C14 Preparation for Defense

Shen Wuyou had reached the outskirts of Redrock Town, a small desert community nestled by the sea, flanked by towering mountain ranges on both sides, with only the northern expanse of beach lying open.

Deep into the night, the moon and stars cast a sparse and dim light. In Shen Wuyou's hand was a fish oil lamp, a source of illumination commonly used by the residents of the Imperial Capital, crafted from oil extracted from deep-sea fish.

In Redrock Town, however, only a select few could afford such a luxury. At night, apart from a handful of wealthy households, the rest were shrouded in darkness. From a distance, the town, supposedly home to five thousand, resembled more an abandoned ghost town than a bustling settlement.

Having left the town over an hour ago, Shen Wuyou had been silently calculating something. Chiying, who had been following in silence, finally caught up to him and inquired, "Your Excellency Crown Prince! Shouldn't we be heading back?"

"Just a little further; walk with me," Shen Wuyou replied.

"Your Excellency Crown Prince, what exactly are you up to?"

"I'm showing you the realm I've secured for you," Shen Wuyou responded offhandedly.

Chiying's brow furrowed slightly, and she fell silent, rendering Shen Wuyou's attempt at humor somewhat awkward.

"Nine thousand three hundred steps!" he suddenly exclaimed, stopping in his tracks and continuing to mutter, "Circling the town, it's a total of nine thousand three hundred steps, roughly five thousand five hundred meters. To create a dense network of defensive fortifications with gunpowder, we'd need to bury a bomb every ten meters, with three layers of defense: outer, middle, and inner. If each bomb weighs 200 grams..."

Shen Wuyou was absorbed in his calculations. Mines, grams, bombs—these were terms unfamiliar to Chiying.

"Three hundred and fifty kilograms, that's seven hundred jin of gunpowder," Shen Wuyou finally concluded, pondering the weight before deciding it was a manageable task.

"Alright, Chiying, let's go …"

"Are we returning now, Lord Crown Prince?"

"No, we're heading to Lely Hills," Shen Wuyou said, pointing to the northern mountain range.

Chiying's expression darkened as she spoke, "Lord Crown Prince, night has fallen, and our guards haven't followed us. Venturing into Lely Hills now could lead to unforeseen dangers."

"If we encounter danger, I have you, don't I? Yingying, you're incredibly strong; surely you can keep me safe," Shen Wuyou said with a radiant smile, then added, "You'll follow my father's commands and protect me, won't you?"

"I shall heed the King of Dawnward's orders, however..."

"Then there's no issue. Let's proceed."

Shen Wuyou had made up his mind from the start; he had no intention of sleeping tonight.

His overnight trip to Lely Hills had a straightforward purpose: to survey the mineral distribution. This task was beyond anyone else's capabilities. Sulphur, nitric acid, manganese ore, rare earths... Mentioning these to others would only leave them perplexed.

Only Shen Wuyou could accurately identify them.

The expanse of Lely Hills stretched for hundreds of miles, making it impossible for Shen Wuyou to thoroughly explore it in one night. For now, he could only make a preliminary inspection at the base of the hills.

By the time daylight broke, it was already past nine in the morning according to Shen Wuyou's 24-hour clock. Typically, dawn breaks around six or seven, but in Redrock, the first light doesn't appear until about ten.

Walking towards the Overlord's Keep in the early light, Shen Wuyou and Chiying had spent the entire night traversing Lely Hills. Dew had settled on Shen Wuyou's clothes and hair, a testament to the high humidity near the coast.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Overlord's Keep, they were greeted by a crowd of Redrock's residents.

Zhang Qi and others had summoned them. Seeing the turnout of over two hundred able-bodied individuals, Shen Wuyou nodded in approval. Clearly, entrusting such tasks to Zhang Qi, the local heavyweight, was the right call.

Upon seeing Shen Wuyou, the townsfolk of Redrock immediately lit up with joy and came forward to greet him enthusiastically.

"The Overlord has arrived!"

"Greetings, Lord Overlord!"

Shen Wuyou's actions the day before had seemed nothing short of miraculous to the townspeople, who now regarded him as the beacon of hope for Redrock's salvation.

At that moment, Zhang Qi approached, paid his respects, and reported, "Lord Overlord, we have gathered here a total of 260 strong, young men. They've heard about your plan to create gunpowder to combat the devil tide and are eager to help. Should you need more hands, many others are ready to join at your command."

"That will suffice," Shen Wuyou replied. He then climbed atop a large boulder near the entrance and called out, "Everyone, gather around and listen up!"

The crowd of over two hundred people quickly formed a circle around him.

"Who worked on extracting sulfur and nitrate yesterday? Step forward."

The townspeople exchanged glances, yet silence prevailed with no one stepping forward.

Realizing the confusion, Shen Wuyou smacked his forehead and rephrased, "Those who went to Skybane Venom yesterday to dig up yellow stones and collect white powder, come forward now."

This time, Ergou and several other men emerged from the group.

Shen Wuyou pointed to two of the men and instructed, "You two, take fifty people each and return to yesterday's site to continue mining the yellow stones and gathering the white powder."

"Twenty more will be tasked with producing charcoal. Thirty will grind the yellow ore into powder. Another thirty are to find enough pottery jars, and if we're short, make more! The last twenty, including Ergou who was involved in mixing gunpowder yesterday, will be responsible for teaching the rest how to make gunpowder."

In no time, tasks were allocated to all two hundred plus individuals.

"I need you to produce seven hundred catties of gunpowder as quickly as possible! With that amount, the devil tide won't stand a chance against Redrock."

Before they dispersed, Shen Wuyou added with authority, "All those involved in the work will be provided with food and drink, plus a wage of fifty wen."

As he finished speaking, the group of young men paused, seemingly struggling to believe what they had heard.

The Overlord possessed the power of life and death over all the people within his domain. Working for the Overlord was considered a natural duty. But now, they were not only being provided with meals but also wages? Even the citizens of Echurgh didn't receive such benefits!

"Overlord, long live the Overlord!" Ergou suddenly raised his fist and shouted with fervor.

The rest of the crowd quickly echoed his cheer.

Shen Wuyou gestured for silence, pressing his hands down. With limited daylight remaining, there was no time to waste on such matters.

"Get back to work, for the sake of protecting Redrock!" Shen Wuyou declared.