Castle of Black Iron

In the Norman Empire, which is strictly hierarchical, of course weapons for soldiers were also divided into many classes and ranks. A proper weapon was almost equal to a second life for those who usually fought in battlefields. So the more remarkable contributions soldiers made to the army on the battlefields, the higher their ranks would be, and certainly, the more excellent their weapons would be. Both the craftsmanship and the materials used could never be matched by common, standard equipment.

The super heavy ”Man’s Certificate” that Zhang Tie had once used was made of LV 2 tungsten manganese alloy while the weapons used by common soldiers of the Norman Empire were usually made of some average LV 1 alloy. For field officers, their weapons and equipment would be made of LV 3 special alloy, the value of which was greater than that of the the same weight of gold.

As a reward, warriors who won the Iron-Blood Medal could select non-standard equipment which was made of at least LV 3 special alloy in the arsenal of the Iron-Horn Army.

Now that there was such a great benefit, Zhang Tie, who had completely recovered, of course would not miss that.

Second Lieutenant Pi Ping then drove Zhang Tie into the base of the Equipment Center of the Logistics Department of the Iron-Horn Army in less than half an hour.

Because they were all officers of the Logistics Department, they could easily talk with each other. Additionally, Second Lieutenant Pi Ping had someone familiar here, so after learning of their purpose, a first lieutenant of the Logistics Department verified Zhang Tie’s status before directly taking the two of them to the arsenal.

Compared to the arsenal of No. 39 Division, the weapons and equipment here were over ten times more numerous. Entering the army’s arsenal for the first time, Zhang Tie really broadened his vision. Weapons and equipment that were even more exaggerated than the ”Man’s Certificate” were put everywhere, and all of them were well maintained.

As all the standard equipment was put into cases, Zhang Tie could only see non-standard weapons and equipment which could only be used by officers above lieutenant. Among those weapons and equipment, there were a terrifying shield covered with dense barbed nails the size of a gate, a person-high wheel axe, a horrible battle hammer weighing more than 500 kgs, a super heavy, grim flail with nine thorny hammers, a double-bladed spear longer than 5 m, and a super heavy knapsack crossbow which when fully loaded would weigh 1.2 tons. Zhang Tie wondered what tough man could carry such a great weapon to a battlefield.

Besides those, there were many other weapons and equipment, some of which, Zhang Tie didn’t even know.

If he was to put his ”Man’s Certificate” in here, it would look trivial.

Zhang Tie smelt the richest breath of war across Blapei in this arsenal.

When he caught sight of several terrifying battle bows hung on the hangers in a row, for some reason, Zhang Tie remembered something special. Although he had never touched a battle bow before, at the sight of these battle bows, he suddenly felt very interested.

”Is there any troop that’s equipped with battle bows in the army?” Zhang Tie asked that first lieutenant in the Equipment Center.

”As it would cost too much to curtain a bowman than a crossbowman, all the battle bows in the Norman Empire are non-standard. These battle bows were purchased from foreign countries for some powerhouses who are good at using bows!”

”Purchased from foreign countries?‘ Zhang Tie became curious and glanced at the first lieutenant. ”Does it mean that the Norman Empire could not afford making battle bows?”

”There’s a strict manufacturing process required for battle bows, as well as special materials. Of course the Norman Empire could also produce battle bows, but the most excellent ones in the Blackson Human Clan Corridor are produced by Jinyun country in the east of the corridor...”

Saying this, the first lieutenant glanced at Zhang Tie.

”Jinyun country is a human country predominated by Chinese. Those who can use bows in battlefields are all powerhouses who are highly praised by high-ranked officers. However, they have very bigoted, high requirements on the manufacturing process and materials of battle bows. Therefore...”

After that, that first lieutenant didn’t continue. However, Zhang Tie understood what he meant, namely, none of those who were talented and confident in using bows in battlefields would want to use second-class battle bows produced by the Norman Empire. Instead, they all liked the battle bows produced in Jinyun country.

So the Norman Empire didn’t want to produce any which would lose them face. Additionally, they were just non-standard equipment. The Iron-Horn Army didn’t prepare too many of them, just directly purchased some from foreign countries to meet the demands of those powerhouses.

At the sight of these battle bows, Zhang Tie recalled Blues. Based on Zhang Tie’s understanding of him, if that guy could make a choice, he would definitely choose the best battle bow. It was estimated that bowmen all had weird temperaments.

Jinyun country. Zhang Tie remembered this country’s name. As a Chinese, he was a bit proud, but as two officers of the Norman Empire were standing in front of him, he hid his sense of pride from his face; instead, he just took a battle bow and had a look at it.

It was very heavy, over 20 kg. The handle of the battle bow was made of a weird material, which was neither gold nor wood. Zhang Tie didn’t know what it was. The entire battle bow was well made. Holding it, Zhang Tie felt a sense of sharpness and killing intent.

After putting it back, he noticed two seal Chinese characters ”Huai Yuan” on the handle of the bow.

...

Because weapons and equipment made of LV 3 special alloy were only available to field officers, the warehouse for these weapons was a bit smaller, only occupying less than 100 sq m. The weapons were put in a room deep inside the arsenal. They needed to pass another door before entering it.

Under the guidance of that first lieutenant, Zhang Tie and Second Lieutenant Pi Ping came to this room with more advanced weapons.

Compared to those weapons with terrifying looks and volumes outside, perhaps due to the precious materials, the weapons inside this room looked much more ”normal”. None of them weighed several kgs or even close to 1 ton like those before. Instead, the most numerous weapons in this room were sabers, spears, and swords as well as some weird items, less than 200 in total. Because they were all non-standard weapons, each weapon here looked unique.

Looking at these shiny, excellent weapons on the hangers, Zhang Tie’s eyes were even brighter than ten thousand years’ fluorite lamps.

Undoubtedly, these were the most valuable and excellent weapons that Zhang Tie had ever seen since he was born.

After taking Zhang Tie in, the officer casually pulled out a shiny long sword with fish scale-like grains and took an average finger-thick steel rod. Without using any strength, he put the steel rod horizontally in front of him while flicking the sword towards it.

With a sound of ”clang”, that steel rod was cut in two, part of it falling to the ground, rolling towards Zhang Tie’s foot. Lowering his body, he picked it up and saw that the section was as smooth as a mirror.

Such a weapon really deserved the description—slashing iron as easily as slashing mud. Average weapons would be easily broken by it. The first lieutenant then brought the sword to Zhang Tie. Although it had cut the steel rod, Zhang Tie found that the blade did not even have a mark—it was as shiny as before.

Second Lieutenant Pi Ping also forcefully swallowed his saliva. These weapons meant a pile of gold coins in his eyes.

”Do all the weapons here reach this standard?” Zhang Tie asked.

”Almost like that. But they’re different from each other. LV 3 special alloy have some weird attributes. Take this one for an example...” Taking a specially designed shield, the first lieutenant explained, ”This shield is made of LV 3 memory alloy. No matter how you pound it, it would never lose its shape. As long as you heat it up above fire, it would soon recover its original look. ”

After putting down that shield, that first lieutenant took up a heavy crossbow. Noticing him taking a heavy crossbow by one hand, both Zhang Tie and Second Lieutenant Pi Ping were startled.

The first lieutenant gave them a smile. ”It looks to be very heavy, but actually, because it’s made of special alloy, it’s much lighter than a light cross bow; however, its power remains unchanged! Look at the weapons carefully, you can select one as you will...”

Zhang Tie then started to wander through the excellent weapons. Because most of the field officers in the army would select a long saber or a long sword here while brigade officers preferred long spears, the place was filled with the three weapons. However, there were also many other items in this room. Zhang Tie even saw two advanced battle bows.

Second Lieutenant Pi Ping suggested Zhang Tie to select a long sword. However, Zhang Tie shook his head. Although long swords were nice, they were too eye-catching. So were those sabers and spears. Actually, Zhang Tie wanted to select an item that he could use to fight at any time, so it had to be not that attention grabbing. If he had had such a weapon, it would have undoubtedly been much easier for him to respond to that abduction.

Finally, what caught his attention was a weird item. Unlike other weapons that were hung on the hangers, this item was put in a dark red tray. It was rolled up there like a waist band. Among all the other shiny and eccentric weapons, it was as humble as an ugly duckling...