Chapter 589: Battering Hammer
Hangu Pass, North Gate.
The afternoon sun slanted across the city wall, making the mottled bloodstains appear dark.
In the shadows of the city gate, three battering rams were slowly driving out.
In front of each battering ram, twenty-four large stags bowed their heads and pulled the heavy wooden frame with even strides.
The hammerhead is a huge black iron hammer, ten meters long, shaped like a ferocious wolf's head, suspended from the frame by thick iron chains.
With each forward movement, the hammer swayed slightly beneath the frame, producing a low, metallic scraping sound.
Several awakened individuals walked and talked along the sides of the battering ram.
"I mean, how long has this thing been sitting in the warehouse since we seized it from the orcs? After the lord unified the Nightmare World, I thought I'd never see it on the battlefield again."
An awakened being carrying a long sword looked up at the ten-meter-long wolf-head iron hammer and clicked his tongue twice.
"Don't even mention it. Just two weeks ago, I made a bet with Lao Zhou from logistics, betting whether this thing could be put into use this year. I bet it can't."
A short, awakened individual nearby grimaced, "That's it, we lost two stamina recovery potions to him."
"You're just bored," another burly man carrying a long spear grinned. "You know the lord is going to war with other planes. Knowing his temperament, if they dare to come, he'll wipe out their base. Why not use this siege weapon? Are you saving it for later?"
"That's true..." the short awakened one still looked pained, "If I had known it would see the light of day again, I would never have gambled on those two stamina recovery potions."
The burly man glanced at him sideways: "Then who are you blaming? When has the lord ever tolerated anyone he wants to beat? This thing was destined to come out the day it was taken back from the orcs. You insisted on betting that it wouldn't come out. Isn't that just handing over medicine to someone?"
The shorter guy grew increasingly dejected: "Stop talking, stop talking! Two bottles... how many tasks do I have to do to earn that back..."
"You could take on the transport mission from the northern teleportation array."
The sword-wielding Awakened nodded forward, "See that? So many county soldiers, pulling logistical supplies towards the teleportation array. I heard they give a lot of merit points for each trip."
Looking in the direction he indicated, a large transport convoy was slowly moving towards the teleportation array a hundred miles away on the official road outside the North Gate.
Countless county soldiers pushed wheelbarrows, leading large deer, with the carts piled high with provisions, arrows, medicine, tents, spare weapons, and bundles of timber.
Along both sides of the official road, several large pots were set up at intervals, and the cooks accompanying the army were boiling hot soup, with the steam rising into the sky along with the dust.
The open fields outside the North Gate were filled with shouts of people and cries of deer, and the rolling of cart wheels, like a flowing river.
On a vacant lot by the roadside, dozens of blacksmiths and carpenters were busy working on the Three Fiends Cloud Piercing Crossbow and the winch chariot left behind by the Blood Abyss Demon Sect.
Some were dismantling damaged winches, some were replacing bowstrings on crossbows, and some were drawing on wooden boards with charcoal pencils, with piles of scattered parts salvaged from the battlefield nearby.
Several county soldiers waited to the side, leading large stags. As soon as they saw the repaired siege equipment, they rushed over, put on the reins, and pulled it northward.
"This ballista still works! I've tested all three arrow slots, and the linkage works perfectly!"
A dark-skinned carpenter emerged from under the cart frame, his face covered in grease, but he grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Those bastards from the Demonic Sect really made some decent stuff. After such a battle, most of it is still usable!"
"Nonsense, they're at war every day; this thing is way more powerful than anything we could make ourselves."
The blacksmith next to him used pliers to pick up a red-hot iron bar, his eyes still fixed on the crack in the ballista's base. "This base is a bit damaged. Adding two more iron plates will make it stable. Take the repaired one away first; don't let it take up space here!"
"Alright!" Several county soldiers quickly put reins on the giant deer, pulled the newly repaired Three Fiends Cloud Piercing Crossbow Cart, and headed towards the official road outside the North Gate to meet up.
On the distant battlefield, another group of county soldiers and awakened individuals who had not yet reached the next level were still cleaning up the battlefield.
The corpses of the demonic sect disciples had been cleared away, and the crystals and equipment scattered in the soil were stuffed into bulging sacks.
"Good heavens, the Demonic Sect disciples are really something else; even in death, they know to leave us something."
A young awakened being had just dug a handful of green crystals out of the ground and was laughing like he'd found a sweet potato.
"Look at your pathetic self!" the middle-aged awakened one carrying the bronze shield laughed and scolded.
"You're this happy just because you found a few green crystals? Yesterday I saw Old Sun and his crew dig up a blue-grade True-Character equipment from under the corpse of a Xiantian expert. That's real value; it could fetch a huge price in Eternal Night City!"
"Really?" The young awakened one's eyes lit up instantly, clutching the green crystal in his hand, his voice trembling. "Won't Old Sun be rich?"
"What the hell!" The middle-aged awakened one rolled his eyes. "The equipment belongs to the Lin family."
"Surname Lin?"
"Lord Lin, are you new here?"
"Ah... my second uncle works in logistics; he just got me in last month."
The young awakened one scratched his head, looking bewildered. "What does picking up stuff have to do with the lord's last name?"
"It's very important." The middle-aged awakened one chuckled as he tossed the green crystal into the sack, his movements so practiced it was almost heartbreaking.
"The rules of Beacon Fire Territory dictate that everything captured on the battlefield must be handed over and distributed uniformly. We are merely temporary crystal transporters."