A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

When Zhao Daxuan saw someone from Bailianfang approach him to talk, he glanced at the person.

The newcomer was burly with thick arms, his fingernails were stuck with indelible carbon ash, and he reeked of metal.

Zhao Daxuan continued to scan the surrounding exhibits, asking, "Can you make heavy-duty shields, heavy-duty sabers, and chainmail here?"

The middle-aged, burly man grinned. "We're a major supplier of standard military equipment. Of course we can make what you're talking about. Plus, our technology is mature, and our quality far surpasses that of our competitors."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan raised an eyebrow. "Are all your weapons sold to the Zhenbei City Guard?"

"Of course not. Although our main clients include the Zhenbei City Guard, the military forces of Zhen, Ding, An, and Ping are also our clients!"

The middle-aged, burly man grinned confidently.

"So our quality is absolutely guaranteed. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to supply the four major cities in the north for so many years. You can rest assured."

Zhao Daxuan nodded, showing interest. "Sure, do you have samples of the kinds I mentioned earlier? Let me see!"

"No problem. May I ask your name, sir? What grade of sample are you looking for?"

Zhao Daxuan was somewhat surprised. "What kind of class do you have? My name is Zhao Daxuan, and I am a centurion of the Zhenbei City Guard."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he smiled, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "So it's Lord Zhao! I've long admired your name! It's a pleasure to meet you! I am Mo Hanfeng, the manager of this Hundred Refinements Workshop."

He paused, then continued, "We have three types: common, premium, and top-grade. Common items have undergone ten refinements, premium items fifty, and top-grade items a hundred! That's where our Hundred Refinement Workshop's name comes from."

Zhao Daxuan grinned: "It seems Manager Mo has heard of me. Then bring out the finest and the best quality items for us to take a look."

Mo Hanfeng nodded. "Why don't you come and sit here with me, Lord Zhao? Have some tea first, and I'll have someone fetch it."

He then led Zhao Daxuan to a seating area and had him sit down. With a wave of his hand, someone brought him a cup of tea.

He then turned and left. A moment later, a clanging sound came, and Mo Hanfeng strode over with several people carrying weapon samples.

"Bang!"

The sound of two heavy shields hitting the ground echoed, raising a cloud of dust.

Zhao Daxuan took a closer look, a smile appeared on his face, and he quickly walked to the front to examine it carefully.

One of the surfaces was smooth and uniformly glossy, with flowing patterns left by forging. Zhao Daxuan reached out and flicked it, producing a clear and resonant sound.

The other side of the surface displays a unique pine needle pattern, a fingerprint unique to chain steel, like a dazzling galaxy, deep and mysterious.

Zhao Daxuan's eyes lit up immediately, and his face showed his delight. He tapped it once, and the tapping sound was deep and short, like striking metal or stone.

Mo Hanfeng stood aside, smiling as he watched the scene unfold. Zhao Daxuan's reaction was exactly what he had expected, so he gave Zhao Daxuan a thumbs up.

"Lord Zhao has a good eye. As you can see, this heavy-duty shield is forged from refined steel. Not only is it 10% lighter than the fine heavy-duty shield, but it also has extremely high hardness and toughness, making it almost negligible against conventional attacks."

Zhao Daxuan nodded upon hearing this, "It is indeed good, it looks like a good product."

Then he took two heavy-duty sabers and a chainmail, and examined them carefully. The hundred-chain grade was indeed far superior to the fine grade.

"Hmm, as expected of a hundred-refinement level piece of equipment, it's outstanding in every aspect. After seeing the hundred-refinement level, the fine level is simply not worth looking at," Zhao Daxuan exclaimed.

Mo Hanfeng smiled and nodded in agreement, "Of course, the hundred-refinement level is our trump card, but the price is far higher than the premium level."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Daxuan murmured for a moment, "I wonder how much it would cost for one set of each of these three types at the hundred-refinement level?"

"This whole set will only cost three hundred taels of silver!"

Mo Hanfeng was prepared. As soon as Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, he blurted out the price.

Zhao Daxuan's expression stiffened upon hearing this.

One set costs three hundred taels of silver. If he wants to buy a hundred sets, wouldn't that cost thirty thousand taels of silver?

Even if you can negotiate the price, it will still be 15,000 taels even with a 50% discount!

Even if he sold it, he still couldn't afford to buy it!

Moreover, it's impossible to get a 50% discount.

Zhao Daxuan's face immediately turned awkward. He chuckled dryly and said sheepishly, "Um, what about the premium grade?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Mo Hanfeng's eyes, but he still replied, "The premium-grade equipment isn't bad at all; it far surpasses standard military equipment. Standard equipment is just ordinary grade for us!"

He paused for a moment, then added, "And most importantly, the price is much more affordable than hundred-refinement level equipment; a set like this only costs twenty-five taels of silver."

Zhao Daxuan breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, the price was within his budget.

"Manager Mo, if I order a hundred sets, could you give me a discount?" Zhao Daxuan asked tentatively.

Mo Hanfeng's spirits lifted upon hearing this: "Haha, of course! A hundred sets is no small sum. Lord Zhao has rendered meritorious service in suppressing the bandits, and I admire him greatly. I will certainly give Lord Zhao the greatest possible discount!"

He lowered his head and thought for a moment before continuing, "In that case, one hundred sets would cost a total of two thousand taels of silver. However, I wonder if Lord Zhao has the necessary approval document?"

Zhao Daxuan was taken aback, then asked, "What approval slip?"

Mo Hanfeng also glanced at Zhao Daxuan in surprise, not expecting that he didn't know.

"Weapons are controlled items after all. Any purchase of three or more pieces requires a permit. Purchases of 10 sets or less require the signature of a captain, and purchases of 100 sets or less require the signature of a colonel."

Mo Hanfeng slowly explained, "Moreover, the quantity required by the master is quite large, one hundred sets of high-quality shields, horse-slaying swords, and chainmail, which will take two months to complete."

Zhao Daxuan's heart sank upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed. He hadn't expected it to be so troublesome, and the construction period to be so long.

He could still go back and think of a way to ask Zhang Xiaoshan to help him get the approval slip, but the construction period was still so long.

Two months later, winter had already arrived, and by then the northern Tartars had probably already launched a large-scale invasion. Obtaining these weapons at that time would likely be too late.

Thinking of this, Zhao Daxuan couldn't help but sigh. "Manager Mo, I can think of a way to get the approval slip back, but can we speed up the construction schedule a bit?"

Mo Hanfeng frowned slightly, looking somewhat troubled. "Lord Zhao, we have other orders on hand. We can speed up the production process, but it won't be by much more than a few days."

"What if I pay more? Can I get priority?" Zhao Daxuan gritted his teeth.

Mo Hanfeng smiled wryly and said, "Lord Zhao, it's not about the money. Why don't you go and resolve the approval issue first? We can discuss the construction period later."

Zhao Daxuan sighed, knowing that there was little point in discussing this now, so he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, I'll come back to you after I get the approval slip."

After saying that, he turned and left, heading towards the Hehang camp. He was going to find Zhang Xiaoshan to help him get the approval slip.