"Instructor? Me?"
The old man pointed at himself, eyes widening in surprise.
"My lord, I never received higher education. I only learned some basic grammar and arithmetic before beginning to work. I fear I cannot be competent for this."
"To serve as a guide caring for and teaching these children the most basic knowledge would already be a great honor for me. For those more advanced levels of grammar and techniques, you might need to find someone else..."
"Don't be so quick to refuse."
Levi interrupted the old man, saying: "Many wise people in this world appear quite modest, so modest that even they themselves think they're just ordinary people who understand nothing."
"Modesty is good, but being modest all the time will truly bury wisdom."
"Sometimes, whether you're competent for something isn't decided just by what you say. It needs to be tested through practice."
"Regarding history, grammar, arithmetic, and knowledge of various crafts, I have some understanding too."
During his seclusion at Orthanc tower, he had indeed read quite a few books on these subjects.
"I think I can still judge whether someone is qualified for educational activities."
"How about this? Let's have a job interview test."
That morning, due to the lord's sudden visit and the impromptu teacher qualification test, the children were given half a day off. They returned home to tell their families about what they'd seen in class.
The child whose head Levi had patted straightened his back even more as he walked through his front door.
His posture looked like he might knock down the doorframe.
In the temporary classroom, after all the children had gone home, Levi quickly prepared exam questions and handed paper and pen to the old scholar.
The old scholar nervously accepted the exam paper, looking at its contents.
This was a comprehensive exam covering arithmetic, history, mythology, poetry, grammar, and some common legal knowledge of kingdoms.
However, aside from one or two arithmetic problems that made him question what he'd actually learned over the past decades, the other questions were quite simple, practically effortless.
Looking at the answers, Levi knew that compared to this old man's decades of learning, the few stacks of books he'd read during those dozens of days at Orthanc tower were truly quite inadequate.
"Very good insights."
Never mind being a teacher. He was qualified to be a principal.
"It's decided then."
Levi made the decision and asked:
"What's your name?"
"Tabor."
The old scholar gave his name.
"Good, Tabor. You've proven your learning. What you studied in the past wasn't useless at all."
"I'm entrusting Roadside Fort's children to your care."
"However, we still need to carefully consider the specific details."
After the impromptu exam, an impromptu small meeting was held in this room.
About specific educational methods and models.
After discussing with Tabor, Levi chose to directly model after Gondor, though the difference was that in Gondor, only a few people had the qualifications or resources for higher education.
But in Roadside Fort, this would be something everyone had to experience.
If successful, this would create a force where all members had extremely high cultivation...
There were actually forces in Middle-earth that could achieve this, like the neighbors.
The Northern Rangers, or rather the Dúnedain Rangers.
However, they had good reasons for achieving this.
After all, the Rangers were entirely Dúnedain, bloodlines called kings among men, with three times the lifespan of ordinary humans.
Plus, they all originated from the Kingdom of Númenor, a powerful kingdom that, like Levi, could build sky roads as minor projects.
Though probably not as quickly as Levi.
Númenor was once the most prosperous kingdom in the entire world, at least before Númenor's last king tried to conquer Valinor by force to achieve immortality. Before that, the kingdom was quite prosperous.
As for the consequences of their march on Valinor...
Just look at the sea. Númenor now lies beneath it.
The reason for sinking was that the king stepped onto Valinor with his left foot first, and before he could celebrate, his kingdom was directly destroyed.
Before Númenor sank, only a small portion of people escaped. They established two kingdoms, one called Arnor, which fought the Witch-king for over six hundred years until collapse, and one called Gondor, currently fighting hotly with Mordor.
The Northern Rangers were a tribe formed after the collapse and dissolution of the Kingdom of Arnor. All Dúnedain in this tribe could be said to be the most orthodox inheritors of Númenor's royal lineage.
But speaking of it, the Rangers' universally high cultivation and their literary and martial abilities also had a reason. Their numbers were really too few, fewer than elves anywhere. Give them a month to gather, and they might not even muster a few hundred people.
With few people, they were easier to lead, so the average was easier to raise.
"Maybe we could invite some Rangers to be teachers."
After establishing the school construction project, Levi thought of these Rangers.
Any Rangers of some age could completely serve as instructors, whether for history and grammar or physical education.
But whether they'd be willing was another matter.
Several days later, Roadside Fort's first school was established, with the old scholar Tabor from Gondor serving as the first principal, managing affairs in all aspects.
Levi served as honorary principal, responsible for slacking off and going offline.
This newly established makeshift team could be said to have broken the heart of newly appointed old Tabor.
Too many people signed up to study, including many adults.
Because Levi said those who couldn't read or had never attended school but wanted to now could be taught as much as possible. Just open more classes.
Tabor didn't know what "as much as possible" really meant, so he could only try to satisfy everyone.
"Why do they all want to attend school so much?"
"I've never seen farmers and various workers anywhere so enthusiastic about learning."
Old Tabor expressed his confusion.
"That's because people elsewhere don't have time. Everyone's busy just staying alive. Who has the mood to think about this?"
"Moreover, there's another point. Because our lord supports doing this."
Community representative Old Wade answered while registering.
"Even I want to make it easier for our lord to understand when I write reports. You won't refuse to teach me, will you?"
Looking at Wade, who was even older than himself, Tabor helplessly pursed his lips.
"Fine, fine, fine. Just remember not to be late."
"Don't worry. After all, there's only so much work. I'll arrange my time well."
"Sigh..."
Though affairs were numerous, what was comforting was that as time passed and the lord's fame and rumors spread to more places, the territory's population was steadily growing.
Even if not particularly outstanding, people who could support this school could still be found.
As for those who were qualified but nervous, shy, or not very enthusiastic about the job.
Just mention that the lord was honorary principal, and they'd immediately act as if possessed by something, actively taking on some duty.
As for their questions about when they could see the lord personally teach classes.
Tabor could only answer: "I don't know."
Because the lord had run off again.