's experience of taming the Snake King Sakya. There was no other important information.
So he put down the notebook and flipped to "The Essence of Energy" — and the first sentence at the beginning made him freeze on the spot.
"Arcane magic, the power that surpasses the gods."
It was an affirmative sentence, not a question. Roddy could even see the arrogance in the flowing High Elf language.
*****
The next day, Parl Territory.
The territory that the Dukes Of Angmar had given to Sodelor was not big. In terms of area, it could not compare to the great nobles like Viscount Tranka or Count Tata. But as a "baron" with a town and nine villages, Parl Territory was definitely above average in terms of resources.
"Parl Town" was a small town near a river. It could not compare to the size of Kiger Town. The residents lived in peace for many years, paying taxes and farming. A few large shops supported the town's facade. In terms of economic level, it was many times better than Norland Village.
As the weather gradually turned cold, there were fewer people in the morning. But in the heart of the territory, "Parl Town", the residents were already used to the orderly footsteps and chants every morning. Almost a hundred soldiers would wear their armor and run three rounds around the town. When the sun was completely up, they would go to the drill ground and start their daily training.
This was unheard of in the past.
In this day and age, other than the great lords and the royal family, the other nobles did not have a standing army, let alone a cavalry that trained day and night. So at first, all the commoners were anxious. Was the kingdom going to war?
But after a month, the information they gathered told them that the Kingdom of Karen was still peaceful. There were no signs of war.
So the new Lord Sodelor became a "joke". He was even privately called a "war maniac" and "madman" by the farmers.
"Those madmen have started training again."
"Seems like the lord is running with them again. What a joke."
"I heard that they were just a group of border scouts before. Maybe they were scared by the horses and dare not relax even now."
"Who knows? Rushing around every day, your aura is quite frightening … "
"What era is it? There's no war …"
The commoners did not understand the strange way the lord behaved. Similar comments had been going on for more than a month. But no matter what they said, the new lord did not give any explanation. He just assigned the territory's affairs to the new butler and then spent all day in the drill ground to participate in training. He did not look like he was enjoying life at all. In fact, he seemed to be working harder than the ordinary soldiers.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
