Chapter 55 : Prelude To War ( 1 )

It has been three weeks since Thorgrim reported to Nexus about the iron mine. Excavation of the mine has already begun, located a thousand miles away from the Capital City deep underground of a small barren mountain.

Thorgrim, being a dwarf, possesses exceptional skills in weapon forging and mineral exploration, particularly in deep underground locations. After a month of extensive searching, Thorgrim was able to utilize his expertise to discover this vast iron ore deposit within the depths of the mountain.

While the iron mine may not be suitable for forging a Star weapon, Thorgrim believes that with the forging techniques provided by Nexus, he can create weapons that are on par with 1 Star Weapons.

The knowledge and resources available on the first floor of the Origin Tower, including forging techniques and designs, are invaluable. Many of these techniques and designs have already been lost in the Astheria World, some dating back tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years ago.

Over the past three weeks, a significant number of carriages filled with iron ores have been continuously transported to the forging workshop in the Western Region, which has been expanded threefold to accommodate the increased workload.

The sounds of clanking metal and the rhythmic beating of hammers echo from the workshop, occasionally punctuated by Thorgrim's booming voice.

"Why are you holding the hammer like a little girl? Grip it tightly and give it all you've got! Feel the heat, feel the metal, and put all your strength into each strike. Treat the hammer like an extension of your arm, focus your mind, and concentrate on hammering that metal," Thorgrim's booming voice echoed through the forging workshop.

The workshop was bustling with activity, divided into two floors. The lower floor was like a massive platform, with blazing furnaces and rows of workbenches. At the front, an elevated platform held Thorgrim, surrounded by burly men hammering away at the metal with sweat dripping down their bronze skin. These were the weapon forgers, all apprentices of Thorgrim.

On the second floor, Nexus stood there and watched with interest as Thorgrim demonstrated forging techniques to the apprentices below. Thorgrim's short, stout physique and flaming red beard stood out in the intense heat, his voice guiding the apprentices with dedication and determination. It was a sight to behold in the busy workshop.

A few hours later, Thorgrim stood respectfully in front of Nexus, but the continuous clanking of metal still reverberated from below the second floor.

"Your Majesty, when did you get here?" Thorgrim asked.

"I arrived a few hours ago while you were giving instructions to the forging apprentices," Nexus smiled and responded.

"How is the task going?" Nexus asked calmly.

"Reporting, Your Majesty, currently we are working on expelling all the impurities in the ores before I can start forging the weapons. But don't worry, Your Majesty, I am sure we will finish the task within the specified time," Thorgrim reported.

Nexus calmly nodded, "Well, that's good. I hope you can be done as soon as possible because it won't be long before we go to war."

"Understood, Your Majesty," Thorgrim responded with a grim and serious face.

"Okay, you can go and continue with your work. I'm going to the military headquarters for a meeting," Nexus waved his hand and made his way down from the second floor.

Thorgrim respectfully sent Nexus out of the Forging Workshop and quickly went back to continue his work. He knew he couldn't take this task lightly; he had to meet the expectations of His Majesty. A few moments later, Thorgrim's loud voice once again rumbled from within the Forging Workshop, the clanking sounds becoming even louder, the noise echoing for hundreds of meters.

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Ten minutes later, Nexus arrived at the Military Headquarters and immediately made his way to the Administrative Building at the center of the Military Headquarters. Nexus swiftly ascended to the top floor, where he found Brutus, Blayze, and several other military administrative personnel gathered around the conference table.

"Greetings, Your Majesty," they all bowed towards Nexus and greeted him.

Nexus nodded calmly and took a seat at the head of the table. "You can all sit down," he motioned for them to take their seats with a glance.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," they all bowed and expressed their gratitude before sitting down.

Nexus nodded his head and addressed the group, "I hope everyone understands why we are here." Brutus and the others nodded with solemn and serious expressions.

"Good," Nexus nonchalantly nodded and then turned his attention to the huge map that dominated the conference table. The conference table was twenty-four feet in length and eight feet in width, capable of accommodating more than twenty people. Which shows how huge the map is. The map on the table depicts the detailed geography of the previous Purple Thorn Kingdom, showcasing mountains, rivers, lakes, cities, towns, villages, various routes, forests, and dangerous areas.

As Nexus gazed at the map, he was struck with surprise and speechlessness. The territory of the previous Purple Thorn Kingdom, at its peak, covered over 24 million square kilometers, three times larger than the Australian Continent on Earth. The vast territory was dotted with numerous cities, towns, and villages. The territory was extremely huge with populations in the tens of millions.

The once vast territory of the Purple Thorn Kingdom has now shrunk significantly, leaving only a small area that Nexus currently occupies. When the Nobles conspired against the previous king and killed him, neighboring kingdoms seized the opportunity to invade and divide the territory. The Nobles, instead of defending the kingdom, welcomed criminals, gangs, slave merchants, and bandits with open arms.

The criminals that Nexus and the Kingsglaive previously eliminated were small-time compared to the powerful gangs now operating in the kingdom. That's why Nexus had previously tasked the Kingsglaive to continue hunting down and eliminating all hidden criminals and organizations to prevent the big criminals organizations and the neighbouring Kingdoms from knowing what have happened in the Kingdom. Even till now the Kingsglaive continues to patrol the borders, keeping the kingdom safe from potential dangers.

The big criminals are still unaware of the changes happening in the kingdom even the various neighbouring Kingdoms doesn't anything, thanks to Nexus's brutal massacre against the previous criminals which might have their spies among them.

Uptill now th various neighbouring Kingdoms and big criminals organizations still doesn't know that the previous Purple Thorn Kingdom have already undergone earth shattering changes.

However, Nexus knows that this advantage won't last forever. That's why he has been running against time to quickly strengthen the kingdom, and maybe if disaster strikes they might have the strength to protect themselves.

Nexus shook his head, thinking about everything that had happened. He looked at the map once more and saw how small his territory looked compared to the rest of the map. Nexus felt a twinge of anger in his heart.

"Darn those Nobles, I shouldn't have let them off so easily," Nexus thought angrily. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and then looked at Brutus and the others. They all had angry expressions on their faces as they surveyed the tiny territory they controlled.

"Now that our situation in the Kingdom has stabilized," Nexus said, getting the attention of the people sitting around him. "Our top priority is to go out and reclaim all of our territory."

The military personnel's eyes lit up with excitement. The criminal organizations that had taken over their territory needed to be dealt with.

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PS : From now on I'll change Weapon Refining to Weapon Forging.