14: Day Six

Shen Xiaochuan walked out of the Blacksmith Shop, leaving the heat behind him. He stood at the entrance, looking toward the haystack by the wall.

Lolia lay there, her head tilted to one side, her breathing shallow. She still clutched half a blueprint in her hand, her knuckles white.

Shen Xiaochuan walked over, squatted down, and gently touched her shoulder.

She jerked awake, her eyes snapping open.

"Lord God?"

"You're sleeping here?"

"I... I just wanted to rest for a moment."

She sat up, quickly hiding the blueprint behind her back. "The weapon design is almost finished."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at her face. It was smeared with soot, and her lips were dry and peeling. "How long has it been since you changed your clothes?"

Lolia looked down. "This set is still wearable."

"There are empty rooms in the Blacksmith Shop. Why don't you stay inside?"

"The workers are all busy; I didn't want to cause trouble."

Shen Xiaochuan stood up. "From now on, you'll stay in that room inside. The door faces south, so the lighting is good."

"But that's a warehouse..."

"It's your room now."

He turned and shouted, "Chen Yan!"

Chen Yan ran over immediately. "Present!"

"Take two people and move Lolia's things into the main house. Then find two sets of new clothes—make sure the fabric is soft so she doesn't have an allergic reaction."

"Yes, sir!"

"Also, add an extra portion of meat to her meals every day. Put it on my tab."

Chen Yan glanced at Lolia, nodded, and left.

Shen Xiaochuan turned back. "Follow me in."

Lolia followed him into the inner room. The room wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy, with a new wooden bed in the corner.

"You'll live here from now on."

He said, "I won't take no for an answer."

Lolia stood at the door, her fingers pinching the hem of her clothes.

"I know you were brought here as a captive."

Shen Xiaochuan spoke, "But I judge people by their ability, not their origin. You can repair mining machines and draw war spear blueprints; that's real skill. Skydome City's construction depends on people like you."

She looked up. "I want to stay. Not because of the room, but... because here, I feel useful."

"Then don't waste time."

Shen Xiaochuan opened the Faith Mall. "You said you needed a High-Pressure Forging Machine? I've already exchanged for the blueprints."

A light flickered in Lolia's eyes. "With that, bloodline ore can be refined stably, and the success rate for the new war spears could rise to seventy percent."

"Not enough."

"How much do you want to reach?"

"One hundred percent."

"Impossible."

She shook her head. "Materials have Impurities, and processes have errors. Even the most skilled Artisan will produce defects. The best masters of our Dwarf Race can only achieve ninety-two percent."

"I said one hundred percent."

Lolia looked at him. "Do you even know how difficult it is to forge an excellent grade weapon?"

"I know."

Shen Xiaochuan clicked on the mall. "That's why I prepared this."

A blueprint popped up on the screen: [Precision Iron-Forging Technique · Intermediate].

Price: 500 faith points.

He clicked to exchange.

[Exchange Successful]

A scroll with a metallic sheen fell into his hand. He handed it to Lolia.

"What era of craftsmanship is this from?"

"The future."

"The future?"

"Three hundred years from now."

He said, "It's two Ranks higher than current technology. Combined with the High-Pressure Forging Machine, it can control errors within a thousandth of a millimeter."

Lolia took the scroll, her hands trembling slightly.

"This thing... could change the entire forging system."

"Then go change it."

She looked up. "I can make the new war spears you want. But excellent grade weapons have a problem—the probability of advancement is extremely low. Legend has it in our tribe that for every thousand forged, only one might possess a faint innate spirituality."

"What does 'innate spirituality' mean?"

"It means it can absorb energy on its own and slowly improve its quality. For example, a common spear might become Fine-grade or even excellent grade after long-term use."

"A one-in-a-thousand chance?"

"Yes."

Shen Xiaochuan touched the copper gear on his cuff. "That's enough. As long as there's a sliver of a chance, I'll dare to invest resources."

He walked toward the door. "Starting today, you have full authority over weapon research and development. I'll assign two warriors to protect you. No one is allowed to disturb your work without my order."

"Why do you value me so much?"

"Because what you do determines whether Skydome City can survive."

He said, "Others compete with manpower; I compete with equipment. When the enemy's blades are still Fine-grade, my soldiers will already be taking excellent grade weapons onto the battlefield."

Lolia stood there, clutching the scroll.

"I won't let you down."

Shen Xiaochuan stopped and looked back at her. "One more thing."

"Yes?" Lolia looked up slightly, her eyes filled with exhaustion.

"Stop staying up all night. Look at you, your dark circles are so heavy."

Shen Xiaochuan pointed at her eyes. "If you collapse, progress stops. I want you to be able to keep working for the long haul, not just one desperate burst."

She didn't speak.

"Tomorrow morning, I want to see the first test report for the new process. It can be late, but it must be done."

"Can I ask a question?" Lolia suddenly spoke.

"Ask."

"Why do you believe I can do it? Just because I drew a few blueprints?"

"More than that."

Shen Xiaochuan turned back. "You were still muttering about mining safety before you fell ill, and you were still drawing design blueprints while unconscious. If I don't believe in someone like you, who should I believe in?"

With that, he turned and left.

Outside the door, two warriors were already lined up and waiting.

"You have only one task—ensure Lolia's safety. Guard the door when she eats, and guard the window when she sleeps. Report any abnormalities immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Shen Xiaochuan glanced at the closed door and walked away.

People were streaming across the plaza. New grain storage sheds were being heightened, and workers were carrying timber back and forth.

He walked to the notice board, picked up a charcoal pen, and wrote:

Divine Kingdom Calendar, Year 1, Day 5. Today, the upgrade of the Divine Kingdom is complete. The area has reached five million square meters, with new residential areas and exclusive building modules added.

Unlock conditions for Special-grade Divine Kingdom updated: Must possess three large resource mines, one hundred thousand Believers, and at least one mass-produced excellent grade weapon.

Current progress: Resource mines x1, Believers 8,300, weapon Rank stalled at Fine-grade.

The gap is significant.

He put down the pen and looked toward the Blacksmith Shop.

It was brightly lit over there.

He knew that Lolia had already started working.

The next morning, as soon as Shen Xiaochuan stepped into the plaza, Chen Yan ran toward him.

"There's news from Lolia's side."

"Speak."

"She didn't sleep last night. She stayed up all night and conducted seven rounds of tests with three Artisans. The High-Pressure Forging Machine is installed, and the [Precision Iron-Forging Technique] has completed its preliminary adaptation."

"The result?"

"The first batch of prototype war spears, ten in total."

Chen Yan's voice lowered. "One of them was detected as excellent grade."

Shen Xiaochuan's footsteps came to a sudden halt.

"Which one?"

Chen Yan handed over a metal tag. "Serial number 007. The detector automatically marked it with a red light."

Shen Xiaochuan took the tag; it was engraved with a fine line and felt slightly warm to the touch.

"She asked me to tell you something."

Chen Yan's tone turned excited.

"Oh? What?"

Shen Xiaochuan raised an eyebrow.

"She said—it wasn't luck."

Chen Yan's voice rose a bit, as if he were also proud of her.

Shen Xiaochuan gripped the metal tag and walked toward the Blacksmith Shop.

Pushing open the door, he saw Lolia slumped over the table.

Her face was covered in sweat, her hair was stuck to her forehead, and she still held the charcoal pen in her hand.

A thick stack of papers lay on the table, all covered in dense data logs.

Shen Xiaochuan did not wake her.

He took off his outer coat and gently draped it over her, then picked up the top sheet of paper.

The title read: [First Day Test Report for the New War Spear].

Below it, seven sets of data were listed, covering temperature, pressure, cooling time, metal crystallinity... The end read:

[With the support of Precision Iron-Forging Technique, the High-Pressure Forging Machine can stably output products approaching excellent grade standards. The current Bottleneck is not the equipment, but the physical limits of the operators. Suggestion: Increase the number of shift Artisans and establish a standardized process.]

After reading it, Shen Xiaochuan gently placed the paper back.

He looked at the forging machine in the corner. The casing wasn't fully assembled yet, and several pipes were exposed, but the core had already begun to operate, emitting a low hum.

He turned to leave and said to the guards, "If anyone comes looking for her today, tell them she's resting. No one is to wake her without my order."

"Yes, sir!"

Shen Xiaochuan walked toward the main hall, passing an open space.

Workers were digging foundations.

Someone recognized him and shouted, "Lord God!"

The others stopped their work one after another and looked toward him.

Shen Xiaochuan raised his hand in acknowledgment and continued forward.