Chapter 231: Wolf Fang Lance

My Prince! Long time no see, you look even more handsome and suave~

This blunt way of praising people would be considered over the top by ancients—too blunt, not subtle enough—but the King thinks it's just right.

The King thought he had good eyes, after all, that money was his to keep; just as he was about to speak of the trip's purpose, Yuehan Pu excitedly grabbed him and shoved two drawings out of his pocket.

"Prince, our weapon designer has recently been studying ancient cold weapons; he thinks two of their masterpieces would suit you, and he's made material improvements—here are the drawings, take a quick look to see if you need them."

The King heard that and went—"Huh?!"

What a coincidence!

He immediately started negotiating: "Weapons? Not needed for now. I, the king, came to ask about the remaining ten thousand sets of armor—I've recently earned some income and can pay the balance."

"Armor isn't urgent; we're still making it, need time for quality. Take a look at my sword, then at my lance."

The King coldly refused: "No."

Yuehan Pu: "Take a look, take a look! This is very useful, this is good for cavalry, let me tell you..."

The King hesitated, "... I, the king, have no treasure."

Yuehan Pu: "The price can be negotiated, it's not expensive, really!"

The King reluctantly said, "You're really good at tricking me out of money—fine, let's have a look."

Yuehan Pu, excited, began explaining the drawings: "First look at this sword—it's one of the pinnacles of cold weapons. The blade is light and narrow, with an elegant curve, allowing the wielder to thrust with one hand or chop with two; its use is versatile. The edge is extraordinarily sharp, able to cut iron like mud. Ancient production required hammering thousands of times, making it very costly, issued only to high-ranking officers. If you have me make it, our technology can solve that. I'll use advanced materials, machinery instead of manual forging, keeping the sharpness without the high cost. The sword I make can still chop off a horse's head, and if the opponent wears pure iron armor, it can easily pierce through."

The King looked at the sword and said it's more like a sword, very narrow.

Beside it was a scale drawing of someone holding a sword—not very long, and you can't tell its power just from the picture.

If Bai Yang were here, he'd recognize it as basically identical to the famed Embroidered Spring Sword.

The King feigned mild interest: "Make me two sample swords, one top-spec with the finest materials, one standard for mass production with good value. If the price is right, I'll order a thousand or eight hundred."

Yuehan Pu thought a thousand or eight hundred was fine—a big order.

He then enthusiastically introduced that lance.

"Prince, I've made you spears before—infantry or those with less strength can handle them. This lance is formidable, a heavy long weapon suited for mounted combat, giving your elite troops a new weapon."

After speaking, he glanced at the King's face; the King remained calm, showing no interest.

He continued: "If you have a fierce general in your army, this suits them best. Our designers used medium height and weight martial artists as the standard, analyzed data, and improved this Wolf Fang Lance. Yes, this lance is called the Wolf Fang Lance; its front section has a long hammer head studded with sharp iron spikes, which I've replaced with a tougher, stronger alloy. Being hit by it means certain death or at least severe injury—truly fitting for a fierce general."

The King thought this was similar in effect to the halberd of the Owl Cavalry he'd seen before, just a bit longer. No matter—if someone fits it, if someone just happens to find it handy, he also has a bit of interest in collecting these fine weapons.

Overall, he thought the earlier sword was more practical; the close guards beside him could also carry it—curved blades are good for cutting people, the new sword is better for cutting horses.

Ah, in the future when going out, a row of curved blades, a row of straight blades—how satisfying.

The King ran through a bunch of scenarios in his mind, yet his face remained calm.

"Cough! Duplicate of the halberd. Likewise, make two samples; I, the king, will take them back to try."

Yuehan Pu just hehe-laughed: "The samples are already being made; they'll be ready in a day or two. I was thinking of going to Phoenix Market to see the Prince then, but I didn't expect you to come today."

The King: ……

Really works.

After putting aside the previous talk, the King again asked about the armor's progress. This is the ten thousand sets he's preparing for Liaodong Commandery; although there aren't enough people yet, as long as he's willing to spend money, gathering them will be quick.

These days are like that—some decent folk follow brokers just for a meal; the few thousand the King lacks are just a matter of sending the treasure ships south a couple more times.

Leaving the weapon shop, the King went to Phoenix Market to gather treasure.

Waiting for Qiao Yi to arrive, he saw the King's stall displaying two rows of porcelain. "Today a porcelain specialty?"

The King solemnly corrected him: "Wrong! It's an Imperial Ritual Vessels specialty."

Qiao Yi picked up a censer, turned it over, and saw the inscription: 【Great Jin Ningde Inner Manufacture】.

"Is this real? Imperial inner manufacture?"

The King blinked: "True, how could it not be! I, the king, am of the imperial family; my workshop made it myself—is there any difference from what my father emperor's Household Department personally made?"

Understood.

The King, worried passersby wouldn't recognize the value, set up his sign at the stall: "True·Imperial Ritual Vessels (inherited three-hundred-year dynasty)".

So much heritage, so much collectible value!

These vessels are entirely in the Great Jin imperial style, no mistake; the aesthetics are spot-on, exuding the dignified, magnificent, exquisite aura reserved for the imperial household. As soon as the sign went up, many people stopped to look, and before long a pair of exquisite vessels sold, bringing in eight thousand treasure.

The King chuckled: "This is faster than mining!"

Just as he was admiring it, Bai Yang came over, took one look at his sign, and laughed.

"Yo~ Three-hundred-year heritage? Your Majesty, you need to hurry up and sell—otherwise, the Great Jin thing will happen, and your Mengmeng will judge you for selling fakes."

The King couldn't laugh anymore; you speak clearly—what exactly are you referring to?!

No hehe.

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ps: Please don't hoard chapters these days, everyone—subscription/update data is crucial! If it picks up, it's good for all of us! Even if you want to hoard, wait until after the subscription/update period, thanks!!!

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