Chapter 285: Chapter 281: Innovation and Conservatism
Shay received a promotion from Perfikot and was able to become the first honorary knight of the White Bear Knight Order.
After the formal oath ceremony and investiture, Shay donned a wolfskin cloak, just like an official White Bear Knight.
However, as an honorary knight, he couldn’t enjoy the treatments of a formal member of the White Bear Knight Order, such as enhancement ceremonies and steam knight armor.
According to the rules of the White Bear Knight Order, great knights could receive a set of steam knight armor as their armament, but honorary knights didn’t have this privilege, Shay only received a set of finely crafted chainmail instead.
If it were in the past, a suit of finely crafted chainmail would have already been a luxury for a great knight like Shay.
After all, even though the Empire’s knight system had undergone reforms, knights equipping themselves was a tradition that had been perpetuated.
Although the Knight Order would provide relevant subsidies, with blacksmiths responsible for forging and maintenance, and members being able to purchase and repair their equipment at discounted prices, it was still a significant expense.
Thus, many knights often could only afford inexpensive standardized equipment, making many of the Empire’s knight orders look like they’re equipped uniformly.
But in reality, any knight would want to have a suit of finely crafted equipment.
Ultimately, there’s always a sense of competition among knights; apart from status, family background, what remains to compare is skill, reputation, and wealth.
The rest is easy to discuss, being quantifiable items, and comparing these things doesn’t often cause tension; once displayed, everyone can naturally discern whose status is higher, whose background is exceptional, and whose renown is more prominent.
Skills are simpler; it’s the foundation of a knight’s livelihood, drawing swords and competing sorts it out, if you have real skills, you can naturally win.
But wealth is not as easy to quantify, or not straightforward to flaunt.
After all, everyone’s a knight, although knightly spirit is rarely mentioned nowadays, many knights don’t adhere to traditional knightly restrictions anymore, but some basic rules should still be observed.
No matter how you define it, knights are an armed force, being cultural and frivolous is one thing, but extravagance and debauchery are another.
So knights don’t flaunt wealth by boasting about buying expensive clothes today or having a lavish meal tomorrow, considering they earn a living by the sword, flaunting wealth just doesn’t fit the image.
So how does a knight flaunt wealth? The answer lies in their weapons and equipment.
When a piece of hydraulic forged plate armor costs two hundred gold pounds, and my enchanted breastplate costs seven hundred, it’s evident mine’s more expensive, its effect is apparent, and it avoids unnecessary wealth flaunting.
For a knight, purchasing weapons and equipment is part of their duty, spending money here won’t result in criticism.
At least Shay knows that in Langton, some long-renowned commendation knights have spent heavily to have their original armors modified into steam knight armor, just to keep up with the "trend."
Of course, the most important reason is to ensure they don’t get eliminated by the Empire.
With the spread of steam knight armor, the Empire has developed a new standard for assessing knight battle strength, with steam knight armor, even great knights like Shay can defeat traditional commendation knights.
It’s easy to imagine the significant disparity in battle strength is quite a shock to the older Empire knights.
To maintain the status of traditional knights, the Knight Association attempted to halt the promotion of steam knight armor, even publicly announcing that they wouldn’t recognize steam knights as members, and anyone becoming a steam knight would be expelled from the association.
However, the Empire clearly couldn’t abandon this era-defining equipment that could multiply a knight’s battle power several times over.
After seven commendation knights equipped with steam knight armor blocked and beat the high-ranking Knight Association officials for three days, the association had to concede.
Not conceding wasn’t an option, conceding only costs some face, there are benefits with steam knights joining the association.
Yet not conceding? This is still commendation knights’ "spontaneous actions," really escalate things to the point of uncontrollability... there are people in the Empire not too fond of the Knight Association.
Shay originally had a chance to become a steam knight, he naturally stood with the innovators.
But now, lacking the opportunity to become a steam knight, he could only content himself with the traditional knight armor.
Fortunately, he didn’t have much time to lament this; leaving with three hundred people from the second landing point, which Perfikot named Beloburg, Shay was about to embark on his pioneering journey, and needed to fully concentrate on establishing his pioneer base and completing Perfikot’s task.
Only by achieving this can he secure his footing in the Northern Territory, and gain Perfikot’s trust.
By then, wanting a set of steam knight armor? Spend money to buy one, no need to envy others.
So regarding his mission or task, Shay was very focused.
He had reviewed the blueprints given by Perfikot more than thrice, studying nearly every detail, while silently simulating the construction process in his mind, sorting through all engineering sequences, meticulously preparing for every possibility he could conceive.
For this, just reminders scribbled for himself filled a chunky notebook, and two pencils were worn down to just thumb-sized stubs.
And this chunky notebook is why Shay feels confident in his ability to undertake the role of a pioneer knight.
Though he hadn’t done such work before, he did oversee some minor constructions during the colonial period, gaining some experience.
However, more than relying on himself, Shay hoped for the assistance of his older brother, as he’s studied civil engineering at university and currently works in Langton’s municipal department.
If he could invite his elder brother to assist, Shay believed the Kuomake family could indeed achieve something significant in the Northern Territory.
It’s just that although his brother hadn’t fared well, he’s still held a small leadership position due to his noble title; how could Shay persuade his elder brother to come to the Northern Territory?
Shay was somewhat perplexed, he didn’t want to deceive his elder brother into coming to the Northern Territory.
After all, when he caused trouble, it was his elder brother who pleaded and pulled strings to extricate him, subsequently sending him to the Northern Territory, while he remained in Langton cleaning up after Shay.
This made Shay deeply aware he owed his elder brother so much, so he hoped his brother would come to the Northern Territory voluntarily, instead of being tricked by him.
"Forget it, just write to my brother first!" Shay ultimately decided to try writing a letter: "Dear brother, by the time you receive this letter, I have already arrived in the Northern Territory..."