Meanwhile, some movement came from outside the courtyard gate, the rolling of cart wheels and the shouts of porters carrying things into the house.
Lin Xiao sat up and stretched.
He did not expect them to deliver that batch of ores and forging materials he had promised so quickly.
He opened the door.
A deacon in charge of transport immediately walked over.
"Sorry, did we wake you up?"
Lin Xiao shook his head slightly.
"What are all these materials?"
The deacon turned sideways to point at a row of fully packed wooden boxes and iron crates outside the courtyard gate, speaking respectfully:
"Inside are dark iron, refined steel, ink-patterned ore, as well as mica, quenching sand, and various forging auxiliaries.
In addition, there are all kinds of hardwoods and softwoods.
The Sect Master specifically instructed that a copy of every usable material that could be collected on the market should be sent over."
Then this deacon pointed to another side.
"Over here is the forging table we set up, along with a melting furnace for iron smelting. If you need it, we can take charge and help out."
Lin Xiao was greatly shocked.
Such high efficiency?
They got everything ready for me in just one morning?
Having them help out was fine too, as he could save some of his own soul power.
He looked at the deacon beside him and spoke:
"Then, I'll trouble you."
"It's no trouble, it's our duty."
The deacon acknowledged, directing his subordinate disciples to unload the crates of ores and lumber all over the open space in the courtyard.
Then he stood aside with his manpower, ready to assist at any time.
Lin Xiao came to a crate of dark iron and reached out, wanting to pick it up for inspection.
Yet this fist-sized piece of iron had a frighteningly heavy weight.
He mustered his strength and finally managed to lift the iron chunk out of the crate.
"Good grief, so heavy."
Lin Xiao clicked his tongue inwardly.
Yet the heavier this iron was, the higher its hardness, and the better the effect of the things crafted from it would be.
"Gugas! To work! Today's task is to forge a set of armor for me! Make it handsome! Make it hard! Make it upright!"
"Guga?"
The leading Mechanic Guga scratched his head.
Then he lay on the ground and began drawing blueprints together with the other nine Mechanic Gugas.
Lin Xiao looked at the somewhat crude armor on the blueprints and frowned, for this was different from what he had imagined.
"Guga, can you build me one like Iron Man?"
The leading Mechanic Guga thought for a while, then shook his head like a rattle-drum.
Guga cannot do it, it seems like something has locked the blueprint, Guga.
There were restrictions?
Then that should be the reason for the spirit rings.
It seemed that only by obtaining new spirit rings could he gradually unlock their stronger abilities.
Still, before that, he still had to practice some life-saving equipment.
Just like playing an online game, although the later equipment was fiercer and stronger, low-tier equipment in the early stage was also indispensable.
"Little Gugas, then draw the highest tier you currently have."
"Leave it to us, Guga!"
The leading Mechanic Guga patted his chest and bent down to start drawing again.
After about half an hour.
"Da-da~ It's drawn, Guga!"
The leading Mechanic Guga raised the construction blueprint with both hands to display it.
Lin Xiao tilted his head, feeling somewhat displeased no matter how he looked at it.
"Tch, this version doesn't look good."
The leading Mechanic Guga nodded and then continued to modify it.
"No, this version is too clumsy."
He continued to modify it.
"I think the lines should be more graceful—"
Then he modified it again.
Pondering for a long time, Lin Xiao pinched his chin:
"Mm... Let's just go with the first version."
Busy for a long time, the Mechanic Gugas who had repeatedly modified the diagram instantly blew their tops.
They threw their pens to the ground and jumped on their feet, shouting loudly.
"Guga-guga!!!"
Lin Xiao smiled apologetically and quickly reached out to appease Little Guga.
"Alright, alright, just this version, I won't change it anymore."
"Guga!"
The Mechanic Gugas puffed out their cheeks and used the first version after the blueprint had been modified.
Meanwhile, the people waiting on the side all looked at those ten Gugas with curious expressions.
Seeing this scene, they couldn't help but sigh with emotion:
As expected of the sect's newly emerging genius.
Even this martial soul surpassed common sense, and its intelligence was so high it could even argue with its master!
Truly admirable.
Once the design blueprints for the armor were finalized, the Gugas began to revolve like a precision machine.
The Blacksmith Gugas first classified and sorted all materials properly, adjusted the proportions, and prepared to melt multiple ores together to forge alloys with higher strength.
"Refined steel, crimson steel... send these next to melting furnace number one, Guga!"
"Cold iron, mercury... send these next to melting furnace number two, Guga!"
Ten Blacksmith Gugas were each responsible for smelting a special metal.
The remaining Gugas didn't say a word as each shouldered a crate of metals, transporting them to the designated location and feeding them into the melting furnaces in batches.
This left the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples who were helping with the transport dumbfounded.
Those crates filled with metal ores were quite strenuous even for two adult disciples to lift together.
Yet this group of little fellows could actually lift a crate each with utter ease?!
Was this reasonable?!!
The melting furnaces burned fiercely, crimson firelight continuously surging, and the temperature in the courtyard rose visibly step by step.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples were all baked into heavy sweating by the heat wave, their clothes soaked through by sweat.
In contrast, Lin Xiao sat leisurely in the reclining chair of the garden, eating fruit while enjoying a breeze fanned by Little Guga.
He took another deep sip of the juice made by Chef Guga, letting out a sound of refreshing satisfaction.
Sip--ha~ refreshing~~
Yet this scene made those working disciples itch with teeth-grinding anger.
Damnable! The most heinous of slave-owners!
Everyone's intestines turned green with regret at this moment.
Had they known it would be this kind of treatment, they would never have run over to do manual labor just to curry favor with this genius.
If they actively came over again next time, they would be dogs!!
The Blacksmith Guga glanced at the metal state inside the melting furnace and hurriedly gave an order.
"Guga! Prepare to beat the iron! Hit it heavily! Guga!"
"I can't do it anymore, I can't do it anymore, I really can't work anymore..."
"Ah--I can't do it either, my back is about to break..."
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples collapsed one by one, lacking even the strength to stand up.
The Evil Fat Gugas looked disgusted, grabbing two people at once with a goose-neck and tossing them aside to prevent them from affecting the work.
Meanwhile, several anvils were surrounded by a few Gugas holding large hammers.
The heavy hammers swung out a perfect arc.
"Clang!!"
Iron sparks flew in all directions.
Immediately after, the next hammer perfectly timed the strike and came down.
"Clang!!!"
"Ga!"
"Guga!"
"Ga!"
"Guga!"
As the chants rang out, Guga beat rhythmically with hammer after hammer.
That strength was comparable to a hydraulic press, and every strike sent up a large spray of impurities.
The deafening sound of clanging echoed endlessly.
A disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stared intently at Guga swinging forging hammers taller than themselves, their throat bobbing as they swallowed.
So terrifying... Is this really a Martial Soul that only just awakened not long ago?! I feel like if I took a single blow from that hammer, my brains would splatter seven miles away.
Another disciple beside them nodded repeatedly, their face pale.
The piercing sound of just that forging hammer cleaving through the air was enough to make one's heart race with numbness, and it was hard to imagine what the fate would be of taking a solid hit.
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