"Count regular soldiers and elites separately."

Luo De remembered he still had a detachment outside and added, "First count the soldiers within the territory, and discuss the others when they return."

"Yes, my Lord." Lawrence replied.

Luo De then turned to look at Hammer,

"Once Lawrence gives you the measurements, you need to prepare four sizes of plate armor sets based on that data: small, medium, large, and extra-large."

"Make sure one of these sizes is the most common."

Hammer hesitated a bit, then asked after a moment of thought, "Do you mean the previous single standard is now turning into four standards?"

"Yes, this way we can accommodate more body types."

Luo De instructed,

"Keep the data well recorded. In the future, when you forge them in batches, you can produce according to the proportions, so you don't have to make them individually for each soldier."

"In the future, the army will use the data from these four sizes to match the soldiers' heights and weights."

Weapons and equipment must be produced and stored in advance; Luo De couldn't wait to prepare the equipment until the army was fully recruited.

"Alright, my Lord, I understand."

Hammer replied respectfully.

Having given these instructions, Luo De did not feel relieved.

The current forging cycle was still too long, and Luo De was considering how to improve efficiency.

Casting?

Luo De shook his head slightly.

The essence of forging weapons and equipment is to beat them into steel, ensuring weapon strength.

Cast steel requires too high a temperature, making casting impractical.

More importantly, cast weapons and equipment tend to be brittle, porous, uneven, and prone to breaking.

Casting can, at most, produce a rough shape, which still requires beating.

Researching casting now yields little benefit.

"Hammer, what's the most time-consuming process when making these plate armors?"

Luo De suddenly asked.

"Beating the iron into plates, adjusting the thickness, and bending them into shape."

Hammer answered without hesitation.

Luo De nodded thoughtfully.

The shaping of plate armor definitely can't be replaced by machines.

Moreover, apprentices can't handle it either.

Molding plate armor is very challenging and requires an experienced blacksmith.

The only aspect Luo De could address was beating the iron into plates.

"Alright, I understand now."

Luo De waved his hand, "Get to work, Lawrence, go and record the soldiers' data."

"Yes, my Lord."

Lawrence bowed and quickly went to work.

At this moment, Beduo stood in front, "Lord, the Sea Pattern Magic Iron longsword has also been forged."

"Oh?"

Luo De was a bit surprised, "Bring it up for me to see."

"Yes, Lord."

Beduo hurried inside, carefully opened a wooden box, and took out a sheathed longsword.

He offered the longsword with both hands, and Luo De took it and felt the weight.

It felt more solid than a longsword of the same specifications.

Luo De then drew the blade for a closer look.

This longsword didn't have the silvery shine of a typical longsword, instead having a slight bluish tint with the unique patterns of Sea Pattern Magic Iron, exuding a distinct exotic beauty.

Luo De swung it casually a few times, and Hammer proactively handed over a piece of scrap.

Luo De glanced at the plate armor nearby and then back at the scrap, unable to suppress a chuckle.

Hammer couldn't help but laugh as well, scratching his head.

Both couldn't help but reminisce about the scene when they first met.

Luo De raised the longsword, controlling his strength as he slashed at the scrap.

Though not as sharp as a weapon he personally forged, it easily cut a notch.

Luo De didn't have the time to continuously forge weapons, but he had a lot of Sea Pattern Magic Iron material.

"Very good, Beduo."

Luo De acknowledged with a nod, "Next, I will entrust all the Sea Pattern Magic Iron fish spears to you, forge them into standardized longswords like this."

"Thank you for your trust, Lord."

Beduo bowed, but then looked a bit troubled, cautiously saying, "However, I don't recommend solely using Sea Pattern Magic Iron to forge weapons."

He nervously licked his lips and continued, "My master said this Sea Pattern Magic Iron should be mixed with regular iron, which is more suitable."

"This both sharpens normal weapons and saves material."

"Hmm?"

Luo De raised an eyebrow, deep in thought.

A concept of alloys?

Interesting.

Luo De nodded, "Alright, do as you said."

"But, my Lord,"

Beduo bowed his head, "I don't know how to forge by mixing them together."

"Hmm?"

Luo De frowned.

If Beduo didn't know, his words were meaningless?

Seeing Luo De's displeased expression, Beduo hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, my Lord, it's my lacking skill."

Luo De took a deep breath and, somewhat helplessly, waved it off: "It's okay, it's not your fault."

"I appreciate your honesty."

Beduo could easily have kept this to himself, yet he still risked angering him by reporting honestly.

Luo De valued such individuals.

Recalling the stories Beduo had shared before, Luo De asked, "Is this forging method also from the Sea Race?"

Beduo nodded, "Yes, it's a technique of the Sea Turtle Race."

"Of course, there's still one advantage to forging weapons solely from Sea Pattern Magic Iron."

"What advantage?" Luo De asked curiously.

"Such weapons, my master said, are specifically for Knights." Beduo replied.

"Why?" Luo De pressed further.

Beduo slightly shook his head, "I don't quite know why either..."

Luo De said no more, pondering silently.

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