Lords of Hegemony: Conquer from the Mermaids

Chapter 159 Water-Rippled Stone

Meng Zheng's eyes lit up when he heard this. "Oh, there is such an ore? What is it called? What is the production volume?"

Upon seeing this, Yantie quickly explained in detail, "Lord, we're temporarily calling this ore 'Water Ripple Ore' because of the unique wavy texture on its surface. As for its production, we're still in the exploration phase, but according to preliminary reports from the patrolling Yakshas, ​​this ore is concentrated in certain areas of the surrounding lakes and mountains, so it should have some mining value."

Meng Zheng nodded and thought to himself.

"What did Master Tang and Hong Zhu say? Can they create a spiritual weapon?"

A spiritual weapon is a weapon that contains elemental power. It can autonomously stimulate elemental power and unleash attacks of astonishing power.

Previously, weapons and equipment such as the Canglan Armor could only be considered semi-spiritual weapons, because these equipment essentially relied on the user's spiritual power to be used.

The engraved runes have an amplifying effect and can activate the rune arrays on weapons and equipment, thus having magical effects.

However, spiritual weapons were different. They existed completely independently of their users, imbued with their own elemental power, capable of spontaneously unleashing incredible power in battle. For the Canghai Tribe, forging a spiritual weapon would undoubtedly be a monumental leap forward.

When Yan Tie heard Meng Zheng's question, a solemn look appeared on his face.

He scratched his head with a pair of pliers and said hesitantly, "My Lord, Elder Tang and Hong Zhu are all working hard to study this new ore. They have already extracted some of it and hope to find a way to create a spiritual weapon.

However, crafting a spiritual weapon is no easy task; it requires extremely high skill and precise rune engraving, and the success rate is very low. Currently, we are not completely confident that we can successfully craft a spiritual weapon."

Meng Zheng frowned slightly. He knew the importance of spiritual weapons and the difficulty of creating them.

However, it still requires slow research. Mr. Tang and others have the skills, but Canghai Village is currently unable to provide the corresponding materials.

This also resulted in the inability to develop spiritual weapons in Canghai Village. If this water-patterned stone could be used to make spiritual weapons, it might be the key to breaking through the bottleneck in spiritual weapon production.

"Yantie, how is your current progress in refining this ore?" Meng Zheng asked.

Yantie swayed slightly, appearing somewhat cautious. "My Lord, to be honest, refining this ore is much more difficult than we anticipated. Its composition is complex, and the water element is extremely active, making it difficult to stabilize. Only a small amount can be extracted at a time, and the ore will collapse immediately, making it difficult to extract in large quantities.

We are still trying different refining methods. After all, my Black Gold Ironclad Crab clan is more adept at refining gold elements. Hong Zhu has also begun researching ore refining methods, hoping to find a good solution. "

Meng Zheng didn't show any disappointment. "Didn't they refine some of it? Did they create a suitable weapon?"

Meng Zheng's question made Yan Tie's expression even more serious. He shook his head and spoke frankly, "My Lord, not yet. We've tried several forging methods, but none of them have been able to completely stabilize the water element in the ore. As a result, the weapons we forged are either fragile or unable to withstand the powerful spiritual power, and the results are not ideal."

Meng Zheng frowned slightly, but soon regained his composure.

The development of new technologies is always accompanied by challenges and difficulties. It is important to maintain patience and confidence.

So, he patted Yantie on the shoulder and said encouragingly, "Yantie, you've done a great job. Faced with such a complex ore, being able to start refining it and forging weapons so quickly is itself a form of progress. I believe that with your efforts, you will definitely find a solution." Yantie nodded excitedly and said firmly, "Lord, we will definitely continue our efforts. No matter how great the difficulties, we will persevere until we successfully extract the metal elements in the water vein ore and forge high-quality weapons."

Meng Zheng smiled and nodded, then said, "Very good, Yantie. Your work is vital to the entire tribe. I will fully support your work, whether it's resources or manpower. If you need anything, just tell me directly and I will provide it for you."

Yan Tie bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you for your support and trust, Lord. We will definitely live up to your expectations and create even more powerful weapons and equipment for the tribe."

"Besides water-rippled stone, what other weapons and equipment have been made now?" Meng Zheng looked at the smelting room filled with ore, and thought of the various equipment displayed outside.

Yan Tie led Meng Zheng through the busy workshop and came to a relatively quiet area.

Here, the number of black gold iron-clad crabs is indeed much less, and they are replaced by more mermaid and fishman craftsmen, who are busy operating various tools and carefully crafting various weapons and equipment.

"My Lord, this is our forging workshop that specializes in making metal weapons and equipment," Yantie explained.

Hong Zhu, who was busy as he came over, saw Meng Zheng and the others.

As soon as Hong Zhu saw Meng Zheng, he immediately put down the tools in his hands and came forward with a smile.

There was a hint of excitement in his eyes, and he was obviously very happy about Meng Zheng's arrival.

This mermaid craftsman apprentice that Meng Zheng met first, after breaking through to become a formal craftsman, his forging skills improved by leaps and bounds, and his progress was extremely rapid. Even though he summoned several new mermaid craftsmen later, Meng Zheng still promoted him to chief craftsman.

Judging from the current situation of the forging workshop, he did not disappoint Meng Zheng's expectations.

"Chief, why did you come here in person?" Hong Zhu asked respectfully, while bowing to Meng Zheng.

Meng Zheng smiled and waved his hand, saying, "I'm here to check on the progress of the workshop and learn about your recent work. Hong Zhu, as the chief craftsman, please give me a good introduction."

Upon hearing this, Hong Zhu immediately began to describe the forging workshop with great energy. He led Meng Zheng and Yan Tie to a row of display shelves, pointed at the various weapons and equipment displayed there, and said, "Chief, please look."

Picking up a dagger, the sword body was shining with a faint light, as if it contained some mysterious power.

"This sword is called 'Water Shadow'. It's a new weapon that Yantie and I forged together. Weapons made of black iron are completely black, which is very suitable for shadow fishmen.

Therefore, runes such as Lightness and Concealment were specially engraved on it. This way, when a shadow fishman uses it, not only will it be more agile when wielding it and will not be affected by the water flow, but it will also have the function of concealing and hiding its shape."

Meng Zheng carefully observed the short sword named "Water Shadow" and nodded in praise. "It's truly wonderful! It possesses the agility of water while retaining the toughness of metal. The Shadow Fishmen will thank you."

Among the three newly joined tribes, the Shadow Fish people play the greatest role, but their strength is very weak. Therefore, Meng Zheng had already instructed that they should tailor-make exclusive weapons for them. He did not expect to get results so soon.

(End of this chapter)