Imperial Crown.

Chapter 55 Turning decay into magic
Late fall and early winter, riverside workshop.

The ground was covered with withered yellow grass, and the trees around the workshop had long been uprooted, but the north wind still swept the fallen leaves from afar, covering the surface of the moat.

Most of the nine workshops are vacant, with only four being put into use.

One is used to brew Angel's Tears and make Angel's Embrace, one is used to configure Angel's Kiss, one is used to sew labels, and the other is used to prepare Warcraft leather armor.

Raven arrived at the workshop and first had a brief conversation with Poirot.

With the accumulation of experience, Polo has gradually been able to work independently and coordinate the operation of the two workshops as well as the input and output. He can be regarded as the "chief engineer" of the Angel series products.

Long-term regular life has made Poirot thinner, more energetic, and more confident in his speech.

After saying goodbye to Poirot, Raven met Qiao Ya again, the woman who embroidered the first Angel's Tears label.

Now she is also responsible for the operation of the entire workshop.

As her hands gradually became looser, Qiao Ya's face became rosier than before, her hair was not as dry as before, and she walked with her back straighter and more vigorous.

However, when facing Raven, she still knelt down humbly, her words full of gratitude.

Raven didn't know much about embroidery. He just took a quick look at the work flow and went to the last workshop.

The door of the workshop was open. Next to the door were a dozen wooden barrels of various sizes, filled with half-demonized pig skins, which gave off a pungent and fishy smell.

Fortunately, it is winter now, otherwise it would be full of flies if it were summer.

"Baron!" A middle-aged man with a messy brown beard like weeds ran out in small steps and said in a panic, "Why did you come to a place like this in person?"

This man was one of the five shoemakers hired last time. His name was Green. Seeing that he was the oldest, Raven made him the manager here.

Hearing Green's words, the shoemakers and apprentices who were working swarmed out and began to salute in an uneven manner.

After they finished their greetings, Lei Wen said, "I came here today to check the progress, not to rush you. Go to work and don't worry about me."

Although Raven told them not to worry about him, these craftsmen couldn't really pretend he didn't exist. They all tried their best and were extremely alert.

They all wanted to perform well in front of the Baron so that they could gain his favor and be assigned an official position.

This scene made Green furious. Usually they were slacking off and ignored everyone when asked to work, but now they were putting on a show.

But he couldn't say that, because he was much more diligent than these people.

With a smile on his face, he followed Raven closely, and his tongue moved as diligently as if it were clockwork.

"Sir, this is the hide that has been nitrated. Look, it has been soaked in the caustic soda you gave me. It is tough and soft, absolutely impeccable!"

Looking at the leather that had been nitrated and then dried in the sun in front of him, Raven nodded, reached out to touch it, and frowned unconsciously.

Green's heart skipped a beat: "Sir, is there a problem?"

Raven said, "Tell me about your process for making leather armor."

"Ah?" Green was stunned.

"Just say what I tell you to say!" Volaf frowned and shouted, "Are you afraid that the Baron will be attracted by your inferior craftsmanship?"

"Yes, yes..." Green nodded repeatedly.

But I was wondering in my heart, how could a dignified baron be interested in such menial craftsmanship?
"Actually, the steps are very simple. It's just a matter of practice makes perfect." Green rubbed his hands and began to introduce the whole process to Raven.

In this era, the craftsmanship of leather armor has become quite mature and very simple.

After nitration, the grease on the inner layer of the leather is scraped off first. Due to the special nature of the pig skin itself, the bristles on the outer layer must also be removed.

The next step is division, which is the part that reflects the craftsmanship of a leatherworker.

Due to the different moisture content of the leather itself, the shrinkage and expansion degree after cutting will also vary. In order to obtain the nail pieces of the right specifications, a lot of experience is required.

Finally, the leather is glued together using leather thread, nails, animal glue, etc. to fix the shape and combine it into leather armor.

"...brush it with tung oil and let it dry, and you'll have a finished product!" Green held the leather armor in both hands and handed it over like he was presenting a treasure.

Raven's face showed realization.

No wonder he always felt that this leather armor was missing something. It turned out that a process was missing.

He turned his head and whispered something to Volaf, who nodded and left, leaving Green alone standing beside Raven, trembling with fear but not daring to ask any questions.

After a while, Volav came back, and the two warehouse workers who followed him put a large wooden box on the ground with a thump.

When the lid of the box was opened, it immediately attracted the attention of the leatherworkers.

This is a box of iron filings.

The appearance of iron filings in a leatherworker's workshop is quite a novelty.

After taking off his coat and handing it to Volav, Raven grabbed a pair of gloves from the side and put them on.

Green asked in confusion: "Sir, what are you doing...?"

"Watch this, I'll only do it once." Raven's voice was quite serious.

He took a piece of leather armor that had just been oiled and was about to dry and spread it on the workbench, then held a handful of iron filings in both hands and sprinkled them on the leather armor. The leatherworkers present stared at this scene with wide eyes - isn't this nonsense?

Green's face turned red and he felt a little embarrassed for Raven.

He knew that the Baron was very smart, but different fields have different worlds. He could make good wine, but he was a layman when it came to leatherworking. What did he know?

What use is there in sprinkling iron filings on the leather armor, other than making it look dirty and heavier?

Raven's work may seem rough, but it is actually very detailed.

After sprinkling one side, he moved to the other side and did the same treatment, then picked up a bucket of tung oil and brushed it carefully again.

"Take it and dry it."

Green nodded quickly: "Understood, sir! Hey you, don't just stand there, go now!"

After dozens of minutes of baking, the tung oil on the surface of the leather armor was almost dry, and the entire leather armor looked shiny and smooth, and even had a metallic luster.

Holding the leather armor in his palm, Green's heart was bleeding - what a waste of good things!
But he flattered her: "My Lord Baron, your craftsmanship is amazing. This leather armor is so beautiful!"

“Haha.” Raven glanced at him with a smile, but did not reply: “Pick another one and hang it up together.”

There were hooks in the workshop, so this process was not difficult. Soon, two pieces of leather armor, one new and one old, were hung in the air.

Just when the craftsmen were confused, Raven grabbed the sword at Volaf's waist, pulled it out with a clang, and slashed at the old leather armor amid a burst of surprised exclamations.

With a whooshing sound, the leather armor shook, and then a scar about a foot long appeared, completely cutting through the two layers of leather on the chest, and even a scar appeared on the leather on the back.

The craftsmen were stunned by this scene.

My Lord Baron has great strength!
When they tested it themselves, they couldn't cut that deep even if they tried their best.

Before the sword fell, Raven moved and swung another sword with his backhand, cutting the newly made leather armor.

Shine——

The clear sound of metal clashing was accompanied by first-class sparks.

Raven casually put the sword back into Volaf's waist, and the newly made leather armor stopped shaking.

There was a sound of gasping for air.

The craftsmen saw in disbelief that although the new leather armor was also cut open, the iron filings on the surface effectively blocked the cutting force of the sword and the leather was about to break.

There was a snap.

Green suddenly slapped himself hard: "Baron, I am damned for still doubting your skills in my heart!"

Not only him, but the other leatherworkers also looked at Raven with shock and admiration.

They were all veterans in the leatherwork business and knew what this meant.

The reason why leather armor, even Warcraft leather armor, is not as good as chain mail is that although it is not much different in its ability to protect against piercing and blunt damage, it always has a huge disadvantage in dealing with slashing damage.

The technology that Raven demonstrated cannot be said to have filled the gap between leather armor and chain mail, but it has greatly improved the practicality of the former.

Isn't the Baron only good at brewing wine? How come he can do this too?

Only Volav had a calm expression and in his heart he looked down upon these shoemakers.

They are a group of guys who are surprised by everything they have never seen before. Of course, the Baron will be able to turn decay into magic with his help!
"You haven't seen this technology before, so it's normal for you not to believe it." Raven stopped Green from slapping him again and glanced at the craftsmen: "Did you remember all the steps I just demonstrated?"

"Remember, sir!" Green nodded repeatedly.

The other craftsmen also nodded. After all, Raven's operation just now was not difficult.

Raven said, "Very good. All leather armor will need to go through this process from now on. I will also ship the already made ones back to you for remaking. If time permits, then use this process on both layers of armor on the chest. I won't force you to do this."

"I'll give you twenty days at most. After twenty days, I want to see 130 sets of leather armor like this. How about that? Can you do it?"

"Yes, sir! Don't worry!" Green nodded heavily: "I guarantee you will be satisfied!"

"Then I'll leave it to you." Raven patted his shoulder and looked around the room: "If you can deliver the stuff in good quality, I will definitely reward you handsomely!"

These words immediately ignited the spirit and enthusiasm of the craftsmen, and excitement shone in their eyes.

Raven always keeps his word, especially when it comes to rewards. He is never stingy. Poirot and Qiao Ya's three workshops are examples of this.

"But if I find out that you are cutting corners and doing a sloppy job," Raven's voice turned cold. His sword-like gaze pierced through the faces of each craftsman. He pointed at the leather armor before the improvement and said, "Then this will be your fate!"

After refusing Green's farewell and taking inventory of the warehouse stock, Raven left the workshop, rode on his blood-eyed warhorse, and headed towards the military camp.

Now the preparation of armor is on track, and the purchased war horses, pack horses and weapons are also on the way.

But in the absence of a generation gap, equipment has never been the decisive factor in a battle.

The most important thing is people!

……

(End of this chapter)