Chapter 510: No Cheap Goods
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
“This is what we are going to use to exchange with the Blizzards for their METAL suits. By the way, why are you up so early, lazybum?” Tan Bu remarked with a smirk.
“Pff…! Do you really think that you are the only one who has trained hard? We all did.” Castro said in a smug tone.
“That’s right! You two had a head start because you kissed up to Captain Tong. I swear that we will catch up with you two in no time.” Another soldier who came to see the commotion chimed in with Castro. When they discovered the new heavy METAL inside the storage room, they were shocked.
“That’s incredible! Did Captain Tong do that?”
“It’s awesome! Not even the Divine Mastery Sect would be able to achieve that! “
“Is there anything that he does not know or cannot do?”
The commotion attracted many Mastery Casters who had come to the training ground for their morning practice. Practicing spells required a clear mind and concentration; therefore, there was no better time than the morning for training.
“Aida, once these heavy METAL were shipped out, they will be gone forever.”
“Yes, this is not fair! We got nothing from the tournament’s loot either.”
“Buzz off Castro! If you want these METAL suits, you will need to prove that you are worthy!”
“So, you think we METAL fighters are any less than you casters?”
“Prove it if you think otherwise!”
Warriors on both sides stared at the rows of heavy METAL with green eyes. During the time of war, man’s best friends were not women or dogs, but their weapons and armors.
Although Battle Wolf had no use of this sophisticated heavy weaponry, they could exchange them for equipment with more practical use. Wang Tong’s method of distributing these METAL suits was based on the fighter’s strength: the strongest would get the best METAL. Wang Tong knew that as long as a fighter had paid attention during his class and carried out the instructions to the letter, he or she would be guaranteed to have improved their cultivation compared to a few months ago.
Tan Bu and Duo Lun didn’t join the arguments; instead, they walked back to the training room and started their practice. Ten minutes of practice they could squeeze into their schedule while others were idling translated into a slight advantage that would eventually build up to a decisive advantage.
When Castro finally realized that Tan Bu and Duo Lun were gone, he cursed quietly under his breath and stopped his bickering with the Mastery Casters. Mastery units used to be the only backbone of the Battle Wolf, but Castro believed that that was no longer the case, since Wang Tong had significantly beefed up the power of the METAL warriors. Whether it would be the METAL fighters or the Mastery casters who would get the best equipment was yet to be seen.
Ye Zi woke up around six as usual while Lie Xuan was still in slumber. The Martian princess believed that waking up too early was bad for her skin complexion.
When she walked to the training ground, she immediately noticed that something was not quite right with the soldiers, as they were all training with an unprecedented enthusiasm. When she finally saw the array of shiny heavy METAL, she was stunned. Was this the work of a God?
As a devoted follower of the Divine Way, Ye Zi believed in the existence of Gods and the transcendence to godhood through cultivation. But, how was Wang Tong able to crack open the gate that held the secrets to achieving godhood while so many others had failed? What was so special about him? If Wang Tong had already entered the Divine Way, why would he return to this material world?
Had he come to the human world to finish his unfinished task of saving the world? Ye Zi’s mind reeled. The more she thought about it, the more Wang Tong resembled the savior that was promised by the Sect’s augurs. Why was the savior not Lie, Jian, as the Sect wanted everyone to believe? Should she still follow the Sect’s order or should she follow Wang Tong? If she chose the latter, would the Sect view it as apostasy?
As a member of the Divine Mastery Sect, her duty, in addition to being a field medic, was to veer the direction of Battle Wolf towards the House Lie and the Sect. However, over time, she had nurtured a sense of belonging towards the group. The part of her mind that was independent and true to her heart told her to follow Wang Tong and to fight for the freedom of Mars.
Her feeling was shared by the other soldiers. No one wanted to become just another brick in the wall; they wanted to fight for a noble cause: the liberation of the human race. It was this noble cause that had driven the soldiers to wake up early in the morning and endure all the hardships during training.
Ever since Wang Tong took over the training program, Ye Zi felt the obvious changes in the soldiers’ attitude and behavior. No longer did they waste their time on chattering, focusing solely on their training. Although these soldiers were not the elite casters from the Sect, they contributed to humanity’s freedom using their blood and sweat nonetheless.
Much like the piles of junks that had turned into deadly weapons, Wang Tong was quickly transforming this band of local militias into a deadly and disciplined force for the greater good.
If Lei Jian’s strength came from his ability to enlist powerful fighters, then Wang Tong’s came from his ability to transform the weak into the powerful.
During lunchtime, soldiers exchanged their experiences with each other with a newfound fascination for the new techniques they had learned. Their improvements encouraged them to train harder and spend more time on thinking about their cultivation.
Lie Xuan studied the new heavy METAL carefully. At her level, she was able to discern the differences in METAL suits manufactured from different plants. She could tell from the sub-par craftsmanship of the parts that these METAL suits were products of a manufacturing plant on Mars. These were the most basic line of the heavy METAL, with only the most rudimentary functions, and she doubted that neither the House Lie nor the Sect would be interested in these low-quality METAL suits. However, Lie Xuan conceded that this would be quite a fortune for any resistance factions.
As Lie Xuan studied these machines more carefully, she noticed that something was amiss: although these METAL suits appeared to be cobbled together with low-quality parts, they were put together so well that their overall quality felt nothing like low-grade METAL suits made on Mars. Lie Xuan knew right away that this was the work of Wang Tong, the super mechanic.
How did he finish repairing over one hundred sets of suits overnight?
Lie Xuan marveled at furface’s efficiency and skills, and thought that instead of a super mechanic, he should be called a legendary mechanic. What was worse, Lie Xuan had never heard of such a person on Mars before. If not for Guan Dongyang’s feelings, she would have enlisted furface to House Lie in a heartbeat. Such a well-rounded talent was harder to come by than even Guan Dongyang. The thought of enlisting furface made her wonder why Guan Dongyang was so confident in the former’s loyalty.
After last night’s hard work, Wang Tong didn’t wake up until the afternoon, and soon after that, Ross and Hans also arrived at the camp.
“What’s up? You guys want to try these suits on?” Wang Tong asked after he saw the rueful faces of Tan Bu and Duo Lun.
“Captain, don’t you think we should leave a dozen of them for ourselves?”
Wang Tong nodded and replied, “Yes, we will leave twenty or so for ourselves. Our priority right now is to gather as many METAL suits as possible. Don’t worry, we will have enough heavy METAL in the future.”
Although no one wanted to see this valuable equipment going to another band, they reckoned that selling them was their best option for now.
Wang Tong went to the training room and inspected the soldiers’ training progress. Although the Focus Group’s attempts at casting a group mastery with hybrid elements had failed, they felt they were getting very close to success. All they need was just one successful trial. Learning to cast a spell was very much like learning to ride a bike; once one got the hang of it, it would be difficult to fail again.
Satisfied with the soldiers’ improvements, Wang Tong walked into Guan Dongyang’s office to discuss a few questions on Mastery.
“What do you think if I try to expand my repertoire to include other elements?” Guan Dongyang asked.
Wang Tong shook his head and replied, “You need to have your specialty; knowing a lot of spells doesn’t result in an increase in power. The wind element should complement your main fire element, but it should never be the main focus.”
Guan Dongyang nodded; if he could not be remembered as the strongest mastery caster in the world, he was determined to become the strongest fire element caster.
