Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 377 Thomas the Scroll King (Bonus Chapter 710 for the Alliance Leader)

As dawn broke, Li Wei awoke from a deep sleep, ready for another day full of energy.

He jumped up silently, changed his clothes, and glanced back at Hathaway, who was still fast asleep on the bed. She would probably sleep until the sun was high in the sky.

She didn't return until 2 a.m. last night, rudely waking Li Wei, so Li Wei had no choice but to be rude in return.

He pushed open the door and left, first going to inspect the wheat field. When he returned, he saw Thomas already sitting on the edge of the field, smiling and waiting.

In no time, eight electric trucks came buzzing from the distant highway, carrying cement, steel bars, concrete mixers and other related machinery, along with thirty engineers and fifty construction workers.

Led by Zhao Qingshan, Lenos's second-in-command, is a native freeman with yellow skin. It is said that his homeland is on the other side of this planet. He studied here, but encountered the apocalypse. He has been struggling for more than ten years, and now he has finally ushered in a little hope.

He himself is a PhD in engineering, and also a three-star craftsman, a two-star carpenter, and a two-star woodcutter. He can be considered one of the few people in Li Wei's territory with the most solid knowledge and education. He is also the number one strategist in Nelson's advisory team. If Nelson had a daughter, he would be Nelson's son-in-law now.

"Your Excellency, the Second Engineering Team under the Engineering Department is reporting to you! Sixty men were expected, and eighty are present."

The man in his thirties felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and excitement upon seeing Li Wei.

"Old Zhao, why are there so many people?" Li Wei patted him on the shoulder and asked with a smile.

"Reporting to the Lord, since the main structure of the Southern Fortress is basically completed, Minister Linus and the First Engineering Team are now only needed to take charge. Last night, Steward Nelson convened an emergency meeting, which was attended by almost all departments. We all agreed that the construction of the river bridge and the Earth Fortress are of extraordinary importance and are quite difficult, so it is necessary to dispatch elite troops to provide support."

"Of course, Commander Zhao Xuanxuan, please rest assured that there will be no problem with patrolling and guarding the eastern part of the territory. The northern fortress is already in use, with two squads led by Paladin Benjamin stationed there."

"Alright, in that case, let's eat first and talk while we eat. Qingshan, I'm quite curious, the construction requirements for this bridge must be quite high. Can we handle it?"

"Reporting to the lord, the construction techniques are not bad. We currently have a medium-sized concrete mixer and all the equipment related to pouring concrete. The biggest difficulty before was the shortage of cement and steel bars. This year we built the northern and southern fortresses, which took up most of the resources, but with the completion of the main structure of the southern fortress, the supply will be available."

"However, we don't have enough massive construction machinery to move the poured bridge onto the piers, so that might take some effort. But it's not a big problem, since it's only 150 meters long and has two lanes in each direction. We also have plenty of electricity here, so setting up a small gantry crane isn't difficult. If we work overtime, I dare to give a solemn promise that we can complete the bridge and open it to traffic within thirty days!"

"However, it would be a waste of this month to expect to build the bridge before starting construction on the fortress. We have sufficient manpower and resources now, so I suggest that the two projects be carried out simultaneously. In my opinion, the project can be divided into several parts and carried out together, such as the foundation development and pouring, the construction of mountain roads, and the mining of materials. In this way, once the bridge is open to traffic, the preparations for the fortress on the south bank will be basically completed, and all that will remain is the pouring of the main structure."

"Speaking of which, we have now summarized a whole set of experience in fortress construction. If the northern and southern fortresses are 1.0, then this earth fortress must be built to at least 2.0. If there are no other interferences, I can guarantee that this fortress will be put into use by the end of September or the beginning of October."

"In addition, these are the construction blueprints for the Earth Fortress. They were personally measured and designed by Minister Lenos more than a month ago."

"Alright, this matter will be left to you professionals. In addition, the Riverside Fortress will provide you with thirty craftsmen this time, and the Earth Baron can provide five hundred strong laborers. How to command and deploy them is your responsibility."

“Now, Thomas, I need your help. We need to build a simple bridge across this river.”

Li Wei laughed loudly, saying that they now possess the power of the existing technological era, such as electricity, mixers, welding tools, and even small gantry cranes.

It also possesses the blessing of extraordinary power.

Normally, it wouldn't be easy to build a simple wooden bridge over a river with a slightly rapid current and a depth of nearly six meters.

But when Thomas transforms into a nearly six-meter-tall stone man, carrying a thick, fifteen-meter-long log, and steps into the river, he himself becomes part of the bridge pier.

Holding a thick log, he would lift it high and bring it down heavily, smashing it into the silt seven or eight meters deep in one go. Then he would continue to smash it down until it was nearly ten meters deep in the silt, with one end of the log barely sticking out of the water. Then he would smash in a second log, and a third log.

Five logs are bundled together, and Li Wei holds a steel wire rope to tie them tightly together. In this way, a log bridge pier is formed.

Then, build one of these bridge piers every ten meters and connect them with logs to eventually create a simple wooden bridge that is two meters wide.

Although it is swaying and close to the water's surface, it will definitely be washed away if a flash flood occurs.

The problem is, Thomas got it done in just half a day.

That afternoon, escorted by several small boats, five hundred able-bodied laborers from Hathaway's territory who had already activated and bound their professional cards, along with thirty craftsmen from Li Wei's side, quickly crossed the river, transporting most of the tools and supplies with them.

They worked through the night that very night.

First, they found a relatively flat and wide spot on the highway on the opposite bank to set up camp. They started logging, digging, and building wooden houses. Chainsaws, hacksaws, shovels, and pickaxes were all put to use. Under the illumination of huge searchlights, Li Wei personally led the way, Thomas set an example, and Hathaway supervised the work with a whip in hand. Five or six hundred people worked like animals, howling with excitement.

Then, the campsite was set up in just over half the night.

The craftsmen and strong laborers could eat whatever they wanted and go to sleep, but Li Wei and Thomas were still competing. At first, Hathaway was used to it. As a player, who hadn't seen this kind of situation before? But later she was really surprised. Thomas was practically a human excavator. This was no exaggeration. The soil and rocks on the ground were like a son meeting his father when they encountered him.

No shovels were needed; a single punch was enough to level the road. He was the road builder, while Li Wei was responsible for clearing away the debris. They worked like this until dawn. When the craftsmen and free people got up, they were astonished to find a wide mountain road, big enough for a truck to pass, already leading to the top of the mountain.

At this moment, a cook came to deliver the food, and Li Wei and Thomas stopped.

"No, Li Wei, where did you find such a monster?"

Hathaway was incredibly surprised. While wiping the dust off Li Wei's face with a damp towel, she whispered in his ear, "What do you mean?"

She could naturally see Thomas's strategic value. Yes, strategic value. With such a large size and all his attributes, he was definitely a level 5 stone giant.

However, the level 5 stone giants that superhumans usually transform into are mentally confused and devoid of intelligence.

Thomas is different. He follows orders and knows how to cooperate. If he is paired with an elite squad, he will be unstoppable on the battlefield and can crush the opponent.

When did Li Wei's forces become so powerful?

This is still Thomas, but who is this Zhao Xuanxuan?

For a moment, a slight sense of disappointment finally surfaced in Hathaway's heart. Her previous idea of ​​joining Li Wei's territory as an advisor was just talk.

But now, she feels like she's missed out on a golden opportunity.

"This is not a monster. This is my advisor, my teammate, and the brother who will fight alongside me through thick and thin in the future," Li Wei said calmly. Thomas had been mining iron ore for the past few months and had also maxed out his two-star attribute cards. He should now have reached level two awakening in all attributes and even upgraded his codename, City Builder.

He seems to be stronger than before.

So, should we upgrade him to five stars first?

Thomas, as a combat class, doesn't rely much on class cards; you just need to keep accumulating attributes.

After thinking for a moment, Li Wei checked Thomas's overall attributes using the Prestige Card.

Name: Thomas

Age: 45

[Identity: Advisor to Li Wei, the Flame Baron of the Kingdom of Locke, and a four-star mercenary in the Alliance of Lords of the Heavens. Note: Once you become an advisor, you cannot simultaneously hold the position of lord. You can only become a lord again by resigning from your position as an advisor.]

[Profession Cards: 4-Star Stonemason, 4-Star Miner, 4-Star Farmer, 4-Star Butcher]

[Destiny Chart: Stonemason (72), Miner (81), Farmer (19), Butcher (12)]

[The hidden talent "Dullness" has been activated, currently at +4 (after the Stonemason and Miner Destinies reach level 60, you gain 1 point of Dullness for every 10 points gained)]

[Codename: Thomas the Mountain Pioneer, Enhancement Level 1, Health +100, Stamina +100, Strength +20, Agility +1, Defense +30, Desensitization +1]

Basic Attributes (including equipment and code name): Health 500, Stamina 600, Strength 50, Agility 35, Defense 90

[Attributes after activating the Blunting Talent (Stone Giant Form): Lasts for 30 minutes, weakens for 10 minutes, increases health by 1000, stamina by 1000, strength by 100, agility by 5, and defense by 150. If you exit Stone Giant Form within 10 minutes, you will not be weakened. You can re-enter Stone Giant Form after 20 minutes.]

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These attributes are pretty impressive.

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to give up on upgrading Thomas temporarily, because his stonemason card and miner card could be upgraded to rare after returning to the base camp.

If you upgrade to five stars now, the cost of strengthening it in the future will be slightly higher, and the success rate is said to change slightly.

Let's leave it at that for now. But this kid's stonemason and miner destinies are increasing way too fast. Is he just eating and sleeping all day, and then working all month long, mining in the mine?

This guy is absolutely unbeatable!

Li Wei felt inferior to him, unable to compare, truly unable to compare.

(End of this chapter)