Chapter 3: The Camp Director's Chest Muscles Are Quite Good (Three)

  "What can I get for you, officer?" The shopkeeper in the blacksmith's shop immediately came forward when he saw Zhou Weiqing's archer uniform. Although being a blacksmith was not a lowly profession, it was still far inferior to being a military man. In the Tian Bow Empire, only the Imperial Jewel Masters were more respected than the military men. The empire's army of just 50,000 had defeated countless invaders and earned the love and admiration of the common people. Although Zhou Weiqing looked young, his standard military uniform was still very impressive.

  "Are you the boss here?"

  "Yes, that's me. Our shop may not be very big, but it's a well-known brand in Tian Gong City, and the reputation is excellent. You want to buy something, I'll give you a discount. After all, you're also doing it for the sake of protecting your family and country!"

  Wu Wei Qing chuckled, lifted his hand and took off the wind hat on his head, handing it to the boss. He looked outside before leaning in close to the blacksmith shop owner and said mysteriously: "Boss, I'm a logistics soldier from the 5th United Legion's 3rd Archery Battalion of the Empire Army. This time, our battalion commander sent me out to have something made. If you guys do it well, then the benefits don't need to be mentioned, right?"

  The old boss hesitated for a moment, looked up and down at Zhou Weiqing several times. Although the archer in front of him was a bit young, he had a honest face and didn't look like a swindler or a cheat.

  Zhou Weiqing said in a low voice, "Don't you know about our three camps? Once I mention the name of our camp leader, you'll understand. Our camp leader is none other than the Empire's number one beauty, Lady Yu'er, daughter of Duke Xue."

  When the blacksmith heard the words "Shangguan Ice", his eyes lit up, "Sir, what can I do for you?" Shangguan Ice was a legendary figure among ordinary people, born from humble beginnings and known as the "Commoner Goddess". This honest old man couldn't believe that someone would use Shangguan Ice's name to deceive others, or else he would be despised by all commoners. How could he know that this person in front of him was also a viscount? If Shangguan Ice found out that Zhou Weiqing had used her name to swindle people, who knows if she wouldn't make him impotent.

  "We need a metal that is extremely hard, but the lighter the better to make things. And it has to be fast, today if possible. We need to rush the work, money is no object." As he spoke, he pulled out his newly received military pay and slapped several gold coins on the table.

  Zhou Weiqing this guy has never needed to cultivate since he was young, his cunning is absolutely not comparable to that of his peers. The reason he got involved with the beautiful female camp leader's tiger skin is because of speed. Generally, ironwork shops require queuing up to make things, but he can't wait.

  The blacksmith's boss nodded immediately: "No problem, our shop just happens to have precious titanium alloy. This thing is actually refined by the fire system Yuzhu master. Although the price is high, it's exactly what you want. The characteristics are good, but the price is also relatively expensive, one kilogram of titanium alloy needs ten gold coins. How about this, looking at the face of Lord Xiaoyu, I'll charge you the cost price, seven gold coins per kilogram?" When he saw Zhou Weiqing take out the money, he already completely believed in this awkward-looking young man.

  As soon as he heard the words "titanium alloy", Zhou Weiqing's eyes lit up. He had heard of this stuff before, his old man had a suit of armor made from titanium alloy, which was not only light in weight but also extremely tough, one of the best materials for forging weapons and equipment. Overjoyed, he said "Great, I'll take this one. This is what I want to forge." As he spoke, Zhou Weiqing handed the wind hat in his hand over to the blacksmith shop owner.

  The boss was taken aback, "Isn't this a windbreaker?"

  Zhou Weiqing nodded, saying: "It's just that we want to make it into a wind hat shape. Think about it! On the battlefield, our archers generally face the enemy's bows and arrows, right? If the wind hat is made of titanium alloy, can the enemy's arrows still hurt us? Moreover, I require that inside the wind hat, a multi-layered canvas handle be installed, so when I hold it in my hand, it can become a shield."

  When Zhou Weiqing said this, the blacksmith's eyes lit up instantly. This was entirely feasible, but titanium alloy was so expensive, could it be equipped to all archers?

  This idea had been on Zhou Weiqing's mind for a long time. When he was at home with nothing to do, he loved to think about strange and unusual things. Previously, when he signed up for the army, that oily squad leader told him that being an archer was the safest option, which was simply nonsense. As the son of a marshal, how could Zhou Weiqing not know that archers, especially the longbowmen of the Heavenly Bow Empire, were one of the most expendable troops on the battlefield? The attacking power of the longbowmen was extremely astonishing, so they would definitely be the enemy's key target. Being shot at like this was a common occurrence, and the reason he still chose this profession was because he had a way to counter it, and archers didn't really need to engage in close combat.

  He had this idea when he was eleven years old, turning the wind hat of the longbowmen into a shield. It was extremely simple to use on the battlefield. When the enemy attacked, all he needed to do was crouch down, curl up as much as possible, and lower his head. The enemy's arrows would almost be completely blocked by this hat. This idea was something that ordinary people could not think of, only someone like Zhou Weiqing who was born with a timid heart could come up with it. He also wanted to tell his father about it, but every time he saw the serious look on his old man's face, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Who knows whether his father would approve of this suggestion? Moreover, super light metal was not something that the entire army could be equipped with.

  "I'm impressed, this must be Viscount's idea. So creative! Alright, we'll take on this task. I'll get everyone to rush it out and make sure it's done before tonight. We'll charge by the amount of material used, and I won't even ask for labor costs from you. Let's say 6 gold coins per kilogram of titanium alloy."

  This is the benefit of being cheated, no need to speak up, others will actively lower the price, Zhou Weiqing was extremely pleased in his heart. As for this boss transferring such a despicable idea to Shangguan Yinger, he didn't care at all. Safety first, after all.

  "Boss, do you have any other items made of titanium alloy? Preferably something wearable for defense." Six gold coins per kilogram of titanium alloy was a price that Zhou Weiqing had never heard of. As far as he knew, the normal price should be around ten to twelve gold coins per kilogram. Since he would likely be going into battle after joining the military, it was always good to prepare some extra defensive gear for himself.

  "You've asked the right person, I have a titanium alloy inner armor here, made from titanium alloy plates woven with the tendons of the heavenly beast, the magic snake. It's light and fits closely to the body, more than enough to defend against your longbowmen's arrows." As he spoke, the boss walked behind the counter and took out a tray, on which lay a piece of silver-glinting inner armor.

  Zhou Weiqing unceremoniously grabbed the inner armor and shook it open. It was a half-body inner armor that could protect his entire upper body, including his arms. The silver armor plates shone brightly, and more importantly, it was very light, weighing no more than two kilograms at most. This was the advantage of titanium alloy.

  Upon seeing this thing, Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "Good, this is good! I'll take it. I estimate it's around one kilogram or more in weight. Don't worry, boss, I won't let you lose out either. Let's just say it's two kilograms then." As he spoke, Zhou Weiqing swiftly pulled out twelve gold coins and lined them up on the table.

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  Xiaosan has to go out later to help her mother with some things, so she got up early and released two chapters in a row. Everyone please vote for recommendations. Xiaosan may be back a bit late tonight, around 6 or 7 pm. There will be three updates today, the third chapter will be released after Xiaosan gets back.