Chapter 153: Workshop Reform

Leaving the fields filled with the fragrant scent of earth.

Chen Wen rode nonstop, heading straight to the Artisan Camp located west of Luo River City, built against the mountains and heavily guarded.

Before he even approached, a wave of hot air blew toward him.

It was mixed with the choking smell of burning coal and the metallic tang of forged metal.

And the distinct fresh fragrance of wood after being cut and planed.

Unlike the tranquil vitality of the farmlands, here a rough yet vigorous energy abounded.

The clanging of metal, the whoosh of bellows being pulled, and the artisans' vigorous work chants.

Wove together into a noisy, rhythmic melody.

The scale of the Artisan Camp had expanded considerably since Chen Wen left.

On the newly cleared ground, several tall cylindrical brick kilns had been erected, belching thick smoke.

That was where building bricks and fire-resistant bricks were fired.

The original crude thatched sheds had mostly been replaced by neat tile-roofed houses.

They were sorted and marked as the Ironworks Workshop, Armor Workshop, Crossbow Workshop, Woodworking Workshop, and Leather Workshop, etc.

Zhao Lao Nian, having received the notice, had already brought several chief artisans to wait at the camp gate.

Upon seeing Chen Wen, Zhao Lao Nian's weathered, soot-streaked face instantly broke into a smile.

He trotted forward and saluted: "Envoy! You've finally come!"

"Rise up, and take me to see."

Chen Wen gave a slight supportive gesture, his gaze already turned to that most core area, where the guards were also the strictest.

——the inner-area workshop dedicated to researching and manufacturing armaments.

"All right! Envoy, please this way!"

Zhao Lao Nian hurriedly led the way, introducing everything in detail as they walked.

"Following your earlier orders, we've got the water-powered hammer up and running—down in that mountain stream below, it forges iron blanks incredibly fast!"

"The Armor Workshop now runs in two shifts, day and night; this month we should be able to output sixty sets of lamellar armor!"

"Over at the Crossbow Workshop, Li Quezi and the others are studying the diagram of the 'Divine Arm Crossbow' you mentioned."

"There are just a few joint spots that keep jamming…"

Chen Wen listened quietly, nodding occasionally.

The development of the Artisan Camp matched expectations, but it had clearly hit a bottleneck.

Many technical difficulties cannot be easily overcome merely by throwing more manpower and time at them.

What is needed is a flash of insight, a deeper understanding of materials and craft.

They first came to the Ironworks Workshop.

The massive water-powered hammer, driven by the stream, emitted a dull 'boom'.

Again and again it lifted, then came down hard on the red-hot iron blank, sending sparks flying.

Bare-chested and drenched in sweat, the artisans gathered around small anvils, performing fine work with large and small hammers.

Chen Wen stopped before an old master who was attempting to forge a new type of spearhead.

The old master frowned, staring at the spearhead he had just finished quenching, which faintly showed a crack, and sighed.

"Where is the problem?"

Chen Wen asked.

Seeing that the Defender Envoy had come in person, the old master grew nervous.

He stammered in reply.

"Rep… reply, Envoy… this… the hundred-folded steel has been folded too many times; its toughness improved,"

"but during quenching it tends to crack slightly. With fewer folds, the spearhead isn't hard enough…"

Chen Wen looked toward Zhao Lao Nian and the several chief artisans responsible for ironwork, crossbows, and armor standing beside him.

These people are the true technical core of the Artisan Camp.

"Old Nian, and you few…"

Chen Wen's gaze swept over this group, their hands covered in old calluses but their eyes full of thirst for knowledge.

"The benefit of armaments concerns the lives of soldiers and the outcome of battles. I know you have already done your utmost, but the situation is pressing, and we must go further."

He paused, his voice carrying an undeniable force.

"I will lend you a hand, making your thoughts clearer, your vision sharper, and your fingers more dexterous."

"Among steel, wood, and sinew and horn, glimpse the path of continual improvement!"

As his words fell, Chen Wen focused his intent, directly locking onto these five or six chief artisans led by Zhao Lao Nian.

Compared to agriculture, which needs broad coverage of low-level clerks, a breakthrough in military technology requires top talent to explode at critical junctures.

He chose the option with greater consumption but even more extreme effect——【Conferred Focus: 16x Efficiency】!

A feeling of disassociation far stronger than when he previously used 【Broad Conferral】 surged over him.

Chen Wen even felt a slight sting in his brow, and the soreness in his limbs noticeably worsened.

This 【Conferred Focus】 indeed exacted a heavy toll on mind and body.

He privately estimated that, given his current condition, maintaining this high-intensity empowerment for a few people at full strength would likely last no more than an hour.

And Zhao Lao Nian and the others enveloped by that invisible force instantly fell into an unprecedented state!

The old master troubled by the cracked spearhead felt only that his mind was filled with knowledge about steel.

All knowledge and experience regarding folding and forging grain, furnace temperature, quenching timing, and medium.

As if an invisible great hand had forcibly kneaded, reassembled, and elevated it!

Previously many vague links that could only be groped by feel have now become exceptionally clear.

He suddenly grabbed the cracked spearhead, his fingers stroking the fissure, his eyes lighting up.

That's it! That's it! The temperature of the final forging before folding was raised by half a point, causing the grain…

Uh, causing the internal structure to have a slight difference; during quenching, the rapid hot-cold change makes cracks likely!

Also, the quenching water must not be too cold; it needs to be a specific warm water, allowing the heat to dissipate slowly!

He seemed possessed, grabbing a piece of iron blank and rushing to the furnace.

Personally operating the bellows, his eyes fixed on the flame's color, murmuring under his breath.

He seemed oblivious to everything around him.

Another master craftsman in charge of the crossbow had originally been unable to figure out the eccentric wheel assembly structure of the divine crossbow.

He always felt something was missing, unable to achieve the terrifying power marked on the blueprint.

At this moment, he stared at the crude model, his fingers unconsciously gesturing in the air.

In his mind, however, it seemed as if countless gears and levers were spinning, combining, and being verified at high speed.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh hard, his voice hoarse from excitement.

"Stupid! Stupid! Here! The angle of this mortise-and-tenon joint is off by one point!"

"Just this one point, the force transmission leaks by thirty percent!"

"Also, the arc of the crossbow arm cannot simply copy the old design; it must be recalculated based on this new wheel assembly!"

He practically lunged to the workbench, grabbing charcoal and a board, swiftly calculating and drawing.

His focused and fervent expression made it seem as if only he and the unfinished divine crossbow remained in the world.

Zhao Lao Nian's feelings were more comprehensive.

He not only needed to understand the technology, but also to oversee and manage the entire artisan battalion.

Under the boost of sixteenfold efficiency, he felt his brain had instantly split into several 'threads'.

On one side he could clearly grasp the technical difficulties each master craftsman was overcoming, and quickly understand their crux;

On the other side, ideas for improving the artisan battalion's manpower allocation, material supply, and process optimization instantly surged forth.

"Wang Tiechui's side lacks two skilled workers to polish the armor plates… Li Quezi's crossbow workshop needs more ox tendon soaking…"

"The water hammer's transmission gears are wearing a bit fast; we need the wood workshop to make another set with harder jujube wood…"

"The clay for brick‑firing can be mixed with a little fine sand to increase strength…"

One after another, crystal‑clear commands and ideas arose in his mind.

He immediately took action, no longer the busy type who had to micromanage every detail.

Instead, he became extremely orderly and efficient, quickly locating the corresponding workshop head or team leader.

He issued orders in the most concise and precise language, resolving each bottleneck one by one.

The operation of the artisan battalion seemed to have been coated with lubricant, becoming smoother and more efficient.

Chen Wen, accompanied by Zhao Lao Nian, continued to inspect the inner‑area workshops.

He saw that, under the endowment, the armor workshop's craftsmen had gained new insight into cold‑forging iron plates, making the forged plates tougher;

He saw that the wood workshop's master craftsman had put forward stricter, yet more effective, requirements for the selection and drying of the crossbow‑arm timber;

He even saw that the leather‑processing craftsman had devised a breakthrough adjustment to the tanning‑agent ratio, making the processed leather armor more flexible.

Every critical technical node, under that incredible 'focused endowment,' was overcome and optimized at unprecedented speed.

After an hour, Chen Wen felt his mental energy drain nearing the danger line, so he quietly stopped the 'focused endowment'.

A strong wave of fatigue surged like a tide, making his face slightly pale and even beading fine sweat on his forehead.

"My lord, are you alright?"

Zhao Lao Nian was the first to notice Chen Wen's abnormality and hurriedly asked with concern.

He withdrew from that hyper‑efficient state, although he also felt a sudden mental emptiness and fatigue.

But more than that was a tremendous sense of satisfaction and excitement after solving the problems.

"It's fine."

Chen Wen waved his hand, took a deep breath, and suppressed the discomfort.

His gaze swept over the master craftsmen in the workshop who were still immersed in excitement.

"How are the results?"

"Amazing! My lord, truly amazing!"

Zhao Lao Nian was so excited his words became incoherent.

"Master Wang has already found a solution to the cracked spearhead and is now prototyping!"

"Li Quezi's side, the key difficulty of the divine crossbow has been broken through; he says at most three days, and he'll have a usable prototype!"

"Also, cold‑forging of armor and leather tanning have made great progress!"

"At this rate, next month our artisan battalion's output will at least double! Quality can also go up a level!"

Double! Quality up a level!

Chen Wen listened to this exhilarating report; although his body was fatigued, his heart was filled with joy.

The effect of this 'focused endowment sixteenfold' has indeed not disappointed him.

This is not merely an increase in efficiency, but a leap in technical level!

"Good! All master craftsmen and artisans who participated in the breakthrough shall be rewarded according to merit!"

"You, Zhao Lao Nian, for your coordination, reward: fifty strings of cash, ten bolts of silk!"

Chen Wen immediately gave the order.

"Thank you, my lord, for the generous reward!"

Zhao Lao Nian and the surrounding master craftsmen who heard the commotion all bowed in thanks, their faces overflowing with uncontainable excitement and gratitude.

Leaving the Artisans' Camp, the sunset's afterglow gilded the workshop outlines with a golden edge.

The clinking sounds, now heard in Chen Wen's ears, were no longer mere noise but a splendid melody of accumulating power.

He glanced back at the workshop area steaming with heat and hope.

As if he had seen the future battlefield, where soldiers of the Pacified Peace Army wielded sharp weapons and wore sturdy armor, invincible in every direction.

【Growth Progress Bar: 0.3%→1.1%】

On the light screen in his mind, the numbers jumped again. The power of industry likewise solidified his foundation.