Chapter 117 The Storm from Underground In Lin Yue's series of...
Thanks to Lin Yue's series of "miraculous" cooling revolutions, summers in Blackstone City are far more enjoyable than imagined.
On the construction site in the suburbs, although everyone was still drenched in sweat, every hour, the logistics team girls would push "cold stone boxes" filled with chilled sour thorn juice to every corner of the construction site.
The nobles and wealthy merchants in the city treated Hope No. 1 Store like their own backyard. They not only frantically bought ice and various cooling stones, but also fought tooth and nail for a spot in a private room on the second floor with a "cool breeze wall".
The entire Blackrock City presents a bizarre scene of prosperity amidst both ice and fire.
Just then, Li Ge, covered in sweat, found Lin Yue staring at a complex architectural diagram, his face filled with anxiety.
"Mayor, it's no use, we can't hold on any longer." He plopped down on the wooden chair opposite Lin Yue, picked up the iced tea on the table, and gulped down a large mouthful. "The cement kiln on the outskirts of our city, once it reaches its maximum temperature, that's about it. The cement it produces is barely enough to cover the one- or two-story houses we live in now. But it simply can't support the three- or four-story public library and hospital you drew on your blueprints, even one with a big clock tower. The moment the foundation is laid, before the second floor is even built, the walls on the first floor will crack."
Coincidentally, before Lin Yue could come up with a solution to the cement grade problem, Fei Ye, who was in charge of the Blue Vest Guard's daily training, arrived with bruises all over his body, along with Ryan's personal guard captain, Renault.
“Mayor,” Fei Ye’s face was full of resentment, “this afternoon, we had a sparring session with Captain Renault’s men. Our men are no worse than them in terms of fighting skills and teamwork. But… but as soon as we switched to real weapons, we suffered a great loss.”
He held up a sharp but somewhat inflexible iron machete, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Look, this is the best knife our blacksmith shop can forge. It's more than enough for chopping wood and cutting meat. But compared to the standard longswords Captain Renault and his men have, forged by master craftsmen in the capital, it's still inferior. Our knives are more brittle and more prone to chipping. If we were to face a well-equipped regular army in close combat, our weapons would be at a significant disadvantage."
Renault nodded and added, "Advisor Lin, it's not that your warriors aren't brave, nor that your forging techniques are lacking. It's just that the human kingdoms have been researching metallurgy and forging for over a thousand years. The core guards of our noble private armies are equipped with weapons and equipment forged by the most famous forging masters in the capital, using the finest alloy materials and undergoing hundreds of folding and forging processes, along with special enchanting treatments. It's indeed very difficult for you to catch up with this gap in a short time by just figuring things out on your own."
What they said is true. Whether it is the firing of cement or the smelting of steel, it is not just a simple matter of proportioning and forging. Behind it is a complex industrial system involving materials science, thermodynamics, and chemical reactions.
It's already a miracle that they've gotten this far with only their limited industrial knowledge and the basic blueprints provided by the system. To break through further, to truly touch the ceiling of this world's industrial civilization, they seem to have reached their limits.
What they lack is experience, inheritance, and the core technologies that have been refined and accumulated over thousands of years.
And the one who could provide all of this for them... a gruff, swearing figure with a thick beard, yet capable of creating miracles in front of the fire, once again surfaced in Lin Yue's mind.
Stone Fist.
...
“Boss Horn,” Lin Yue said, personally pouring a glass of chilled sour thorn juice for the mineral merchant who traveled between the human and dwarf kingdoms year-round, in the private room of Hope No. 1. “I’m sorry to trouble you again this time.”
"Advisor Lin, you're too kind." The lean, shrewd businessman was flattered and picked up his juice. "It's my honor to be able to do things for you. I've already had the high-quality coking coal and iron ore you needed transported to you from the best mines in the south. I guarantee they're genuine."
“That’s not what I meant.” Lin Yue shook his head. “Mr. Horn, I want to discuss a larger and more long-term business deal with you.”
He presented Horn with a pre-prepared cooperation agreement.
“I hope you can become the exclusive agent for Hope Trading Company in the Dwarf Kingdom.”
Horn looked at the incredibly generous terms in the agreement—not only could he obtain exclusive sales rights for Hope Snow Salt, Starlight Wheat Flour, and even Hope Brand canned goods at an insider price far below market value, but Lin Yue even promised to provide him with a batch of more durable refined carbon steel transport vehicle axles and tools that made him extremely envious.
There is no such thing as a free lunch.
“Consultant Lin…” Horn’s voice trembled, “What…what do you need me to do?”
“It’s very simple,” Lin Yue said, looking at him and enunciating each word clearly. “I only have one request. I need you to use the connections and channels you’ve cultivated over the years in the Dwarven Kingdom to closely monitor all developments within the Dwarven Kingdom, especially the Forge Royal Court. I need to know about their internal factional struggles, their true attitude towards the human kingdoms, and most importantly…”
He lowered his voice: "Help me find out the whereabouts of a dwarf. His name is Stonefist. An old friend of mine with a very bad temper and a tangled beard, but whose blacksmithing skills are unparalleled. He has been away from his hometown for some time, and if he is in the dwarf kingdom now, he must have just returned recently."
...
More than half a month later, as the main residential buildings in the new suburban district were about to be completed and the entire Blackrock City was immersed in a peaceful and prosperous atmosphere, an urgent secret letter delivered by a griffin messenger and stamped with the sealing wax seal of the Horn Merchant Guild was delivered to Lin Yue.
The contents of the letter gradually made Lin Yue's expression turn serious.
In his letter, Horn described the tense situation in the dwarf kingdom—a powder keg ready to explode at any moment—in an extremely urgent and anxious tone:
Due to the long-term economic blockade by the human kingdom, an unprecedented chronic wasting disease, which the dwarves call the Disease of Decay, has broken out on a large scale among the common people of the dwarven kingdom.
Patients may experience unexplained physical weakness, lethargy, and muscle weakness, eventually progressing to the point where they lack even the strength to pick up a hammer.
Even more terrifying is that, in order to divert attention from increasingly acute internal conflicts and to incite war sentiment, the radical faction led by the Dwarven Kingdom's eldest prince, Thorek Ironbeard, is frantically provoking military clashes with human kingdoms on the border. Under the guise of "reclaiming living space" and "curing our diseases with human blood," they are bewitching a large number of young, desperate dwarven warriors.
The border defenses of the human kingdoms are under increasing pressure, and a full-scale war that could sweep across the entire southern territory seems imminent.
At the end of the letter, Horn mentioned a piece of news that made Lin Yue's heart sink to the bottom.
—In order to completely eliminate dissent, the radical faction led by Prince Sorek openly blamed the outbreak of this "disease of decay" on "traitors" who advocated peaceful trade with humanity. He claimed that these weak moderates had brought about humanity's curse and plague.
Their first target was a legendary master craftsman named Stonefist Furyhammer. Horn specifically noted in his letter that he wasn't sure if this Stonefist Furyhammer was the same Stonefist Lin Yue was looking for. However, he was certain that this master possessed ancient royal blood, enjoyed immense prestige among young craftsmen advocating open trade, and had indeed been away from the royal city for several years before recently returning.
The letter stated that the Stone Fist Master had been placed under house arrest by radicals on charges of treason and collusion with the enemy, and could face trial or even execution at any time.
Lin Yue's fingers unconsciously tightened, crumpling the edges of the animal hide letter. His expression was stern, his eyes flashing with a complex light—shock, worry, and a hint of icy resolve.
Although he wasn't sure if the person in the letter was the same grumpy old man he knew, the one who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, he couldn't gamble. He couldn't abandon someone who might be his ally just because of a sliver of uncertainty.
Lin Yue led Aunt Lia and the others back to Hope Town overnight on a lizard transport team.
On the night he arrived in Hope Town, at a temporary emergency meeting, he showed Horn's secret letter to all the core members.
"...That's the situation. I don't know if that Stonefist Fury Hammer is the same Stonefist Uncle we know. But I can't just stand by and do nothing."
"No, I have to go."
"Mayor," Li Ge said anxiously, "that's the internal affair of the Dwarf Kingdom! How can we, with so few people, fight against an entire kingdom? Isn't that just sending us to our deaths?"
“Yes, Lin Yue,” Gray said, frowning. “I know you’re worried about Uncle Stonefist. But if we intervene now, we might not only fail to save him, but we could also drag the entire Hope Town into the abyss of war.”
Even Aunt Lia, who has always supported Lin Yue, showed a worried expression this time.
Lin Yue looked at everyone, knowing their concerns were not unfounded. He took a deep breath and said, "I understand your worries. I won't risk the future of the entire Hope Town. This time, I won't use a single soldier from the town. All the necessary supplies will come from my personal work points and wages. I just want to..."
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a voice.
“Mayor, you’re being too polite,” Brother Li stood up. “Uncle Shi Quan may have a bad temper, but how much has he taught us? Without him, we’d still be living in thatched huts and using broken stone tools. Now that he’s in trouble, can we just stand by and watch?”
“That’s right,” Tie Niu stood up as well. “Everyone in our blacksmith shop has received guidance and scolding from Uncle. We all regard him as our master. When the master is in trouble, how can the apprentice not help?”
“Our agricultural team is also willing to contribute manpower and grain.”
"Our construction team is the same."
The crowd was immediately agitated.
Lin Yue looked at everyone, his eyes reddening. He wasn't fighting alone.
Just then, Xiao Hei, who had been silently resting on Lin Yue's shoulder, suddenly spoke up to analyze:
[Based on the system's preliminary analysis of the symptoms of 'deterioration syndrome,' its pathological characteristics are 95.3% similar to scurvy caused by a long-term lack of fresh fruits and vegetables and severe vitamin C deficiency, as well as electrolyte imbalance syndrome caused by long-term salt deficiency.]
[Suggested dietary plan: Increase intake of foods rich in Vitamin C, such as sour prickly ash, frosty radish, and... Hope brand pickled cabbage canned goods. At the same time, ensure adequate intake of pure salt.]
It was as if a lightning bolt struck Lin Yue's mind; he suddenly raised his head and looked at everyone.
"Who said we were going to war?"
"War is not just about swords and fire."
"This time we really need Young Master Ryan to step in and help us a lot."
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