DLERB -Chapter 170 The More They Build, the More They’re Building for Me!

The atmosphere was oppressive.

Li Si knelt beneath the imperial steps, his forehead pressed against the cold floor.

“Your Majesty.”

His voice carried the faintest tremor.

“Urgent intelligence from the Black Ice Terrace.”

“The Romans… have gone mad.”

Qin Shi Huang sat upon the throne, his expression dark.

He said nothing, merely turning a jade pendant over in his hand.

Li Si continued.

“They emptied their national treasury and melted down the bronze statues in their temples.”

“They even surrendered the gold goblets and silver plates of the nobles, along with the iron pots and bronze basins of the commoners.”

“The entire city of Rome has become one enormous furnace.”

“All craftsmen are working day and night without rest.”

“They are building… building that ‘Divine Mechanism Crossbow.’”

Li Si raised his head, confusion filling his eyes.

“Your Majesty, I do not understand.”

“The blueprint may be ingenious, but it should not be enough to drive them to such madness.”

“There must be some deception behind this.”

Qin Shi Huang slammed the jade pendant onto the table.

“Deception?”

He looked to the side.

Within the shadows behind a screen, Ying Ziye was squatting on the floor, completely absorbed in playing with something.

“Ziye!”

Qin Shi Huang’s voice carried anger.

“Explain yourself to me!”

“Why did you let the tiger return to the mountain?!”

“And now that tiger is sharpening its claws, preparing to come back and bite us!”

Ying Ziye did not even raise his head.

On the floor before him sat a pitch-black stone.

Beside it lay a small pile of iron filings.

He extended one finger and gently nudged the black stone.

A bizarre scene unfolded.

The scattered iron filings seemed to come alive, rushing toward the black stone.

They clung tightly to its surface.

Ying Ziye moved the stone away.

The filings scattered across the floor again.

He brought the stone close once more.

The filings immediately reattached themselves.

He played with it happily.

Li Si stared in shock.

Even Qin Shi Huang’s anger seemed blocked by something.

“What are you doing?”

Ying Ziye finally looked up.

He picked up the black stone and walked over to Qin Shi Huang.

“Father Emperor.”

“This is called a lodestone.”

He handed it over.

Qin Shi Huang took it, feeling its weight sink into his palm.

“I know what a lodestone is.”

He frowned.

“But so what?”

Ying Ziye smiled.

“Father Emperor, look at this too.”

From his sleeve, he pulled out another small blueprint.

It was the simplified design of the “Divine Mechanism Crossbow.”

He pointed at an utterly insignificant joint within the firing mechanism.

“Here.”

“I had the Imperial Workshop add one extra detail to the blueprint.”

“Every crossbow the Romans build must forge this section as a single piece using the purest refined iron mixed together with powdered lodestone.”

“The blueprint claims this is to increase the mechanism’s ‘spiritual resonance.’”

Li Si’s mouth slowly fell open.

Qin Shi Huang’s hand holding the lodestone also froze.

He seemed to realize something.

Ying Ziye’s voice sounded like a demon whispering in the dark.

“They are not building weapons.”

“They are installing a beacon into every weapon they make.”

“A beacon… that answers only to our summons.”

Li Si sucked in a sharp breath.

He stared at the eight-year-old child before him.

A chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his skull.

Madness.

Utter madness.

No human should have been capable of devising such a scheme.

…

Rome.

The sound of hammering shook the heavens.

The entire city smelled of glowing hot steel.

Caesar stood inside a newly constructed massive workshop.

Before him, the gigantic steel skeleton of a weapon had already begun taking shape.

It was the core framework of the “Wrath of Jupiter.”

Every component gleamed with a cold metallic sheen.

Larger than the blueprint required.

Stronger than the blueprint demanded.

The white-haired Marcus stood among a group of craftsmen, carefully installing a massive ironwood connecting rod.

His eyes burned with fanatic devotion.

As though he were touching a holy relic.

“Quick!”

“Bring over the ‘Heart of God’!”

Marcus roared.

Two burly slaves carried over a heavy wooden chest.

Inside lay a newly forged metal block, dark black with a faint red glow.

It was the core component specified in the blueprint—the part forged from refined iron mixed with powdered lodestone.

Antony stood beside Caesar, his face filled with excitement.

“Chief Senator, look.”

“This is the divine crossbow’s heart!”

“Master Marcus says that because of it, the divine weapon possesses power capable of destroying heaven and earth!”

Caesar nodded.

He watched as the “Heart of God” was slowly embedded into the steel framework.

Even his breathing became heavier.

“How much longer?”

“Reporting to Chief Senator!”

Marcus wiped away sweat and answered excitedly.

“At most one month!”

“The first ‘Wrath of Jupiter’ will be completed!”

“And within a year—”

“One thousand divine crossbows will stand in formation across the plazas of Rome!”

A savage smile spread across Caesar’s face.

He could already see that invincible army trampling across the Eastern continent.

“Good!”

“Tell the craftsmen!”

“Once it’s complete, every one of them shall receive one hundred gold coins!”

“And tell the citizens of Rome!”

“Victory is right before us!”

The entire workshop erupted into thunderous cheers.

“For Rome!”

…

Inside Zhangtai Palace.

Ying Ziye looked at the stunned expressions of Qin Shi Huang and Li Si.

Then he turned and walked deeper into the great hall.

There, hidden beneath an enormous curtain, stood a gigantic object.

“Father Emperor.”

“The real battlefield has never existed only in front of our eyes.”

He grabbed the edge of the curtain.

And pulled hard.

SHHHK!

The curtain fell away.

In that instant—

Qin Shi Huang stopped breathing.

Li Si’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

Before them stood a colossal sand-table map unlike anything they had ever seen.

Across its surface, mountains, rivers, and cities appeared in astonishing detail.

For the very first time, the territory of Great Qin was displayed before them in its entirety—complete and unmistakably clear.

From the Great Wall to the Southern Sea.

Every inch of land radiated overwhelming majesty.

But that was not all.

To the east of Qin’s territory stretched endless blue.

The ocean.

Scattered across it were countless islands they had never even heard of.

And in the far west—

Beyond layer after layer of unfamiliar lands and seas—

At the edge of the map—

was a territory marked in red.

Upon it was engraved an eagle with wings spread wide.

“That is…”

Qin Shi Huang’s voice had become painfully dry.

He pointed toward the eagle.

Ying Ziye walked over.

His small hand pressed against the red-marked territory.

“Father Emperor.”

He raised his head to look at Qin Shi Huang.

On his childish face was a cold calm utterly unsuited for his age.

“This…”

“…is Rome.”

He spoke each word clearly.

“A flock of fat sheep—wealthier than the Xiongnu, yet even more ignorant.”

Ying Ziye’s hand moved from Rome, across the vast seas, and finally back toward Great Qin.

“They are bankrupting themselves to forge one thousand of the sharpest weapons for us.”

“And our tower ships equipped with giant lodestones are already prepared.”

He looked at Qin Shi Huang’s stunned expression.

Then revealed a brilliant smile.

“Father Emperor.”

“When the sheep grow fat enough…”

“…we shall go reclaim our weapons, along with their gold and their lands.”

“This will become…”

“…an unprecedented version of”—

He paused slightly.

“Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats.”