"I've done everything I can to repair them, sir." The white-haired old man took off his hat, swallowed hard, and swore with conviction, "They won't cause any trouble."
Inside the white-haired old man's carriage, there wasn't any cargo loaded—only two equally uneasy brown-haired young men and all sorts of tools, practically making it a mobile workshop.
…
Winters' "caravan" did not include any certified steel guild blacksmiths—on this matter, he neither exploited loopholes nor played word games. Instead, there were several craftsmen from other trades, men like the white-haired old man Neufer and his two apprentices, who had lost everything in the great fire and fallen into debt.
Faced with a contract that offered enough advance payment to clear his debts and buy a workshop, the old man Neufer signed the "five years of service" agreement without hesitation. Other craftsmen did the same; anyone willing to go to the Newly Reclaimed Land was welcomed by Winters.
