When the thick iron doors of the silver treasury were pushed open, they emitted a dull, creaking groan.
Liu Lao Liu, who had been waiting outside the door all along, immediately trotted up with a bowed waist, his face plastered with a fawning smile:
"My lord, you've come out! How was... the Body Tempering Pill? Does your body feel a bit more solid?"
Lin Mo flexed his wrists and nodded with satisfaction: "The medicinal strength is not bad, my body does feel a bit lighter."
Lifting his gaze to look at Liu Lao Liu, Lin Mo proceeded to ask:
"Next in the stronghold, are there any other places we should go take a look at?"
"Ah! This way, my lord!" Liu Lao Liu instantly stepped aside and half-withdrew, wearing a posture of guidance that was practically walking backward as he eagerly pointed the way:
"Next, this little one will lead you to take a look at our stronghold's stables and workshop area?
The stables are right at the western end, next to the drill ground where the brothers usually practice martial drills.
The workshop area is on the eastern side, leaning against the cliff of the back mountain. The noisy and quiet areas are separated, not disturbing each other..."
The two of them walked one after the other across the central square, which had been tamped down with rammed earth, leaving it level and spacious.
As they crossed the rammed earth square, Lin Mo saw Lin Yi directing a few dozen clones to set up defenses.
A dozen clones holding bows and arrows were already standing atop the stronghold wall, and figures were also moving about inside the arrow towers.
The defense of the entire stronghold was being rebuilt in an orderly fashion.
"Well done." Lin Mo conveyed his approval to Lin Yi through the Consciousness Link.
"Rest assured, Master. With us here, not even a bird will fly in." Lin Yi's reply instantly rang out in his consciousness.
Lin Mo nodded with satisfaction.
Although these clones shared his memories and personality, they each possessed independent consciousness, resulting in extremely high efficiency in division of labor and cooperation.
This sense of overall control, requiring no words and sharing information in a flash, made Lin Mo once again deeply appreciate the terrifying nature of the Infinite Clone technique.
This was not just an army that was absolutely loyal and fearless of casualties, but a management and execution core with synchronized thinking and super-high efficiency.
One person was an army, and also a country.
Passing the training ground, the stables appeared before their eyes.
This was a long shed built with rough timber, about twenty zhang long and divided into a dozen compartments.
At this moment, eight horses were tied inside the shed, leisurely chewing on forage.
"My lord, please look," Liu Lao Liu pointed at the stables to introduce, "our stronghold has a total of eight fine steeds, all of which were, uh... captured from passing merchant caravans over the years."
He visibly paused when he said "captured," stealing a glance at Lin Mo's expression.
Lin Mo didn't mind these details, his gaze sweeping over the stables.
The coats of these horses were glossy and oily, their builds robust, making it obvious at a glance that they were good horses carefully fed and tended to.
The bay horse on the far end was especially spirited, with a shoulder height of nearly six chi, smooth muscle contours, and showing no panic upon seeing a stranger; instead, it raised its head and snorted.
Seeing the bay horse, Lin Mo suddenly thought of the one outside the Water Curtain Cave.
Yesterday, he had tied Hou San's captured mount next to the large tree outside the cave, intending to keep it for getting around.
As a result, during the fierce battle this morning, that horse was struck by a stray arrow and collapsed and died before lasting even a quarter of an hour.
What a pity.
Lin Mo shook his head inwardly. Though that horse wasn't as spirited as the ones before him, it was still a good horse.
"Who usually takes care of these horses?" Lin Mo asked.
"Replying to my lord, it's Old Wu the groom," Liu Lao Liu hurriedly answered. "He used to raise horses for the army in his early years, and his craft is simply wonderful! Should we call him over..."
"No need." Lin Mo waved a hand. "Tell him the stables still belong to him; do his work with care, and there will naturally be rewards."
"Yes, yes, yes! The lord is benevolent, this small one will definitely bring the word!" Flowers blossomed across Liu Lao Liu's face, his waist bending even lower.
Having inspected the stables, the two of them arrived at the workshop area on the eastern side.
This place was much larger than the stables and was divided into several zones:
The fires in the blacksmith shop had already gone out, but iron hammers, tongs, and anvil blocks were neatly arranged on the tool racks;
The carpentry workshop was piled with various timbers and semi-finished arrow shafts;
The leatherworker's shop had several tanned animal pelts hanging inside, along with a few leather armor pieces currently being sewn.
What surprised Lin Mo the most was that there was even a small winemaking workshop in the corner, with a faint aroma of wine drifting from several large pottery vats.
"These were all ordered to be built by the Three Leaders," Liu Lao Liu explained. "Great Chieftain Zhao said that if the stronghold wants to last, relying solely on raiding won't do; they must also be able to build things themselves."
Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.
This Zhao Tieshan actually had quite a bit of foresight!
He walked up to the tool rack in the blacksmith shop and picked up an iron hammer to weigh it.
The hammerhead was heavy and the handle smooth, clearly indicating frequent use.
"Where is the blacksmith?" Lin Mo asked.
"Old Chen went into town to buy pig iron the day before yesterday and hasn't returned yet," Liu Lao Liu said cautiously. "Counting the days, he should be back either today or tomorrow..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Mo had already issued an order to Lin Yi via the Consciousness Link:
[Send two people down the mountain to keep watch at the mandatory mountain route. If you see the blacksmith coming back, bring him straight up the mountain, and don't frighten him.]
[Understood.] Lin Yi immediately replied.
Having settled these miscellaneous chores, Lin Mo began to consider the relocation matters concerning the Water Curtain Cave side.
Within the Consciousness Link, he could clearly sense Lin Jiu and the others guarding the Water Curtain Cave.
The heavily injured were lying on the ground; although their wounds were healing slowly, they were unable to move in the short term.
The other ten clones were organizing the various sundries stripped off the bandits' bodies.
Transporting these supplies required manpower, and with the rugged mountain trails, the severely injured would need to be carried on stretchers.
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