Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 303 Why do I need to take a bath? Technology Absorption and Deciphering! (Please Subscribe)

Of all things under heaven, eating is the most important.

Even the emperor cannot make hungry soldiers risk their lives.

That night, Tranquil Harbor, which had been on the verge of chaos due to hunger after Gazul's swift and decisive actions and the punishment of some corrupt dwarven officials who were hostile to humans, was restored to order thanks to the replenishment of food.

Under the supervision of human soldiers, the disaster relief and meal distribution work proceeded in an orderly manner.

The dwarves held steaming bowls of meat soup and the accompanying bread, and wolfed them down.

This time, there was no pushing or shoving, no fighting, only the comforting aroma of food.

A dwarf with a missing arm clumsily scooped up a bowl of thick soup with his only remaining left hand. Large chunks of meat were stewed until tender and melted in the mouth, and the rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire oral cavity.

His eyes reddened as he ate. Although he had eaten such good food in his life, it was only during holidays and when his superiors rewarded him.

Because of an unforeseen event, he was injured and his fighting ability was greatly reduced. He was expelled from the dwarf soldier ranks and eventually became a laborer.

Thinking about it carefully, decades have passed, and although I didn't serve in the military, I've still managed to survive.

This is truly a case of the large intestine wrapping the small intestine!

"It smells so good! Much better than the meat the craftsman gave me during the festival!"

"That's right. I heard that humans call this -- logistics support. I talked to some humans when I was getting food before, and they said that the equipment they were wearing was given to them for free by their superiors."

"Damn it, why do we need to take out loans to buy equipment?"

"Keep your voice down! Don't let some stubborn fools find out and label you as ungrateful, then you're finished." An older dwarf next to him lowered his voice.

"What's there to be afraid of? Gezul's human friends have said that any unreasonable problems should be corrected."

This is a divine decree bestowed by our ancestors. Those who dare to obstruct a reasonable arrangement are definitely clinging to power and unwilling to relinquish it!

"Alas, it's a pity that humans said this is only temporary. Once our own reinforcements and food arrive, our days of eating for free will be over."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was silence all around.

"You've all signed up, right?"

"I've signed up, but I don't know if I'll be selected!"

"I hope I'll be selected."

Many dwarfs felt regretful that this was a meal even noble lords might not be able to eat every day. They longed for it too.

However, in their dwarven system, good professions and positions are highly sought after by countless people.

The job market was far more brutal than the modern world.

Although dwarf soldiers in the dwarf system become basic minor nobles after taking the warrior's potion, their early life is very miserable, and they even struggle to make ends meet.

You should know that the warrior potions they take are essential for improving themselves, but the price is outrageously high.

In times of peace or annihilation, dwarves would never give these things to their poor, lowly subordinates for free.

There's no other reason than the fear of instability.

And that runic armor, symbolizing glory and life, and that powerful weapon, were not his own.

In the modern world, eagles can borrow money to buy equipment and clothing, while dwarves need to buy rune armor and weapons.

Weapons are alright, but rune armor is a mountain weighing down on every soldier.

A basic set of standard armor costs five hundred gold coins.

It should be noted that a soldier's annual salary was not high, only about twenty gold coins.

Of these twenty gold coins, some will be given to family members. In order to ensure stronger combat capabilities, additional medicines need to be purchased for the troops to distribute.

Well, the dwarves even have to take responsibility for procuring their own ammunition and supplies.

An ordinary soldier might be able to save enough money by working for decades without eating or drinking. But the reality is that they can only borrow from the clan bank and then repay it with their long military service and meager salary.

Many dwarves didn't pay off the loan for the equipment they had when they were over a hundred years old, with half their beards turned white.

This is partly due to the dwarves' insufficient productivity, and partly due to the fact that nobles can raise the prices of various life-saving equipment.

Well, when humans were sorting through the spoils from the Pangaea and Tranquil Harbor military bases, they discovered that many of the supplies and gems found in these places far exceeded the normal levels of a base.

For example, in a secret warehouse at the military base in Tranquil Harbor, human soldiers discovered a massive amount of weaponry sufficient to arm an entire legion.

The number of mass-produced standard rune armor alone exceeded 60,000 sets.

The production of these armors spans a wide range of periods, from ancient styles from hundreds of years ago to recently produced new models.

The number of those rune armors, which were more sophisticated in craftsmanship and had stronger protective capabilities, also reached more than a thousand sets.

As for the heavy armor canisters that the dwarves regarded as the decisive weapon, the humans only captured a dozen or so samples that were damaged in battle but had not been repaired.

The production process of such top-tier equipment is too time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the vast majority of it has already been transferred to other more important battlefields.

At the Pangulet base, the humans seized even more.

Aside from the floating wealth, most of it consists of items that can enhance the dwarves' combat capabilities.

Humans have even discovered some equipment that has existed for at least a thousand years, left to gather dust in magical purification devices.

In short, they were speechless at first sight, but after discovering so many things, all the human commanders felt a sense of lingering fear.

It should be noted that the dwarves have only maintained a garrison of no more than five thousand men in recent years.

Later, the heavens converged, and the king summoned a large number of elite dwarves, along with rapidly mobile troops, who then departed.

Even after the troop strength was halved, and even including the dwarven nobles and high-ranking officials who came to seek refuge with precious armor, it was still far from enough to explain the enormous number in the warehouse.

The only explanation is that the dwarven generals and nobles in charge of military equipment preferred to let these life-saving devices gather dust in warehouses rather than distribute them to the lower-ranking soldiers.

All I can say is that these greedy dwarves deserved to die.

If this military base had tens of thousands of well-equipped, fearless dwarven warriors, along with ample reserves of magic crystals, the battle would be entirely different.

Even if humanity possessed a massive robot army, they would likely be gnawed at here for a month, or even longer.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work. The reason the dwarves suffered such a crushing defeat was precisely because there were too few people in their military fortresses and bases, which allowed them to be easily overwhelmed by the human army's overwhelming force.

If the enemy has sufficient troops, it would probably take several robots to take down a dwarf wearing rune armor.

Unfortunately, although human robots are powerful, they ultimately need a pilot to control them.

On a battlefield filled with magic and geological interference, the delays in various electromagnetic signals always make the robots' reaction speed a fraction slower.

The decision-making system on the robot is not an omnipotent god.

Before we knew it, the next day had quietly arrived.

The last hungry dwarf, carrying his food, left the place contentedly.

It was 1 a.m., and breakfast would be served in a few hours.

However, with the hot soup tonight, they won't starve for the time being.

Tonight, Gazul manifested himself, punishing those corrupt and lawless dwarf scoundrels, and also distributed porridge and food; the news has already spread among the dwarves.

As the first light of dawn tore through the night, a brand new fragrance filled the nostrils of every dwarf in line.

The hungry dwarves, clutching their broken bowls passed down through generations, surged out of their simple wooden huts, forming a torrent of anticipation and excitement.

Some people finished their bowl and then shamelessly joined the back of the queue.

When asked, they said they wanted to serve a bowl to their infant family members who were unable to go out.

In fact, all of the dwarves' family members, except for those who were truly unable to get out of bed, came.

Because humans have established a rule that a person can get a maximum of three free meals.

They fought several more times mainly to save up grain for reserves.

The humans said the free service would continue until the dwarf reinforcements ended.

Hungry, they had to seize every possible benefit for themselves and their families.

This is precisely the survival wisdom of the lower-class dwarfs.

After finishing their meal, some of the dwarves stared intently at the enormous structure that had been erected overnight in the distance.

A huge, glowing black monument.

"I swear by the Mustache of Gazul, that's a magical creation, isn't it?"

"Idiot, you were too hungry to come yesterday. That's a human—uh, an electronic screen! Look, that guy named Joseph, he wanted to get his second meal, and his face was just enlarged and displayed on it!"

On the screen, a dwarf's furtive expression is frozen, next to which appears a line of bright red human text and a translation of the dwarf text: "[Malicious over-claiming, disqualified from today's lunch]".

Laughter erupted from the dwarfs.

"Haha! Serves you right!!"

Rotten fish mingled in the crowd, grinning and revealing its yellowed teeth.

His gaze passed over the magical screen and landed on the gallows in the distance.

Overnight, the place was filled with corpses, like a string of dried bacon.

Those nobles, quartermasters, law enforcement officers, and important figures who were once high above him and didn't even bother to look at him, are now being punished by their ancestors and are swaying in the wind.

In the air, besides the aroma of broth, there was also a faint, extremely pungent odor.

But the rotten fish didn't care.

For these lowly dwarves who lived year-round in the port's wooden shacks, surrounded by fishy smells and dampness, this smell was nothing.

He even found the smell to be wonderful.

Rotten Fish felt a morbid pleasure surge through his heart. Looking at those corpses, it was as if he were seeing the embodiment of all the suffering in the first half of his life, and now, they were all dead.

Suddenly, a huge commotion erupted in the crowd.

"They're out!"

"The list is out!"

Rotten Fish's heart clenched suddenly, as if gripped by an invisible hand.

He suddenly turned his head, his eyes fixed on the cold, icy screen of light.

Yesterday, a human soldier shone a glowing magic box on him, and an image exactly like his appeared on the screen.

He was terrified, thinking his soul had been sucked away.

Fortunately, humans provided an explanation!

Now, the moment that will determine the fate of his life has arrived!

On the light screen, countless dwarf portraits and names began to scroll, refreshing like a waterfall.

Below, human soldiers were also posting huge sheets of paper with the same content.

Rotten Fish's breathing became rapid as it frantically searched for its own face among countless others.

Suddenly, a hand slapped heavily on his shoulder, and a familiar voice boomed in his ear, filled with a sob of ecstatic joy.

"I won! Rotten fish! I was chosen!!"

He was his childhood friend.

Rotten Fish turned his head and saw that on Stone Tooth's dusty face, two lines of hot tears had already washed out two deep furrows.

He was chosen.

I can earn money now, I can eat my fill, I can live like a dwarf!

Rotten Fish nodded vigorously, his throat so dry he couldn't make a sound, and could only turn his gaze back to the screen that would decide his fate.

His heart was filled with mixed emotions: half overjoyed for his childhood friend, and the other half sinking into a cold abyss.

Why haven't I been asked to answer this yet?

Am I destined to be nothing more than a rotten fish, rotting and dying in the mud of the dock?

Just when he was about to give up, and the light in his eyes was about to go out.

In a corner at the very bottom of the light screen, an inconspicuous avatar flickered.

That face was thin and humble, with a wary, habitually ingratiating smile.

It was his face.

Next to his portrait, his name is clearly marked in human script.

Rotten fish

"The profile picture is me, so it seems that's my human name too!"

At this moment, time seemed to stand still.

All the noise, smells, and light around me vanished in an instant.

An indescribable ecstasy, like a volcanic eruption, exploded from the deepest part of his chest!

"ah!!!"

He let out a roar that sounded inhuman, and the veins on his neck bulged.

"I was chosen too!!"

He hugged Shiya beside him, roared with all his might, laughed, jumped, and his face was covered in tears and snot.

"I got chosen! Hahaha! I got chosen too!!"

That laughter was heart-wrenching.

This laughter is a sign of rebirth.

Yesterday, the humans said that if they do well, they can work for humans long-term in the future!

Any other dwarf noble who dared to stop them would be dealt with by the humans.

Then, Rotten Fish began to have an unexpected job.

"Why do we have to take a shower before we even get to work!"

"Because bathing can remove bacteria and parasites from the body, making it less likely for people to get sick."

Rotten Fish and the others initially wanted to argue, but after they had something removed from their hair and were shown to themselves, they all gave up.

As long as it's not about using your ass as a business.

Then, the humans told them the specific tasks.

Work at least eight hours a day, with a maximum working time of twelve hours. After one year of service, you will receive 15 days of vacation per year. Overtime on weekends will be paid at double the rate, and overtime on holidays will be paid at triple the rate. A minimum wage will be set.

In other words, the monthly salary of two hundred copper coins that humans previously announced to them was actually just the basic wage.

If they can work more overtime, they can earn even more!

-

The rotten fish got excited.

Humans are truly benevolent!

Before the afterglow of their ecstasy had even faded, Rotten Fish and Stone Tooth were led away to another camp by human soldiers with smiles on their faces.

What awaited them was neither the tools they had imagined, nor the work that was about to begin.

They were greeted by rows of temporary shower rooms made of simple corrugated steel, with steam rising from them.

As soon as he arrived, he smelled a fragrance mixed with the scent of flowers and herbs entering his nostrils.

"Why did you bring us here?"

"Huh? It looks like it's for bathing!"

"Why do we have to take a shower before we even get to work!"

Some of the dwarves immediately began to shout, full of resistance.

In their minds, only pampered noblemen would apply those fragrant substances to their bodies.

A tall human officer walked over expressionlessly, pointing the glowing magic box in his hand at the dwarf who was shouting the loudest.

The light screen lit up, magnifying the dwarf's greasy hair countless times.

Rotten Fish saw that among those withered, grass-like strands of hair, there were tiny, creepy things wriggling.

"This is a parasite that will make you sick, will make your children sick, and will eventually cause them to die in agony."

The human officer's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

All the dwarves shut up.

They may not care about dignity, but they care about their lives.

As the warm water washed over his body, and as the white cube called "soap" rubbed into fine foam, Rotten Fish felt as if a thick, greasy layer of old skin had been peeled off.

The filth, stench, and fleas that had accompanied him for half his life were leaving with the sewage.

He even felt a slight dizziness, which was quite unsettling.

After taking a shower and changing into brand-new gray coarse cloth work clothes, Lan Yu felt that he had lost at least three pounds.

He received a welfare package that was his own.

Inside was a heavy bag of rice, a small jar of oil, two brand-new bars of soap, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and two towels.

Rotten Fish's fingers traced the texture of the bag of rice, and his eyes welled up with tears once again.

With these, at least this month, the elderly in the family won't have to worry about going hungry anymore.

The afternoon training session was even more eye-opening for him.

"Everyone! Extend your feet that are tied with red ropes! This is your left foot!"

"The other one! It's the right foot!"

A human instructor roared at the top of his lungs.

The dwarves were in complete disarray; some tied the ropes to their hands, and some even tied their feet.

"Forward march!"

"-!two!-!"

Rotten Fish diligently familiarized himself with everything.

Listening to the instructor's awkward words, he obeyed the orders as much as possible and moved his left and right feet.

The incredibly demanding world made it difficult for him to even breathe freely.

He felt like a puppet being manipulated by strings, both ridiculous and clumsy.

He didn't understand why humans had to be brought to work on construction sites, or why they had to walk like human soldiers!

Unfortunately, having already had children, he ultimately didn't dare to cause any trouble.

Wang Quanwei is too strict and authoritative.

After a day of training, they were taken to a huge blackboard.

The human instructor used a white stone to write some strange symbols on it.

"One, two, three — these are numbers. From now on, when you receive your wages, you'll count them, and that'll be all you need."

"And your names."

The instructor wrote two characters on the blackboard, stroke by stroke.

Rotten fish

He pointed to the two characters and said to Rotten Fish, "This is your name, and your number is 4396. Remember it, say it aloud, and write it down. Otherwise, we won't know who to pay your wages."

The rotten fish was dumbfounded!

For the first time in his life, he realized that his lowly nickname looked like this when written down.

It is no longer just a humiliating code name, but a symbol that can be seen and recorded.

A name that truly belongs to him.

He stretched out his calloused fingers, thick from years of gripping weapons, and trembled as he mimicked the strokes of the two characters in the air.

It's awkward and ugly.

But on Rotten Fish's face, a smile even brighter than when he was chosen, a smile tinged with tears, appeared.

The instructors in the distance had no idea that the mysterious girl was spying on them.

He simply observed that these dwarves, who seemed to have been reborn, were remarkably quick to accept and learn.

"Study hard and work hard."

"Your first job is to use human tools to build a brand new home for yourselves."

"Then, the factory."

"You will build the factories that process fish and food yourself, and there will be more in the future."

When Rotten Fish heard this, he was completely bewildered.

factory?

Should we build a factory here?

The people here are so outspoken and prefer affordable food, how could they possibly be interested in your stuff?

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He didn't know what a factory was, nor did he know what a supply chain was.

All he knew was that, from this day forward, the rotten fish who had received his work badge knew he was no longer a fish rotting in the mud.

He's going ashore.

It may take a long time, and a proper training system needs to be established before it can begin.

But in the end, he became an official.

This series sounds complicated and is very complex to execute.

However, once they completed this, a stable industrial chain was formed, providing employment for countless dwarves.

Even if Gezur were to return in the future, it wouldn't be easy for them to overthrow everything.

Because the production capacity of many factories, such as marine food processing plants, built by humans is based on modern scale and standards.

The population of this other world is extremely small.

Only the more than one billion foodies behind it can solve the problem of seafood here.

Modern warfare is a contest between two unified entities.

When the victor completely overwhelms the loser, they can gain more.

Pangula Fortress was easily conquered by the human pioneer team.

With the Tranquil Harbor military base and the entire port cleared of the corruptors, and the appearance of the dwarven ancestor Gazul having resolved all dwarven resistance, the pioneering team has now reached the day to reap the sweet fruits.

For example, the various supplies that were already being moved from the Pangula Fortress.

Although the dwarves' military supplies are not particularly powerful by human standards, their materials are amazing.

The large quantities of items mixed with adamantite and mithril helped them recover health quite well.

Of course, the most important thing was the harvest in Tranquil Harbor.

Pangula Fortress was built to break the spacetime seal, resulting in a massive consumption of magic crystals and the most severely corrupted dwarves.

Aside from weapons and equipment, potentially contaminated food supplies, a small amount of repair tools and enhancement drugs, and some treasured items, humanity didn't obtain much.

However, the large quantities of gold and mithril seized at Tranquil Harbor provided humanity with a significant boost in resources.

The dwarven equipment captured by humans was categorized, and some of it was prepared for redistribution to future dwarven units under human command.

We can offer our help to protect our homes and safeguard our peaceful harbor.

The other part was recycled and re-smelted.

However, the most important things are naturally the standard automated repair platform and the dwarven mechanical titans.

When the illusory Gezul made his deal with the dwarves, the standard automated repair template and the mechanical titan that had been destroyed but was in excellent condition were also mentioned by the other party as being transferred to human laboratories.

When the humans mentioned wanting to study these things, Gaizur even offered to move some of their things for them.

This is somewhat unbelievable to humans.

If Lin Li's only request wasn't to help the dwarves replicate one after the deciphering, they would have been truly astonished.

Of course, everyone knows that this was a gesture of goodwill from some mysterious Gazul.

Everything was done so that they could take this opportunity to truly integrate the dwarves into the new system.

In conclusion, the research team at the rear has already begun various research projects.

When the standard automated maintenance platform, filled with otherworldly heavy industrial aesthetics, runes, and energy, along with a large collection of knowledge books treasured by dwarven nobles, was transported to the secret rear base, the entire research team was in an uproar.

"Just as I suspected. This fully automated repair platform has multiple energy supply modes. Although it suffered damage, the otherworldly dwarves have successfully integrated runic technology and mechanics!"

This thing is not perfect; the person who handed it over to them, Gaizul, said it was damaged.

It needs to be repaired before it can be used again.

"This looks like a materials input library; I even suspect there are automated nanorobots inside."

""

"Automated nanorobots?"

"Yes, otherwise it would be impossible to explain how these things could be repaired by the dwarves with just a light press and the provision of materials, before they were completely destroyed."

An elderly professor with white hair gazed at the creation before him with a fanatical expression.

He reached out, then abruptly pulled back, as if afraid of defiling this sacred creation: "Unfortunately, we have too little technical data. To understand it, we can only start from the periphery!"

"Professor Zhang, shall we proceed with the scan now?"

"Okay, scan first, then proceed step by step!"

This thing is incredible! If we could reverse engineer it, human materials science and automation control could leap forward by at least several decades!

No, it's even about forging a completely new path!

Human progress in additive manufacturing technology has been relatively limited, and even now, we can only set basic parameters.

The large, standardized equipment in front of us can not only be repaired automatically, but can even be completely repaired without human intervention.

This technology is incredibly powerful.

"Come on, let's scan it step by step—"

Meanwhile, the team specifically responsible for deciphering the information was extremely busy.

In addition to a large amount of equipment, dwarves also possess a great deal of encrypted knowledge, which is recorded on their treasured equipment.

Accessible reading requires a gradual process of deciphering the concepts.

Fortunately, the dwarves don't have much stuff, and they don't have much classified information either.

Humans can fully utilize the various tools and technologies available to the dwarves to improve their own information technology tree in this other world.

When it comes to cracking codes and various other techniques, Deng Dakang's responsibilities became even more crucial.

"Professor Deng! We've just deciphered another section! It's an alchemy note about the [Warrior's Potion]!"

A young researcher shouted excitedly, his voice trembling.

"Haha, the data is organized. Get the medical and biochemistry teams here. Let's go straight to conference room number three nearby for a meeting! We need to crack its formula as quickly as possible."

Other intelligent races may not attempt to crack the code because they lack the raw materials, or because it is too difficult or costly.

But humans are different.

Humans not only have a systematic scientific research system, but also have a wealth of experience in learning by doing.

In the new century, whether it was the older generation of technicians who liked to learn from others or the younger generation of technicians, when they saw the technology of the dwarves, they began to learn from and imitate it.

With the recruitment of dwarves completed, the transformation of Tranquil Harbor is also proceeding rapidly.

Human engineering teams brought efficiency far beyond what was imagined in this era, and the roar of large machinery replaced the deathly silence of the past.

Under the guidance of human craftsmen, dwarves learned to use these steel behemoths to build new settlements for themselves, which became an essential skill for many dwarves.

While I'm busy here!

A young man dressed in ordinary work clothes, but with a distinctly different demeanor, stood on a high ground, overlooking the bustling scene.

His name is Wang Kaixuan, and he is Li Weiguo's assistant.

He has a powerful background, has had a smooth and successful career, and his mind is full of grand principles for governing the country and benefiting the people.

Unfortunately, a few days ago, Mr. Li said that I was out of touch with reality, had a one-sided view of things, and had various weaknesses that I had to solve on my own.

"Indeed, reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles."

Wang Kaixuan muttered to himself, his eyes filled with wonder and awe.

The cold theories of postwar reconstruction and social restructuring from books were now unfolding vividly before his eyes.

Those dwarves who had once rallied around the dwarves, who had been numb and humble, had their eyes rekindled with the flame of hope in just a few days.

They were working with great enthusiasm, operating various tools whose names Wang Kaixuan couldn't fully recall.

When they finished their work and received a hot and hearty meal, the satisfaction on their faces was something Wang Kaixuan could never read in any of his documents.

He lacks grassroots experience, and his mind is always filled with unrealistic grand ideas.

Fortunately, the image of his old leader's stern face flashed into his mind just before he left.

"Xiao Wang, you only have one mission this time."

"Observe more, listen more, learn more, keep your mouth shut, and control your hands."

"When you can tell how many dwarfs a bag of potatoes can feed for a day, and make all sorts of bizarre adjustments to make them feel relaxed and comfortable, instead of just memorizing various principles and techniques, then you've graduated."

Thinking of this, Wang Kaixuan chuckled self-deprecatingly. He was like Zhao Kuo, who only knew how to talk about war on paper; if he were really put in charge, he would probably turn this excellent situation into a complete mess.

Wang Kaixuan's gaze involuntarily shifted to the other side of the port square.

There, several dried-out bodies hung, making him shiver.

Those people were the same people who had been tried before.

They were left hanging for three days, but the humans, aside from telling everyone to keep their distance, never retrieved the bodies.

Wang Kaixuan took a deep breath and walked in that direction.

Because the special management department, which combines human and law enforcement officers, is located nearby!