After leaving the house where Dean Chen had been settled, Lin Mo still wore a somewhat complicated expression.
Who could have imagined that the academy leader who always wore a stern face in the real world and showed no mercy when disciplining students
would appear here in such a miserable state?
Still, he quickly pushed aside those thoughts.
There were more important matters at hand.
Outside, on the rammed-earth Square of the Mountain Stronghold, most of the well-fed Clones were still sprawled around, digesting their meal in a thoroughly lazy scene.
Lin Mo's thoughts stirred, and a clear command was transmitted through the Consciousness Link:
"Lin Yi, take a head count and prepare to receive the new brothers. Have clothes ready outside the Silver Vault and maintain order."
A crisp reply instantly came from the other end of the link: "Understood, my lord."
With everything arranged, he did not linger. He went straight to the Silver Vault.
The redwood cabinet was opened once more. Fifteen blue-and-white porcelain bottles stood in neat rows, their surfaces warm and lustrous as the fragrance of medicine drifted faintly from within.
He sat cross-legged, poured out two Blood Replenishing Pills as red as blood, and swallowed them in one go.
The pills melted as soon as they entered his throat, turning into two warm currents that surged along his meridians toward every limb and bone.
The numbers on the status bar began to fluctuate:
[Essence Blood: 140/400]→[340/400]
"Begin production."
Lin Mo closed his eyes and focused his mind.
[Essence Blood-10],[Essence Blood-10],[Essence-10]...
Deep within his consciousness, system notifications flashed past like a waterfall.
Ripples resembling waves began to spread densely through the air.
One ring, two rings, three rings... Layer upon layer of ripples almost filled the entire Silver Vault.
The first naked figure condensed into existence at the center of the ripples, followed by a second, then a third...
The Silver Vault had limited space. The moment a newly born Clone took shape, the Old Clones waiting nearby pushed him outside. "Out, out! Don't block the way! Next!"
"I haven't put on any clothes yet!"
"There are clothes outside! Get them yourself!"
"Move faster! The lord still has to continue!"
Outside the Silver Vault, Lin Yi had long since prepared a mountain of coarse-cloth clothes as ordered.
Thus, one naked Lin Mo after another filed out of the Silver Vault, only to be shoved a set of clothes and hurriedly struggle into them.
"How do I put this sleeve on?"
"You're stepping on my foot!"
"Stop pushing! Line up!"
Five hundred identical men were packed together outside the Silver Vault.
Liu Lao Liu stood some distance away, staring in stupefaction. The teapot in his hand nearly fell to the ground.
"G-Great heavens..." His voice trembled. "This, this, this... Is this the art of scattering beans to create soldiers? An immortal's technique! It's definitely an immortal's technique!"
Time passed amid the dimness of the Silver Vault and the clamor of the Square.
Lin Mo was like a precision machine, repeating the cycle of "taking medicine—production."
The Blood Replenishing Pills dwindled one after another, while the Clones were born in batches.
After more than an hour, Lin Mo slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air.
Fifty Blood Replenishing Pills had been completely consumed.
Meanwhile, the rammed-earth Square outside the Silver Vault had been completely filled with a sea of dark heads.
Everyone wore the same coarse-cloth clothes, had the same short haircut, and the same face. Their gazes were sharp, and their physiques robust.
They had all inherited Lin Mo's level-seven All Attributes, as well as his Constitution, which had risen to 46 points after taking the Body Tempering Pill!
"My lord." Lin Yi stepped out from the crowd, his voice filled with barely restrained excitement. "Everyone is here."
Lin Mo rose to his feet and slowly swept his gaze across this sea of "himself."
"Lin Yi, select one hundred men from the old brothers. Together with these five hundred Newcomers, form a six-hundred-man punitive force."
He issued the order in a deep voice. "The remaining 417 will stay behind at the Mountain Stronghold, responsible for defense and caring for the wounded."
"Yes!" Lin Yi accepted the order, but then asked, "My lord, who are we going to punish?"
"Wild Wolf Valley." A sharp glint flashed through Lin Mo's eyes. "That valley belongs to us now. But before that, we have to clear out its 'native inhabitants.'"
He turned to Lin Er. "Take some men to the warehouse and find that packet of Blood Badger Powder among the old hunter's relics from Water Curtain Cave. Also, prepare enough dried rations and waterskins to feed six hundred men for three days."
"Understood!" Lin Er turned and hurried away.
One order after another was issued, and the entire Mountain Stronghold sprang into motion.
The armory was opened, and long blades, spears, and bows and arrows were handed out. Dried rations and waterskins were quickly packed, while the troops began reorganizing and forming ranks.
A quarter of an hour later, everything was ready.
Six hundred Clones stood in neat formation, a dark mass that nearly filled the entire Square.
They had all changed into the standard equipment issued from the armory:
Coarse-cloth battle robes, simple Leather Armor, long blades or spears in hand, and waterskins and ration bags hanging from their waists.
Though the equipment was crude, the murderous aura they radiated made Liu Lao Liu and the several surrendered bandits standing nearby watch the ceremony turn pale.
"My heavens..." one bandit muttered under his breath. "This presence is more frightening than the elite border troops..."
Lin Mo stood at the head of the formation. His Fine Iron Chainmail reflected the daylight, while the Fine Steel Mountain-Splitting Axe resting on his shoulder gleamed with a cold radiance.
Lin Er hurried forward and presented a small cloth bundle. "My lord, the Blood Badger Powder."
Lin Mo took the bundle and weighed it in his hand. It was roughly one pound.
He carefully opened the oil paper. Inside was a dark-red fine powder that gave off a pungent, fishy stench.
[Item: Blood Badger Powder ×1 packet] [Type: Special Item] [Effect: When scattered, it can drive beasts into a frenzy, causing them to lose the ability to distinguish friend from foe and slaughter one another. Effective range: fifty zhang in all directions. Duration: one quarter of an hour.] [Note: The old hunter's prized treasure, a sharp weapon for dealing with wolf packs. Use with caution.]
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