Legendary Armament Canon Chapter 1

Zhou Shu found himself in a state of bewilderment, taking in his unfamiliar surroundings.

The very idea was preposterous, something he himself struggled to accept. Yet, the evidence was undeniable. He couldn't fathom anyone orchestrating such an elaborate prank, his only conclusion being that he had transmigrated.

He clearly recalled drifting off to sleep in his spacious, 20-square-meter bedroom the previous night, only to awaken in this dilapidated farmyard. If this was indeed a prank, the cost and effort involved would be astronomical.

Furthermore, it was virtually impossible to find such a rundown farmstead within the city in this day and age…

As Zhou Shu wallowed in his dismay, a torrent of jumbled memories suddenly invaded his consciousness.

This unexpected onslaught caused Zhou Shu to cry out in pain, collapsing to his knees and clutching his head.

After a considerable duration, the throbbing ache in his head receded, and his vision cleared.

Zhou Shu delved into the influx of memories, gradually grasping the essence of his current predicament.

The former occupant of this body shared the same name, Zhou Shu. He had reached the age of 18 this year. For three generations, his ancestors had served as craftsmen within Great Xia’s Forging Division, the entity responsible for weapon fabrication. Tragically, his grandfather and father had succumbed to exhaustion in their later years. Consequently, upon reaching 18, he was compelled to follow in their footsteps, becoming an apprentice in the Forging Division, ultimately meeting a similar fate of exhaustion, thus paving the way for the transmigration of the current Zhou Shu.

“A forger, don’t they just shape metal?”

While sifting through the fragmented memories, Zhou Shu evaluated his current living conditions. The modest courtyard he occupied was the allocated residence for craftsmen provided by the Ministry of the Forging Division. Despite his predecessor’s ancestors serving the Ministry of State for three generations, they had never managed to secure even a meager dwelling within the imperial capital of Great Xia.

Furthermore, the savings of Zhou Shu’s predecessor had been entirely depleted in a futile attempt to procure medicine for his ailing parents before their demise.

In essence, this cramped farmyard represented the entirety of his present self’s sanctuary.

Zhou Shu attempted to console himself.

Life within the empire’s capital was fraught with difficulties.

Simply possessing a roof over his head was considered a stroke of good fortune.

This farmyard spanned a mere 20 square meters. Apart from a dilapidated sleeping quarters, a dilapidated shed in the corner seemingly housed a smithy. This smithy constituted the sole means by which his predecessor had managed to eke out a living.

The Forging Division operated under harsh conditions, with craftsmen enduring the dual regimen of sleeping and working in the same cramped environs.

Zhou Shu let out a sigh.

Relatively speaking, the Forging Division did offer a modicum of support to its forgers. Even the lowest-ranking subordinates, such as Zhou Shu, were provided with sustenance and lodging, along with a monthly stipend of half a tael of silver.

However, the labor demands were exceedingly strenuous.

To illustrate Zhou Shu’s current situation, the Forging Division mandated that Forging Apprentices deliver 100 weapons each month. This translated to an average of at least three weapons daily to fulfill the quota, lest they face the lash and other forms of punishment.

His predecessor, despite his formal education and early training in forging, still required a formidable four to six hours to craft a single weapon.

Forging three weapons thus demanded an average of fourteen to sixteen hours, and this assumed a flawless execution. In reality, achieving a perfect success rate in forging was an unattainable ideal. Failed attempts necessitated a complete restart, pushing his daily labor to nearly sixteen hours!

Consequently, beyond the basic necessities of eating and sleeping, his entire existence was consumed by relentless work to meet the deadline.

Given such an punishing workload, it was hardly surprising that his predecessor had been worked to death.

Zhou Shu felt an overwhelming urge to weep, yet found himself incapable of producing tears. He harbored a grim certainty that continuing this grueling pace would lead to his demise within a mere month.

Zhou Shu contemplated his options.

He was bound by a contract with the Forging Division, rendering escape impossible. However, the Forging Division did offer a pathway for advancement.

He held the rank of Forging Apprentice, the lowest rung of the ladder, akin to a mere errand boy. The next tier was Official Forging Master.

Forging Masters were integrated into the Forging Division's technical cadre and were afforded treatment distinct from that of Forging Apprentices. They were entitled to reside in proper accommodations equipped with kitchens and lavatories. Their remuneration far surpassed that of Forging Apprentices. Most crucially, their workload was considerably more manageable than that of the apprentices.

As Forging Masters, their obligation was to submit 30 weapons per month, thus fulfilling their duty.

Positioned above Forging Masters were the High-level Forging Masters. These individuals constituted the core strength of the Forging Division. Each High-level Forging Master was regarded as an invaluable asset, receiving treatment far superior to that of regular Forging Masters.

Grand Craftsmen stood a level above High-level Forging Masters. If High-level Forging Masters represented the Forging Division’s wealth, then Grand Craftsmen were undoubtedly its treasures.

One could reasonably consider every Grand Craftsman a national treasure.

The social standing of Grand Craftsmen was nearly equivalent to that of the Forging Division’s directors. These directors held fifth-ranked official positions, comparable to deputy bureau chiefs or, in Zhou Shu’s previous life, deputy mayors.

However, even Forging Division directors showed deference to Grand Craftsmen in practice. After all, while fifth-ranking officials were numerous, Grand Craftsmen were exceedingly rare.

There seemed to be even more formidable forging masters above the Grand Craftsman level, though this was information beyond the reach of Zhou Shu’s predecessor.

Achieving the title of Forging Master promised a brilliant future, but the path was anything but easy.

For three generations, the ancestors of Zhou Shu’s predecessor had served as Forging Apprentices within the Forging Division, yet none, even up to Zhou Shu’s predecessor, managed to attain the rank of Forging Master. This underscored the immense difficulty involved.

The prerequisite for becoming a Forging Master was straightforward: the ability to forge ranked weapons.

Weapons in this world were categorized as Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. The weapons forged by apprentices like Zhou Shu were classified as standard, unranked items.

Forging Masters and those above them held exclusive knowledge of the secret formulas for crafting ranked weapons, guarding them with utmost secrecy. Without the guidance of a master, Zhou Shu’s progression to Forging Master was virtually impossible.

In fact, out of tens of thousands of Forging Apprentices in the Forging Division, scarcely one in a hundred succeeded in advancing to become a Forging Master.

Zhou Shu retrieved a standard long saber, forged by his predecessor, and began to scrutinize it. He possessed no knowledge of forging and couldn't discern the difference between a standard and a ranked weapon.

He concentrated, attempting to access a solution from his predecessor’s memories.

Suddenly, his vision swam, and a brilliant golden light flashed before him. Amidst the swirling dizziness, a blue-covered book materialized in his sight.

Simple, archaic characters adorned the book’s cover, their meaning instantly clear to Zhou Shu.

Legendary Armament Canon!

As if guided by an unseen wind, the blue book fluttered through several pages before settling on one.

Zhou Shu’s attention was captivated by the illustration of a long saber on the open page. It bore a striking resemblance to the standard long saber he held in his hand. The depiction was so detailed it felt as if the saber were truly present before him.

A line of ancient script was inscribed beneath the drawing of the saber.

[Sharp Standard Long Saber!]

The moment Zhou Shu read these words, a surge of information flowed into his mind.

It was the forging method for the standard long saber!

Zhou Shu’s eyes gleamed. He had found the answer to his predicament!