Did something happen?
Nothing. It was just my first time coming here, so I was a little surprised.
Just as Scribe had said, the atmosphere of this small village was clearly different from that of the Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters.
Compared to the quiet Demon Slayer Corps Headquarters, this place was full of people shouting at the top of their lungs.
The people walking around were all incredibly sturdy, their arms even thicker than their thighs.
Some pushed carts, while others carried enormous chunks of rock.
Others squatted directly before massive furnaces, feeding them firewood.
Scribe even felt as though the art style was somewhat different here.
Looking left and right, he felt like he had entered a world of muscular men.
After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped.
These people all seemed to be ordinary people, right?
That's right.
Walking over to Scribe, Inoue Mie looked at the brawny men working around them with a faintly sorrowful gaze.
Through her explanation, Scribe learned where these people had come from.
They were all people who had been harmed by demons. Many of their family members and friends had been killed by demons.
After the Demon Slayer Corps rescued them, they had voluntarily chosen to serve the Demon Slayer Corps.
Aside from the few who could use Breathing Techniques, most of them chose to come here and mine.
Countless people had been saved by the Demon Slayer Corps, including establishments like the wisteria inns that provided services for them.
There was something else Inoue Mie had not mentioned, but he had still guessed it.
There were only two reasons why the mining site had been built here.
Aside from its proximity to Sunlight Mountain, the main reason was that this place was bathed in sunlight all year round.
Demons feared sunlight, so naturally they would not come here.
With their safety guaranteed, these people could carry out such large-scale mining operations.
Go find a room over there and rest for a while. I'll go find the person in charge here.
After pointing Scribe in a direction, Inoue Mie left.
Compared to Scribe, whose existence was known only to the Demon Slayer Corps High Command, Inoue Mie, as a Hashira candidate, was undoubtedly the better person to negotiate.
After Inoue Mie left, Scribe checked the hidden mission in his mind as he walked.
Hidden Mission: Go to Sunlight Mountain and personally obtain the highest-quality Tamahagane. Obtain Scarlet Scarlet Sand Iron and Crimson Sulfur Stone.
Tamahagane?
Rubbing his chin, Scribe thought it over.
Ore taken from Sunlight Mountain was refined into Tamahagane, from which Scarlet Scarlet Sand Iron and Crimson Sulfur Stone for sword forging were extracted.
Then those materials would be delivered to Swordsmith Village, where the swordsmiths would forge them.
But since this was a hidden mission, the reward should not be bad.
With that in mind, Scribe slightly changed direction.
Since he was looking for something, he at least needed to know what those two things looked like.
When he arrived before a huge building, Scribe heard shouts and the crackling roar of burning flames from inside.
Leaning against the doorframe and tilting his head slightly, Scribe looked into the room.
Inside, a burly middle-aged man and a somewhat thin young man were heating ore.
Kogang, add more firewood! The temperature can't drop!
Yes, I'll go right away, Master Mo Tie!
As he had his disciple Kogang heat the furnace, the middle-aged man, Mo Tie, tossed the ore beside him into the furnace.
Crouching down, Mo Tie worked the bellows and pumped a large amount of air into the furnace.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
The influx of air caused the already raging firewood to burn even more fiercely.
The crackling of burning wood continued without pause, while the blazing heat reddened the faces of Mo Tie and Kogang.
As time passed, a fiery red color began spreading across the surface of the pitch-black ore.
While carefully watching the condition of the ore, Mo Tie had Kogang bring over an enormous iron hammer.
Pay attention, Kogang. Whether we can extract an intact piece of Tamahagane depends on the heat.
Spitting into his hands, Mo Tie gripped the massive iron hammer with both hands, his expression extremely grave.
Listening to their conversation, Scribe also learned some things about Tamahagane.
Once the flames completely heated through the ore, the impurities on the outside had to be smashed open within five seconds.
Otherwise, the Tamahagane inside would melt and fuse with the impurities on the surface, turning into worthless scrap.
After hearing Mo Tie's words, the young Kogang nodded solemnly.
As the red color continued spreading across the ore, both men's expressions grew increasingly serious.
Outside the room, Scribe was utterly absorbed in the sight, not even swallowing once.
It was also his first time seeing the process of extracting Tamahagane, and he was deeply shocked.
At last, the fiery red color completely covered the ore.
Now!
With a loud roar, Mo Tie swung the iron hammer over his head.
His powerful arms suddenly exerted force, veins bulging across them like earthworms.
It was clear that Mo Tie had put every ounce of his strength into this strike.
The heavy hammer fell, producing a shrill explosive crack through the air.
The hammer struck the surface of the ore, releasing a thunderous clang of metal against stone.
Crack, crack, crack~
Cracks spread across its surface until the entire ore was covered in fractures of all sizes.
Mo Tie roared again and swung the hammer down once more.
This time, the immense force directly shattered the outer layer of the ore.
Fragments of stone scattered everywhere, and the dust they kicked up completely engulfed the room.
Only after quite some time, when the dust had dispersed, could Scribe see the scene inside clearly.
The enormous boulder that had originally been a meter in radius had vanished, leaving behind only a stone the size of two fists.
The stone was dark green throughout, yet its color was remarkably clear and translucent, without the slightest murkiness.
Despite standing some distance away, Scribe could still sense a hard, scorching aura from the stone.
Rather than a stone, it felt more like a piece of steel radiating heat.
It seemed this was Tamahagane.
Straightening up, Scribe walked into the room, intending to take a closer look.
Who's there?!
Sensing someone approaching, Mo Tie and Kogang, who had been laughing loudly around the Tamahagane, instantly turned their heads.
After discovering that it was a child of eight or nine approaching, the two relaxed their guard slightly.
Even so, Mo Tie still moved the Tamahagane behind him, with obvious hostility in his tone.
Kid, who are you? What are you doing here?
Scratching his face, Scribe did not try to hide anything.
If I said I was with the Demon Slayer Corps and came here to find Tamahagane for sword forging, would you believe me?
Shaking their heads, the two clearly did not believe Scribe's one-sided claim.
Mo Tie even told him to show proof.
Spreading his hands, Scribe looked helpless.
It was not that he did not want to provide proof. It was that he realized he truly had none.
Seeing that Scribe made no move for a long time, a sharp glint flashed through Mo Tie's eyes.
He gripped the forging hammer in his hand, seeming to have other ideas.
Taking in the other man's small movements, Scribe quietly gathered strength as well.
If the other man truly attacked, he could not just stand there and take the beating.
An indescribable tension spread between them, like a powder keg on the verge of exploding.
Just then, a voice came from behind them.
Turning around, Scribe discovered that Inoue Mie had arrived.
At that moment, Mo Tie also put down his hammer and rubbed his eyes.
Eh, you're Little Mie?
Astonishing Learning Talent, Mo Tie's Complete Conviction
Inoue Mie also noticed Mo Tie inside the room and looked somewhat surprised.
After greeting him, she noticed the young man beside Mo Tie.
After introducing his disciple Kogang to Inoue Mie, Mo Tie gave Scribe another unfriendly look.
Little Mie, do you know each other?
Noticing that the atmosphere between Scribe and Mo Tie was somewhat off, Inoue Mie hurriedly tried to smooth things over.
Scribe, this is Uncle Mo Tie, the man who refined Tamahagane for me back then.
Uncle, this is—
Realizing that Scribe's identity was somewhat sensitive, Inoue Mie pulled Mo Tie aside and explained in a low voice.
During that time, Scribe walked straight over and circled the Tamahagane a few times.
The closer he got, the more Scribe could sense how extraordinary the Tamahagane was.
Perhaps because he could use Sun Breathing, Scribe always felt that something faintly present within the Tamahagane was drawing him in.
Perhaps that was the power of the sun.
Reaching out, Scribe intended to pick up the Tamahagane and inspect it carefully.
Stop!
Seeing that Scribe actually intended to touch the Tamahagane with his bare hand, Kogang hurriedly shouted.
The Tamahagane was still extremely hot. It was far too much for a human to handle!
Yet Scribe acted as though he had not heard him at all, showing no intention of stopping.
Instinctively covering his eyes, Kogang seemed unwilling to see Scribe's arm get burned black.
However, the scream he had imagined never came.
Slowly opening his eyes, Kogang discovered in astonishment that Scribe was casually playing with the Tamahagane as if nothing had happened.
Before you continue