Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1443 - 460: Golden Bone Melting Furnace, Reasons for Slow Progress, Army Mobilization and Arrival

With a troop strength exceeding two hundred thousand, the Zhenyuan Camp boasted impressive numbers. The elite fifty thousand Silver Scale Army were all cultivators above 20 Zong, while the remaining one hundred fifty thousand Town Guard Army possessed strength above 10 Zong.

Considering the Cold Resistance Level army of over two hundred thousand, plus 148 Xianyang Level cultivators, and Cai Qiu's own Tribulation Body Realm cultivation, this area certainly warranted attention and must be factored into their calculations.

However, the question remained: was this the extent of their progress after two full years of territorial expansion?

The Blood Miasma Plain spanned over 7,500 square kilometers. The mere 400-plus square kilometers they had claimed amounted to less than six percent of the total area, barely surpassing a fraction of a tenth.

Prior to the first year of Xia Hong, he too had led expeditions to survey uncharted territories. For instance, the early development of Redwood Ridge was personally overseen by him.

If one were to draw a comparison, the efficiency with which Great Xia developed Redwood Ridge back then was roughly on par with Cai Qiu's current efforts.

The crucial difference, however, was that at that time, Xia Hong only possessed Earth-digging Realm Cultivation, and Great Xia as a whole was a collection of 'few scrawny cats'. The appearance of even two Intermediate Cold Beasts would have necessitated a hasty retreat, and the abysmal mining efficiency stemmed solely from their inherent weakness.

Had someone with Cai Qiu's present-day strength been present then, they likely would have simply bulldozed through the entirety of Redwood Ridge with ease.

To field several Tribulation Body Realm experts, over a hundred Xianyang Level cultivators, and an army of two hundred thousand in the Cold Resistance Level – this force demonstrated absolutely no signs of weakness. Stepping back for a moment, even if over two hundred thousand Soldiers deployed in full formation, occupying just one square meter per person, the area covered would amount to 200 square kilometers.

Two years to cultivate a little over 400 square kilometers – presented in this light, the outrageous pace of development became undeniably apparent.

It was entirely impossible that Cai Qiu had invested too little or was too weak. The only plausible explanation was that this particular section of the Blood Miasma Plain was excessively perilous, elevating the difficulty of surveying and development for humans to a level completely beyond normal comprehension.

Just how perilous must this region be to make Cai Qiu's advance so arduous?

Caiqiu Calendar, year 297, eleventh month, second day.

After a full day of rest within the main building of the camp, Xia Hong finally received word from Cai Yunlan as nightfall descended.

The army was preparing to move out!

Whooo, whooo, whooo......

Red snow swirled through the sky as the frigid wind wailed.

On the southern outskirts of Zhenyuan Camp, at the very heart of the assembled marching formation, stood a colossal Melting Furnace. It measured ten meters in diameter and stood approximately twenty meters tall.

The Melting Furnace emanated a blinding golden light, so intense that its radiance outshone the raging flames, over ten meters high, at its base. This brilliant illumination not only bathed the one hundred thousand Soldiers poised for departure but also lit up the entire Zhenyuan Camp as if it were daytime.

Beneath the massive Melting Furnace rested a cubic coal furnace, five meters in length, width, and height. Aside from its top surface, which supported the Melting Furnace, the other sides were semi-enclosed. Each of the four lateral faces featured a circular feed port, about half a meter in diameter, for fueling. Over a thousand bare-chested porters stood ready, diligently tossing in blocks of glossy, pitch-black coal – clearly high-calorie fuel that had undergone purification and compression.

Supporting the coal furnace were twenty immense silver wheels, each two meters in diameter, evidently designed to ensure smooth locomotion. The power source for this colossal apparatus was derived from thick silver chains yoked to all four sides of the coal furnace.

Each of these four main chains measured over a meter in diameter and extended roughly a hundred meters in length. Further out, each chain branched into tens of thousands of smaller silver chains, ultimately reaching the hands of tens of thousands of Soldiers – these individuals were the true engine driving the entire giant Melting Furnace.

Below, the coal furnace blazed with ferocity, its flames stretching over ten meters high and nearly engulfing half of the Melting Furnace. Above, torrents of silver-white smoke poured out incessantly. The Blood-colored Miasma, not particularly dense to begin with, visibly paled under the relentless scouring of the smoke, a testament to its continuously diminishing concentration.

"Move out, advance!"

"Heave... ho... heave... ho..."

At the very vanguard of the army, Fan Qinghu bellowed the command. Twenty thousand Town Guard Army Soldiers, straining against the chains, let out a unified roar. Under their concerted effort, the enormous Melting Furnace slowly began its southward advance.

With eighty thousand soldiers remaining, fifty thousand comprised the Silver Scale Army and thirty thousand belonged to the Town Guard Army. These forces were deployed in four equally sized battle formations, encircling the Melting Furnace from all directions. Approximately twenty thousand soldiers were positioned in each quadrant, advancing in tandem with the massive structure as it moved forward with deliberate slowness.

"Is this Melting Furnace constructed entirely from Cold Beast Golden Bone?"

Hovering one hundred feet above the advancing army, a hundred Xianyang Level experts were suspended in mid-air. Xia Hong, positioned near the forefront of this aerial contingent, gazed down at the gleaming golden Melting Furnace below. He suppressed a surge of astonishment, turning to Cai Yunlan beside him with an expression of calm inquiry.

From the moment they departed the camp's main edifice, Cai Yunlan had been meticulously observing Xia Hong's demeanor. Noticing the complete absence of any surprise on his face from beginning to end, Cai Yunlan couldn't help but inwardly shake his head. He silently chided himself, deeming Fan Qinghu's probing questions from the previous day somewhat superfluous.

In response to Xia Hong's query, Cai Yunlan nodded and stated, "Brother Hong possesses exceptionally keen insight. Silver is not a common fuel; to achieve its vaporization through smelting, ordinary materials would be woefully inadequate. For this enormous Melting Furnace, exclusive of the twenty colossal wheels beneath and the four chains on the sides of the coal furnace, every other component is forged from Ten Thousand Forged Silver. The remaining sections are all crafted from Beast King Level Golden Bone.

Regarding the silver, let us set that aside for the moment. Brother Hong is certainly aware that Golden Bone serves as the primary ingredient for refining the Bone Shedding Pill and numerous other vital Dan Medicines, making it exceedingly precious. The construction of this Golden Bone Melting Furnace took Cai Qiu a total of nine years to complete, consuming an immeasurable amount of manpower and resources..."

"Immeasurable" hardly does it justice!

Gazing at the imposing Golden Bone Melting Furnace on the ground, Xia Hong maintained a facade as tranquil as a still pond. Yet, inwardly, tempests of unimaginable fury raged.

Even without direct contact, simply by observing the steady marching pace of the twenty thousand Town Guard Soldiers below, he could estimate that the quantity of silver utilized surpassed ten billion jin.