Chapter 120 Bombs that Grow on Trees (1/2)

Yang Ling had not been sitting down for long when a few elders with dog heads and human bodies walked in. The fox elder began to explain that the Dogmen and Foxmen each accounted for half of the three thousand five hundred members in the tribe, with each race having their own elder. The two elders would discuss and come to a consensus whenever there was an important decision to be made.

”Sir Leader, might I ask if you could supply us with weapons and armor!” The impatient dog elder directly stated the tribe's difficulties after a few formalities.

The Beastmen had accumulated a good amount of rations after a long time of preparation. They wouldn't have any problems lasting through the winter.

But both the Foxmen and Dogmen were not adept in forging weapons, and thus the tribe had a perpetual shortage of weapons and armor. They often felt that they were powerless when facing against the surrounding aborigines who pillaged for a living. That was also the reason for their exceptionally strong defenses.

”I have a group of dwarves and human steelsmiths under me. Unfortunately, I have expended much of my steel ore in recent times. I might not be able to supply you with much in the way of weapons and armor for the time being!” After a pause, Yang Ling continued, ”The problem would be much simpler if you could supply me with a large amount of steel ore!”

Seeing that the Beastmen had been the first to state a request, Yang Ling knew that he was one step closer to his plan. The Foxmen had slender and weak frames, but they had the highest proportion of priests amongst all of the Beastmen. The Dogmen were not suitable to charge in the vanguard, but they were as fast as lightning and had keen senses, making them the most suitable scouts and hunters.

It would definitely be beneficial in the long term development of Wissen Town if he could successfully subdue a large group of Foxmen and Dogmen. Taking a step back, even if he were unable to subdue them, it was still a decent choice if he could obtain a large amount of cheap labor through cooperation.

Supply a large amount of steel ore?

The expression of the dog elder became worried. He had never seen any steel mines around the area, despite having lived here for dozens of years. The tribe had never possessed many weapons or pieces of armor, and a lack of steel ore was part of the reason for that shortage.

”Sir leader, there are no steel mines around our tribe!” Seeing the worry on the dog elder's face, the fox elder deliberated for a moment before continuing, ”But there is a large sulfur mine about ten miles to the east!”

Yang Ling shook his head after a moment's surprise. A large sulfur mine would definitely have great value and attract many investment firms on Earth, but in this foreign world, Yang Ling could not think of any uses for sulfur in such a short span of time.

”Sulfur might not have too much use to an average person. But a few years ago, we unintentionally discovered a secret!” The fox elder carefully took out a black fruit the size of a pineapple from a bag.

A secret?

The black fruit had a vile stench, its scent similar to wet paint or petroleum. Yang Ling could not understand what secrets the Beastmen might have discovered. Could they be trying to stink their enemies to death with this vile stench?

Seeing Yang Ling's confusion, the fox elder slowly began his explanation.

The black thing was called a Black Pulp Melon. It not only had a vile stench, it would also explode when touched after it became mature. It would split into countless fragments, and it was incredibly rare.

A few years ago, one of the members of the clan unintentionally brought back some sulfur from outside. The fox elder deemed it useless and threw it casually under a Black Pulp Melon tree. No one noticed anything strange at the start, but something surprising happened after the Black Pulp Melons matured.

A few playful kids had been playing under the Black Pulp Melon tree. One of the kids picked a Black Pulp Melon and threw it at their friend. When it landed, the fruit blasted the kid's leg off!

After his shock, the fox elder realized that this was all caused by the sulfur. After the Black Pulp Melon tree absorbed the sulfur on the ground, the fruit it grew became larger and smelled worse. It also became more explosive when it matured. The more sulfur it absorbed, the more powerful the explosions became. If the blasts were concentrated, they could even be used to blast open large rocks.

Bombs?

Yang Ling was rather surprised as he looked at the dark, smelly Black Pulp Melon. He never expected that the Black Pulp Melon would be this powerful. He quickly estimated their value after he came to his senses.

With a large number of Black Pulp Melons, he could rapidly open and pave roads with much less manpower. Perhaps he might even be able to expand the merchant route from Wissen Town to the Aila Mountain Pass in just a month.

He could also start to conduct large-scale developments on the resources in the Terras Forest. He could open mines and gather ore, quickly obtaining a large amount of resources. Perhaps it would not take too long for him to build up the fortress at the Aila Mountain Pass and the port in Wissen Town.

These melons would also allow him to set up hidden mines underground. He could even allow his flying Magical Beasts to attack targets on the ground from high up in the air, building a tactical bombing unit. Then, the defenses of his territory would reach unprecedented levels. The Banto people might find it hard to attack the Aila Mountain Pass even if they sent out an army of a hundred thousand Black Armor Guards.

”Sir, we can test the power of the Black Pulp Melon outside!”