Chapter 710: Legendary Siren, Construction of Engineering Equipment (2)

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Now might be the time to forge some high-level equipment for that lad, to help him safely navigate through this crisis,” the legendary dwarf craftsman resolved quietly.

“Figure out how to forge it yourselves, and tell your lord that I have matters to attend to and not to disturb me!”

With that, Thotmudo left without another word, leaving the apprentices bewildered.

• •

With the demons closing in, everything needed to be expedited.

On the second day of Ji Chen’s return, a series of construction projects were promptly announced, including but not limited to the construction of coastal walls, coastal defense structures, anti-aircraft installations, and underground refuge tunnels. He aimed to fortify the entire territory like a hedgehog, armed to the teeth.

However, besides basic resources, these projects required a plethora of complex auxiliary materials, which would have to be procured through the merchants.

On the day the projects were announced, Ji Chen convened the merchants who were staying on the island.

Port Shipmasters’ Guild.

In a room designated for meetings, the disheveled Lein was escorted in by a maid. Several merchants, who had come from places like Lienhardt and the Maple Principality for trade or transit, were already waiting inside.

An overweight merchant familiar with him greeted Lein as he entered.

“Sir Lein, were you also invited by Ji Chen?”

“Yes, I was informed as soon as I disembarked.” Lein glanced around. “What could Lord Ji Chen possibly want with us?”

The stout merchant pondered, “It’s probably related to the demon invasion.” Demon invasion?

As an informed merchant, he had long heard about the impending return of those fiends sealed in the depths of the abyss.

“Sigh, ever since this news came out, business has been tough,” the stout merchant lamented.

Lein nodded knowingly. Ever since the news spread from the Elven Empire, the most sensitive aspect had been the prices of various commodities on the continent, all skyrocketing. Businesses that used to yield decent profits were now impossible to conduct. So, he had come to the New Moon Islands again to try his luck and see if he could find some goods that were still profitable.

But it seemed he wasn’t the only one with that idea. The number of merchants he saw here was several times more than the last time he visited, and many of them were big traders!

The invasion was imminent, but it didn’t seem to hinder their business dealings before it happened.

“I hope this trip yields some goods. It’d be a waste otherwise,” Lein thought to himself, only to hear the stout merchant suddenly exclaim, “Ji Chen is here!”

Lienhardt snapped to attention and turned to see Ji Chen entering the room, exuding an imposing aura like a vast ocean.

“Lord Ji Chen, good day!”

The merchants in the room promptly approached, respectfully bowing as they greeted him. Lein also dared not be negligent and quickly bowed as well.

Ever since Ji Chen attended the meeting of various orderly factions in the Elven Silvermoon Holy City, his reputation had spread along with the news of the demon invasion. Countless natives only now realized that this Lord of Glory, who had arrived in this world less than a year ago, had already reached the Epic tier in strength.

What exactly did Epic tier signify?

It was like overturning mountains and seas with a mere flip of the hand.

Even kingdom-level powers didn’t possess Epic tier strength; only those deeply rooted, millennium-old major powers could possibly have it.

For example, the once-prosperous Elven Empire openly boasted two Epic tier powerhouses, and the Dragon Island armed to the teeth also had two.

This perfectly illustrated the value of the Epic tier.

Epic tier experts also had their own areas of expertise. For instance, the contemporary Elven Empress was renowned for her unparalleled archery skills. The arrows she fired contained the rule of unerring accuracy. The only time she displayed her power was when she personally led the army to subdue the Polar Trolls. With a single arrow, she killed the Troll Chieftain, leading to the rapid dispersal of the Troll tribe and an effortless victory in the war.

On Dragon Island, there was a Dragon Elder whose age had reached tens of thousands of years. With a single punch, he could shatter a small hill, and in his true dragon form, a breath could scorch mountains and boil seas.

And this young Glory Lord, who was so young as to be extreme, was probably proficient in the field of the ocean and water.

— This information was laid out on the table for all major powerful beings on the second day of Ji Chen’s appearance at the meeting.

However, what troubled these powerful beings was that there was little information about him. This Glory Lord seemed to rarely take action in front of outsiders, and most who had seen him act had already perished. Currently, the only known ability was the power to stir up giant waves. The domain of the Ocean Crown, his territory, boasted a high-end army no less inferior to kingdom-level powers.

But what gave them some relief was that the position of the Ocean Crown happened to lie on the path of attack by the demon army led by the Dreadlord Balzarna. It was thought that Ji Chen, whose strength leaned towards the ocean and water, could delay the demon army along this route, allowing them time to prepare.

Clearing his mind, Lein quickly said, “Lord Ji Chen, good day.”

He would have to show even more respect to Ji Chen after learning he was an epic-tier powerhouse.

Ji Chen remained composed, but he glanced at Lienhardt, recognizing him. “Sir Lein, did you just disembark?”

Lienhardt nodded hastily. “Yes, as soon as I got off the ship, the port staff told me about your invitation to all the merchants, so I didn’t even have time to change my clothes.”

“No matter, I invited you all here this time because I need your help.”

Seeing the attention of the other merchants drawn to them, Ji Chen didn’t beat around the bush. “You should have heard about the impending demon invasion.”

The merchants nodded. “We are already aware.”

“Very well, I’ll get straight to the point. The Ocean Crown and the position of the New Moon Islands are right on the path of the demon army led by the Dreadlord Balzarna. This means this area will face a direct assault from the demon army.

To buy more time for the various orderly factions of the Northern Continent, I will initiate a series of construction projects to defend against the demon invasion. However, time is of the essence, and we need your help with materials.”

Upon hearing this, the merchants’ eyes lit up, eager to seize the lucrative business opportunity.

Ji Chen glanced at the merchants, each with a different expression, and continued, “If you have any questions, feel free to ask.”

Soon, a merchant raised his hand. “Lord Ji Chen, may we handle all the construction materials?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I plan to build a sturdy and tall ring-shaped island wall. In addition to requiring a large quantity of stone, we also need to construct arrow towers, artillery platforms, and other facilities, as well as the energy cores and special materials needed for weaponry. All of these will be entrusted to you.”

The merchant’s face brightened at this, indicating he might be involved in businesses related to energy cores.

After answering several questions, Ji Chen thought to delegate further inquiries to Wilus, but he noticed that a merchant named Lein raised his hand. After some consideration, he decided to answer the last question.

“Sir Lein, what would you like to ask?”

Lein, pleasantly surprised by the attention, said, “Lord Ji Chen, besides these, do you need architectural blueprints? I’ve previously acquired a batch of blueprints for offensive defense structures like arrow towers.”

Ji Chen raised an eyebrow. “Certainly, as long as the quality is good, I’ll take as many as you have.”

Using architectural blueprints was a quicker method compared to direct construction. The time required using blueprints was only a fraction, even as little as one hundredth, of regular construction time. For the Ocean Crown, which needed time the most, this was a good choice.

With a positive response, Lien’s spirits soared. Indeed, this place was a goldmine for him, and he quickly sold off what he had to offer.

Ji Chen entrusted this matter to the arriving Wilus; he had more important tasks to attend to.