The moment he stepped into No. 81 Steel Factory, Lucius felt that the surrounding temperature rose several degrees instantly, so much so that he even felt a little hot wearing a buckskin coat.
Looking forward, he saw two stoves, one large and one small, in the center of the workshop.
The outer casing of these furnaces is cast from molds, and the inside is covered with refractory materials such as silica as the acid furnace lining.
One of the blast furnaces with a blower is responsible for heating the scrap steel stuffed into the furnace to 1300 degrees and melting it into molten iron, while the other is a converter built on a concrete base with six air inlets at the bottom. The molten iron is blown into qualified molten steel.
This process does not require reheating. The heat released during the oxidation process is enough to raise the molten steel in the furnace from 1300 degrees to 1600~1700 degrees, and a certain amount of chromium is added in a specific proportion. The rollers are rolled repeatedly.
In order to facilitate the operation, the two installed many pulleys and slings on the ceiling. Many of these are materials removed from waste tire factories, and the quality is still very reliable.
At present, the No. 81 Steel Factory is only a small workshop, and there is no condition to accurately measure the carbon content in the converter, and the technical principles used are only the acid bottom-blown converter steelmaking method in the middle of the 19th century, which has been improved from "Modern" experience.
Although Lucius didn't know much about steelmaking, his intuition told him that this thing was much more professional than the clay blast furnace that Badass Bunny made before.
Especially the pair of rollers, and the simple motor made of copper wire connected next to the rollers, even a layman like him thinks it works. At least it looks much more reliable than hitting with a hammer.
It seems that there is a lack of a stamping machine, so seamless steel pipes cannot be made, but if you work hard, the problem should not be too big!
Brother Levin quickly closed the door of the factory building, and brought Lucius to their workbench, showing their achievements these days.
"20mm curved armor, built according to the size you provide! This detachable steel plate can be perfectly connected to the front of the KV-1 exoskeleton, and provide a large armor angle for your heart and other vital parts to avoid Fatal injuries. In addition, at your request, we designed two special keels for this armor, even if the armor is completely scrapped, it can be quickly disassembled and replaced with new armor pieces!"
"According to our performance test, this steel plate can perfectly defend against rifle and pistol bullets of 5mm, 7mm, 9mm and other calibers shot from any distance! As long as you hang it on your chest, even in the face of a hail of bullets, you can also retreat calmly!"
Lucius lifted the curved steel plate in his hand and weighed it. He estimated it weighed fifty or sixty kilograms.
This is just one side of armor.
If a curved steel plate of similar size was installed on the back, the armor of the entire upper body would probably weigh a hundred kilograms.
Without an exoskeleton, it's really not that easy to wear this thing. Even the full-body plate armor of the Middle Ages is actually only 25-30 kg, and it is difficult to exceed 45 kg including the harness.
And this is just a breastplate.
"What about the other parts?"
Brother Yamasaa who was standing aside immediately interjected.
"It's all here! In addition to the front armor, we have also designed the corresponding rear armor for you, as well as bulletproof linings to protect the torso! But for your safety, we still do not recommend you to stand on the front line of the battlefield After all, such an attractive armor will definitely become the target of the enemy's concentrated fire."
Lucius smiled.
Joke. Even you can think of it, but Master can't think of it?
So far, Lucius only went up to pick up heads and showed the players a "Story animation" when the victory was almost over. As for the matter of charging into battle, how could he have the nerve to steal the limelight from the players?
It is enough to be responsible for grasping the timing and blowing the whistle. However, this set of armor seems to be not only usable by myself, it should also be very useful for that Roushaa The Big Momo and Mr. Garbage.
Both of their panel attributes are quite good, and their initial strength value is close to 10. After a few upgrades, they can completely handle it.
Since they has a parallel foot debuff, it is difficult to operate complex machines, and they can't do the work of professional players, so they can be used as a tank.
A burly white bear or lizard man charging in heavy armor, just imagining the picture is shocking enough.
The 20mm steel plate is enough for these two monsters to rush into the back of the enemy's bunker before the armor is smashed into pieces by light weapons.
Lucius checked the other parts of the protective gear including the helmet, which can basically cover more than 90% of the parts in front of him and 100% of the vital points.
With the nitrogen-powered hammer, he doesn't need to charge with fierce firepower, he just needs to guard against sneak attacks at critical moments.
"The total weight of the armor is 220 kilograms, 20 kilograms more than the standard, but it's not a big problem." Lucius put down the protective gear in his hand, looked at the two players, "Can I have a try?"
Levin and Yamasaa nodded at the same time, with excited expressions on their faces.
"Of course! We have already prepared everything!"
"Please give it a try!"
What's the point of making the equipment if you don't try it?
As they said that, Levin and Yamasaa struggled to carry the 100-kilogram breastplate, put it on the wooden stake that served as the target, and then quickly hid aside to avoid accidental injury from stray bullets.
Lucius checked the distance with his eyes, and it was about thirty meters away. Then he pulled out the 10mm silver revolver from his waist, and fired a shot at the breastplate.
Boom--!
The loud noise like thunder echoed in the factory building, and the muzzle of the gun was like lightning. I saw the breastplate hanging on the wooden stake, as if struck by lightning, and fell backwards together with the wooden stake.
I didn't expect this gun to be so powerful! The two players stared wide-eyed, and hurriedly leaned over to take a look. And when they saw the bullet embedded in the steel plate, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wear it, but not completely!"
"This bullet is fine, but it didn't bounce off. It's just that the bullet was crushed... Hey, it's so hot." Brother Levin reached out to touch the bullet, and pulled his finger back as if he was electrocuted.
It didn't hurt, but it seemed to be blistering.
Walking over to take a look at the armor pieces lying on the ground, Lucius nodded with satisfaction.
"You have done a good job. It seems that your steel factory is on the right track. The reward for completing the task has been distributed to the enterprise account of No. 81 Steel Factory, a total of 200 silver coins!"
"In addition, for your outstanding personal performance, I will reward you with an additional 20 silver coins and 200 contributions in the name of Manager."
After listening to Manager's words, expressions of joy and excitement floated on the faces of the two players.
I didn't expect to have additional rewards for completing this task!
"Thank you, Master Manager!!"
"We must continue to work hard! Carry forward No. 81 Steel Factory and make it bigger and stronger!"
"Very good, very ambitious!" Lucius coughed lightly, his expression straightened, and he continued seriously, "Next, I have two important tasks for you."
"Currently the outpost lacks heavy armor and the seamless steel required for the production of gun barrels. I need you to produce 10 sets of breastplates weighing less than 30 kilograms. It is required that residents of standard-sized shelters can wear them normally, mainly for residents of the strength department .”
"In addition, I also need you to produce 10 seamless steel pipes with a caliber of 7mm, which must be able to withstand the chamber pressure generated by rifle bullets."
"The specific details and rewards of the task have been updated in your VM, please check it in time."
Yamasaa and Levin immediately stood up straight after listening, and shouted with high morale.
"Guaranteed to complete the task!"
Very good. Lucius nodded in satisfaction, and finally instructed the two of them to "pay attention to production safety".
Then, he put on the fully protective and improved exoskeleton, and left the furnace-like steel factory with a sledgehammer on his back.
Outside the plant. The heavy snowfall stopped for a while, and the sky in the distance gradually darkened.
It's the rest time for NPCs, and the weapon shop in the outpost is closed.
With today's daily wages, Sumeria, who left the weapon shop, walked curiously to the North Gate Market with his walking stick between his arms.
Looking at the various products on the booth, her eyes widened in surprise.
Of course, the players were the most surprised. They have never seen Boss Sumeria leave his weapon shop, let alone visit the market at the north gate.
"Damn, the proprietress of the weapon shop has come out?"
"Nice! Now NPCs can buy players' stuff!?"
"Wait, hasn't Master Manager been buying our stuff all the time? I've seen him stealing here for a long time!"
"Can it be the same? Manager is the son of the planner! Besides, haven't you heard what the planner said? The codes of other NPCs are all based on his source code. Obviously, his AI has evolved, Other NPCs have also become smarter! Maybe all NPCs will be able to buy our things in the future!"
"Damn, when you put it that way, why do I feel like a cultivation game?"
"Emmmm...Cultivating a Manager? There seems to be nothing wrong with it. After all, he is so smart now, at least we have half of the credit."
"..."
Sometimes Lucius really wished that his ears were not so sharp, otherwise people would always misunderstand that he was small-minded.
Isn't he impartial enough? People with principles like him have almost disappeared in this wasteland!
"For you."
A voice suddenly wafted from his ear, interrupting Lucius's thoughts..Looking sideways, he saw Sumeria, who had a cane between her elbows, held a skewer of roasted venison leg in one hand, and generously handed it over.
"Last time, you treated me to soup, this time I'll treat you to roast deer leg!"
With a cane between his elbows and a venison leg in his hand, this action is somewhat comical.
Lucius smiled and took the deer leg.
"Then I'm not being polite. However, as your boss, I'd like to remind you that you'd better save some money on your salary."
Sumeria bit the barbecue and blinked.
"What is saving a little money?"
"Don't you have the habit of saving?"
"Savings?"
"Forget it," Lucius blew on the hot venison leg, gently tore off a small piece with his teeth, chewed it carefully, and said slowly after swallowing, "Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Sumeria: "?"
After such a long time of ease, he almost forgot the time on Beit Street. The vast majority of people in the wasteland live their lives day by day, so how can they have the concept of savings?
Maybe one day the chips saved will become something in other people's pockets, so it's better to live every day happily.
At this time, a player suddenly ran from a distance, shouting excitedly while running.
"There are a lot of people coming from the north! They are heading south along the elevated road out of the city. There are about fifty or sixty... maybe sixty or seventy, and they are leading a few camels and cows! Not sure about their identities!"
The little players at the entrance of the market immediately started talking.
"Could it be a caravan?"
"My god, here comes the merchant again?!"
"Didn't you say the last wave of winter is over?"
"I don't know. Strictly speaking, the last time should be the last wave, but didn't there be another wave later? It's not surprising!"
Looking at the 'Players' who were discussing a lot, Sumeria glanced at the VM, but seeing that there was no movement, she tilted her head and peeked at the expression on Lucius's face, and found that his expression was gradually dignified.
Even if she doesn't know how to read words and expressions, she can guess that something bad must have happened.
So the speed of light finished half of the roasted deer leg in her hand, Sumeria grabbed her crutches and asked in a low voice.
"What happened?"
"Eighty percent of them are nomads."
"Nomads?! What are they doing in Spring City at this time? It's already snowing so much." Sumeria was surprised.
She had heard rumors about nomads, although they were all bad ones.
"I don't know, this year's snow is very sudden, more than a month earlier than in previous years. War, famine, waves... These are not unique to Spring City, and the Central Continent is not just a province of the River Valley."
The nomads of the wasteland do not refer to those who herd herds, but to those who have lost their homes, are forced to wander, and live by hunting and scavenging.
They usually represent disaster, chaos and ominousness, but they are not as blatantly burning, killing and looting as predators.
Perhaps one day they found a suitable home, settled down, and embarked on the path of law. It is also possible to suddenly find a large number of weapons, become evil, break through the moral bottom line, and completely fall into the chaotic and evil camp.
Of course, this possibility is actually very small, just like buying a lottery ticket, maybe only one or two of the 10,000 samples will win the prize.
Before, Karunas of Brown Farm had misunderstood them as nomads wandering in this area because Lucius brought a lot of dried meat to trade grain.
I didn't expect that I would actually meet this time...
"You stay in the shelter first."
If they keep going, they will definitely find the brick factory in the northwest corner of Wetland Park.
Without explaining nonsense to Sumeria, Lucius looked at the players at the entrance of the market and raised his volume.
"Everyone gather."
"Take your weapons and meet them with me!"
The moment he stepped into No. 81 Steel Factory, Lucius felt that the surrounding temperature rose several degrees instantly, so much so that he even felt a little hot wearing a buckskin coat.
Looking forward, he saw two stoves, one large and one small, in the center of the workshop.
The outer casing of these furnaces is cast from molds, and the inside is covered with refractory materials such as silica as the acid furnace lining.
One of the blast furnaces with a blower is responsible for heating the scrap steel stuffed into the furnace to 1300 degrees and melting it into molten iron, while the other is a converter built on a concrete base with six air inlets at the bottom. The molten iron is blown into qualified molten steel.
This process does not require reheating. The heat released during the oxidation process is enough to raise the molten steel in the furnace from 1300 degrees to 1600~1700 degrees, and a certain amount of chromium is added in a specific proportion. The rollers are rolled repeatedly.
In order to facilitate the operation, the two installed many pulleys and slings on the ceiling. Many of these are materials removed from waste tire factories, and the quality is still very reliable.
At present, the No. 81 Steel Factory is only a small workshop, and there is no condition to accurately measure the carbon content in the converter, and the technical principles used are only the acid bottom-blown converter steelmaking method in the middle of the 19th century, which has been improved from "Modern" experience.
Although Lucius didn't know much about steelmaking, his intuition told him that this thing was much more professional than the clay blast furnace that Badass Bunny made before.
Especially the pair of rollers, and the simple motor made of copper wire connected next to the rollers, even a layman like him thinks it works. At least it looks much more reliable than hitting with a hammer.
It seems that there is a lack of a stamping machine, so seamless steel pipes cannot be made, but if you work hard, the problem should not be too big!
Brother Levin quickly closed the door of the factory building, and brought Lucius to their workbench, showing their achievements these days.
"20mm curved armor, built according to the size you provide! This detachable steel plate can be perfectly connected to the front of the KV-1 exoskeleton, and provide a large armor angle for your heart and other vital parts to avoid Fatal injuries. In addition, at your request, we designed two special keels for this armor, even if the armor is completely scrapped, it can be quickly disassembled and replaced with new armor pieces!"
"According to our performance test, this steel plate can perfectly defend against rifle and pistol bullets of 5mm, 7mm, 9mm and other calibers shot from any distance! As long as you hang it on your chest, even in the face of a hail of bullets, you can also retreat calmly!"
Lucius lifted the curved steel plate in his hand and weighed it. He estimated it weighed fifty or sixty kilograms.
This is just one side of armor.
If a curved steel plate of similar size was installed on the back, the armor of the entire upper body would probably weigh a hundred kilograms.
Without an exoskeleton, it's really not that easy to wear this thing. Even the full-body plate armor of the Middle Ages is actually only 25-30 kg, and it is difficult to exceed 45 kg including the harness.
And this is just a breastplate.
"What about the other parts?"
Brother Yamasaa who was standing aside immediately interjected.
"It's all here! In addition to the front armor, we have also designed the corresponding rear armor for you, as well as bulletproof linings to protect the torso! But for your safety, we still do not recommend you to stand on the front line of the battlefield After all, such an attractive armor will definitely become the target of the enemy's concentrated fire."
Lucius smiled.
Joke. Even you can think of it, but Master can't think of it?
So far, Lucius only went up to pick up heads and showed the players a "Story animation" when the victory was almost over. As for the matter of charging into battle, how could he have the nerve to steal the limelight from the players?
It is enough to be responsible for grasping the timing and blowing the whistle. However, this set of armor seems to be not only usable by myself, it should also be very useful for that Roushaa The Big Momo and Mr. Garbage.
Both of their panel attributes are quite good, and their initial strength value is close to 10. After a few upgrades, they can completely handle it.
Since they has a parallel foot debuff, it is difficult to operate complex machines, and they can't do the work of professional players, so they can be used as a tank.
A burly white bear or lizard man charging in heavy armor, just imagining the picture is shocking enough.
The 20mm steel plate is enough for these two monsters to rush into the back of the enemy's bunker before the armor is smashed into pieces by light weapons.
Lucius checked the other parts of the protective gear including the helmet, which can basically cover more than 90% of the parts in front of him and 100% of the vital points.
With the nitrogen-powered hammer, he doesn't need to charge with fierce firepower, he just needs to guard against sneak attacks at critical moments.
"The total weight of the armor is 220 kilograms, 20 kilograms more than the standard, but it's not a big problem." Lucius put down the protective gear in his hand, looked at the two players, "Can I have a try?"
Levin and Yamasaa nodded at the same time, with excited expressions on their faces.
"Of course! We have already prepared everything!"
"Please give it a try!"
What's the point of making the equipment if you don't try it?
As they said that, Levin and Yamasaa struggled to carry the 100-kilogram breastplate, put it on the wooden stake that served as the target, and then quickly hid aside to avoid accidental injury from stray bullets.
Lucius checked the distance with his eyes, and it was about thirty meters away. Then he pulled out the 10mm silver revolver from his waist, and fired a shot at the breastplate.
Boom--!
The loud noise like thunder echoed in the factory building, and the muzzle of the gun was like lightning. I saw the breastplate hanging on the wooden stake, as if struck by lightning, and fell backwards together with the wooden stake.
I didn't expect this gun to be so powerful! The two players stared wide-eyed, and hurriedly leaned over to take a look. And when they saw the bullet embedded in the steel plate, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Wear it, but not completely!"
"This bullet is fine, but it didn't bounce off. It's just that the bullet was crushed... Hey, it's so hot." Brother Levin reached out to touch the bullet, and pulled his finger back as if he was electrocuted.
It didn't hurt, but it seemed to be blistering.
Walking over to take a look at the armor pieces lying on the ground, Lucius nodded with satisfaction.
"You have done a good job. It seems that your steel factory is on the right track. The reward for completing the task has been distributed to the enterprise account of No. 81 Steel Factory, a total of 200 silver coins!"
"In addition, for your outstanding personal performance, I will reward you with an additional 20 silver coins and 200 contributions in the name of Manager."
After listening to Manager's words, expressions of joy and excitement floated on the faces of the two players.
I didn't expect to have additional rewards for completing this task!
"Thank you, Master Manager!!"
"We must continue to work hard! Carry forward No. 81 Steel Factory and make it bigger and stronger!"
"Very good, very ambitious!" Lucius coughed lightly, his expression straightened, and he continued seriously, "Next, I have two important tasks for you."
"Currently the outpost lacks heavy armor and the seamless steel required for the production of gun barrels. I need you to produce 10 sets of breastplates weighing less than 30 kilograms. It is required that residents of standard-sized shelters can wear them normally, mainly for residents of the strength department .”
"In addition, I also need you to produce 10 seamless steel pipes with a caliber of 7mm, which must be able to withstand the chamber pressure generated by rifle bullets."
"The specific details and rewards of the task have been updated in your VM, please check it in time."
Yamasaa and Levin immediately stood up straight after listening, and shouted with high morale.
"Guaranteed to complete the task!"
Very good. Lucius nodded in satisfaction, and finally instructed the two of them to "pay attention to production safety".
Then, he put on the fully protective and improved exoskeleton, and left the furnace-like steel factory with a sledgehammer on his back.
Outside the plant. The heavy snowfall stopped for a while, and the sky in the distance gradually darkened.
It's the rest time for NPCs, and the weapon shop in the outpost is closed.
With today's daily wages, Sumeria, who left the weapon shop, walked curiously to the North Gate Market with his walking stick between his arms.
Looking at the various products on the booth, her eyes widened in surprise.
Of course, the players were the most surprised. They have never seen Boss Sumeria leave his weapon shop, let alone visit the market at the north gate.
"Damn, the proprietress of the weapon shop has come out?"
"Nice! Now NPCs can buy players' stuff!?"
"Wait, hasn't Master Manager been buying our stuff all the time? I've seen him stealing here for a long time!"
"Can it be the same? Manager is the son of the planner! Besides, haven't you heard what the planner said? The codes of other NPCs are all based on his source code. Obviously, his AI has evolved, Other NPCs have also become smarter! Maybe all NPCs will be able to buy our things in the future!"
"Damn, when you put it that way, why do I feel like a cultivation game?"
"Emmmm...Cultivating a Manager? There seems to be nothing wrong with it. After all, he is so smart now, at least we have half of the credit."
"..."
Sometimes Lucius really wished that his ears were not so sharp, otherwise people would always misunderstand that he was small-minded.
Isn't he impartial enough? People with principles like him have almost disappeared in this wasteland!
"For you."
A voice suddenly wafted from his ear, interrupting Lucius's thoughts..Looking sideways, he saw Sumeria, who had a cane between her elbows, held a skewer of roasted venison leg in one hand, and generously handed it over.
"Last time, you treated me to soup, this time I'll treat you to roast deer leg!"
With a cane between his elbows and a venison leg in his hand, this action is somewhat comical.
Lucius smiled and took the deer leg.
"Then I'm not being polite. However, as your boss, I'd like to remind you that you'd better save some money on your salary."
Sumeria bit the barbecue and blinked.
"What is saving a little money?"
"Don't you have the habit of saving?"
"Savings?"
"Forget it," Lucius blew on the hot venison leg, gently tore off a small piece with his teeth, chewed it carefully, and said slowly after swallowing, "Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Sumeria: "?"
After such a long time of ease, he almost forgot the time on Beit Street. The vast majority of people in the wasteland live their lives day by day, so how can they have the concept of savings?
Maybe one day the chips saved will become something in other people's pockets, so it's better to live every day happily.
At this time, a player suddenly ran from a distance, shouting excitedly while running.
"There are a lot of people coming from the north! They are heading south along the elevated road out of the city. There are about fifty or sixty... maybe sixty or seventy, and they are leading a few camels and cows! Not sure about their identities!"
The little players at the entrance of the market immediately started talking.
"Could it be a caravan?"
"My god, here comes the merchant again?!"
"Didn't you say the last wave of winter is over?"
"I don't know. Strictly speaking, the last time should be the last wave, but didn't there be another wave later? It's not surprising!"
Looking at the 'Players' who were discussing a lot, Sumeria glanced at the VM, but seeing that there was no movement, she tilted her head and peeked at the expression on Lucius's face, and found that his expression was gradually dignified.
Even if she doesn't know how to read words and expressions, she can guess that something bad must have happened.
So the speed of light finished half of the roasted deer leg in her hand, Sumeria grabbed her crutches and asked in a low voice.
"What happened?"
"Eighty percent of them are nomads."
"Nomads?! What are they doing in Spring City at this time? It's already snowing so much." Sumeria was surprised.
She had heard rumors about nomads, although they were all bad ones.
"I don't know, this year's snow is very sudden, more than a month earlier than in previous years. War, famine, waves... These are not unique to Spring City, and the Central Continent is not just a province of the River Valley."
The nomads of the wasteland do not refer to those who herd herds, but to those who have lost their homes, are forced to wander, and live by hunting and scavenging.
They usually represent disaster, chaos and ominousness, but they are not as blatantly burning, killing and looting as predators.
Perhaps one day they found a suitable home, settled down, and embarked on the path of law. It is also possible to suddenly find a large number of weapons, become evil, break through the moral bottom line, and completely fall into the chaotic and evil camp.
Of course, this possibility is actually very small, just like buying a lottery ticket, maybe only one or two of the 10,000 samples will win the prize.
Before, Karunas of Brown Farm had misunderstood them as nomads wandering in this area because Lucius brought a lot of dried meat to trade grain.
I didn't expect that I would actually meet this time...
"You stay in the shelter first."
If they keep going, they will definitely find the brick factory in the northwest corner of Wetland Park.
Without explaining nonsense to Sumeria, Lucius looked at the players at the entrance of the market and raised his volume.
"Everyone gather."
"Take your weapons and meet them with me!"
