Murong Huai's Plans

—Spirit City, Engineering Department.

After leaving the Pope Palace, Murong Huai set off for the Engineering Department, guided by Tu Zhen and the other man. The Spirit Hall's Engineering Department was enormous, with thousands of craftsmen working in fields ranging from construction to blacksmithing, carpentry, and stonecutting. It covered every trade under the sun, and Star Dome Valley had been built by craftsmen dispatched from there.

The Spirit Hall's Engineering Department stood in a solemn place. Its outer walls were built of dark, sturdy basalt, cold and imposing. Runes carved into them shimmered faintly, as if warding off intruders. Its lofty arched gate gaped like the mouth of a giant beast, stern and intimidating, inspiring awe before one even stepped inside.

Beyond the gate, the courtyard was spacious and immaculate. The ground was paved with smooth flagstones, polished by the passage of time to a soft sheen.

Past the courtyard lay the Engineering Hall, the heart of the department. Its furnaces blazed, and waves of heat rolled over them. In the enormous smelters, molten metal flowed like golden streams.

The craftsmen wore specially made work clothes and wielded their tools, intent on forging all kinds of weapons. The clanging of their hammers intertwined in a stirring symphony.

The surrounding walls were covered with weapon prototypes and architectural blueprints. Some were rustic, others exquisite, but all displayed the craftsmen's superb skill and boundless ingenuity.

In a corner of the hall lay a pile of rare materials, glowing with a unique light and aura.

The three of them approached the front desk, where a burly man wearing a short leather cuirass stepped forward.

"Honored sirs, this is the Spirit Hall Engineering Department. I am Zhang Wu, a master craftsman. What instructions do you have for us?"

Zhang Wu did not immediately question their identities. After all, anyone allowed in here had to hold a position of some importance.

At that, Murong Huai showed him the Pope Token.

"I need to take twenty people: fifteen master craftsmen, four grandmaster craftsmen, and one master artisan."

Craftsmanship covered a wide range of trades, with blacksmithing just one of them. Like the blacksmith ranks in the original story, the craftsmen's ranks were beginner, intermediate, advanced, master craftsman, grandmaster craftsman, master artisan, and divine artisan.

Hearing Murong Huai's request, Zhang Wu froze. The Grand Worship had ordered dozens of warships built within six months, and the Engineering Department was now working around the clock on them. They were short on manpower. But when he saw the Pope Token, he knew the man before him had to be at least an elder.

"Please forgive me, Elder. The Engineering Department is currently building warships in full force, so we can't spare that many people."

Besides, Murong Huai wanted craftsmen of master rank or higher, and those were especially hard to gather. Murong Huai didn't blame Zhang Wu for his answer; he already understood the circumstances.

"Then how many people can you spare?"

Zhang Wu worked it out carefully before replying:

"Reporting to you, Elder: we're short-handed, but we can put together twenty people. Most of our grandmaster craftsmen and master artisans have been sent to build warships. We can gather three grandmaster craftsmen and ten master craftsmen; the rest will have to be advanced craftsmen."

Murong Huai nodded.

"That'll do. But include some blacksmiths among them. Have them bring their tools to Murong Mansion tomorrow."

"Yes, Elder." Zhang Wu was a little surprised to learn the other man was from Murong Mansion, and quickly bowed.

Then Murong Huai and the others turned and left the Engineering Department.

Murong Mansion.

"Mother, could you assign me a group of people from the Martial Soul Sanctuary? I need them for something."

"Sure, that's no trouble. How many do you need?" Hearing Murong Huai's request, Wu Xianyun didn't ask what he wanted them for. She simply asked how many he needed.

"Um... about a hundred should be enough. Just regular guards." Murong Huai thought for a moment before answering.

Although Murong Huai was the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, he currently had little authority and no entourage of his own.

Wu Xianyun gestured, and a maid nearby bowed.

"Yes, Madam." Then the maid hurried out of Murong Mansion.

Less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense later, the maid returned and reported to Murong Huai:

"Young Master, everyone's waiting at the gate."

"Good, got it." Murong Huai nodded. Just then, Tu Zhen came in and first bowed to Wu Xianyun.

"Hall Master Wu."

She nodded. Then Tu Zhen took out a map and handed it to Murong Huai.

"Holy Son, the items you asked me to look into have been arranged. I've ordered the saltpeter, sulfur... about a thousand jin in total."

"Oh, saltpeter? Huai'er, isn't that for gunpowder? Are you going to make fireworks?" Wu Xianyun asked, puzzled by what Tu Zhen had said.

"Right, gunpowder, but I'm not making fireworks. I'm making firearms."

That's right. If he wanted to rapidly and dramatically strengthen the army, he had to rely on outside means. Murong Huai might not know how to make Soul Tools, but surely he knew his way around firearms.

He didn't think firearms were inferior to Soul Tools. Just how far could a Soul Tool strike? How powerful could it be?

How about blanket the globe? How about making the whole world go nuclear...? Besides, firearms didn't need Soul Power to operate, and their potential was boundless.

Murong Huai intended to make gunpowder-based firearms. As it happened, gunpowder already existed on Douluo Continent, but it hadn't really advanced beyond firecrackers and fireworks.

Only later, it seemed, did some Hidden Weapons used by Tang San's Tang Sect incorporate gunpowder, though they were still at the cold-weapon stage.

And the development of industry was a real mess. The Great Soul Arena already had electronic screens, yet long-distance communication still relied on carrier pigeons. Roads had been built, but people still traveled by carriage. He couldn't make sense of a society that was both advancing rapidly and lagging behind.

In his previous life, Murong Huai had been an overworked office drone, but he had also been a science prodigy: the nation's top science-track student and a trainee at a research institute. He had studied firearms extensively and had even worked hands-on with cannons, guns, missiles... and more.

Technology on Douluo Continent was underdeveloped, so they couldn't build any superweapons. But making simpler firearms was still feasible. And since they were heading overseas, they could mount them on the warships.

"Firearms? What's that?" Wu Xianyun asked, puzzled.

"Um... just some especially powerful fireworks, I guess..." Murong Huai thought for a moment.

"Forget it. Do whatever you like... just don't hurt yourself." Wu Xianyun waved a hand. As long as Murong Huai wanted to do it, he could do whatever he liked.

"Got it, Mother. I'll be off, then." Murong Huai grinned and left with Tu Zhen.

Outside Murong Mansion, a hundred fully equipped guards from the Martial Soul Sanctuary stood in neat formation. Murong Huai nodded in satisfaction at the sight.

"Good. Tu Zhen, take them and bring all the saltpeter, sulfur... everything we ordered, into Murong Mansion."

"Yes, Holy Son."

Once he had everything arranged, Murong Huai went inside. When he reached his room, he took out a pen and began to draw on a sheet of paper. The pen moved deftly in his hand; with a casual stroke, he drew a perfectly straight line, and his curves were just as precise. It was a skill honed in his previous life: his eyes were a ruler, his hand a machine tool.

After a while, the desk was covered with blueprints: the cannon carriage, the measurements of the components... and more. The drawing in the very center showed a cannon, with the words "Red Barbarian Cannon" written beside it.

Indeed, Murong Huai had drawn a Red Barbarian Cannon. It had a long range and great firepower, and could be mounted on warships, greatly enhancing the Spirit Hall army's ability to fight at sea.

Besides, the Red Barbarian Cannon wasn't especially difficult to build. Its exact power still needed to be tested, but it would certainly live up to expectations.

The reason he hadn't simply told Qian Daoliu and the others was that the people of Douluo Continent had little understanding of firearms. Better to build one first and let the facts speak for themselves.

Besides, Murong Huai had great confidence in them. A weapon refined over a thousand years would surely shine brilliantly on Douluo Continent.