Awakened Bloodline

After finishing his third meal of the day, Karl finally extinguished the smelting furnace.

The rusted metal parts were smelted by him into 16 metal ingots and some slag.

These metal ingots would be processed in the future into armor components that Karl needed, while the slag would be mixed into clay molds to make sturdier pottery or refractory bricks.

However, before that, Karl decided to make some harmless trinkets first.

"This is for me?"

Looking at the exquisitely crafted pocket watch in her hand, Hopp blinked, feeling a bit flattered.

Since she could remember, this was the first time anyone had given her a gift.

"Of course! And with this, it'll be convenient for us to check the time, so we won't spend the whole day not knowing where the time went."

Opening the pocket watch, Karl pointed to the glowing blue markers and explained to Hopp:

"This pocket watch uses Dragonshard as its power source. When the markers glow blue, it means it's nighttime; when they glow orange-yellow, it means it's daytime."

"It's a purely mechanical structure, made from Mithril Alloy, so it's light and hard. But try not to use it to crack nut shells or as a doorstop."

Hearing this, Hopp glared at Karl a little displeasedly.

Who would use their first gift for such things?

"Oh, right. If you find sleeping on the floor uncomfortable, tomorrow, after I start smelting iron, I can make you a bed. We have enough wood to make you a spacious double bed."

"Not for now. Let's make your room first tomorrow. The longer you sleep in the hall, the more guilty I feel."

Stuffing the pocket watch into her pants pocket, the tight leather made Hopp frown a little as the watch pressed against her.

Seeing this, Karl quickly stepped forward, clipped the watch's chain to the left chest of Hopp's top, and then tucked the watch itself into the chest pocket of her shirt.

Even though this made the fabric even tighter, Hopp was no longer as uncomfortable, and at least the watch didn't hinder her movement in this position.

"Your civilized things are quite troublesome."

Trying to take out the pocket watch from her pocket to look at it, Hopp put it back into her left chest pocket and then remarked with a somewhat ambiguous tone.

This was probably a unique way of self-deprecation for someone from Droaam.

"Actually, I could have made it into a wristwatch, then you could wear it on your wrist. But watches are best protected with a glass cover on the dial, and we don't have glass raw materials right now."

Due to material limitations, the pocket watch Karl made was one where the hands could be adjusted directly by hand. Without a cover, it was easy to accidentally change the time.

This was also why he made it into a pocket watch.

He had originally planned to make a wall clock in the hall to keep track of time, but thinking that a wall clock couldn't be carried around, he changed his design to a pocket watch.

"Alright, according to the time displayed on the pocket watch, it's almost midnight. Go to bed quickly, you have work tomorrow morning."

Pushing Karl out of the right room without explanation, Hopp closed the door and pressed her palm against where the pocket watch was, her heart pounding.

"If I keep living here with him, it seems like..."

Whispering her thoughts softly, but before Hopp could finish, she suddenly shivered and shut her mouth completely.

"Hah~, after only a few days of comfortable living, how did I become so weak? Sleep! Sleep! I must have stayed up too late and fried my brain!"

Muttering a few words, Hopp took off her clothes, folded them, spread a piece of leather on the floor, and fell asleep peacefully.

The enclosed and sealed environment made her feel exceptionally safe. The next time she opened her eyes, she quickly took out the pocket watch to check, only to find that it was already ten o'clock in the morning.

"Is this thing really accurate?"

Hopp, who had never overslept before, now had deep doubts about Karl's creation.

But when she put on her clothes and went out, not only was there a plate of almost-cold lizard steak in the living room, but Karl was already outside tinkering with his broken brick kiln again.

"Have I been a bit too decadent lately?"

Recalling everything that had happened since they arrived at the underground city, Hopp sighed, feeling that this couldn't go on.

Therefore, she could only pour all her energy into training.

When her muscles were sore, she would stretch her limbs according to the health exercises Karl had taught her.

When she felt sufficiently rested, she would continue her extra training.

This continued for about three days, during which Karl's left room and the two beds were also completed.

Then, time came to the morning of the fourth day...

"Ugh~, ten o'clock again, I don't want to get up..."

Turning sideways, Hopp picked up the pocket watch to check the time, then helplessly closed its lid, her voice carrying a listless "worker" tone.

Unlike Karl, who had a clear direction for advancement and a development plan, Hopp's barbarian class was an accident. Apart from the wild combat skills and throwing techniques she had honed in the wilderness, she had no systematic training methods.

The training during this period was less about physical exercise and more like "abusing" herself to avoid forgetting the hardships of her past.

But she knew herself that the past was gone, and she could live well now.

Dressing slowly in her vest and shorts, Hopp stood up weakly, but soon lay down flat on the leather again, staring blankly at the ceiling. She felt completely unmotivated today, like a salted fish that had lost its dreams.

After a while, Hopp extended her right hand towards the sky, loosely grasping the air.

She pursed her lips as she looked at her well-proportioned yet strong-looking arms, then lifted her two legs and her tail with its arrow-shaped tip.

Her legs kicked twice in mid-air, and this seemingly meaningless action made Hopp smile.

Outside, Karl was already firing new crucibles and refractory bricks.

Hopp closed its eyes, quietly listening to the sounds of the bricks transforming under the high temperature.

Crack, crack...

Accompanied by these sounds, which felt as if they were right next to her ears, a faint orange-red light ignited within her chest cavity.

It was as if a fire had ignited within her body, and even the temperature of her skin began to rise.

Suddenly, Hopp opened its eyes.

The firelight in its chest cavity continued to strengthen, giving it the feeling that it was about to unleash it.

Pulling open the door, Hopp ran outside the house at the fastest speed it had ever achieved.

Casually finding an empty direction, Hopp followed its body's instincts and pushed its hands forward.

The firelight extended from its chest cavity to its arms, and then, a torrent of flames surged forth from between its palms.

Within a 15-foot cone in front of Hopp, the flames persisted for nearly four seconds before finally dissipating.

After finishing, Hopp staggered and collapsed onto the ground.

And Karl, after witnessing that scene, quickly ran over.