Chapter 338: Chapter 242: New Century Warrior
"Ha ha, Elder Long Yi, that’s all you needed to say. With all the elders here, let’s have a discussion!" Golden Hammer laughed.
The other elders all nodded subtly with a smile. In their view, despite granting the title of elder to Long Yi, they still worried that he would abuse his newfound power. Therefore, they had already privately agreed that any proposal from Long Yi that threatened the dwarves would certainly be vetoed.
Then, Long Yi started speaking.
"I wonder if all the esteemed elders here, as well as the dwarves of Furnace Fortress, have any interest in constructing golems?"
Long Yi finished, and the smiles froze on the faces of the dwarves.
"Ahem, sorry, we didn’t quite catch that. What did you say, Long Yi?" Golden Hammer thought he had misheard.
"I meant to ask if you guys might be interested in helping us build some golems...ah, more accurately, some battle armor," Long Yi asked.
"Yes, we’re interested!"
All the dwarf elders roared out almost in unison.
Joking! Those are golems! Golems!
Because of the years spent mining underground, the dwarves often encountered the inhabitants of the Dark City, where the amazing automatic golems stirred their envy. However, Dark City maintained a closed lifestyle, having no interaction with outsiders. Acquiring golem technology from Dark City was nearly impossible.
Although nations worldwide were studying ancient golem technology, only the White Dragon Empire had made any substantial progress in researching ancient heritage. There were rumors that the White Dragon Empire had successfully resurrected a golem, but there was no official confirmation. The dwarves didn’t feel comfortable asking; after all, this was confidential information.
But now, Long Yi was here.
Asking the dwarves if they were willing to make golems.
Who is he?
The White Dragon Empire’s recent sensation! The new Emperor Kirei’s brother!
"Well then, let’s set aside some time. I can start explaining the differences between golems and battle armor,"
Long Yi said with a smile.
In recent times, Furnace Fortress was bustling like a madhouse. The Elder Council decreed that the smartest, most honest, and skilled dwarves should be summoned for a top-secret mission! Although no one knew what this task was initially, nearly all dwarves were eager to participate.
In the end, two hundred dwarves were selected from Furnace Fortress to form an elite training course.
Master Long Yi stood in the specially chosen classroom, addressing everyone.
"Seeing that you all have sworn confidentiality over your molten iron and furnace, I’ll be honest with you. What we’re going to make this time is a golem."
After a brief silence, the dwarves exploded in excitement.
Two words, thrilled!
In reality, Long Yi’s plan was for the dwarves to help produce some battle armor, not golems. Golems involve too many complexities, making the project challenging. But battle armor was different. Any artifact that significantly enhances combat prowess when worn is always preferable.
The knowledge Long Yi had inherited included a complete process for making battle armor, though Long Yi added some of his aesthetics and preferences. He divided the dwarves into groups, tackling the different parts of the construction.
The selected dwarves were in a frenzy, almost forgoing eating, drinking, and sleeping to immerse themselves in researching battle armor. Long Yi was genuinely impressed. The legendary stubbornness of the dwarves wasn’t just exhibited in social interactions, it permeated every aspect of dwarf life.
Half a month later, the final piece of the first battle armor was assembled. Long Yi personally infused it with Fighting Aura, and the armor began to move in front of everyone with heavy steps.
A group of dwarves burst into tears.
After crying, they swarmed forward, as excited as children at the sight of a beloved toy.
Of course, they weren’t just playing.
"There are thirteen places that need improvement, these six parts need to be removed, add a lubrication point here, nothing else. Long Yi, what do you think of this armor?" Golden Hammer asked, noting and asking Long Yi.
"Good, better than I expected. It’s reached about 70% of the quality of those ancient armors," Long Yi nodded and answered.
"Ah, there are some materials from the ancient times that we just can’t reproduce," sighed Golden Hammer.
"This is already quite good, almost perfect," Long Yi said.
"So, what are you planning to do with this armor?" Morton asked from the side.
"Fight, of course. It’s battle armor, so what else should it be used for, farming?" Long Yi laughed.
"Actually, I’ve received some information." Morton hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"What news?"
"Yesterday, I heard from a blacksmith who had recently returned from the Black Dragon Empire that they seemed to be secretly collecting bodies. The most direct evidence is that the workers at the crematorium have been on vacation for several months."
"Sure enough, the Black Dragon Empire is still studying necromancy," sighed Long Yi, thankful that Little Zi was busy studying the two Black Dragon hearts. Otherwise, she might have overthought his words.
"I mean, the undead can spread plague—" Morton said.
"Haha, you’re really considering everything, uncle. In fact, that’s exactly my next plan," Long Yi laughed.
Long Yi stayed at the Furnace Fortress for five more days, during which he helped the dwarves design a rough heavy armor. Although it offered little protection, it could assist the dwarves in moving heavy items and swinging larger hammers. More importantly, the base of the armor could be extended to help the dwarves reach high places.
With previous experience in crafting refined armor, the dwarves managed to complete this task without too much effort.
The new armor received unanimous praise from the dwarves.
Before Long Yi left, he requested the dwarves to start mass-producing the battle armor. The order from the White Dragon Empire would arrive soon. Given Long Yi’s status as a dwarf elder, the dwarves didn’t doubt his request. However, in reality, the armor was quite complex. Even with all hands on deck, production would still be slow.
Long Yi, carrying the prototype of the battle armor made by the dwarves, returned to the White Dragon Empire and went straight to the new emperor, Kirei, in the Imperial City.
"Master, I’ve brought you a new gift!"
Kirei, who was in the middle of his lunch, nearly choked.
"Long Yi, could you please stop calling me ’Master’...If you don’t want to call me ’Emperor’, just call me Kirei or simply ’Hey’, ’Master’ is just too silly," the Emperor scratched his head helplessly.
"Oh my god, you have to know, there’s hardly anything worthy of being called ’Master’."
While speaking, Long Yi dragged a heavy wooden box to Emperor Kirei. The close guards around Kirei became alert. After three assassination attempts on the emperor, one of which nearly succeeded, the security had become extremely strict with shifts every four hours. All the guards were from reputable noble families and had received the most orthodox education to ensure there were no records of misconduct.
Now, Long Yi’s presence was indeed the biggest threat. If the emperor hadn’t signaled them to relax, they might have pounced on him already.
However, the appearance of Ai Lin who was following behind Long Yi, attracted more attention the next moment.
Wow! The legendary Fairy Dragon!
She’s so beautiful!
Had I known Ai Lin was the Fairy Dragon, I would have gritted my teeth and proposed to her back in the day!
The guards’ expressions revealed their inner thoughts.
"Haha Master, you know, I had to go through hell and high water for the sake of our empire to get some good stuff. And I’m not just bragging!"
Wham!
Long Yi and Ai Lin opened the lid of the wooden box, revealing the mighty prototype of battle armor.
"Come, Master! Please behold! The mass production version of the Battle Armor!"
Kirei was completely dumbfounded. He didn’t know what to expect from Long Yi. When lid of the box was lifted, he felt a surge of excitement that caused his steps towards the box to be slightly unsteady.
"This...This is the Battle Armor!"
Kirei touched the cold silver metal surface, then knocked it with his hand. The heavy sound affirmed to Kirei that this object was as dependable as it seemed.
"Nice, isn’t it! It incorporates many of my unique designs! A soft palm padding that can absorb most unnecessary shocks, specially reinforced joint locations to provide support against strong shearing forces, and a specially customized air filtration system inside the helmet to protect from air-borne diseases! But that’s not all! My unique design includes a universal hook on the back that with my specially designed rack, can transport at least thirty armored soldiers to the front line with just one Flying Dragon! And all this just for a little bit of gold!"
With that, Long Yi raised his hand to show Kirei a number.
Truth be told, it was not a small amount of gold, the number was already quite intimidating. But even the world’s richest countries would fight each other over it, no matter how much they had to pay, the price was merely a number!
"Do you want it?"
"Yes! I will take as many as you have! Don’t give anyone else any opportunity!"
"Relax, no one else stands a chance. This thing was made by the dwarves under my request as their elder, nobody else can get it!"
Long Yi said.
"Good! Good!! Good!!!"
Kirei repeatedly said the word "good" as he couldn’t find any other words to describe his excitement. On one hand, more than half of the three hundred battle armors in the research institute were already activated. But, what use could a mere three hundred armors be in a war?
"Long Yi, you’ve really helped me, and the empire, a great deal this time!" Kirei, somewhat emotional, said.
"No need to mention it, this is nothing compared to your talent for joking," Long Yi said.
"Nonsense!" a disgruntled Kirei couldn’t help but laugh.
"Well, now that the good news is out of the way, let me deliver some bad news," Long Yi patted the new Emperor’s shoulder. (To be continued. If you like this work, please head to qidian.com to vote and show your support. Your support is my greatest motivation. If you’re using a mobile device, please head to m.qidian.com to read.)
