Chapter 90: Money Is Not Important
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In the front yard of the 0th Workshop, the ten boxes lined up had all been opened.
The scene was eerily quiet.
Someone gulped, and then similar sounds came one after another.
“What a scam.” Zhou Shu let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky, speechless.
“Well, Superintendent, we’d better not accept it,” Zhang Yibei said awkwardly.
The ten boxes were full.
But these things were useless to them.
They didn’t even recognize a single character, so why would they need these things?
They couldn’t sell things bestowed by the emperor either, so should they use them as displays?
Don’t be ridiculous. People who work hard for a living couldn’t afford time for this.
Looking at the opened boxes, Zhou Shu was also bewildered.
Is there something wrong with the old emperor’s brain? How can he reward people with these things?
The boxes were full of ink, paper, and books…
Even though these things looked like tributes and were extremely valuable, what did Zhou Shu want these things for?
He wasn’t going to study for the imperial examination!
At first, he thought that these books were secret manuals on martial arts or forging techniques.
But when he looked through them, it was all f*cking poetry!
I am a forger. Why would you reward me with some poetry books?
What is the meaning of this?
Zhou Shu stared blankly for a while before letting out a long sigh.
There was really no way to reason this matter out. Moreover, these were all rewards bestowed by the emperor, so it was impossible for him to sell them for money.
“Forget it. I’ll just put these books in the workshop and make a reading corner. In the future, all of you can read when you have nothing to do. It’s also good for you to cultivate your moods.” Zhou Shu waved his hand.
His dream of becoming rich had been shattered. He should just focus on forging.
…
Inside the imperial city, Emperor Yuan Feng was writing in the imperial study.
What he was writing was Zhou Shu’s poem about the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber.
“Zhou Shu is already past the best age to study. Isn’t it too late for me to reward him with books now?” Emperor Yuan Feng suddenly said.
Standing beside him was Eunuch Zhao, whom Zhou Shu had met before. Eunuch Zhao said respectfully, “If he really is talented, he will definitely live up to Your Majesty’s expectations.”
“I don’t have much expectations.” Emperor Yuan Feng shook his head. “I just think that since he was able to create such a good poem after studying in a private school for only a year, if he read more books, wouldn’t he be able to create even better poems?”
Emperor Yuan Feng’s eyes lit up. What many people didn’t know was that the good old Emperor Yuan Feng was actually an artistic middle-aged man who loved poetry.
However, as the ruler of a country, he couldn’t indulge in his own hobbies.
Of course, it was purely his hobby. As for talent—
That was all.
1
In any case, after so many years, the poems he wrote couldn’t compare to Zhou Shu’s Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber…
“General, when you march south so bravely, the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber hangs on your waist. As the wind blew, the lizard-skinned drums stirred the mountains and rivers, lightning flashed over your banners held as high as the sun and moon,” Emperor Yuan recited in a loud voice. The words were good, and the poem was even better!
What a pity. If Zhou Shu had written this poem before the army set out, how great would it have been?
Emperor Yuan Feng even imagined that before the great army left for war, he would personally give Great General Meng Bai the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber. Then he would say, “On the day when the imperial edict comes, I, the emperor, will take off my battle garb with you.”
The scene would have been perfect.
Eunuch Zhao had served Emperor Yuan Feng for dozens of years, so he more or less knew some of his preferences. He said, “On the day of the great general’s triumphant return, Your Majesty can bestow upon him the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber. This is not a bad gift.”
“You don’t understand.” Emperor Yuan Feng shook his head regretfully. “This is a poem about going to war. It is somewhat inappropriate to read it when the army returns victorious.”
“Then, get Superintendent Zhou to make another poem?” Eunuch Zhao said.
Emperor Yuanfeng’s eyes brightened, but he immediately shook his head. “It is not easy to come up with such a good poem. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Hand over today’s memorials.”
…
Some were happy, while others were sad.
Although the emperor’s reward didn’t make Zhou Shu rich, which was a little depressing, he quickly forgot about it. It didn’t affect his mood much.
However, someone else was in a bad mood.
In the Zhu Residence…
“That Zhou boy has developed a new weapon?” Zhu Chuanfeng said, surprised. “That kid is really a weapon forging genius?”
“It’s true!” Zhu Chuanzhi said in a deep voice, “Although the Forging Division has sealed off all information, I’ve already confirmed with Xiao Bufan that he lost to Zhou Shu in terms of forging standard weapons.
“Now, no one in the Forging Division will suspect that he’s a weapon forging genius. Furthermore, I feel that in the next issue of the Heavenly Mountain Villa’s Standard Armament Manual, his weapons will definitely be on the list.
“At that time, he will probably be the number one Forging Apprentice in the world, right?”
“Hmph, even if he’s the number one Forging Apprentice in the world, he’s just a Forging Apprentice.” Zhu Chuanfeng snorted disdainfully.
This title was created by Zhu Chuanzhi himself. Actually, there was no such thing as the number one Forging Apprentice, Forging Master, or Grand Craftsman.
“That Zhou boy is truly a weapon forging genius. We definitely can’t let him go. He is a money tree,” Zhu Chuanfeng said.
“Big Brother, aren’t you planning to retire and retire from the forging world?” Zhu Chuanzhi asked, puzzled. “Is it that important whether or not we have him?”
“You don’t understand.” Zhu Chuanfeng shook his head. “Although we seem to have made some money over the years, we’ve spent more. Once I stop, our savings won’t last long.
“That Zhou boy has developed four, no, five standard weapons. If we can obtain the ownership of these five standard weapons, lots of money will come to us. By then, we will be able to rest easy.”
“But doesn’t the ownership of standard weapons belong to the workshops?” Zhu Chuanzhi was puzzled.
“That’s because he is a Forging Apprentice! If he’s the disciple of a Grand Craftsman, then it’s naturally different. The Forging Division has to give up its benefits!” Zhu Chuanfeng said confidently.
Zhu Chuanzhi didn’t understand these things, and he didn’t care either. Anyway, there was his elder brother.
“Big Brother, what should we do now?”
Originally, if Zhou Shu had been stripped of his position as the superintendent of the 0th Workshop, Zhu Chuanfeng would have been able to recruit him.
But now, not only did Zhou Shu not lose his position as the superintendent of the 0th Workshop, but he stayed in his position even more firmly.
If Zhu Chuanfeng wanted to receive him as his disciple now, Zhou Shu would probably give him the cold shoulder.
1
“We can’t delay any longer. Once the Standard Armament Manual of the Heavenly Mountain Villa is announced, more people will pay attention to him,” Zhu Chuanfeng said. “Since that boy wants to do it the hard way, then don’t blame me!”
“Chuanzhi, you…” Zhu Chuanfeng lowered his voice and whispered something into Zhu Chuanzhi’s ear.
…
“I love forging. Forging makes me happy~” Zhou Shu hummed a completely random tune as he swung the large hammer in his hand.
With the addition of the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber, there were already five weapons in the Legendary Armament Canon.
He had filled up the Huben Saber, Hundred Refinements Ring Pommel Saber, Horse Slaying Saber, and Spring Embroidered Saber.
The Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber was new. Currently, Zhou Shu had only forged two of them, and he was still far from filling it up.
However, Zhou Shu wasn’t in a hurry. In any case, with the first four sabers, he was constantly growing stronger. As for the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber, he could take it slow.
He was now considering how to distribute the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber.
To Zhou Shu, forging the weapons was very important. But what was even more important was how to make the most out of the weapons he forged.
If he couldn’t deliver his weapons to the right people, how could they complete kills?
Without any kills, he wouldn’t get any benefits from the Legendary Armament Canon. In that case, these weapons would be equivalent to trash.
Some of the weapons forged by the Forging Division were directly distributed to the soldiers. Some were sold by the Forging Division themselves.
Zhou Shu didn’t know that Emperor Yuan Feng had already specified a use for the Autumn Anatidae Plume Saber. He was still thinking about which army would have more chances to fight and how to get them to purchase Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers.
It’s a pity that Sun Gongping went out with the army. Otherwise, I could have asked him to introduce his father. Zhou Shu rubbed his chin in thought.
Sun Gongping’s father was Great Xia’s Marquis Weiyuan, a commander of the Country Protector Army, a combat force. Selling Autumn Anatidae Plume Sabers to him wouldn’t be bad.
After all, Zhou Shu’s foundation was too shallow. Even though he had already befriended some people, he had too little military relations.
Even if he wanted to promote his weapons, there were not many ways.
The exposure rate is still not high enough.
Zhou Shu thought to himself that it was better to be a Forging Master. People would then come to him, begging him to forge ranked weapons for them.
It was nothing like forging standard weapons. After forging standard weapons, he had to find a way to promote them. If no army was willing to use them, the workshop would cut off production and stop forging them.
This was also one of the reasons why there were very few Forging Masters willing to develop modified weapons.
Because it was meaningless. There was a limit to the strength of standard weapons, and even Forging Masters wouldn’t be able to increase their power by much.
After spending so much effort to modify a new weapon for no one to use, wouldn’t that be a waste of effort?
If one had the time, they might as well forge a ranked weapon. They could earn money and fame. Why not?
Unless the standard weapon was good enough to be wanted by others. But how would he let others know that the standard weapons developed by the 0th Workshop were good?
At the very least, he had to have a chance to display them. Only then would others be able to see his weapons. He would have to take the initiative to promote them.
Compared to the other workshop superintendents, Zhou Shu’s desire to promote his weapons was even stronger. It wasn’t just because of the pressure from the Forging Division’s task but also because of the benefits from the Legendary Armament Canon.
If he couldn’t sell the forged weapons, how could he earn the rewards of the Legendary Armament Canon?
Without the Legendary Armament Canon’s rewards, how could he become stronger?
Money was not important. What was important was that he didn’t want his efforts to be wasted.
How could his painstakingly forged weapons be left to dust in the warehouse? Wouldn’t it be a waste?
