62 First Progress - Metal 2 (1/2)
[Author's Note: I'm sorry this chapter comes up so late. I am meeting with a fellow friend / Editor of a magazine publisher. (Elle if I'm not mistaken) and see how he would help. He did not agree on the spot, but I hope he will consider about it. (Well, it's a free help, so the possibility is questionable.)
I have just opened my own discord page for the conveniences to communicate, suggest, and also question me about most of the thing related to the Novel. Do copy the link below to join in.
-
-
-
”Look, the Master Senior Ninth is here again. Guess what he trying to achieve by coming here two days consecutively.” the miners that noticed his arrival guessed while continuing with their own job.
After greeting the Head Miner Yang, he went to the same spot he scaled before and took out the new Dual-Headed Pickaxe to try its might. With both hands holding on the tool firmly, Zhang Wu Ji landed his first strike on the wall of rocks, and extracted at least five kilograms of mineral ores with a single strike!
The ores shatter into bits of an average of around 400 grams each, but instead of picking up the ores and throws them down to the Trolley at the bottom. Zhang Wu Ji continues with his strikes. With 35 points of durability on the pickaxe, it can stay durable for 90 strikes before the durability of the tool is exhausted and turn into green, meaning the durability of this weapon is now lower than acceptable points.
Compared to his yesterday's attempt, today Zhang Wu Ji harvested a total of 450 kilograms, which is about elevenfold to his yesterday's result. Not enough to reach a tonne in mass weight, Zhang Wu Ji collected them into his Onyx-Class Spatial Ring and prepares to leave the mines in a hurry.
”Master Senior Ninth! Please wait for a moment!” the Head Miner Yang ran and climb to the top of the mineral mountain in a hurry, afraid that Zhang Wu Ji will leave before he managed to inquire about this magical tool. The shape of the tool is not only convenient and able to disperse a portion of the vibration during the impact, but it can also turn green after using it for a while.
This is also why the Head Master Yang went forward to ask. If the production of the mines can be increased by merely changing to a tool like this, won't the City Lord approves his request to purchase these tools immediately? It was for the sake of increasing amount of mineral ores they can collect from the mountain!
”Head Miner Yang, do you have anything you need from this junior?” Zhang Wu Ji can safely assume that his reason of approach is related to the pickaxe, but he decided to ask the question anyway for the sake of giving the head miner a stage to start his words.
”This miner wanted to ask about the background of this pickaxe. I won't say I see that pickaxe before, be last time, there is a fellow blacksmith that came from the Wen Qing City purposely to collect some high-quality mineral ores, and during that time, we were presented with a pickaxe similar like yours, but it possesses a hammer and a pick if compared to yours.” the head miner replied.
”Head Miner Yang, this little pickaxe here is the humble creation of mine. I am here for the sake to test the durability and usage of the tool before it obtained the approval to be mass-produced.” Zhang Wu Ji lifted the pickaxe into their chest level, and loosen his grip by putting his palm facing upward. It was an indication that the head miner is allowed to inspect the tool.
This simple gesture of his attracts the attention of the other miners to come forward to have a look themselves. It was then handed to one after another, until two hundred miners later it returned to the hand of Zhang Wu Ji. Since each of the presents already took an inspection on them, it is impossible for Zhang Wu Ji to miss out the opportunity to ask for their opinion.
But all of them only replied his question with a word ”Satisfied” and nothing else. It seems that similar to the Blacksmiths, the Miner's attitude is also similar, with simple replies and did not pay their effort to twist their words or trying to make them sound better. And in Zhang Wu Ji's opinion, this kind of people is the one he liked the most.
”You means, they're qualified to become the tool for your mining profession?” Zhang Wu Ji asks them one final question before he set his mind on the tool he personally designed. In his mind, an approval on your creation is also more convincing than his own decision, because, at the end of the day, his end product is what people considered using, and not what he decided.
”Master senior, as the head of all miners here and also the most experienced one among them, I dare to use my reputation as a 37 years veteran miner to say your pickaxe the best quality pickaxe I ever seen in my life. Perhaps not ten of our Stone Pick can compare with one of your Dual-Headed Pickaxe.” the head miner took his bandana down and replied the youth.
”Yes! All of you, don't you agree with Old Yang's word? If we have this kind of tool in our hand, how many Horse-Drawn Cart can we deliver to the Wen Wu City every day?”
”Yeah, perhaps at that time, the horseman will be the one complaining that the pay we offered them isn't enough to cover their exhaustion!”
”Correct! Correct! If all of us used such a tool in our daily mining, won't the yield went over our limit? We might need to order more horses to pull our Mining Trolley instead of ourselves! Hahaha!” the crowd stating their approval of Zhang Wu Ji's creation one after another as they laughed and bringing up the matter with their horsemen.
”Head Miner Yang, I need to make sure that you know this matter first. The Apprentice Hall is in their way of mass-producing this kind of tools for the sake of increasing the yield from the Miners. With this tool soon distributed here, I hope every brother and uncles here, please support the Wen Wu City and Apprentice Hall as we grow stronger!” Zhang Wu Ji cupped his hand towards everyone before he faced Head Miner Yang to mention his intention.
After completing the little ceremonial exchange of words, Zhang Wu Ji left the West Mountain and returned to the Wen Wu City before it was too late in the evening. The best thing of all except his success craft in creating a tool that can complement the miner's experience is that he familiarized with the route going and returning from Wen Wu City to West Mountain.
If this weakness is discovered by the public, how shameful will that be?
Instead of heading straight back to his room, Zhang Wu Ji made his appearance at the Blacksmith Department to inspect them and their crafted Dual-Headed Pickaxes. It may seem like he wasn't confident with the craft from his own people, but as a perfectionist that wanted only the best batch in their first order, Zhang Wu Ji will not compromise even in a little bit of lacking.
Walking across the isle of the tool shelf they made to let the pickaxes stand properly, Zhang Wu Ji touches each of them, and took the lower quality product out from the neatly arranged isle. Only after running through a hundred of the Dual-Headed Pickaxe Zhang Wu Ji took a deep breath, and feeling much more relaxed as a part of his responsibility is completed at this moment.
”Master Senior!”group of people shouted his title as they run over to him.
It was the five amongst the eight attendants of his. At the period of time, all of them were exiled from the Seven Star Sect, Tang Yuan suggested that the five of them shall take up a hunting request issued by the Hunting Department to increase their experience in handling a different dangerous situation in the wild. And for this intention to improvement, the Southern Bamboo Forest became their best choices because the matter of handling Mountain Bandits in the Orchid Mountain is much more dangerous.
It seems like from the time he wasn't around by their side, each of their cultivation has grown by so much.
As the weakest among the eight of them, Liu Yanni is now an Inner Qi Fighter with a total of 120 Strands of Inner Qi inside her body. Following above her place is unexpectedly Bai Hei Tie, in his early 2nd stage of Inner Qi Fighter, and Zhang Ya Pin, in his mid 2nd stage of Inner Qi Fighter. Zhao Xiao Hua remains as the second among them, with her cultivation at later 2nd Stage.
The most unexpected to him is Tang Yuan, where his cultivation strength is now at the peak of 3rd Stage of Inner Qi Fighter. What is more surprising is it seems that he failed to control the way his energy grows, causing his body to release some heat a little hotter than the others. Other than that, there is a faint writing seen on his forehead, similar to a word [Yan].
”What is wrong with Tang Yuan? It is a good thing his cultivation increased by a lot, but he looks like he's poisoned. If not because he can walk and lead the others into the Southern Bamboo Forest for the past few days, I will be running an inspection on him as soon as possible.” Zhang Wu Ji thought but did not make his thinking visible from the eyes of his attendants.
”Master Senior, look at what we found in the Southern Bamboo Forest!” Zhao Xiao Hua steps forward and handed over a piece of insect carapace to him to inspect, while Zhang Ya Pin and Bai Hei Tie are holding the remaining parts in the two bags on their hand. Without further ado, he took the carapace in hand, and inspect the item as he acts.
Malachite Shell Cicada's Left front leg Carapace
-Usage: can be concocted and formed into Malachite Armor Pill