Scripture of Days Past

Chu Qiguang decided to think of a way to address the power output problem later. For now, he continued touring the workshop.

Zhu Fashan led the group to one of the miniature blood pools and began giving them a detailed explanation of how bone tools were produced.

Bone tools had been produced in the village for nearly a year and a half, and the workers had accumulated a great deal of experience during that time.

Under Chu Qiguang’s instructions, they had made a conscious effort to standardize the manufacturing process. As a result, all the bone tools they produced were uniform in size and quality.

In fact, the workers had even created molds to ensure consistency. A contemplative look appeared on Chu Qiguang’s face as he observed the production process.

As long as the blood pool has enough power output, we can expand this operation indefinitely. At the same time, we’ll need literate and mathematically competent people to oversee production, which means the school will need more students and teachers.

As for the power output problem, we’ll simply have to feed the blood pool more. We also need to consider how we can profit from this. I’ve already invested a great deal of money into the village, yet I haven’t seen any returns. I can’t keep this up forever.

Chu Qiguang’s original plan had been to use the qi-and-blood-powered looms to produce textiles for sale, but he was now considering selling the bone tools as well.

If we can perfect this system, Hidden Fiend Village will be able to expand rapidly. I may even begin turning a profit from the village soon.

Chu Qiguang required vast quantities of cultivation resources, and the same was true for Lei Yushu, Qiao Zhi, and Chen Gang.

The stronger he and his subordinates became, the more resources they would be able to obtain. Those resources would then allow them to nurture more powerful allies, creating a positive, self-reinforcing cycle.

Chu Qiguang’s ambitions extended far beyond his own eventual progression to the Dao Comprehension state. He wanted Lei Yushu, Qiao Zhi, and Hao Xiangtong to reach that state as well.

Chu Qiguang picked up a bone pickax, then turned to Liu Yao and asked, ”What do you think of this pickax?”

As a seasoned martial artist and an instructor at the Northern Martial Arts Academy, Liu Yao possessed extensive knowledge of weapons and forging.

He took the pickax from Chu Qiguang and examined thoroughly before swinging it into the ground like a skilled farmer.

A dull thud rang out, and a small crater appeared in the ground, yet the pickax remained completely unscathed. Liu Yao was quite surprised by this.

”What is this thing made from? Is it really a bone tool?” Liu Yao exclaimed. ”It’s far harder and more resilient than even iron tools! If the same material can be used to make weapons, I don’t think their quality would inferior even to those forged by the most skilled blacksmiths.”

Through Liu Yao’s explanation, Chu Qiguang gained a clearer understanding of forging industry in the Great Han Empire.

Due to the gradual worsening of demonic tainting, the spread of knowledge had become extremely difficult. As a result, forging technology had barely advanced over the years.

Even the finest iron weapons were often inferior to the fangs and claws of powerful fiends. Hence, the finest weapons in the world were often crafted from the body parts of Dao Comprehension-state fiends.

It was said that the founding emperor of the Great Han Empire had once been gifted a weapon and a suit of armor crafted from dragon bones and fangs. With them, he had become an unstoppable force, capable of opposing entire armies on his own and emerging unscathed.

Such legendary weapons and suits of armor all had names that went down in history.

Weapons and armor crafted from the body parts of fiends below the Dao Comprehension state were naturally considered inferior. However, they were still generally superior to iron weapons, and many blacksmiths and martial artists referred to them as divine weapons.

For example, the saber that Yi Siman had given Chu Qiguang was crafted from the fang of a Qiongqi beast.

Furthermore, the quality of iron tools and weapons varied greatly and depended largely on the skill of the blacksmith who forged them.

After hearing Liu Yao’s analysis, Chu Qiguang nodded thoughtfully before declaring, ”I think we should establish a system that assigns weapons different grades. Let’s use legendary, divine, exceptional, superior, normal, and subpar. From now on, that’ll be the grading system used in the village. According to this system, would you say this bone pickax is of the superior level?”

”That sounds about right,” Liu Yao replied. ”Even in the military, superior-grade weapons aren’t very common nowadays.”

The state of the imperial court’s ironworks and weapon factories depended entirely on national policy. They opened and began operating when their services were required, then closed once they were no longer needed.

Many skilled workers had also abandoned the industry due to the terrible wages and working conditions. As a result, the factories had gradually fallen into disuse over the past two hundred years.

In contrast, private ironworks and blacksmith shops were faring far better. Their goal was to make a profit, and they also had the support of wealthy clans.

Consequently, whenever the imperial court needed weapons or iron equipment, it had to rely on the private factories to meet its demands.

”So, what you’re saying is that there should be demand for our bone tools, right?” Chu Qiguang asked.

”If we’re judging from quality alone, then I’m sure they’ll sell very well. The only concern is that you could make some powerful enemies who feel like you’re stealing their business,” Liu Yao replied.

Chu Qiguang nodded in response, then led everyone to inspect the blood pool.

Compared to the last time he had seen it, the blood pool had expanded by about a third and was now nearly half the size of a football field.

The qi and blood within it had also become darker, and it was impossible to tell how deep the pool had grown.

”Increase the amount of food being fed to the blood pool and try to find ways to boost its power output,” Chu Qiguang instructed. ”Also, explore more potential uses for the blood pool and report your findings to me.”

Afterward, Chu Qiguang visited the labor reform center, the granary, and several other important locations in the village.

Once he had confirmed that everything was running smoothly, Chu Qiguang returned to his courtyard and began discussing the current situation in Spirit Province with Wang Cailiang.