Although Yan Xing currently had only nine werewolves, that did not prevent him from bestowing a grand official title upon Olaf.
The supreme commander of the werewolf army didn’t need to oversee many werewolves; it sounded extremely impressive just from the title.
As for Olaf, he was overwhelmed with excitement, tears streaming down his face.
He stood up, grasping the Werewolf Chains, and faced the werewolves who had pledged their allegiance, lifting the Werewolf Chains high above his head and howling at the full moon in the sky.
All the werewolves also stood up, joining in the long, echoing howl.
Yan Xing was very satisfied with the morale the werewolves exhibited; he had feared Gang Ya’s death would have dealt them too harsh a blow.
Now... it was time to inquire about intelligence from the lurking werewolf pack.
"Alright, stop," Yan Xing halted the howling werewolves and had Eddie bring over several stools and a heavy, large chest. He then said to the werewolves, "Now that you are all my warriors, you certainly cannot continue to use those shabby old weapons and armor. Come, come, come... take a look at the good stuff I’ve prepared for you."
With that, Yan Xing pulled an all-steel Steel Chains from the chest.
One end of a steel tube was welded to an iron chain. At the other end of this chain, a fist-sized iron ball was attached, with a circle of inch-long steel spikes welded onto the ball.
Combined, these components formed a Steel Chains more lethal than the Bone Shackles previously used by the werewolves; even Great Werewolf Gang Ya’s flail couldn’t compare.
Even the attack power of the God-given Weapon, the Werewolf Chains, might not surpass that of this all-steel Steel Chains. However, the attribute bonuses and skills of a God-given Weapon could not be matched by ordinary weapons.
This batch of Steel Chains had been commissioned by Yan Xing from welders at the building materials market.
After all, he had made large purchases there and was well-acquainted with some merchants. The materials for the Steel Chains were readily available. Since Yan Xing was willing to pay, the merchants readily produced these items to retain such a key customer.
What Yan Xing used these items for was not their concern.
After all, the money they received was the most substantial thing.
When the werewolves saw the Steel Chains in Yan Xing’s hands, their eyes lit up.
The swamp environment was damp, and the Swamp Tribe’s civilization was primitive. Iron was not only hard to come by but also very difficult to preserve.
The flails used by Second Order Great Werewolves were nothing more than a wooden stick with an iron lump attached, which would rust and become pitifully pocked over time.
In contrast, the Steel Chains in Yan Xing’s hands shone with a metallic luster from the handle, chain, and hammerhead; the iron spikes on the head also lent the weapon great intimidating power.
The werewolves took the Steel Chains one by one from Yan Xing’s hands; the heavy grip confirmed that the weapon’s substance matched its appearance.
"Thank you, Lord, for your grace!"
The werewolves, hailing from a less developed civilization, did not know fancy words of praise, but their trembling voices perfectly expressed their feelings at that moment.
One-eyed Olaf also couldn’t help but show envy at the all-steel material and spiked hammer of the new Steel Chains. However, upon remembering that the Werewolf Chains in his own hands was a God-given Weapon bestowed by the Lord, his envy turned into pure joy.
The Lord said these are all my soldiers! All the werewolves who joined are my soldiers!
Olaf, along with the other werewolves, knelt to thank Yan Xing.
Yan Xing had them rise and said, "What I’ve prepared for you isn’t just weapons. Eddie, dump everything out of the chest."
Eddie tipped the chest, and its contents spilled out with a CLATTER.
They were all rectangular steel plates, ten centimeters long, five centimeters wide, and two millimeters thick, each with multiple small holes.
With weapons, armor was definitely required as well.
After all, the territory only had these nine Werewolf Warriors; protecting them on the battlefield was tantamount to increasing their combat effectiveness.
However, when Yan Xing searched online for armor, he found that any finished pieces with decent protective capability were quite expensive. Besides, many were too ornate and ill-suited to the werewolves’ physique.
Custom orders would take too long to arrive.
So, Yan Xing decided to craft the armor himself.
Lamellar armor is made by lacing individual metal plates together. Its manufacturing process is simple, and its protective capability is quite good.
Moreover, it could be freely resized to fit the wearer.
The steel plates for making lamellar armor were ready-made items; one only needed to punch holes in them for the lacing.
Yan Xing picked up a steel plate and some lacing cords to demonstrate, saying to the curious werewolves, "These steel plates are for crafting your armor. As armor that will protect your lives, I believe you must craft it with your own hands. Only then can you truly understand it and utilize its full potential."
This noble-sounding reason concealed the fact that Yan Xing was simply reluctant to spend more money.
But the werewolves bought it completely.
This was full metal armor, something only the chieftains of their former tribe possessed!
Now that they could have their own set, they were naturally eager to craft it themselves and savor the entire process.
All the werewolves eagerly grabbed steel plates and lacing cords. Like schoolchildren, they stared at Yan Xing’s hands, diligently learning how to weave the lamellar armor.
Yan Xing, meanwhile, turned on his phone, looking up downloaded lamellar weaving techniques to teach them as he learned.
Anyway, since it wasn’t for sale, there was no need to worry about aesthetics; as long as it was well-layered, that would suffice.
To help the werewolves finish their lamellar armor more quickly, Yan Xing even assigned a peasant assistant to each one, helping them with fitting and adjustments.
Any problems encountered were resolved immediately.
For instance, when Yan Xing discovered that the inside of the lamellar armor might chafe the werewolves’ fur, he immediately returned to the real world to buy some cotton sweatshirts at a night market.
Wearing a sweatshirt underneath as a lining effectively prevented chafing from the metal plates’ edges and also made the armor more comfortable to wear.
The lamellar armor was initially designed as a half-cuirass, focusing on protecting the vital areas of the upper body. Styled like a vest, its weight was primarily borne by the shoulders.
Yan Xing and the werewolves also tried to extend the lamellar armor’s protection to the arms. However, limited by technique and materials, they couldn’t make the plates fit snugly, which would only impede arm flexibility and body coordination.
For the same reasons, leg protection also had to be temporarily abandoned.
Thankfully, even a half-cuirass of steel lamellar was a significant upgrade in protection compared to the hemp clothes the werewolves had previously worn.
Moreover, what Yan Xing had prepared for the werewolves wasn’t just body armor.
With armor, there must also be helmets.
For helmets to go with the armor, Yan Xing chose construction workers’ safety helmets.
However, the protective capability of safety helmets alone was limited.
But used as a lining, they could fit snugly on the head, and their soft foam padding combined with their inherent hardness offered effective cranial protection.
Then, using the safety helmet as a base, another layer of lamellar armor was woven on the outside to further improve its protective capability. Given time, the lamellar could also be extended around the helmet’s perimeter to form a neck guard, enhancing neck protection.