In late July,
Lorist couldn't return to
Staring at the map, Lorist pondered for a while, then wrote a reply to Fatty Shi. If the Pegasus family wanted to buy iron armor, then sell it to them — fair and square, gold for goods, payment on delivery. If they didn't have enough coin, they could trade grain and supplies instead. As for Sir Hened, Lorist wrote a separate reply inviting him to come for a visit.
When Sir Hened arrived at Maple Forest Manor, he happened to coincide with Old Steward Kreis's passing. The old steward had been clear-headed in his final moments. He clasped Lorist's hand and expressed his wish — that he might be fortunate enough to enter the family's forbidden ground, so that even after death he could serve beside the Norton family's ancestors.
Lorist nodded, then shook his head. Old Steward Kreis didn't understand what this meant. He drew one last breath and died with his eyes open, unfulfilled...
Pat wept bitterly. His parents had died young, and his grandfather had raised him from childhood. Now his only remaining family member was gone, and he was grief-stricken. He couldn't understand why Lorist had refused his grandfather's dying wish. After all, Old Steward Kreis had devoted his entire life to the Norton family. During the family's most critical hour, he had stabilized the situation and held things together until Lorist's return to inherit the territory and title. His contributions to the family were immeasurable — entering the family's forbidden ground was beyond dispute.
Lorist explained that he planned to build a family cemetery at White Deer Ridge. It was a sacred resting place granted to the family's ancestors by the Goddess of the Silver Moon, though the ancestors had never realized it. This time, he would undertake a major construction project — exhuming the remains of all the ancestors from the family's forbidden ground and reburying them at White Deer Ridge, granting them eternal rest. And Old Steward Kreis, as a member of the Norton family, would also be interred at the White Deer Ridge family cemetery.
Pat's grief turned to joy, and he volunteered to take on the role of cemetery supervisor. Lorist, meanwhile, dispatched personnel and drew up designs, working himself to the bone. He planned to cremate the over three hundred remains from the Body-Hiding Cave in the forbidden ground and rebury them at White Deer Ridge. He would also hire stone sculptors to carve statues and erect monuments for the family's most illustrious ancestors.
Sir Hened stayed at Maple Forest Manor for twelve days, attending Old Steward Kreis's cremation ceremony and burial rites. The remaining task was to commission a statue of the old steward, which naturally fell to Pat, though it would take some time. In the meantime, Lorist finally found the time to have a frank and open conversation with Sir Hened.
Sir Hened was under enormous pressure. He was facing the newly established First Legion of the Iblia Kingdom under the
At the Northern Nobles' Alliance meeting held that May, the Second Prince had delivered a passionate speech. He declared that to revive the former Krisen Empire, the Iblia Kingdom must be unified. All territorial nobles needed to work together, pooling their strength for any hope of reuniting the empire and embarking on the path of restoration. However, quite a few nobles in the kingdom were still paying lip service to the Second Prince while defying him behind his back, refusing to obey his commands.
The Second Prince was willing to give these nobles a chance to reform. If they could pledge their loyalty to him and contribute to the empire's revival, he would overlook their past transgressions. Otherwise, the Second Prince would lead the kingdom's First Legions next year to make these territorial nobles understand what it meant that the kingdom's dignity must not be offended, and the king's orders must not be defied...
So Sir Hened had decided to strengthen his military preparations and expand his forces for self-defense. However, while men were easy to recruit, weapons and equipment were extremely difficult to procure. The barony his father had left him was exceedingly barren, and he could only sustain his twelve thousand troops through the income from Cherry Blossom Ridge Manor and the town of Evansen. If he hadn't made a fortune two years ago by impersonating Lorist's men in the Grand Duke's territory, he would have gone bankrupt long ago. This time, intending to expand to fifteen thousand men, he had set his sights on Lorist, hoping that their old friendship would convince Lorist to sponsor him with a batch of weapons and equipment.
Lorist was a man who valued old bonds. Seeing Sir Hened's pitiable situation, he agreed to the request, sponsoring him with three thousand sets of iron armor and accompanying weapons and equipment. He even helped him think of a way to earn money — telling him to go find Fatty Shi and wholesale a million pounds of snow salt to resell. If the business went well, Sir Hened could earn around ten thousand gold Forde from this million-pounds snow salt deal — enough to cover half a year's military expenses.
After sending off the grateful Sir Hened, Lorist began organizing personnel to survey Cow-Lying Ridge and design a fortress castle. Cow-Lying Ridge was a granite hill, only about thirty li from the military pass at the junction of two mountain ranges. It got its name from its resemblance to a magic ox lying on the wasteland, and was currently garrisoned by
By the time the design plan for the Cow-Lying Ridge fortress was finalized, it was already September. The White Deer Ridge family cemetery was nearing completion, and Lorist presided over the ceremony to cremate the ancestors' remains and rebury them at White Deer Ridge.
The family cemetery Lorist had designed was more like a leisurely retreat. All the scrub and brush on White Deer Ridge had been cleared away. At the very top stood the Norton family's first ancestor — a green stone statue of a knight drawing his bow, his deeds and the founding inscription of the Norton family carved into the base.
Besides the stone statues stood rows of green stone tombstones, though several dozen statues were still unfinished and would be erected at their designated spots in the future. Beyond these was lush green grass, and the cemetery was enclosed by a low, pointed fence made of maple wood. Surrounding White Deer Ridge was a sparse maple grove.
When night fell, the figures of white deer — absent for many days — appeared once more on White Deer Ridge, frolicking among the statues and tombstones on the moonlit grass. Under the silvery moonlight, the family cemetery took on an aura of mystery and sacred tranquility.
All who witnessed this scene became utterly convinced of what Lorist had once said — that White Deer Ridge was a sacred resting place granted to the Norton family's ancestors by the Goddess of the Silver Moon. From then on, they called the White Deer Ridge family cemetery the Sacred White Deer Garden.
After finishing the cemetery affairs, Lorist received joyful news:
Lorist once again brought his entourage to the Dark Iron Smelting Foundry in the Blade Mountain Range.
Master Hid beamed like a withered old chrysanthemum in bloom. The White Lion Legion's armor — renowned throughout the world, meticulously crafted by dozens of master armorers from the former Krisen Empire — had now been surpassed by him. He felt his life was complete.
It wasn't until Lorist saw the finished armor that he truly understood: damn, this was bullying iron with steel!
The White Lion Legion's standard equipment was actually refined iron armor. Purple-brown in color, the former empire's master armorers had added several materials that could channel
What Master Hid presented was silvery-white steel armor. Using a hydraulic forging machine, he had smelted dark iron ingots into steel, then employed a self-made hydraulic press to forge the steel into armor plates.
Lorist picked up the steel armor to examine it and found it still had a three-layer structure. The outermost layer was steel, lined with black demon ox hide, and inside that was a layer of fine steel wire chainmail.
"My Lord, I spent a long time experimenting to finalize this steel armor's formula. Its defense is twice as strong as the White Lion Legion's standard iron armor, and it channels Combat Force faster and more comprehensively. We've tested it. The White Lion iron armor gets pierced by a longbow's direct shot at eighty meters, but our steel armor only gets penetrated at sixty meters. If the wearer also uses Combat Force for defense, a longbow doesn't pose a threat until thirty to forty meters.
The full White Lion iron armor set weighs thirty-eight pounds, while our steel armor weighs only twenty-seven pounds — eleven pounds lighter. For soldiers, that's a tremendous reduction in burden. Moreover, our steel armor provides more comprehensive protection, covering the body more thoroughly. Once you put it on, it's far more agile and lighter than the White Lion iron armor..." Master Hid rambled on about the advantages of his steel armor. From his description, it was clear that what he'd crafted completely overshadowed the White Lion armor in every respect, and he was thoroughly pleased with himself.
"Find someone to try it on," Lorist said.
Arl, eager at the sight of new gear, volunteered to don the entire suit of steel armor.
Then Lorist was stunned. It looked way too familiar. Wasn't this the armor worn by Imperial soldiers in Star Wars? Except for the helmet and the battle skirt hanging at the waist instead of tight briefs, it really did look the same. In that moment, Lorist really wanted to ask Master Hid whether he too had transmigrated.
Master Hid had designed a pointed helmet with neck protection and a bear-face mask that could be lowered to shield the face, giving it a particularly fearsome appearance. Arl wore the full suit of armor, drew his sword, and went through various combat maneuvers. After tumbling around and sparring with two guards for quite a while, he finally came over, panting.
"Locke, this steel armor really is much lighter and more agile than the White Lion Legion's standard equipment. And it fits perfectly — none of that sluggish heaviness you get wearing the White Lion iron armor. I want our guard battalion to be the first to switch over..." Arl requested excitedly.
Lorist turned to Master Hid: "Master Hid, how many sets can you produce per month?"
"My Lord, this steel armor consists of twenty-one components. While that's seven more than the White Lion iron armor, thanks to the hydraulic machinery, production isn't difficult. Here, we only forge the various armor components, then transport them to Industrial Castle for finishing and assembly. With our current manpower, I estimate we can produce a few dozen sets per day. If Your Lordship could provide me with an additional thousand laborers, and we build a few more smelting furnaces to increase steel output, I believe we could produce around two hundred sets per day." Master Hid calculated for a moment before answering.
"Done, Master. I'll assign a thousand laborers to you. Also, from now on this steel armor will be named after its creator — Hid Steel Armor — and designated as the standard equipment for our Norton family's armed forces. However, I want the helmet's pointed top changed to a round one, and our family's Fierce Bear emblem added to the breastplate. Can you do that?" Lorist asked.
Hearing Lorist name the armor after him, Master Hid was so delighted he couldn't close his mouth. This was the kind of thing that earned a man a place in history and made him famous throughout the world. "My Lord, rest assured. Following your wishes, I will make improvements to the Hid Steel Armor so that the family's forces can don our standard equipment as soon as possible, no longer having to wear the outdated and cumbersome White Lion armor."
Arl muttered from the side: "Why do I get the impression that Master Hid harbors deep resentment toward the White Lion iron armor?"
When Master Hid was young, he had been an apprentice at the imperial armory. One time, while repairing a batch of damaged White Lion iron armor, he believed that reforging the armor would improve its defensive capability. So he conducted a secret experiment — and ended up destroying three suits of White Lion iron armor. He was severely punished and expelled from the armory.
After being cast out, Master Hid had a miserable time of it. He wandered from place to place, seeking out masters and working as an apprentice. It took twenty years before he finally became a master armorer. Later, during the empire's civil war, he fled with his family to Panshan Road, where bandits coerced him into forging iron armor for them.
Arl was right — Master Hid indeed harbored deep resentment toward the White Lion iron armor. So when dark iron ore was discovered in the Blade Mountain Range, he had been researching day and night, neglecting both food and sleep. Now he had finally fulfilled his lifelong wish, creating the Hid Steel Armor that surpassed the White Lion armor in every way.
"Reidi, take down my orders," Lorist instructed. "In reward for Master Hid's creation of the Hid Steel Armor, the family will bestow upon Master Hid one thousand gold Forde. His assistant will receive one hundred gold Forde — the list to be determined by Master Hid. The remaining personnel will each receive ten gold Forde."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Master Hid, don't forget — the White Lion Legion's standard equipment isn't just iron armor. There are also matching shields and weapons. You need to keep working."
"My Lord, I haven't forgotten. I will equip the Hid Steel Armor with equally superior shields and weapons as quickly as possible. Please rest assured," Master Hid said.
Lorist sent orders to
...
No sooner had he returned and barely caught his breath than Miss Baisha dragged Knight Lunmod over to lodge a complaint.
The matter was simple. Knight Lunmod, serving as an apothecary, had been assigned to the women's camp to teach the female soldiers battlefield first aid and basic pharmaceutical knowledge. From his arrival in May to the end of October — five months in total — Knight Lunmod had gotten seven of the female soldiers pregnant...
Clack. Lorist picked his jaw up off the floor first.
What a man. Lorist regarded Knight Lunmod with genuine admiration — back at the academy, how had he never noticed this guy's true nature as a womanizer?
Miss Baisha was furious. Of the seven pregnant women, three were squad leaders, two were her own deputies, and two were exceptionally talented soldiers she had high hopes for and had been planning to promote before long. Now Knight Lunmod had swept them all up in one go.
But reportedly, all seven women had been willing participants — Knight Lunmod hadn't forced anyone. So even though Miss Baisha was gnashing her teeth, wishing she could castrate Knight Lunmod with a single stroke, the seven pregnant women were shielding him. She had no choice but to drag Knight Lunmod to Lorist to settle the matter.
Lorist combed through every regulation and bylaw of the family's armed forces but found no precedent for handling this kind of situation.
"Where are the seven pregnant women?" Lorist asked.
Miss Baisha replied irritably, "Downstairs in the break room on the first floor, arguing in an uproar. Each one is accusing the others of being shameless and seducing her man. This Knight Lunmod..."
"Bring them up. Let's ask them what they want to do."
Well, Lorist had only himself to blame. The seven pregnant women turned the lord's office into a marketplace, each one declaring she wanted to have Knight Lunmod's child and become his wife. Poor Knight Lunmod sat there like a quail, head in his hands, not saying a word.
"Enough!" Lorist slammed the table, cutting off the argument. "Here's what we'll do — stop arguing. I authorize all seven of you to marry Knight Lunmod. He'll take you all as his wives. Anyone who keeps arguing is automatically withdrawing."
Knight Lunmod looked at the seven women who immediately shut their mouths and burst into tears.
Lorist said with deep sympathy and earnest gravity: "Knight Lunmod, as a man, you have to own up to what you've done. Since you've done it, you need to take responsibility. Here's what I'll do — I'm granting you an extended leave. Go home and take care of your seven wives while they give birth..."
It was the only solution. After Knight Lunmod left with his seven pregnant wives, Lorist collapsed into his chair, utterly exhausted.
Miss Baisha was extremely dissatisfied with Lorist's handling of the matter. Not only had her women's camp lost seven core members, but Lorist had been far too lenient with Knight Lunmod — no punishment whatsoever, and he'd even gained seven wives.
"Lenient?" Lorist sneered. "Giving him seven wives is the harshest punishment of all. Days of blissful domestic chaos await him — chickens clucking, dogs barking, not a moment's peace. He brought it on himself. That's what happens when you can't control what's below the waist..."
...(To be continued.)