165: Divine Arm Bow!

Lin Yue and Feng Cai ran to the blacksmith's shop and found it filled with cheers!

The blacksmith's shop, usually clanging and bustling with activity, had all stopped today.

Dozens of blacksmiths gathered, watching Li Hong, who was excitedly laughing like a madman.

Feng Cai pushed through the crowd and asked breathlessly, "Li Hong, what happened?"

"Village Chief," Li Hong replied, regaining his composure with a smile.

"It's Town Chief," Feng Cai corrected, catching his breath.

Lin Yue's eyes burned as he looked at the longbow in Li Hong's hand. He pushed Feng Cai aside and asked, "What is that you're holding?"

"My Lord, I was just about to show it to you. This is a new longbow I've spent months developing, and it's finally successful today!" Li Hong said excitedly, then handed the longbow to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue took the longbow, examining it carefully, while Li Hong explained:

"This bow is three feet three inches long, with a string length of two feet five inches. Its maximum range can reach over two hundred and forty paces, but it hasn't undergone complete testing yet. The exact data still needs detailed measurement to be confirmed.

But what I can confirm is that this crossbow is far superior to the current Qin Crossbow!"

"Two hundred and forty paces?" Lin Yue was surprised. This was almost on par with the Divine Arm Bow of the Song Dynasty!

Wait, wasn't Li Hong from the Song Dynasty? Lin Yue thought to himself.

He then suppressed his excitement and asked, "What is this longbow called?"

Li Hong smiled and said, "Although this object resembles a longbow and is vertically mounted, I prefer to call it a crossbow.

Because this type of crossbow's stock doesn't have an arrow groove, and when fired, the arrow is on one side of the stock, so I named it the Side-Mounted Crossbow!"

"Side-Mounted Crossbow?" The more Lin Yue listened, the more familiar it sounded. Suddenly, he remembered, wasn't this the Divine Arm Bow of the Song Dynasty!

"Do you have the blueprints?" Lin Yue asked calmly.

"Yes, My Lord, please wait." Li Hong said, then began searching, finally pulling out a blueprint from his chest and handing it to Lin Yue.

[Congratulations, Player, you have obtained Song Dynasty Technology: Divine Arm Bow!]

[The Divine Arm Bow can be used in the game. We wish you a pleasant game!]

It really was the Divine Arm Bow!

Lin Yue was overjoyed. This Li Hong was actually the person who invented the Divine Arm Bow in history!

It seems that the people summoned by the unique building, Golden Terrace, are indeed not to be underestimated!

He had originally intended for him to simply increase the output of the blacksmith's shop, but he hadn't expected him to develop the Divine Arm Bow. With the Divine Arm Bow's emergence, it could be said that he now possessed the most advanced crossbow in the game!

Over-era technology in the game is universally unusable. Simply put, if a player tries to create tools in the game based on knowledge beyond the game's background era, they will only end up with a pile of scrap metal.

To create some advanced tools, only natives or NPCs can succeed!

Therefore, such talent is especially valuable!

And Li Hong was precisely such a talent!

Today, Li Hong presented him with a great gift!

"You've done well, Feng Cai!" Lin Yue said.

"This old man is here!" Feng Cai hastily responded.

"Reward him with one thousand taels of silver! Order someone to build a large house for Li Hong! And assign two Soldiers to protect him around the clock. From now on, whatever he needs, you must support him with all your might!" Lin Yue said.

"My Lord, the town is still developing. Is one thousand taels of silver not a bit too much?" Feng Cai whispered after much hesitation.

He was a bit reluctant to immediately reward Li Hong with a month's income for the town. Those one thousand taels would have a much greater impact if used for the town's construction.

"Not too much, I even think it's too little!

You don't understand the value in this. Just do as I say." Lin Yue said unequivocally.

Li Hong hesitated upon hearing this, then said softly, "My Lord, I am very content to be able to help the town. Besides, I don't need that much silver."

Lin Yue smiled at Li Hong and said:

"Don't overthink it. Rewards for merit, punishments for faults, and you deserve these rewards.

If you think you can't spend it all, then use the silver to build houses, give it away, or even throw it away—do whatever makes you happy!"

Lin Yue didn't believe anyone would be uninterested in money. If there was, it must be because they had too much money to spend!

As for what Feng Cai said, he was completely against it.

Must such craftsmen or inventors, no matter how great their achievements, live a life of poverty?

Even more so, some dedicate their entire lives to working anonymously and silently. These people earned Lin Yue's admiration, but also his confusion.

They should have received better treatment. If their safety was a concern, they should have been assigned guards, not forced to live in anonymity!

At the same time, the income of artists was worlds apart!

These people, who dedicated their lives and propelled development, completely deserved a better life!

Instead of glorifying hardship, which Lin Yue strongly disliked.

"This Subordinate thanks My Lord!" Li Hong's voice choked up slightly.

A scholar dies for his confidant. At this moment, Li Hong was willing to dedicate his life to Lin Yue!

[Li Hong's Loyalty has reached 100, becoming a die-hard loyalist!]

[Li Hong has become a die-hard loyalist. Reward Player with Lucky Small Treasure Chest x 1]

"No need for formalities, this is what you deserve. From now on, your task is to forge Divine Arm Bows. How many can you forge in a day?" Lin Yue asked.

"If I am given ten men, I can forge three hundred Divine Arm Bows in a month!

If all fifty men in this blacksmith's shop were to forge Divine Arm Bows, I could forge one thousand five hundred Divine Arm Bows in a month!" Li Hong said.

"Then find ten loyal and reliable people to forge Divine Arm Bows. This matter must be kept secret.

Additionally, the monthly wages for personnel involved in forging Divine Arm Bows will be doubled." Lin Yue said.

"Yes!" Li Hong responded.

Lin Yue nodded. Being able to forge three hundred Divine Arm Bows a month meant three thousand six hundred a year, which was already sufficient for now.

As for using all the blacksmiths to forge Divine Arm Bows, that would affect the forging of other ironware or farm tools, impacting income.

After all, the development of the town was the most important thing right now, and they couldn't put the cart before the horse.

Moreover, not everyone could use the Divine Arm Bow.

The selection criteria for Song Dynasty Divine Arm Crossbowmen was that they had to hit five out of ten targets from one hundred and twenty paces away to become a Divine Arm Crossbowman.

Forging too many now would be useless.

As for using Divine Arm Bows in the Military Camp, Lin Yue had no such intention. He didn't want the Divine Arm Bow to appear on the battlefield so early.

After all, the Great Wall Legion's current Qin Crossbows were already sufficient against enemies. Using the Divine Arm Crossbow would be overkill, like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut, and would increase the risk of exposure!

If everyone had Divine Arm Bows then, the advantage of the Divine Arm Bow would no longer be apparent.

Lin Yue then put the Divine Arm Bow from Li Hong's hand into his spatial ring and walked out with a hearty laugh.

Returning to his Fief this time was simply a streak of good luck!

He would take advantage of this good luck and open the one Lucky Large Treasure Chest from Zong Ze, and the two Lucky Small Treasure Chests!

[Player opened Lucky Small Treasure Chest x 2]

[Congratulations, Player, you have obtained happy fatty water (200ml) x 24!

Congratulations, Player, you have obtained Toothbrush x 1, Toothpaste x 10!]

[Player opened Lucky Large Treasure Chest!]

[Congratulations, Player, you have obtained Ge Ge Chicken x 1!]

[Ge Ge Chicken: A chicken that defies biological principles, it can absorb the essence of heaven and earth to lay nutrient-rich eggs!]

Ge Ge Chicken? Laying eggs?

Lin Yue remembered that when he first entered the game, someone opened a Lucky Small Treasure Chest and got a chicken that laid an egg with every jump. How was it his turn this time?

Meanwhile, Xu Yilu in the game, holding a dispirited, somewhat wilted chicken, suddenly sneezed.

He and the others sat around a bonfire, staring intently at a pot of boiled eggs over the fire!