I, the All-Class Magus, All My Awakening Skills are LvMax

John nodded calmly, "What's the matter? Any problems?"

Archibald hesitated, unsure of what to say.

He had just been competing with John for the position of commander, and now John was delegating authority to him? Wasn't he afraid that Archibald might just kick him out and take over as commander?

"Do you really trust me that much?" Archibald asked, his tone laced with complexity.

John just smiled slightly, "I beat you once, I can beat you again. How capable do you think you are to knock me off this position?"

His casual remark instantly made Archibald's face turn red.

This man!

He was utterly outrageous!

Who talks like that?

It seemed a bit too much.

The squad leaders nearby lowered their heads, barely containing their grins.

Everyone had said John was terrifying, but now he didn't seem as fearsome as they had imagined.

At least, not at the moment.

"First Middle Squad, send three teams to collaborate with the Fourth Squad for patrolling up to 3 kilometers outside the fortress. Bring back any necessary supplies or other relevant items," John commanded.

"The battle ahead is a war of attrition; we must ensure we have enough resources to sustain it."

After collecting his initial surprise, Archibald immediately began to organize and delegate.

He understood that surviving the next 15 days wouldn't be easy.

If they were to simply pass the time in peace, that would be one thing, but they were about to face a wave of monstrous creatures!

This meant that if they ran low on supplies and couldn't replenish what was needed, they had to stock up quickly and efficiently to turn their fortress into an impregnable stronghold.

John saw Archibald settling into his role and smiled slightly, choosing not to say more but instead heading to the forge.

Inside the forge, there was an NPC, a robust man with his chest bare, hammering away at the forge with a hammer.

The firelight cast his face in a rugged light.

His beard was unkempt, and though shorter than an average person, he stood on a stool to reach the forge properly.

For some reason, this NPC gave John a strange feeling.

A short, bearded figure who loved to drink—wasn't that a Dwarf stereotype?

Such beings shouldn't exist in this world, yet here he was…

"Respected Commander, how may I assist you?"

The NPC approached with a cheerful grin while John was still lost in thought.

"I need to set a gem," John said, pulling out the Dragonblood Stone.

When the Dwarf saw the Dragonblood Stone in John's hand, his eyes lit up.

He rubbed his rough hands on his pants before carefully taking the gem.

"Hmm... indeed, this is very fine. If set into a weapon, it would surely elevate its power."

"I never thought I, Old Nick, would get to set such an exquisite gem!"

Hearing that Old Nick could set the gem, John felt a slight relief.

"How long will the setting take?"

Old Nick looked reluctantly at the gem in his hand, then gave John an apologetic expression.

"Respected Commander, I'd be honored to set this gem for you, but we're currently short on essential materials like borax and black iron ore, I'm afraid I can't proceed."

Short on materials?

John instinctively glanced at the fully stocked shelves behind them.

Aren't those shelves full of items?

Old Nick seemed to catch John's drift, his lips curling slightly.

"Dwarves never deceive! We are the finest blacksmith masters! Ordinary setting could indeed use these items, but Commander, your gem is exceptionally fine, and using just these materials would dishonor it."

"If you don't mind, I can still set it using these items."

Old Nick was upfront about everything, explaining the situation openly.

This made John understand why Old Nick kept mentioning a shortage of materials.

"Where can these materials be found?" John asked without hesitation. MVLeMpYr-official-text

"In the past, borax and black iron ore were essentials for us, but they are now found on a mountain outside the city, which has been overrun by monsters. We've had no choice but to retreat into the fortress," Old Nick explained.

"If you, Commander, could retrieve these items, I would be most grateful."

Old Nick's eyes shone as he looked at John, who nodded in understanding.

"I'll get the items to you as soon as possible."

As John turned to leave, Old Nick quickly called out to him.

"Commander, you've forgotten your gem."

John smiled lightly and waved a hand, "Keep it with you for now. Prepare everything you need so when the time comes to set it, it will be in the best possible condition."

After these words, John quickly left.

Now that he knew there was a resource point outside the city, he needed to find out everything about it as soon as possible.

Borax and black iron ore were likely crucial for forging.

Old Nick was overjoyed, holding the gem and dancing around, ecstatic.

However, the audience outside the secret realm found it a bit odd.

"Why does this blacksmith master look so short and unkempt, with a face full of disheveled beard?"

"What's this about a 'Dwarf' race? Isn't the finest blacksmith of the Alliance from House Ravenswood in Dubhe?"

"Yeah, I also find it strange; it feels like this secret realm is different from all the previous ones."

The academy's higher-ups also voiced their doubts.

This Dwarf race had never been seen before, so why had it suddenly appeared in the secret realm now?

Geoffrey chuckled.

"Don't forget that the fragment of the secret realm within this domain was acquired inadvertently by the principal during her training days."

"It's quite normal for a fragment to retain some elements from its original world. Perhaps this Dwarf race was the master blacksmith of that former world," Geoffrey explained.

After Geoffrey spoke, the others nodded in understanding, but their glances towards Principal Sophia carried a touch of envy.

After all, not many could claim to possess an ancient realm fragment.

What's more, she had integrated this fragment into her domain.

This meant that Principal Sophia owned a private secret realm!

Although the monsters and resources within the secret realm were limited, they could regenerate slowly.

If managed well, this could provide an endless secret realm.

Everyone looked at Principal Sophia with eyes filled with envy.

However, no one noticed the heaviness that flickered through Principal Sophia's eyes.

Her connection to the domain was weakening.

Even bolstered by mind power, the connection could not be strengthened.

If this continued, she feared that she might completely lose contact, trapping the children inside forever!

Archibald was busy allocating tasks for everyone to gather necessary materials, and some were meticulously repairing the fortress's damages.

They didn't realize how bad it was until they started the repairs.

Lavinia Montague, the head of logistics, rattled off a series of figures.

"The city gate has been repaired to 85%, but moving forward, we'll need a large amount of wood and black iron ore."

"The drawbridge over the moat also requires a significant amount of wood and black iron ore reinforcement. We've only been able to visibly repair it to 86%, and we can't proceed any further."

"Additionally, I've discovered that black iron ore and wood are also essential for some of the basic infrastructure within the city. Every 5 meters along the city walls, there is an energy cannon, but powering them requires a lot of black iron ore or energy stones."

"So far, we haven't found any energy stones, and there are only about three tons of black iron ore left in the warehouse, which is not nearly enough."

"Also, if the forge is to produce weapons, it requires a substantial amount of black iron ore. The NPCs can mass-produce weapons and even hire helpers, but the wages for the helpers are paid in monkey wine, something I've never even heard of before."

Lavinia Montague listed off these numbers, leaving Archibald feeling overwhelmed.