Apocalypse Lord-Chapter 45 - 43: The Dawn of Thought

One hammer strike, and then another.

The flames danced in the night, and everyone watched intently as the iron billet gradually became cone-shaped.

Abel was sweating profusely, his expression extremely focused. He forged the spearhead, crafted the blood groove, and socketed the tail end. Throughout the process, the golden flames were gradually ’kneaded’ into the spear.

The final step was quenching.

With a solemn expression, Abel submerged the material into the salt water. In an instant, steam billowed out like angry clouds. As he pulled the spear from the brine, nearly everyone gasped in amazement.

A thin line of sunlight streamed down from the night sky, and landed precisely on the pure golden spear.

The ’Miracle of Compassion’ unique to the Angsak people was thusly hammered out by a common blacksmith.

The sunlight slowly faded, and the night finally reclaimed its dominance.

Abel picked up the cooled spear and proceeded to the next step. Making the spear shaft was more complex, but fortunately, there were ready-made parts that just needed to be assembled.

Finally, he respectfully handed the finished product to the waiting Lord.

"Excellent craftsmanship."

Lin Lan swung the spear, poking the ground, and did not hesitate to praise, "Have you forged weapons before?"

"I’ve only watched other blacksmiths do it, my Lord."

Abel replied honestly, "The reason I succeeded this time was entirely due to the golden flames you granted me."

Lin Lan said nothing, but to his surprise, the system displayed an appraisal panel for the item!

[Item: An iron spear infused with Sun Ash Soil]

[Quality: Bai]

[Effect 1: Increases the user’s strength and courage to some extent]

[Effect 2: Causes an additional scorching effect when thrusting]

[Effect 3: Able to harm cursed entities]

[Description: Even with the sun’s blessing, it is just a slightly special cold weapon]

Lin Lan smiled silently.

If Sun Brother learned how he used the Ash Soil, he might just be upset enough to flip the Ark’s cover from the Divine Kingdom and scold Lin Lan for wasting precious resources.

But this was the limit of what he could accomplish for now.

How would Bai view this new energy source?

At that moment, Lin Lan thought of the bionic maid back home. Given Ideal City’s prosperity, there must be ways to use energy that he couldn’t even imagine...

If he combined the ’Activated Metal Composite Material’ in the warehouse with Sun Ash Soil, what kind of effect would that create?

Lin Lan suddenly realized that this world’s civilization had never left a legacy; only he could present the technologies of various eras in one era!

He took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and began pondering more practical issues.

Without a solid foundation, discussing technology is meaningless. Taking too big a step could lead to mishaps.

Lin Lan couldn’t even produce many cold weapons.

Iron billets were already scarce in the domain, and the iron refining plant in the southern territory of the Kingdom was controlled by Lord Levell. For a small lord in the southern territory to acquire iron tools, they had to pay a hefty price to buy resources from the Lord.

It seemed he needed to find a way to ’convince’ the good neighbor to lower the prices.

Expanding the domain was something Lin Lan had to do.

Why was there no reaction from the good neighbor even though he had been chopping down the Black Pine Forest so blatantly?

Lin Lan pondered as he handed the long spear to the guard Jay, who had always been by his side: "This weapon will be yours from now on."

The young man had been diligent and performed admirably recently, even helping to deal with a weak traitor, so it was only right for him to be prioritized for training.

Jay was taken aback and quickly knelt on one knee, accepting the spear with both hands.

"Thank you for your gift!"

The young man no longer looked stern and serious; he lovingly held the golden spear, his eyes brimming with joy.

After all, he had witnessed the birth of this magical weapon with his own eyes.

Lin Lan refocused on Abel.

"In the coming period, your task is to lead the blacksmiths to continue using sunlight to forge weapons."

He promised, "Aside from providing food, I will also distribute rewards to you based on the days worked."

"Rewards?" Abel was a bit incredulous.

"Of course, I won’t have you work without compensation."

Lin Lan spoke in the most straightforward language, explaining the most straightforward principles to the townspeople.

His tone was strong and powerful: "In my domain, as long as you’re willing to work, you’ll certainly receive the corresponding rewards!"

The biting cold wind swept through the camp like a knife, but the bright, warm torches forcefully dispelled it.

The expressions on people’s faces were no longer suppressed but filled with hope for future life.

"My Lord, could you arrange work for me?"

Just as Lin Lan finished speaking, a middle-aged woman stepped forward from the crowd. Her figure was slightly hunched, her eyes lined with wrinkles, and she held a timid little girl tightly by her hand.

"My name is Mana; I’m an experienced textile worker." She bowed her head and, blushing, recommended herself.

The little girl peeked out from behind her mother, curiously observing the Lord’s face.

"Winter is coming, and the townspeople need enough clothing for the season."

Lin Lan smiled and said, "I’ll send over the fabrics. From now on, you’ll be responsible for managing the work of the women, Mana."

His method of selecting managers was quite simple and straightforward.

Whoever had the courage to step forward first would certainly be given the opportunity.

Seeing the precedent, more and more townspeople gathered around the Lord, and Lin Lan’s mind started to come alive with ideas.

He needed to mobilize all the labor as quickly as possible, then swiftly convert all usable resources into the flesh and blood of the domain.

The flickering firelight illuminated the handsome profile of the gray-haired Lord as he spoke eloquently, coordinating everything methodically.

"The Lord is the most exceptional young man I’ve ever seen..."

Sean couldn’t help but whisper, "His actions always make people want to follow in his footsteps involuntarily..."

"Lord Roland has always been like this."

Wendy watched the young man’s every move intently, her smile growing softer on her face.

Lin Lan spoke until his mouth was dry.

Though the townspeople were grateful, almost eager to worship him, Lin Lan didn’t consider himself the so-called savior; on the contrary, he remained more sober and calm than anyone else.

Changing people’s lives was far too easy; the reason he could easily win the people’s hearts was because of those foolish Lion Heart nobles.

The real challenge was changing people’s mindsets.

Without fulfilling this crucial condition, no matter how favorable the living environment or magical the technology, it couldn’t pull the world out of the real mire.

Providing the commoners with work and reward was merely the first step.

Lin Lan pondered for a moment before finally turning his gaze to the thinly dressed children.

Young people are always easier to change...

It was time to try promoting education in the town. Whether the children were from the orphanage or the townspeople, he would treat them all the same.

Lin Lan wanted to plant the seeds of his unique thoughts in people’s hearts.