Chapter 28: Benben's Equipment
"Deal with them later. The tribe must preserve its strength for now!"
The Goblins were still too weak.
Even with a surprise attack and superior numbers, they could only achieve a one-for-one trade.
The Lizardmen lost half their numbers, but nearly half of his Goblin subordinates were also lost.
If the battle continued, even if they defeated the Lizardmen, there might not be many Goblin subordinates left.
Gobuqiang gave the leader a puzzled glance, half-understanding.
Why preserve strength?
Subordinates could always be replenished.
Even if all subordinates were lost, new ones could always be born.
After consuming the Lizardmen corpses, the group continued upstream.
Two days later, in the afternoon, Li Meng led the hunting party back to the tribe.
Upon returning, Li Meng did only one thing.
That was strengthening the army, teaching the Goblins how to use crossbows as quickly as possible.
Once the Goblin subordinates were equipped with crossbows, hunting efficiency would greatly improve.
Their combat effectiveness would also increase several times over.
Unarmored barbarians stood no chance against crossbows.
It was a new day.
The weather was excellent today—clear skies and bright sunlight.
In the forest where the tribe was located, the Great Goblins gathered.
"Boss, what is this?"
The Great Goblins curiously examined the crossbows in their hands.
"This is a crossbow, a new ranged weapon. Watch carefully!"
Li Meng held the crossbow in his right hand and pulled the string back with his left hand.
"Stop gawking and do it!"
The boss's command prompted the Great Goblins to fumble clumsily with the strings.
While it was easy for Li Meng to load the crossbow, it was not the same for the Great Goblins.
They gritted their teeth, veins bulging in their arms, barely managing to pull the strings.
"Now, load the bolt. Make sure it fits snugly against the barrel!"
Li Meng took a bolt from his waist and loaded it into the crossbow.
The Great Goblins followed suit.
"Now, aim at that big tree over there!"
Li Meng aimed the crossbow at a tree 30 meters away.
"The trigger is the protrusion underneath. Press it in the direction of your body!"
With that, Li Meng pressed the trigger.
With a "whoosh," the bolt shot through the air.
"Thud!"
The next moment, the bolt embedded itself deeply into the tree trunk.
"Whoosh!"
The Great Goblins hurriedly pressed their triggers.
A series of whistling sounds followed, but the bolts flew in all directions.
When all the Great Goblins had fired, only one bolt was embedded in the tree.
"Now you understand what this weapon is!"
The Great Goblins nodded excitedly.
"Boss, you're amazing!"
"Boss, the strength required is too much. The subordinates won't be able to pull it."
Li Meng bent down and stepped on the stirrup of the crossbow.
The stirrup was made of tree bark rope, which could be easily replaced if it broke.
"Watch closely. You can also use both hands to pull!"
Li Meng demonstrated loading the crossbow using both hands.
The Great Goblins nodded in realization.
If both hands were used, the Goblin subordinates could also operate the crossbows.
"Starting today, you must learn to use the crossbows proficiently and teach your subordinates."
Faced with the boss's lecture, the Great Goblins nodded repeatedly.
"One month from now, I will conduct random inspections. It could be you or your subordinates. Anyone who fails will be sent to the Iron Cavern to do hard labor for a year."
Hard labor in the Iron Cavern?
The Great Goblins tensed and looked at the crossbows in their hands.
Although they liked the cave environment, being used as labor was torment.
The Great Goblins quickly nodded in agreement.
"Later, I'll have someone deliver the crossbows to your huts. Handle it yourselves."
Li Meng tossed the crossbow in his hand to Gobuqiang.
Gobuqiang was startled by the boss's action and hurriedly caught the crossbow.
"Benben, follow me!"
Li Meng turned and walked into the depths of the forest.
Benben, who had been obediently sitting nearby, heard the boss call and stood up.
It got up and followed with its enormous, heavy steps.
Half an hour later, outside the Iron Cavern.
The forest echoed with the crackling sounds of branches and leaves.
Moments later, Li Meng and the towering figure of Benben emerged from the forest.
In over three months, the Iron Cavern had undergone significant changes.
The originally narrow cave entrance had been expanded into a square-shaped large gate.
Upon entering, Li Meng was greeted by a wave of heat.
Looking deeper into the Iron Cavern, the firelight along the underground river dispelled the darkness.
In the glow of the fire, a bustling scene unfolded.
The riverbank was lined with countless bonfires.
When one bonfire extinguished, another was lit.
The fires weren't for illumination but for burning charcoal and smelting iron ore.
Aside from the fires, over a dozen five-meter-tall blast furnaces stood in a line along the riverbank.
Hundreds of Goblins were busy at work on the riverbank.
Some were pulling bellows.
Some were piling firewood for burning charcoal and smelting iron ore.
Others were forging iron tools, the clanging of their hammers echoing through the cavern.
Some foolishly touched the furnace walls and screamed from the burns, prompting laughter from their companions.
Others were mining iron ore deeper within the cavern with pickaxes.
"The boss is here! The boss is here!"
Benben's massive figure at the cave entrance caught the attention of the Goblins inside.
A strange shout from someone caused all the Goblins to look toward the entrance.
Near one of the blast furnaces, Gobuge quickly ran over to the boss.
"Boss, boss, what brings you here?"
Standing before Li Meng, Gobuge asked obsequiously.
The boss hadn't visited the Iron Cavern in a long time.
Why did he come today?
Li Meng looked at Benben beside him.
"I plan to personally forge armor and weapons for Benben. Are the iron rust supplies ready?"
Over a month ago, Li Meng had sent word to Gobuge to prepare some iron rust.
Smelting iron rust with pig iron could produce low-carbon steel.
Benben was a large creature, and armor or weapons made of pig iron alone would be too brittle.
"Boss, everything you requested is ready!"
In the days that followed, Li Meng and Benben got busy.
Standing nearly five meters tall, Benben required oversized armor and weapons.
For the first five days, Li Meng focused on two things: measuring Benben's body and crafting clay molds for the equipment.
On the seventh day, Li Meng began steelmaking.
More than half a month later, in the Iron Cavern.
On the riverbank stood a two-meter-tall, two-meter-wide anvil.
The enormous Benben stood before the anvil, wielding a massive hammer, striking a fiery red piece of armor repeatedly.
Each strike sent sparks flying.
"Here! Yes, here!"
Li Meng directed Benben, pointing at the red-hot armor with a stick.
Occasionally, he used large iron tongs to return the armor to the fire for reheating before continuing the forging process.
Piles of armor of various sizes lay scattered on the ground nearby.
Although rough, they would look completely different after further polishing and finishing.
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