Pig iron 72

  "Two tons of raw iron, two hundred heavy crossbows or long bows, five thousand arrows, two big shots..."

  The deepest part of the second floor of this exchange is actually Sazaha's logistics office.

  The bright but monotonous light shone on the neatly arranged weapon samples, giving a strict and orderly visual impression. The military officer was checking Penny's purchase list, his eyebrows gradually furrowing together. Just as Penny began to feel a little envious of those eyebrows, the officer spoke up in a very troubled tone: "These are all restricted military supplies..."

  "Huh? Don't we officials have the right to buy it?" Xien furrowed his brow, a hint of resentment in his eyes.

  Hongpao officials in this arsenal purchase military supplies, have many privileges, such as accounting and so on, many conditions restricted to ordinary officials do not apply to Hongpao.

  "It's not like that, it's just that these materials have been in short supply lately. You know, the two major legions of the North and West are expanding their forces... If it were before, trading strategic materials wouldn't be so troublesome, but the Governor has just issued an order." The quartermaster explained: "Bows and arrows can be sold at will, but the heavy crossbows and raw iron stocks are already very low. There's less than three tons of raw iron left, so every time it's taken out of storage, it requires the Governor's personal seal."

  Penny began to feel toothache.

  It doesn't matter if you can't buy a crossbow, and bows and arrows are also useless - because the hardest part of making a bow is the bowstring and the bow arm, both of which require a long time of fine workmanship, and converting a bow into a crossbow is not difficult.

  But without pig iron, some of the machinery he wanted to build became a mere fantasy.

  "Oh? If it's really not possible, let's go find Old Dalamos and get a permit first." Hughes suggested, Penny nodded, just then, a young red-robed mage appeared at the entrance of the armory.

  Just as Xien and Hughes were about to leave, they saw this suddenly appearing colleague, whose appearance was a bit ferocious - from the corner of his forehead to the side of his ear, there was a hideous scar, with healed flesh curled up, and magic tattoos passing through it, forming a bloody red cross that was full of evil spirit.

  He strode in with his head held high, his eyes flicking to Xien and Hester Trophidi, a slightly bewildered expression crossing his face before giving way to an off-putting cold smile. Xien noticed that after the red-robed man appeared, Hester's complexion turned quite unsightly, and the words of this red-robed mage were not pleasant either:

  "Huh? Isn't this Hues? How could you leave the old nest of Ailtap?"

  "Marchi, I don't want to deal with you, and it's better if you don't speak those unnecessary words to me either." Hughes' expression changed a few times, gradually becoming somewhat cold, which made Penny feel a bit surprised.

  In his impression, Hughes, who was usually languid and rarely showed such an expression.

  Such behavior undoubtedly indicates that his mood is very bad.

  "Is that so? Well, in any case." The scar-faced red robe unexpectedly didn't entangle him further and instead walked directly towards the military supplies officer.

  "Let's go." Penny patted Hughes on the shoulder. The best option now was to take Hughes away from this place.

  He was well aware that this companion was in the habit of dodging.

  But the next moment, he heard this red-robed mage named Marci say to the quartermaster:

  "Oh, I got the receipt from Mr. Dalamos, picking up four tons of pig iron... Oh, what? Still short one ton, never mind, take us to get it first..."

  "Hold on." Hughes turned around and strode back to the armory: "Supply officer, you need to remember the order of things."

  Ma Erqi looked at Hughes in surprise and asked: "Oh? Old classmate, what's your opinion?"

  Hughs hummed coldly and didn't answer. Penny walked over, her brow furrowing gradually.

  The remaining pig iron was only three tons, and the red robe took it all away. What can they do?

  Before Panni could speak, the military officer cautiously glanced at the three red robes facing each other: "Lord Marci, these two gentlemen have already set aside two tons of pig iron."

  Malchy's face showed a thoughtful expression, which only lasted for a few seconds, and then he said to the quartermaster in a light tone: "But since you didn't send the goods, it means they don't have the governor's signature, does it? You just followed the rules."

  Hughs' face immediately turned even darker, but saw Malchi smile at him:

  "Dear Hughes, you are quite at liberty to use the privileges accorded to you by your family to compete with me for this material, just as you were exempt from all examination questions in college; but I very much doubt whether Foucault's authority extends so far."

  Hughs' lips moved a few times, Penny forcibly pulled him out of the commissary, all the way to the other side of the floor, and that burst of wild laughter still floated into their ears.

  "Let's go find a place to rest for a bit." Xien suggested, looking at Hughes' gradually improving complexion.

  "Thanks." Hughes forced a smile at Penny: "No need, we haven't gotten the supplies you wanted yet."

  "Well, okay, I'll go back and get the bow and arrow in a bit. But who is that person, anyway?" Xien furrowed his brow, he didn't think this sensitive colleague would be happy to let others interfere with their privacy, which was also why he hadn't had conflicts with Malchi, but he still wanted to know where that person came from.

  "He's called Carter Malachi, oh, he was one of the top students in my year at Red Robe Academy, and it's said that he's already been absorbed into Boule. Hughes spat out a mouthful, but to Penny's surprise, didn't hide anything: "You just saw, his relationship with me isn't great."

  Penny shrugged and connected the conversation between March and Hughes, she had already understood the relationship between the two.

  It's just like in an organization, where excellent individuals from humble backgrounds have a poor impression of those with mediocre performance but strong connections, especially in a place like the Red Robe Sect that values competition.

  It is impossible that Hewes was not envied by the red-eyes, if he escaped some of the dangerous treatment which ordinary red-coats might have received through privilege.

  "Oh, actually I also wanted to compete with them fairly, I once hoped that I could prove myself capable of controlling my own destiny through my own efforts." Hughes suddenly sneered: "But I didn't expect my father would stretch his hand into the academy - this kind of thing is intolerable in the Mages' Association, but it was instructed by the higher-ups of the family."

  Of course... Pan Ni thought to himself, if he were a high-ranking monk, he would not have allowed Hughes to suffer fatal injuries during his growth.

  "Who made my back drag a big bundle of interests?" Hughes tilted his neck, sighed helplessly: "That guy has nothing wrong with this attitude towards me, I should be despised like that, I'm very clear."

  "You're really proud." Penny said suddenly after a moment of silence.

  "Proud? Maybe, that woman often says I'm a fake noble. Hughes raised his head to look at the ceiling: "I'm very sorry my nobility made you lose the supplies you wanted, if I continue to struggle, maybe he won't keep bothering me."

  "It doesn't matter, friend." Penny patted Hughes on the shoulder: "Doing that would embarrass you, I respect your feelings."

  "Thanks..." Hughes smiled slightly, seeming to relax a bit: "I really haven't seen a more reasonable red robe than you before."

  "I think..." Panni thought for a moment: "We should respect each other's personality, ideas and privacy. I have no right to ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable for my benefit."

  Hues stared at Penny for a while, shook his head dazedly: "Hmm, this doesn't sound like something a red-robed cultivator would say, Xian, it turns out you're a good person."

  "Good person?" Pan Ni was stunned this time. He shook his head repeatedly, laughing and crying at the same time: "How could Hongpao Master be related to this term?"

  When he said this, a discordant emotion arose in his heart, deeply into the politics of Sel, from then on his behavior would be further and further away from the moral concept of the past, but this was the price paid for pursuing power and authority, and it was also his choice.

  "No, no, no, a person's nature of good or evil is not determined by their behavior, but by their way of thinking." Hughes shook his head seriously.

  "Don't you think it's a bit strange for us to be discussing the dialectical relationship between good and evil here?"

  "Maybe." Hughes was taken aback for a moment, then smiled with relief: "But at least I know now that you're someone worth following. I'm even more looking forward to what's going to happen in the future. Maybe you can really bring some change to Sel too."

  "Follow?" Penny's face twitched a few times: "This word seems...not quite appropriate."

  "There's nothing improper about it. Good birth doesn't necessarily mean nobility, that's all." Hughes said seriously: "It's especially true in Sel."

  As the two men were talking, the scar-faced bald man had already walked down from the stairs, looking very pleased with himself. This attitude made the two red-robed men feel uncomfortable, but they still remembered their mission and turned back to the armory to retrieve the list of bows and arrows. The military officer clearly did not dare to offend these two red-robed masters again, as he had already "offended" them once before, and so he smiled apologetically. Just as Xie and the other man were about to leave with the bows and arrows to find metal materials elsewhere, the military officer suddenly approached them:

  "By the way, gentlemen, if you need metal materials urgently..."

  He observed the expressions of Penny and Hughes for a moment, finding that both of their attention had focused over, before continuing to say: "It's not bad to go take a look at the auction house downstairs. It's said that they're preparing to start an auction tomorrow on a batch of high-quality pig iron produced by dwarves, about one ton or so. If you can offer a good price, you should be able to get it ahead of time. Accounting doesn't matter either, because this is Serel."

  It's not hard to understand what the military officer said, as the master of this land, it's understandable to get this kind of treatment.

  Penny and Hughes were overjoyed and hastily inquired clearly, arriving at the trading center inside the Wujin Temple downstairs.

  As a patron deity of commerce, many auctions in Ferron were conducted by the Temple of the Lady.

  It's getting late, the pastor took off his long gown and changed into a merchant's clothes. Seeing two red robes visiting, he hurried forward to greet them. Penni and Hughes stated their intention, the pastor nodded, turned around and went to call out to the auctioneer of Sheng Tie.

  Pannier let out a sigh of relief, it seemed that things were looking up. He lowered his head and pondered the future plans for the small town, but suddenly felt a bit off. He lifted his head to see Hughes staring at the door with an unpleasant expression.

  He shifted his gaze over there, and the red-robed monk with a sinister scar on his forehead walked in, greeting the temple priest who had just escorted the auctioneer out: "I heard from those people outside that you still have some raw iron here? We'd like to buy it ahead of time, name a price."

  Penny and Hughes felt displeased upon hearing this.

  ……

  The establishment of the Higher Mystical Academy of Seel...

  Spatial coordinate number 111848048

  The builder is Bookworm Crystal Mine classmate, and also thanks to the three online classmates who made important contributions. Welcome everyone to come and dive fishing.