Old John was extremely elated. In this age of scarcity, cutlery was a pointless luxury for most.
Their use was restricted to the tables of nobles and royalty. And even in those cases, some of their poorer members would share their silverware. For the commoners, however, their hands would more than suffice for their meals.
Although black bread was coarse, difficult to eat, and at times mixed with sawdust, it was quite nutritious. And people could rely on it to fill the bulk of their dietary needs. Moreover, for some strange reason, the inhabitants of San Soliel could generally expect to live to 60 years old if they didn’t pass away violently.
The dwarves of San Soliel possessed impressive skills when it came to crafting metal equipment. But even among them, only the most talented would pay attention to the aesthetics of their creations. Most focused on enhancing the quality of the materials they worked with and bestowing magical attributes to the end results.
Thus, delicate tableware of the kind that Old John received was something that few would bother to spend time crafting. Consequently, fine cutlery was worth more than its weight in gold.
Earth’s industrialized economies, however, had mastered the art of mass production. By standardizing production, they could match the skill of the dwarves on a consistent basis.
By giving away the fork, Louie was basically throwing away a luxury that only the highest class of nobles could enjoy.
“My dears, look at what I have brought back!”
Old John returned home and first put the bags of flour and meat on the table. Then he called over his wife and children. He carefully put the wooden box on the table and opened it.
“Oh… Gods… this is a dinner fork?! Such a fine dinner fork. John, tell me honestly, where did you get it?”
John’s wife covered his mouth. She was excited at first but soon revealed a frightened look. She was afraid that John had gone through illegal means to get it.
Although their new lord was extremely generous, his punishments were equally harsh. In Dragon City, any crime was subject to severe punishment. These were often corporal in nature and involved some element of torture. In fact, as the level of medical knowledge was quite low, a good whipping could often be the death of an unlucky convict.
“Don’t get too excited, dear! This is a special reward from the lord for all my hard work. It is an item enchanted by a great mage, and it will not rust!!” Old John said smugly.
“Lord God above! The lord actually granted such a precious item to us?”
John’s wife’s eyes were red. She trembled and caressed the stainless steel fork, which was worth more than her own family in her opinion, with her rough fingers.
“Shhh! Silence!” Old John spoke with a stern expression.
“Although the lord did not explicitly say it, many of us have held private discussions. This territory formerly belonged to the Theocracy, but now it’s already in the hands of the honorable city lord. In the future, do not recklessly speak of ‘God’.”
For unknown reasons, the Gods had not shown their miracles for a long time. Although devout priests were still able to obtain their blessings, most humans could no longer communicate with them. Therefore not everyone had faith in the Gods.
Perhaps when the Gods were able to finally influence the continent again, a new battle of faith will occur.
John’s wife quickly covered her mouth and whispered, “Then what should I say?”
“Say, ‘The Great Dragon watches’!”
John said seriously.
“Yes, the Great Dragon watches!”
The couple bowed their heads in reverence. Recently, the people of Dragon City felt as though they were in heaven. Their hard work was properly rewarded and they went to sleep with full stomachs. For the ordinary people of this era, this was simply a luxury, their greatest desire!
Their impression of the dragon had slowly turned from fear to respect and allegiance. If the Theocracy were to take back the city at this moment, these commoners would resist with all their might.
“Dad, dad. Let us touch it too. Can we?”
Old John saw the look of longing in the eyes of his son and daughter. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Okay. I’ll let you touch it. From now on, this is our family heirloom. You must always remember the greatness and generosity of the lord and preserve this fork, okay?”
“We understand, dad!”
Old John was very happy to see his children behaving so well.
At dinner time, old John and his family sat around an old wooden table. Good quality white bread and a few thin slices of meat were served. Old John carefully tore the bread and held onto the stainless steel fork. With a clumsy reverence, he picked up the bread with the fork and placed it into his mouth.
He handed the fork to his wife who did the same before passing it on to their children.
Old John had seen the nobles eat like this. The only difference was that they had dinner plates and other items, but the forks they had used were definitely not as exquisite and beautiful as the ones given to them by the lord!
At this moment, Old John truly felt that life was worth living. He could actually experience what it was like to be a nobleman!
The dinner was interrupted by a series of loud knocks from the front door. Old John stood at alert, and his wife put away the fork. The couple feared that someone coveting the tableware had come to steal it from them.
He carefully picked up a loaf of black bread from the table and crept towards the door. If the person in front was a suspicious character, he would instantly bonk them on the head with it.
Reaching the door, he opened it with a single violent motion but was stunned when he saw all of his neighbors waiting outside.
“Hey, Old John? I heard you got a reward from the great lord?”
“They say that the hardest workers were given gifts today.”
“The boy two blocks away who used to work with me got a dinner plate from the lord. It’s really enviable.”
“My brother’s wife’s cousin….”
“The second aunt of my great-uncle’s next-door neighbor….”
“…….”
His front porch was alive with all sorts of conversations. Old John finally understood that he was not the only person who had been rewarded. Other residents were also rewarded with a variety of things, and not just dinner forks.
He immediately became more enthusiastic and motivated. If he worked hard and showed more of his hard work, maybe one day, they could be rewarded with a full set of tableware.
“That… Old John, can you let us touch it… the fork?”
Someone rubbed his hands and asked carefully. All of them looked at him hopefully.
Such a scene happened in many corners of Dragon City.
……
At the capital of the Silver Moon Kingdom, Sisna and a large number of elves had finally arrived. After a long journey, they had finally delivered the food safely.