Chương 151: The MJOLNIR Hammer

That evening. The Black Iron Stronghold was a scene of lively singing and dancing. Boss Song, as the Grand Stronghold Leader, also took the time to come down, meet the underlings, and encourage them. His incredibly approachable and amiable demeanor moved the bandits deeply. At the central table on the high platform, Boss Song was drinking, chatting, and dining with the stronghold's upper echelon.

Sitting next to him, apart from Old Nie's group, were Knife, Bucktoothed Su, Mo Yang of the Manufacturing Camp, and a group of headmen.

"Bucktoothed Su, Horse Face told me about what you did yesterday. You did very well this time. In the future, this Stronghold Leader will entrust you with heavier responsibilities." Sitting there, carefully serving the big shots, Bucktoothed Su was overjoyed to hear this. Although he couldn't clearly see the expressions behind the Stronghold Leaders' masks, their attitude showed that the Stronghold Leader was very satisfied with him. That's good!

Old Su grinned from ear to ear, hastily raising his cup and bowing to express his gratitude. He was a rather timid person. Having previously witnessed Stronghold Leader Impermanence 's terrifying might, he had long been scared out of his wits. Since the day he surrendered and joined the stronghold, he had worked carefully and hadn't dared harbor any disloyal thoughts.

Yesterday, witnessing their side wipe out the Locked Forest Stronghold and divide the territory equally with the Rooster Stronghold, Bucktoothed Su became even more honest and obedient. Now, he was absolutely determined to cling tightly to Stronghold Leader Impermanence's thick thigh. He was long sick and tired of his previous precarious life, constantly living in fear.

Sitting and chatting with a group of bandits about various topics—from women and families to the past and the future—Song Que also gained a bit more understanding of these underlings. Going up the mountain to become bandits naturally meant that everyone carried sins; that was undeniable. But often, it was also due to circumstances forcing their hand.

Generally speaking, apart from those whose crimes were piled as high as a mountain and who had already been purged, the character of the few sitting here wasn't bad, and their conscience hadn't been completely extinguished.

"Stronghold Leader, the furnace modification project you ordered has been completed. We will test it again tomorrow, and if there are no problems, we can start forging weapons the day after." At this time, Mo Yang, sitting not far away, also took the opportunity to report on his work. Toward Boss Song, he felt nothing but profound gratitude. In the past, they were treated like slaves in the stronghold, forced to work for others.

Now, being able to sit at the same table and eat with leaders like this was something he wouldn't have even dared to dream of before. Knowing that all of this was bestowed by the Grand Stronghold Leader, and that the lives of the people in the Manufacturing Camp had improved immensely, not only him but all the brothers in the camp felt deeply indebted to Song Que.

"Very good! Old Mo, when you're ready to start work, just send someone to let me know," Grandee Song encouraged amiably.

"Understood! This subordinate will not disappoint you, Stronghold Leader!" Nodding, Boss Song exchanged a few words and pleasantries with each of the headmen before standing up in satisfaction and returning to his room, leaving everyone else to continue their feast and revelry. This meal lasted until the early hours of the morning. Nie Feng, who remained sober the entire time observing the dynamics within the stronghold, also revealed a rare, satisfied smile.

After events like this, the morale and unity within the stronghold had coalesced significantly; such gatherings needed to be organized more frequently in the future.... The Manufacturing Camp. Song Que stood among a group of blacksmiths, listening to Mo Yang detail a few points to note when operating the furnace.

"Milord, the furnace uses the finest quality charcoal, and over there is a large bellows to provide air. You must be careful to stand slightly away from this direction so the heat doesn't reach you."

"Your large hammer will be easy to make. However, for the Second Stronghold Leader Ox Head's weapons, we must first forge the iron, and then we will carefully shape them later."

"Mhm, I understand. My task today is just striking the iron, right?" Boss Song asked with a smile.

"Yes, you could say that." Thinking of the actual situation, Mo Yang nodded honestly. Having recently guided his Stronghold Leader in weapon forging, he had personally experienced the monstrosity of Boss Song's physique. A large hammer weighing a hundred catties was swung by him without the slightest effort. Every time he struck down, the heated iron block seemed to dent deeply. The others watching were incredibly shocked. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

To facilitate the forging of profound iron today, Song Que even requested them to rush the production of a heavier large hammer; only then would striking the iron have any feeling and effect. As for how the weapons were to be forged, he had already drawn them out for the men to make models. Grandee Song's requirements were rather simple. He only used the hammer to comprehend the 'heavy as light' concept within it. Furthermore, several major battles had made him realize that dual hammers weren't suitable for him.

Proficient in fist and kick techniques, wielding a weapon in one hand was convenient for him, leaving his other hand free to handle other situations. Therefore, Song Que only forged a single large hammer, and its shape... hehehe... Isn't Brother Thor's MJOLNIR the golden standard?! Since he was running a bandit stronghold anyway, he was determined to go all out. He had people copy and engrave whatever details and patterns he could remember.

Once finished, this hammer would weigh nearly a thousand catties, making it perfectly convenient for him to continue his blacksmithing side gig. As for Xiong Ba, this kid had an intense passion for smashing people. It reminded Boss Song of the martial arts games he played in his youth, where the Heavenly King sect wielding dual hammers was incredibly awe-inspiring and eye-catching. Therefore, he happily designed a similar pair for the foolish Bear, guaranteeing the kid would be thrilled.

The only slight headache was the fear that Wu Zhui wouldn't have enough strength to carry both Xiong Ba and this pair of hammers. The blacksmiths roughly estimated that the combined weight of the pair would exceed three thousand catties. It seems in the coming days, I also need to regularly nurture the pair of Dark Dragon Steeds. These two horses already had a solid foundation. With the nourishment of Song Que's Tesseract energy, who knew how far they would develop? He was filled with anticipation.

After listening to Mo Yang's instructions, Song Que and the people of the Manufacturing Camp began their work.

"Stronghold Leader, get ready! We will hold the profound iron for you." Giving one final reminder, Mo Yang and several others joined forces to pull a massive block of heated profound iron, weighing a thousand catties, from the furnace and place it on the anvil. Boss Song's task now was to fiercely strike it with the hammer. Clang... clang... clang... clang...... The sound of clashing metal rang out incessantly. From the initial slight clumsiness, their coordination grew increasingly rhythmic and smooth.

The blacksmiths rotated shifts, but 'Grandee Song' continued tirelessly, striking the iron without a break. Striking with his left hand, striking with his right hand—his stamina seemed boundless, showing not the slightest sign of fatigue. At this moment, his heart was burning with passion. After days of experimentation, today he finally began to find the feeling!

Every time he struck the profound iron, the resulting rebound force was cleverly utilized by him to generate lifting power, easily and effortlessly raising the hammer back over his head. Having found a hint of its essence, Boss Song worked tirelessly. Only when the Tesseract's energy was nearly depleted, the blacksmiths of the Manufacturing Camp couldn't take it anymore, and several hammer heads had already taken shape, did he stop, feeling unsatisfied.

Instructing Old Mo, who was sitting on the side exhausted to the point of collapse, to handle the rest, Song Que smiled apologetically, nodded to the blacksmiths, and quickly ran back to his private room to continue comprehending the feeling he had just experienced.... Clang!!! Clang!!!... Bang... bang!! On the open ground midway up Nameless Mountain, Song Que, Xiong Ba, Nie Feng, and the others, having some free time, were sparring with each other once again.

They had just received their new weapons over the past two days, exactly as Grandee Song had anticipated. Xiong Ba was absolutely infatuated with his 'Heavenly King Hammers'. He couldn't even bear to let go of them when he slept last night, holding them tight. Today, having familiarized himself with the feeling, he hastily dragged the other two out to test the hammers. Looking at the two fierce men beside him wielding massive hammers, Nie Feng felt his sphincter tighten.

He was terrified that the Young Master or this foolish Bear might accidentally lose control of their strength or slip up and send a stray attack his way. If that happened, he'd be eating a whole bunch of bananas and staring at naked chickens in the afterlife. Therefore, even though he had cultivated the Thousand Hammer Body-Refining Art to minor accomplishment, Old Nie moved cautiously and with exceptional care, which made Song Que feel the spar wasn't refreshing enough.

Retracting his hands, Boss Song complained:"Old Nie, why are you moving so stiffly and unnaturally today? Fighting like this is truly a buzzkill." Embarrassedly rubbing his bald head, Nie Feng smiled awkwardly:"Young Master, it's truly because the weapons you and Brother Xiong Ba wield are too intimidating. I haven't gotten used to the feeling yet, so my whole body feels weird."

Shaking his head—Old Nie wasn't used to it, and Xiong Ba was starting to lose his breath after swinging those massive weapons for a while—Song Que lost interest in continuing. Just as he was about to return to his room to continue his cultivation, he suddenly sensed an alert from his soul fragment. He simply stood there to rest. Before long, Lightning flew past like a small airplane, dropping a small package near him. Curiously opening it, he found a letter and a thin booklet inside.

Seeing the cover of the booklet, Nie Feng's eyes lit up, and he leaned in closer.

"The latest issue of the Martial World Chronicles!" Temporarily setting the letter aside, Song Que also curiously picked up this small item to examine. He saw the cover was made of premium paper, intricately and elegantly patterned, with several large, bold characters printed clearly. Martial World Chronicles, Issue 1132, 815th Year of Great Yan. Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. Just a glance revealed a profound historical mark.

The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had been running this newspaper for nearly a hundred years; their intelligence network was truly terrifying! Seeing Old Nie's eager gaze, Song Que didn't mind letting him look first. He took out the letter to read while smiling and asking:"These few pages cost a hundred taels! Those people at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion sure know how to do business. When people buy this, do they really not make copies?"

"Young Master, copying this is forbidden! Lower-tier martial artists don't have the money to buy it. Those with money are all from wealthy and powerful families, and no one wants to offend the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion over a small profit. After all, they make their living selling intelligence, and their information network is incredibly vast. Why take such a risk?" Hearing Old Nie's explanation, Song Que couldn't help but nod. Isn't that the truth?

No wonder they sell it at such an exorbitant price; there's a profound meaning behind it. No longer curious, he opened the letter to see what Brother Hong had to say.