Lord: Starting with Summoning the Regular Army of Earth

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the evening glow red, just like the red-hot charcoal and iron in a blacksmith's forge.

The clanging sound of blacksmithing has long been an eternal melody in this area.

Tang Yuanshan stood in the core area, personally wielding the hammer. Although he had transformed into a goblin, his movements and figure remained steady and experienced, with a good balance of tension and relaxation. The small hammer in his hand precisely pointed to the position of the red-hot iron.

The other blacksmiths nearby, along with Zhao Gang's team, swung medium-weight hammers, following Tang Yuanshan's instructions, and carried out powerful and even forging.

With each hammer blow, sparks fly as the iron is gradually cleansed of impurities and its shape evolves towards the design blueprints.

"The timing of quenching is crucial. Observe the color of the fire; it should be a bright yellow with a slight bluish tinge..." Tang Yuanshan's voice was high-pitched yet exceptionally steady as he gave instructions to the soldiers responsible for observing the heat.

After numerous trials and adjustments, they have initially grasped the limits of force and precision that this goblin body can achieve, and found a matching forging rhythm.

On a workbench not far away, several newly crafted weapons were neatly arranged.

Two standard-shaped one-handed swords with gleaming blades, several thick-backed cleavers, dozens of sharpened triangular arrowheads, and even a few strange long weapon heads resembling a combination of a halberd and a spear, which are improved versions of "hook-and-sickle spear" heads, which can be used for parrying, hooking, and stabbing.

Moreover, the weight, size, and shape of all weapons have been modified based on the goblin's height, arm length, and strength characteristics, making them more in line with the goblin's "ergonomic" design.

At this moment, Lei Hu, He Rui, Wang Xun, Sun Xiaochuan, and others were gathered around the worktable, their eyes shining as they lovingly stroked the new equipment.

They had just been replaced by another reconnaissance team and were preparing to return to Earth for rest during the next personnel rotation.

After all, they had been in this world for more than thirty hours. Although Blue Star's body was in a low-metabolic and stable state, the monitoring center still advised them to return regularly to avoid unpredictable risks.

"This is what a weapon should be!" Lei Hu picked up a one-handed sword, flicked the blade lightly with his fingers, and it produced a clear, resonant sound. "The steel, the weight—it's more than ten times better than the junk we snatched from those green-skinned bastards yesterday!"

"With these real weapons, I can take on ten wild goblins by myself!" Wang Xun excitedly waved a machete.

He Rui carefully examined the arrowheads and nodded, saying, "The arrowheads are of standard shape, three-edged with a blood groove, so their penetrating power should be good. As long as the crossbows keep up, our long-range firepower will be initially established."

As he spoke, he looked at Sun Xiaochuan, who was the real archery expert.

"Let's go check out the woodworking shop." As the team's "shooter," Sun Xiaochuan is now more concerned about ranged weapons.

He strode to the carpentry shed and asked, "Masters, excuse me, how's the crossbow coming along?"

Carpenter Zhou Shuqiang pointed to several pieces of tough wood blanks that were air-drying and said, "Don't rush. The selection of materials and the initial shaping of the bow frame are complete. It's currently air-drying and setting naturally. This process can't be rushed, otherwise it's prone to cracking or lack of springback. I estimate that in a little over a day, we can proceed with the fine finishing and stringing."

Guo Shulin added, "The core of a crossbow lies in the elasticity and symmetry of the bow arm. We are experimenting with combinations of several local hardwoods and tough woods, testing different baking and bending processes, striving to create a bow arm with moderate weight and good durability. As for the crossbow..."

He paused, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes, and lowered his voice to say, "Professor Zhang and I are working on something that's not an ordinary crossbow, but a replica and improvement of the Zhuge Repeating Crossbow based on the blueprints."

"The Zhuge Repeating Crossbow?" He Rui, who came with him, had his eyes light up. "You mean that kind of crossbow that can fire in rapid succession?"

"That's right!" Guo Shulin nodded, his green face expressionless, but his tone was full of enthusiasm. "In principle, it uses a lever and quiver to achieve semi-automatic cocking and arrow feeding. Although limited by materials and technology, its range and power may not be as good as a powerful bow or crossbow, but it has the advantage of a fast rate of fire and relatively simple operation. It's very suitable for you warriors to provide dense firepower at close range. It should be quite effective against enemies like goblins that rely on numbers to charge!"

Guo Shulin picked up a piece of hardwood being carved with mortise and tenon joints and gestured to it, explaining, "The crossbow frame and quiver are woodworking, but the crucial cocking lever and trigger mechanism require the blacksmith to craft intricate parts. They're already doing trial production there. If all goes well, the first prototype will be ready for testing soon."

Upon hearing the words "Zhuge Repeating Crossbow," not only Sun Xiaochuan, but also Lei Hu, Wang Xun, and others who had come along excitedly gathered around, their faces full of anticipation.

"Repeating crossbows are great! It's like using a rifle!" Lei Hu slapped his thigh excitedly. "Although we're not good with bows, we can use repeating crossbows like rifles! They'll be a killer weapon for defending the city or ambushing in the forest. One burst... uh, one whole magazine... just thinking about it is exhilarating!"

"That's right, especially behind fortifications or in complex woodland environments, the suppressive power of repeating crossbows is far superior to that of single-shot crossbows. We can form crossbow formations and fire alternately to create sustained firepower."

The group chatted excitedly, creating a lively atmosphere.

Just then, Sun Zhengwu called for everyone to assemble, and Lei Hu and the others quickly lined up and ran over, ready to return.

Soon after, the group leaders also summoned the rotating personnel to gather in front of the lord's mansion, and Guo Shoulin was among them.

This rotation involved a total of fifty people. Without further ado, Matthew immediately dispelled the summoning spell on these fifty people.

However, as the fifty goblin figures turned into points of light and merged into his magic pendant, Matthew sensed a strange change.

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that some unknown energy particles had appeared in the pendant. They were not magical; they were like drops of blood, slowly merging together.

Matthew studied it for a while but still couldn't figure out what it was, where it came from, or what it meant.

But this novel discovery also made him more curious and expectant about the magic pendant's functions.

……

Blue Star, a suburb of Linhe City, as dusk settles and the night grows hazy, in the alley near Guo Shoulin's house.

Several women, who were taking a stroll after dinner, were discussing the fact that Guo Shulin had been taken away by the police.

"Yesterday I asked Xiulan, and she said that Lao Guo went to repair some ancient buildings for the country... She said it as if it were true. If there were such a good job, would it fall to us ordinary people?"

"That's right, I saw him being taken away by the police that day, and he hasn't come back since. I think he must be in jail."

"That's possible, but Lao Guo is such an honest person, what law could he possibly break?"

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Maybe there was a problem when they made furniture for someone before."

The whispers of the group reached Li Xiulan's ears as she returned from outside. Her fiery temper flared instantly, and she strode over, angrily shouting, "Are you all just bored and have nothing better to do than gossip behind my back? If you keep talking about my husband, I'll tear your mouths apart!"

Actually, she didn't believe Guo Shulin's story at first, but that afternoon, two well-dressed and composed strangers knocked on her door. One of them claimed to be the head of the "National Cultural Heritage Protection and Restoration Project Team".

They presented her with official documents and relevant certificates bearing a red seal, and told her sincerely and seriously that Master Guo Shulin had been urgently recruited by the state to participate in a highly confidential ancient building restoration project due to his exquisite traditional carpentry skills. The project would last for about a month and required complete secrecy and severing all contact with the outside world.

They not only explained the seriousness and confidentiality requirements of the project in detail, but also processed the relevant family notification and protection procedures for her on the spot, left an emergency contact number, and advanced a considerable "labor subsidy" directly into her bank card.

Seeing the real bank transfer notification on her mobile banking app, along with the other party's impeccable credentials and wording, Li Xiulan's anger and suspicion completely vanished, replaced by immense shock and indescribable joy.

She never imagined that her blockhead husband would actually be noticed by the country and entrusted with an important task. She also never imagined that his outdated carpentry skills would actually be so useful and could make him a lot of money.

This surprised her and also gave her a sense of pride and triumph.

Even when they're cursing, they're full of confidence!

……