Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

"Pills? Magical artifacts?" The raccoon's eyes lit up, wagging its fluffy tail as it pounced and asked, "We don't need any magical artifacts, but we do need sturdy and sharp tools! Can you make them?"

Sumali nodded: "No problem, I have hundreds of alloy formulas. Processing them into specific shapes is not difficult."

"Looking forward to you starting work soon! Let me do my part too. Awooo!" The raccoon called out, and a capable-looking woman ran over.

The woman, carrying a large toolbox and dressed in practical and durable clothing, asked the raccoon, "Foreman, what's the matter?"

The raccoon licked its lips and said, "Little Sprout, go with these two young people, measure all the data, and write down their needs. Report back to me later."

"knew!"

The woman named Xiaoya turned to face Liu Xingmo and laughed heartily.

"My name is Liu Chunya. Just tell me what you want to do!"

"Very good, come with us," Liu Xingmo replied.

The three rode on Bao Hei and drove around most of the city before arriving at an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts.

All that remains are the charred remains of the tree stump and that stubborn boulder.

"Looks like this is going to be quite troublesome!" Liu Chunya opened the toolbox and took out an object that looked like a trumpet.

The female bricklayer pressed the mouthpiece against the stone and put her ear to the mouthpiece. Then she picked up a wooden mallet and began to pound on the stone.

After a while, she packed up her tools, shook her head, and said, "This rock is part of the mountain; I'm afraid we can't move it."

Liu Xingmo, however, showed no worry. He turned to look at his wife, then smiled and said, "If we can't move it, we can at least blast it, right? I'll use detonators to blast the rocks, and use the lower half of the mountain base as a foundation. Is that alright?"

"Well, nobody lives nearby, but..." Liu Chunya was a little troubled, but finally accepted it, "You guys must control the amount of explosives you use!"

"Don't worry! We're professionals in this area," Liu Xingmo assured him, patting his chest. He continued, "We want to build a large house on this entire plot of land. What kind of design do you think would be suitable?"

Liu Chunya circled the large rock, looking it over from left to right: "This rock is on the edge of the land. I think it would be more convenient and sturdier to blast off half of it and use the other half as a stone wall to integrate into the house."

"Good idea. Our workshops are no ordinary place; they're full of valuable stuff. This building definitely needs a sturdy defense to keep out any petty thieves." Liu Xingmo stared at the land, imagining the fortress that would eventually be built. "In short, design it for us according to the standards of Zhongcheng Pharmacy."

"Is this okay?"

……

The three of them took out paper and pen, drew a sketch, and discussed the specifications.

We were busy until dark, and a general plan has been finalized. Construction will begin tomorrow.

Liu Xingmo paid the deposit, then said goodbye and left.

When we returned to the Yinqianshan mine, the dark streets were quite lively.

The miners and blacksmiths, covered in dust and sweat, quickly washed themselves in the hot spring river before heading to the restaurant canteen to enjoy a hearty meal.

Sumali, sitting on Baohei's back, was greeted warmly by many people.

Thanks to the new steelmaking furnace, the efficiency of steel production has increased several times over, making it incomparable to the past.

Many things that I wanted to do in the past but couldn't can now be put on the agenda.

For example, laying railway tracks inside the mine would facilitate the transport of ore by mine carts. The tracks could even be laid throughout the entire Heilongzhai area, allowing large livestock to haul goods even without locomotives, thus significantly increasing carrying capacity.

the next day.

Liu Xingmo and Su Mali personally approached Steward Ishikawa to discuss the supplies they needed.

Quicklime, pebbles, fine sand, and steel bars are all building materials that can be manufactured by human labor.

There was also a complete set of small steel processing equipment used to manufacture alloys and ritual implements. Various other boilers and vessels were also in high demand for the mass production of medicines.

With the compensation from the medals and improved steel furnaces received previously, they got what they needed without spending any extra money.

The discussion is over.

A giant pangolin, adorned with gold and silver, issued today's production orders. The workers, full of vigor and high spirits, threw themselves into the mines and factories with great enthusiasm.

Sumari stayed behind to oversee production.

Liu Xingmo then took the detonators and went to the abandoned warehouse in the central city.

In the early morning, the area where the town meets the mountains was bathed in the bright sunshine of spring.

The construction team arrived here a while ago and is clearing the land.

Liu Xingmo helped move the goods and placed detonators on the stones.

As the explosions rang out, the granite was cut piece by piece, eventually becoming a tall stone wall.

After a busy day, the once chaotic ruins are now much tidier.

The old tree stump was completely dug up, and the pit was filled with gravel and rammed earth. A thick stone wall stands on the east side to block the gravel and mud that slide down from the mountain forest.

The raccoon hopped around on the flat ground a few times, and after confirming that everything was alright, it walked over to Liu Xingmo.

He plopped down and asked, looking down, "Young man, we're officially starting work tomorrow. Could you double-check the blueprints?"

Liu Xingmo spread out yellow straw paper on the ground and pointed to the corner: "Everything else is fine, but the animal pen is a bit small. I want it to be bigger, at least ten meters long, seven meters wide and seven meters high."

The raccoon opened its long, pointed snout and laughed: "Hahaha, that's ambitious! We Black Dragon Village people live to capture wondrous beasts!"

Liu Xingmo pointed to another part of the blueprint: "There's also this place. Forging iron and steel will produce a lot of thick smoke. If it blackens the streets, that won't look good. So I need a very tall chimney to blow the exhaust fumes away with the wind."

"A tall chimney? Why not just build a tree tower? Hollow out the center and build a concrete firewall, then build a spiral staircase on the outside, and finally a viewing platform at the top."

Liu Xingmo shook his head: "A tree that's at least five meters thick would take up too much space, and it would be difficult to maintain one that big."

The raccoon didn't say much. Instead, it stretched out its furry paws, grabbed the little man next to it, stood up, and lifted him high.

Liu Xingmo, with his claws in his hand, looked beyond the nearby weeds and ravines, and saw into the distance.

The crimson sunset hung on the horizon, casting its warm golden light across the earth. Midtown was bathed in this glow, and the wooden houses and buildings resembled distant, dazzling, and sublime celestial palaces—both real and illusory.

A gentle voice came from below: "How is it? It's a nice village, isn't it? I built many of the houses myself. Isn't it a pity that you can't see this kind of scenery often since you live here?"

Liu Xingmo, folding his paws, gazed into the distance: "Alright, build me a tall, straight tree tower!"

The workday is over.

Liu Xingmo returned to the stone house in the mine pit.

Sumali was hunched over her desk, fiddling with blueprints.

Those were some of the planned magical artifacts.