Great Xia's imperial palace…
In the imperial study, Emperor Yuan Feng and Great General Meng Bai stood up abruptly and simultaneously looked at He Qingdian.
Being glared at by the two most powerful people in Great Xia, even Head Eunuch He Qingdian, who had rushed here, couldn't help taking half a step back.
"Great companion, are you serious?" Emperor Yuan Feng asked with a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I have followed you for fifty years. When have I ever lied?" He Qingdian smiled bitterly.
"Zhou Shu has indeed comprehended saber intent in less than seven and a half minutes.
"If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would not have believed it either!"
Emperor Yuan Feng looked at Meng Bai and asked, "Great General, is it possible for someone who has never practiced the Martial Dao to comprehend saber intent in such a short time?"
Although he was also a first rank, he was only a false first rank. In terms of the understanding of the Martial Dao, he was far inferior to Meng Bai, who was once a second-rank martial artist.
Meng Bai's cultivation came from cultivating step by step.
"This isn't impossible," Meng Bai said after a moment of thought. "I've even heard of someone with extraordinary talent. As soon as he came into contact with the Martial Dao, he advanced to a ranked martial artist on the same day.
"From the looks of it now, Zhou Shu does indeed have some talent in the Saber Dao," Meng Bai said. "No wonder he can forge weapons like the Huben Saber, Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber, and Horse Slaying Saber.
"If you have no knowledge of sabers, how can you forge sabers?"
"Great General, your eyes are as sharp as ever." Emperor Yuan chuckled. "It seems that Zhou Shu is truly a genius."
Emperor Yuan Feng wasn't as shocked as Head Eunuch He Qingdian. As the emperor of Great Xia, he had seen countless geniuses. At least for now, Zhou Shu wasn't the most talented.
"Your Majesty, I have a presumptuous request." Meng Bai's expression was serious as he cupped his hands.
"There is no need for you to treat me like an outsider." Emperor Yuan Feng shook his head with a smile. "Great General, if there is anything you wish to say, feel free to speak."
"Your Majesty, let's not talk about the Huben Saber and the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber for now. I brought this Horse Slaying Saber from Zhou Shu. According to the Imperial Court's rules, developing the Horse Slaying Saber is a great contribution.
"Originally, I thought that Superintendent Zhou Shu didn't cultivate the Martial Dao, so I shamelessly asked Your Majesty for a chance for him to comprehend the Dao in the Saber Cave. This could be considered a reward for developing the Horse Slaying Saber.
"But from the looks of it, Zhou Shu has an innate sensitivity toward saber techniques. Even if he didn't enter the Saber Cave, he still might be able to comprehend it himself in the future.
"This way, I have taken great advantage of him," Meng Bai said with a bitter smile.
Ever since the Imperial Court took over the Saber Cave, Emperor Yuan Feng had set a rule that no one was allowed to enter the Saber Cave unless they had contributed greatly to Great Xia.
Thus, allowing Zhou Shu to enter was truly a reward.
But now, Meng Bai felt like this reward was a bit too small and incompatible with the great accomplishment of developing the Horse Slaying Saber.
"I understand your intentions, Great General." Emperor Yuan Feng nodded. "My Great Xia has never mistreated those who have accomplished meritorious deeds."
"I also think so, so I wish to earnestly ask Your Majesty…" Meng Bai said seriously. "Your Majesty, please allow Zhou Shu to participate in Great Xia's military parade!"
Emperor Yuan Feng couldn't help laughing. "Great General, have you forgotten that the workshop superintendents of the Forging Division are qualified to observe the military parade?"
"Your Majesty, that's not what I meant." Meng Bai shook his head.
Emperor Yuan Feng was startled. "Great General, you mean…"
Meng Bai nodded. "Exactly!"
"Although he is talented, he is still only a Forging Apprentice. Those who are not Forging Masters cannot participate in Great Xia's military parade. This has been the rule for thousands of years…" Emperor Yuan Feng frowned.
"I know, Your Majesty. Great Xia's military parade is still ten months away. After ten months, Zhou Shu might advance to Forging Master," Meng Bai said with a sunken voice.
"But there is a greater possibility that he will still be a Forging Apprentice." Emperor Yuan Feng's expression was solemn. "Great General, the military parade is not child's play! The participants have to be announced to the public in advance. If he cannot advance to a Forging Master by then, we will become a laughing stock!"
"Your Majesty, I have a hunch," Meng Bai said. "Zhou Shu's ability might not be limited to what we see. I'm willing to take a gamble. I'll bet that he can become a Forging Master within ten months!
"If not, I will bear all the responsibility alone. I will be the laughing stock of the world!"
Emperor Yuan Feng looked at Meng Bai. The expression on Meng Bai's face was extremely resolute. Having had a sovereign and minister relationship for several decades, Emperor Yuan Feng understood Meng Bai extremely well.
He sighed. "Great General, you are disregarding personal honor and disgrace for the sake of Great Xia. Forget it. As the master of Great Xia, how can I let you bear this infamy?
"If Zhou Shu is unable to advance to Forging Master within ten months, then the infamy of having bad perception and cronyism will fall on my head."
"Your Majesty—" Meng Bai was moved.
Just as he was about to say something, Emperor Yuan Feng already waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to say anything.
"Great General, I will make arrangements for this matter. The most important thing for you now is the borders!" Emperor Yuan Feng said with a serious expression. "The barbarians are invading, and the border army has already lost several times in succession. Apart from you, I truly cannot think of anyone else who can turn the tide!"
"I will not shirk my duty!" Meng Bai said in a deep voice and then straightened his back, cupped his hands, and bowed.
Right now, he was no longer a vassal but a general.
"I will bring this batch of Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers to the frontlines. In addition, I want to bring another batch of Horse Slaying Sabers!" Meng Bai pointed at the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers forged by Zhou Shu that He Qingdian had brought back.
"Great General, ask for the sabers from the Forging Division. From now on, all the workshops in the Forging Division will prioritize providing what you need!"
"I accept the order!" Meng Bai knelt on one knee, gave a military salute, then stood up and left the palace in an imposing manner.
…
On the other side, after He Qingdian left, Zhou Shu wanted to hitch a ride back to the 0th Workshop. But the coachman rolled his eyes at him and drove off.
He had no choice but to walk back.
He's kicking me to the curb after I've outlived my usefulness. Zhou Shu cursed in his heart.
Before leaving the courtyard where the Saber Cave was located, he subconsciously turned his head to take a look, only to see a figure on the roof slowly returning a saber to its sheath.
This saber was a Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber!
Zhou Shu finally understood why his Heavenly Saber Arts had suddenly progressed and his saber intent had burst forth.
It turned out that someone wanted to break into the Saber Cave and was killed by the guards here.
Who knew where this person came from, but the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber had fallen into his hands.
If Zhou Shu didn't remember wrongly, other than the batch of Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber that He Qingdian had taken away today, he had only given Yin Wuyou one before.
The Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber in this person's hand was definitely the one he had given to Yin Wuyou!
Zhou Shu glanced at this person, and this person happened to look over as well. Their gazes met, and then this person jumped off the roof and disappeared into the darkness.
I'll remember you! I'll beat you up sooner or later! Zhou Shu added another name to his little notebook. If this person hadn't suddenly killed someone, his identity as a Martial Dao genius wouldn't have been exposed…
The Saber Cave wasn't far from the 0th Workshop. Even if Zhou Shu couldn't fly like He Qingdian, he still managed to return to the workshop an hour later.
The main construction of the 0th Workshop had basically been completed. All that was left was the interior renovation.
Under the influence of Zhou Shu's money, the construction workers of the Ministry of Works were extremely efficient.
Speaking of which, this world was different from his previous life. Even ordinary people here had physical fitness that was actually stronger than that of ordinary people in his previous life. Building a house was basically physical work. Disregarding costs, their speed was naturally fast.
Although they couldn't compare to the infrastructure demons in his previous life, Zhou Shu was already very satisfied with the results achieved in less than a month.
I can get Zhang Yibei and the rest to move in later. This is a natural renovation, so I don't have to worry about formaldehyde…
Looking at his own territory, Zhou Shu felt a sense of accomplishment.
From being a Forging Apprentice who had nothing when he first came to this world, he had now become the superintendent of a workshop. He also had his own territory. He was already very satisfied with the results he had achieved in such a short period.
In his previous life, Zhou Shu was just an ordinary corporate slave. He had never thought of fighting for hegemony immediately after transmigrating. It was quite good now that he was slowly developing.
"Superintendent Zhou, do you see any problems with the job? If you see any problems, just tell me. I'll get someone to fix it immediately." An old man approached Zhou Shu with a smile.
"It's pretty good. There are no problems."
Zhou Shu looked around and said to the foreman, "I think we should dig another drainage ditch here and direct the well water into the work shed…"
The foreman noted down Zhou Shu's opinions one by one. If the customer had any requests, he naturally couldn't refuse.
"These can be resolved in a day," the foreman said. "Superintendent Zhou, our bill…"
"No problem. Once the job is done, I will give it to you immediately," Zhou Shu said. This efficiency came from using money. For the sake of this 0th Workshop, he had used up all of his savings.
But this money was worth it. Zhou Shu was willing to spend as much money as he could to see the 0th Workshop built as he imagined.
Besides, he had the Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber as a money tree. Furthermore, he would be forging even more weapons in the future. Earning money wasn't difficult for him!
"Is this the 0th Workshop? Is Superintendent Zhou here?" A voice suddenly rang out while Zhou Shu was talking to the foreman.
The 0th Workshop was built to have the appearance of a three-way courtyard house. The first courtyard had a factory and an open area. The second courtyard was the dormitory area where the Forging Apprentices lived. The third courtyard was Zhou Shu's own residence.
He passed through the first yard and opened the main door of the 0th Workshop. Outside stood a fully armored soldier.
The soldier's face was unfamiliar. Zhou Shu didn't recognize him. He cupped his hands and said politely, "I am Zhou Shu. What can I do for you, General?"
"On the orders of the great general, within a month, the 0th Workshop has to hand over five hundred Horse Slaying Sabers, one thousand Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers, and three thousand Huben Sabers!"
"What?" Zhou Shu's eyes widened. Are you kidding me? In a month, five hundred Horse Slaying Sabers, one thousand Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Sabers, and three thousand Huben Sabers? Why don't you go rob!?
"That's impossible!" Zhou Shu said. "It's impossible to forge everything within a month. A year is more like it!"
"The great general said that this is an important military matter. If the mission is not completed by the deadline, you will be punished according to military law!" the soldier said expressionlessly.
"General Meng is being unreasonable. How can this be done?!" Zhou Shu said angrily.
"The great general said that Superintendent Zhou is a genius. Geniuses don't need reasonability. You will definitely be able to complete the mission." The soldier's tone was calm.
"The great general said, the great general said… don't you have anything to say?" Zhou Shu said angrily.
"The great general said that to ensure the completion of the mission, for this entire month, you can use all of the resources from the 37th to the 108th Workshops in the Forging Division!"