Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 205 The Dwarf Master from Afar Arrives at the Passage Industry

Comprehensive military system reform, especially the series of personnel transfers, training, integration, and adaptation that accompany the reform, will inevitably cause short-term shocks to the combat capabilities of the territory.

During this period, the Han Hai Territory is not in a position to launch a large-scale war, but this does not mean that the Bai Lu Plain will be at peace.

In fact, the intelligence agency, which was separated from the city defense army, gained greater financial support and freedom of action, and could stir up trouble everywhere at the lord's command.

The tribes of Bailu Plain, who had just retreated from the battlefield, were quickly drawn into a series of chaotic yet real internal conflicts.

For example, if General Rais Bloodfang, who was originally a vanguard of the army and had made great achievements, was unfortunately killed in an attack during an armor-changing incident, would the Bloodfang clan, who were originally protected by this general, swagger around and bully other tribes, be purged?
This is almost inevitable.

As the classic saying goes, what goes around comes around.

Orcs, adhering to the most primal and brutal laws of the jungle, understand this exceptionally well. Like the magical beasts of the wasteland, if they successfully complete a hunt, they will stuff themselves until they can eat no more.
Only what you consume truly belongs to you. The same applies to power and living space. If you don't seize them now, are you waiting for others to recover, or for time to strip you of your fangs and claws?
Furthermore, with General Goldenmane leading the main force of the wasteland army to the White Deer Plains, the Lion Clan orcs of the same race naturally wanted to take the opportunity to acquire more vassals and seize more fertile grain-producing and grazing areas.

Where do these benefits come from? Naturally, they are seized from the defeated and the weak.

Now, General Golden Mane has led the main force of his army back to the wasteland with satisfaction. Should the other tribes, who were previously silenced by the army's power, come out and "demand an explanation" from those tribes that suffered losses due to the expansion of the Lion Clan's power?
Once a tangled chain starts spinning, it's hard to stop it.

Amidst this turmoil, the Cat Clan of Xuanshui City and the Ox Clan of Hailuokou, acting as agents and advocates for the interests of the Hanhai Territory on the Bailu Plain, participated in these tribal conflicts "to a certain extent" as "natives."

They behaved with unusual restraint, even to the point of being "humble".

The leading tribe eats meat, while those from the Han Hai tribe drink soup if they can, and gnaw on bones if they can't get soup. Sometimes, in order to "legitimately" sit at the table, they are even willing to take out real money or scarce resources to "buy" an admission ticket.

This approach won the favor of many orc tribes.

The conflict most closely related to the Vast Ocean Territory came between the Tiger Clan and the Bear Clan.

No sooner had Goldenmane Ig led his army of orcs from the wasteland left the White Deer Plains than the Tiger Clan, which had previously suffered under Sargeris's oppression, launched a retaliatory attack against the Bear Clan.

Whitebeard, the chieftain of the "Shadow Claw" cat tribe in Xuanshui City, immediately expressed his feelings to his former leader, "Thunder Roar".

Faced with accusations of "betrayal" from some tiger clan leaders, Snowclaw, the eldest son of the white-bearded chieftain and the messenger, broke down in tears.

Snowclaw was the first hostage sent by the cat clan and also one of the first members of the "Shadowclaw" tribe to come into contact with the Vast Ocean Territory. After studying for a period of time, he felt that he had become the shape of the Vast Ocean Territory, both in body and mind.

Don't blame the cat-like orcs for being materialistic. As long as you have enough to eat, sleep well, and have someone to back you up, you're the big daddy of these down-on-their-luck orcs.

Snowclaw's voice was low and melodious, each word filled with sorrow, and it reached the ears of the tiger clan leaders clearly.

“At that time, the Otter-Boar Beastmen repeatedly invaded our territory, slaughtered the tribe’s children, and stole the tribe’s food. We sent dozens of requests for help to the main tribe, but received no response. My father risked his life to come here, and the reply he received was that we should solve it ourselves.”

"How can we solve this? The 'Rotten Swamp' is more than five times stronger than us, with well-trained soldiers and ample supplies. They have already forced us to the rocky mountains. The infants in our tribe have been weaned, and the old and weak are saving their last bite of food so that the warriors outside can fight a little longer."

"Besides seeking outside help, what other options do we have?"

"It just so happens that the Otter-Boar Beastmen and the Bull Clan clashed at the Conch Pass and chased after their caravans. Because we were familiar with the area, we were valued by the Bull Clan, which is how we managed to survive."

The tiger clan leaders in the hall fell silent. In the end, this matter was indeed Thunder Roar's own problem.

This once mighty tribe, after being so suppressed, showed neither thunder nor roar, and didn't even dare to utter any harsh words. Its vassals suffered a miserable fate, with many dying, scattering, and being wounded...

Seeing that the atmosphere on the field had eased, Snowclaw immediately revealed the purpose of his trip: "We have already followed the Bull Clan, so it is naturally not appropriate for us to go back on our word. However, Father still remembers the care that you all took for us back then. I heard that the Tiger Clan and the Bear Clan have started fighting and have already mobilized the tribe's warriors to prepare for an attack on the Iron Palm Clan."

"I've come to ask you elders for advice: if we defeat the Iron Palm Tribe, should we hand over our property, and what should we do with the prisoners?"

These words were perfectly apt, expressing both loyalty and humility, even moving the "Thunderous Roar" chief.

Even though my little cat has become someone else's appendage, it still thinks of me!

He waved his hand and said in a loud and generous voice, "Let's not talk about the past!"

"Keep those spoils for yourselves! Just pick a few weapons and send them over later, so I can put in a good word for you with the other chieftains. If you ever find it too difficult to stay with the Bull Clan, just come back. I, 'Thunder Roar,' will always be able to provide you with food!"

Snowclaw was overwhelmed with gratitude, his excitement overflowing.

Of course, this local war is not for territory or wealth, but simply for the purpose of opening up a safe route from Xuanshui City to Hailuokou, based on the needs of the territory's development.

The journey from Xuanshui City to Hailuokou is 200 kilometers, passing through the controlled areas of four forces. As per the lord's request, we will first be courteous and then forceful. Every force along the way, without exception, is welcome to exchange territory, sell or rent out the passage, or surrender and become brothers.

But that's just the nature of orcs; they admire the strong and fear power, and they don't know the pain until they're beaten.

The "Iron Palm" Bear Clan is the most typical example of a "holdout." They not only repeatedly rejected the Han Hai envoy's proposals for communication, but also brazenly extorted and robbed Han Hai transport teams that passed through the edge of their territory on two separate occasions.

Although the losses were not significant, the nature of the incident was egregious.

This directly resulted in the Han Hai Territory never daring to transfer important supplies via this shortest route. The transport teams had to painstakingly follow the steep foothills of the Qishan Mountain Range, taking a huge detour.

After several unsuccessful attempts at communication and exhaustion of patience, Snowclaw sent an envoy to "Thunder Roar"—to find a "legitimate" local bigwig to endorse the military operation, cloaking it in the guise of "tribal feuds."

Upon receiving Snowclaw's reply, the lord swiftly issued instructions.

"Alright, we need to strike 'Ironfist' quickly and with 'legitimate justification'! Let 'Thunder Roar' issue a manifesto, listing all the crimes the 'Ironfist' tribe has committed against orcs, including abandoning orc traditions, extorting visiting tribes, and harassing neighboring territories. Let's establish our moral high ground first!"

"Can't write it? You guys write one, take it with the gifts and send it over, let the Tiger Clan post it." "At Conch Mouth, have Old Ox talk to them again, try to negotiate with 'Longhorn' and 'Gray Rock' again. Make it clear that we only want the right to pass through a ten-kilometer-wide passage, and we can exchange it for food, ironware, 'Smoothing Agent' or other living supplies."

"Just a heads up, we might need to do some road clearing soon!"

"Let them see clearly!"

Snowclaw efficiently completed its mission, securing the nominal support of the Tiger Clan. Subsequently, the Shadowclaw tribe, under the banner of Thunder Roar, began its campaign against Ironfist.

This is just a small tribe with a little over a thousand people. Military operations are no challenge for the current Han Hai Territory. It can only be considered as a way to get the newly formed troops used for training and integration.

The time spent searching for them was longer than the time spent conquering them; it was a pure blitzkrieg.

The cat-like team arrived at the "Iron Palm area" with practiced ease, set up a blockade, and after a few hours of fighting, the operation was over.

Next, the First and Fourth Brigades each dispatched a force mainly composed of orcs, advancing from the east and west respectively. Several other sensible tribes ceded land near the transport route at reasonable prices. On the map, a light blue road traced across the plain, connecting Xuan Shui and Hailuo.

As this channel continuously transports supplies from the south to Xuanshui, the development of the swamp industrial zone is also advancing by leaps and bounds.

After the launch of the final phase of the "Three-Three" development plan, the crude oil processing capacity of the Swamp Industrial Zone has been greatly increased to an average of 7.5 tons per day, equivalent to refining 225 tons of crude oil per month and converting it into various types of industrial products within the territory.

Especially after the new fractionation equipment was put in place, refining efficiency has increased significantly, with fuel oil production soaring from an average of 68 tons per month before catalysis to 135 tons per month now, of which diesel production accounts for two-thirds.

Not far away, inside the workshop, equipment was densely packed, and engineers and technicians were conducting final joint testing on a cracking reactor, referring to blueprints and videos.

On the adjacent vacant lot, a new factory building is under construction, and equipment for installing polyethylene/polypropylene polymerization reactors is being delivered one after another.

If all goes well, by next month at the latest, Hanhailing will have the capacity to produce more than ten tons of polyethylene/polypropylene plastic products per month.

Next month, several large injection molding machines will be installed. At that time, a batch of small arms parts, tool casings, standard containers, and even some civilian products will be produced locally using plastics.

As for synthetic ammonia, it was placed in the last phase of the "Three-Three" development plan.

When all the technicians saw the entire industrial development plan moving forward step by step, seamlessly and solidly, they were filled with a tremendous sense of mission for the times.

Just like the large slogan on the wall: The torrent of steel reshapes the glory of our bloodline, and the spark of machinery ignites a new chapter in the era!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Just as development in various territories was in full swing and progressing by leaps and bounds, news came from the Vast Ocean Territory that an uninvited guest insisted on immediately paying homage to the "magical mechanical lord" he spoke of!

This man's identity is quite extraordinary. He is a master blacksmith who was once highly regarded among the dwarves and was one of the elders of the Silver Duchy's Dwarven Craftsmen's Assembly—Norton Ironbrow.

Because of his advanced age and some ideological conflicts with other dwarven master craftsmen, the old man simply retired and spent his days leisurely forging iron and sharpening knives at home.

The old man had some connections with the Magic Society and would occasionally browse the society's internal journal, "Arcane Origins."

Some time ago, Norton Ironbrows accidentally read a research paper published by Master Anthony in the Society's journal about the incomplete conversion of electrical and psionic energy.

To be honest, because the Starry Continent has conducted such in-depth research on psionic energy, this small achievement has received almost no attention. It's practically a prime example of a mediocre paper. However, Norton saw a picture in the literature.

A partial structural diagram of an electric motor.

Because he couldn't quite understand it, Norton contacted a mage he knew at the Magic Society, and after several twists and turns, managed to get a simple machine from Anthony.

The old dwarf's eyes didn't blink once the moment the outer shell of this thing was opened.

Reluctant to part with it!
This thing is only the size of a palm, but its internal structure is so complex that it's dazzling. It has smooth metal components, tightly meshed gears, and various bearings and connecting rods with unimaginable processing difficulties, all fitting together perfectly.

This precision filled the old dwarf, who had spent his life immersed in forges and anvils and had an almost obsessive passion for all metal creations, with ecstasy.

What he cared about wasn't the thing's usefulness or how well it worked; what he cared about was the ingenious craftsmanship behind its creation.

Next, Norton Ironbrow began to attempt to replicate it.

After spending several months building a prototype that was six times larger than the original, the old man realized that this was his limit and he couldn't sit still any longer.

He wanted to find the maker of this thing and figure out how those little things inside were made; this was the persistence of a stubborn master craftsman.

Yes, the dwarves' stubbornness is indeed famous throughout the continent.

Of course, he had made thorough preparations for his departure. He first used his connections with the Southern Magic Society to send a letter to the Northern Magic Society, requesting an academic visit to Master Anthony.

After receiving a response from Anthony, the old man left one son and one grandson to guard the house, and resolutely headed north with his other six sons and more than a dozen grandchildren. After several twists and turns, he arrived at the Han Hai Territory.

Without saying a word, he presented Anthony with a gift upon meeting him: a staff pendant with six layers of enchantment.

The smaller the equipment, the more limited the space there is to inscribe magic circles. Within this small space, the dwarf master used extremely micro-carving skills and elemental guidance to complete a total of six layers of magical enchantments with different effects!
Not only is its value immeasurable, but more importantly, the dwarfs' stubbornness and the resulting respect are truly invaluable.

As a "foreign academician" of Dongxia, Anthony already held a very high position in the Han Hai Territory. After greeting Lord Chen Mo and obtaining permission, he took Norton Ironbrow to visit some of the facilities and equipment on the territory.

With each place he looked, the old dwarf Norton Ironbrow's eyes shone even brighter, his white eyebrows, like steel wool, trembling with excitement.

He had a vague premonition that he had arrived at a "chosen land" belonging to true craftsmen, a place that would overturn his understanding of the world!
(End of this chapter)