Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 676 You are so proficient in the art of weapon crafting?
"Go and see how things are going with Yao Puti and Li Yu."

Zhang Yuan moved swiftly, stepping forward and landing on the hovering Zhenhai Boat.

Over there, the flames of the alchemy furnace rose high, and the firelight of the weapon-refining furnace soared into the sky.

Scattered scales, armor, tendons, and bones are being delivered in bundles.

Inside the massive cabin of the Zhenhai Ship, the workshop had now transformed into a bustling hub of activity.

The rich aroma of the furnace, mixed with the blue smoke from the freshly quenched iron, filled the air, and the clanging of hammering metal sounded like the stirring drums of war.

Accompanied by master craftsman Li Yu, Zhang Yuan strolled through the sweltering heat filled with various monster materials.

The first thing that catches the eye is the forging area.

Several master craftsmen from the Ministry of Works were directing artisans to process the mountain of black tortoise shell fragments.

Tabletop-sized pieces of dark blue tortoise shells, gleaming with a metallic sheen, were thrown into a specially made furnace to soften them, and then shaped by strongmen with heavy hammers.

“My lord, please take a look,” Li Yu said, picking up a newly forged tower shield blank. The rough surface was still warm. “This was made by hammering the shell scales of the Vajra Realm Xuanjia Turtle, fusing them with Xuan Iron Essence, and then quenching it with the ‘Xuanwu Solidifying Yuan Array’ of the Array Formation Department.”

"The three-layered scale structure is interlocked and interlocked with each other, and the gaps are glued together with the glue of the nine-headed black dragon. Its toughness and rigidity far exceed that of ordinary iron."

As he spoke, a guard beside him, holding a standard-issue spear, concentrated his energy and thrust it fiercely!
"when!"

With a deafening clang of metal against metal, the spear tip slid away from the dark blue tower shield, leaving only a tiny white dot.

The guard's arm went numb from the shock, but the tower shield remained unmoved, its surface shimmering with a dark light as it quickly absorbed the impact.

"it is good!"

Zhang Yuan nodded, his fingertips brushing over the texture of the shield's scales, and commented seemingly casually: "Three layers of scales, the outermost layer with its tip pointing downwards, the middle layer with its overlapping tips pointing upwards, and the inner layer with its vertical tips, interlocking with each other, creating an excellent path for dissipating and transmitting force."

"It's just that the heat was a little too fast when melting the dragon glue, and there were more air holes in the glue layer at the joint of the second and third scales. After cooling, you can mix 'deep sea cold copper' powder into the spiritual spring and then soak it again to increase the toughness by 10%."

Li Yu's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief: "Your Excellency has such discerning eyes! The angle of the scales stacked and the control of the molten adhesive..."

"This is the method that the Ministry of Works' Weapon Refining Hall finally determined after several days of trial and error!"

He looked at the tower shield in front of Zhang Yuan: "Even the method you mentioned of using cold copper powder to fill the air holes, I only glimpsed a few words about it in a lost ancient book in my sect... You, you are so proficient in the art of weapon forging?!"

Zhang Yuan glanced at Li Yu's shocked face, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He didn't answer, but continued walking forward.

His expertise in weapon crafting is probably only truly known to Huang Laoliu.

As Li Yu gazed at the unfathomable back of the Marquis of Qingyang, his heart was already churning with turmoil—

This renowned Marquis Wu has likely reached the level of a grandmaster in weapon crafting!
He took a deep breath and quickly followed Zhang Yuan toward another weapon-refining workshop.

Crossbow area.

A row of longbows, shimmering with a ghostly blue starlight, were arranged on the shelf.

A craftsman nocked an arrow engraved with blood-red runes onto a sinewy string. The arrow shaft was made from the spine of a bone-eating fish, and the arrowhead was a miniature version of the sharp teeth of a nine-headed black dragon.

With a buzzing sound, the arrow transformed into a crimson shadow and shot out like lightning, easily piercing through a half-foot-thick iron target plate a hundred paces away, the arrowhead embedding itself deep into the stone wall behind it.

“This is the ‘Mysterious Dragon Bone-Piercing Arrow’,” another master craftsman introduced in a deep voice. “The fish bone is light and guides the spirit, while the dragon’s teeth are sharp and can ward off evil. When combined with the ‘Boiling Blood Talisman’ prepared by the Secret Medicine Department, it explodes upon contact with blood. It is specifically designed to counter the internal defenses of sea monsters and great demons that are protected by scales.”

The master craftsman, dressed in black robes, revealed a hint of pride: "Ordinary innate realm cultivators' protective qi would crumble upon contact with this arrow."

It is truly rare that a technique can achieve armor-piercing effects without requiring the refinement of armor-piercing methods.

Zhang Yuan picked up an arrow and weighed it in his hand: "The grooved arc of the dragon tooth tip can be reduced by half a step to decrease the sharp whistling sound when it cuts through the air, but if it is concentrated and not released, the internal vibration force will be even stronger."

"The fishbone's medullary cavity is filled with 'Stardust Sand' instead of 'Cold Iron Powder,' which is more expensive, but guides the spirit faster." "Also, the repeating crossbow paired with this crossbow needs to be specially made, as the previous Zhuge Repeating Crossbow's mechanism cannot withstand the recoil force."

The craftsman was taken aback: "The Zhuge Crossbow is a secret design of the Ministry of War, how did Your Excellency know about it—"

Zhang Yuan waved his hand and said calmly, "That crossbow was the one I presented to the Ministry of War when I was in the Northwest. It's called the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow, and I named it that myself."

He walked slowly forward, leaving behind only a few craftsmen looking stunned.

After watching him walk away, the group bowed respectfully.

"Rest assured, my lord, we will certainly forge even better bows and arrows!"

In the military training area, newly forged swords, spears, and halberds gleamed coldly.

Most eye-catching were a batch of battle swords shaped like shark teeth and gleaming with a bloody light.

"This is the 'Shark Tooth Wave-Breaking Blade,' forged from star iron fused with the main tooth of the Sawtooth Shark Demon. The blade itself has fine serrations, making it as easy as breaking through waves when cleaving through flesh and bones," the young craftsman in charge of the area said excitedly.

"Incomparably sharp and unstained by blood, it excels at breaking through underwater resistance and tough protection. It is a design personally named by Commander Yuchi!"

Upon hearing this from a distance, Yuchi Changshan grinned.

Zhang Yuan simply grunted, drew a blade, flicked it with his finger, and listened to the dragon's roar echoing within. He commented, "The Shark Tooth's spirit and malevolent energy have not been completely eliminated. Although it has increased sharpness, prolonged use will easily damage the main soul."

"Next time, at the end of the forging process, we can have the people from Zhenxuan set up a 'Purifying Heart and Correcting Sound Array' to quench the metal nearby, and that will solve the problem."

The young craftsman's expression changed, while the old craftsman beside him bowed and accepted the order.

After Zhang Yuan left, the old craftsman patted the young craftsman on the shoulder and said, "You see? What can't a man like the Marquis see through?"

……

After passing through several workshops, Zhang Yuan turned around and looked at Li Yu, who was walking alongside him.

“Master Craftsman Li,” Zhang Yuan surveyed the bustling workshop, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority, “these weapons and armor must be completed as quickly as possible.”

"In addition to meeting the needs of the guards for changing clothes, the first batch must be of the highest quality and be sent directly to the new army camp in the Eastern Territory by Zhenhai Ship."

"Your humble servant obeys!" Li Yu hurriedly bowed in response.

When the Marquis of Qingyang went hunting in the East Sea, he actually summoned a group of master craftsmen from the Ministry of Works. Everyone knew that there must be a deeper meaning behind this.

This time, Li Yu and his team's mission was indeed arduous, but the rewards were unimaginable.

The opportunity to forge weapons using the sinews, bones, scales, and armor of monsters from the East Sea is rare, even in the Imperial City's weapon-forging hall.

Where else can one find spiritual materials piled up like this?
This is unimaginable for honing the skills of these craftsmen.

Furthermore, they are craftsmen, and their skill in crafting weapons is calculated in merit points.

They accompanied the group and also had military achievements.

Judging from the current situation, these craftsmen from the Ministry of Works will likely be promoted three ranks after returning from this hunting trip.

The Qin Dynasty valued martial prowess and military achievements, and the status of artisans was also highly regarded.

As long as they have merit, they can also become officials.

After leaving the workshop, Zhang Yuan and his group arrived at the cabin occupied by the Secret Medicine Department.

Although this place lacks the scorching heat of a furnace, it is filled with a rich aroma of medicine, the stench of blood, and a strange vitality.

(End of this chapter)