Forging and the Ore Mine!

Chapter 25: 025. Forging and the Mine!

After returning home, Mercer's daily life returned to its usual routine.

Plain, simple.

Yet, it felt incredibly fulfilling.

The first thing he did upon waking up in the morning was go for a morning run.

After a thorough warm-up, he'd return home to wash up and eat breakfast.

Then, he would begin his studies.

After lunch, He would either go hunting, taking Bear Cub out for a good meal.

Or he would go out with Kureha to treat illnesses, or do something else.

In the blink of an eye, It was May of Sea Year 1504, and Mercer had entered a new age.

This day, in the early morning.

[Merit Points +1]

Merit Points: [1615]

"Merit Points have broken a thousand."

Closing the light screen panel, Mercer looked at a small town that appeared before him.

"Oster Town"

A steel town on Drum Island.

It was the smelting town of this country.

From the weapons forged for the king's army to the household kitchenware made throughout the nation, everything was produced here.

"Good Come Again Blacksmith Shop"

Located in the northeast corner of the town.

A two-story brick and stone flat-roofed building.

The house's door was half-open.

As soon as he arrived, a gust of hot wind blew across his cheeks.

From afar, he could hear the rhythmic clanging of hammers striking metal, resounding from within.

The chimney on the roof spewed thick smoke from burning coal.

He pushed the door open and walked inside.

Upon entering, he saw a burly, bare-chested man with a scruffy beard, wielding a hammer and forcefully striking a red-hot iron ingot on an anvil.

With continuous blows, a cleaver-shaped iron mold was being forged.

The owner of this shop had good skills, but he was stubborn and only accepted orders for farming tools and kitchenware.

He didn't deal with military weapons at all.

Therefore, even with his excellent craftsmanship, he could only open his shop in a corner of the town.

The burly man glanced at Mercer as he entered and said indifferently, "Your knives are on the table over there, go get them yourself. Just leave the final payment on the table."

"And don't stare, my blacksmithing skills are not for sharing."

Mercer squinted at him, "Uncle Otto, which eye of yours saw me stealing your techniques? I haven't even touched your hammer.

Besides, you're an old bachelor without a wife, let alone a son, so you can't pass anything down even if you wanted to."

Otto's eye twitched, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, "So, you want to be my son?"

He then sized up Mercer and chuckled, "You know, you're quite fair and tender-looking. If you sincerely call me 'Dad,' I might actually teach you."

Now it was Mercer's turn for his eye to twitch.

It had to be said, their passive-aggressive banter was on par.

It was no wonder he was recommended by Kureha a month ago.

Mercer walked to the scarred table and looked at the five surgical knives and one flat-edged watermelon knife placed on it.

The surgical knives were cast as a single piece.

Like a palm-sized naginata.

Silver-white handle and blade.

Exquisitely made.

Mercer picked up one of the knives and lightly scraped the edge across the table, leaving an indentation with ease.

Nodding in satisfaction, Mercer tested each knife.

Each time, a scratch mark appeared on the tabletop.

Otto's mouth twitched as he watched.

"A table costs a hundred Belly. Make another scratch and you'll pay for it."

Hearing this, Mercer immediately stopped what he was doing.

He chuckled speechlessly.

"Stingy. Your table was already like that,"

"Oh, right. Uncle Otto, that iron ore cave you mentioned last time was depleted. There wasn't much iron ore in it at all. It was abandoned long ago."

Otto revealed a strange smile upon hearing this, cackling heartily.

"You look smart, but you're actually a complete idiot."

"Iron ore is a controlled substance. How could there still be iron ore in a mine without guards? You'd be lucky to pick up some scraps.

After all, you were asking about an unguarded mine last time."

"The old king is a good man, but he's not stupid. If you want a large amount of iron ore, you'd have to become a miner and accept cheap ore as wages, or buy it with your own money.

Or..."

Mercer's eyes lit up at this, and he glanced at Otto. "Then, Uncle, do you know of any undiscovered iron ore veins on the island?"

A glint flashed in his eyes, and Otto calmly looked at Mercer. "Regarding ore veins, you can ask anyone and you'll find out.

After all, miners are quite rare, and there are many harmful gases in mines after extraction. Rich people wouldn't go there.

As for undiscovered veins, that requires professional prospecting technology. If a new one is discovered, you can report it to the King's Staff, and you'll be rewarded with Belly."

"About three kilometers south of town, not far from the foot of Drum Mountain, there's one being mined.

I heard the iron content of the ore inside is quite high."

A flicker of surprise crossed Mercer's eyes. Since he had gotten what he wanted, he didn't say anything else.

He placed a thousand Belly on the table.

"Money for goods, and we're clear. I'll be going now. Uncle, you can continue forging your iron."

He inserted the Surgical Knife into its dedicated sheath at his waist, and the cleaver was also placed into the wooden sheath Otto had given him for free.

Turning around, he exited the blacksmith shop.

Inside the house, Otto's eyes were thoughtful, and he seemed a bit confused. "I don't know what he needs so much ore for. Oh well, it's none of my business."

"But this brat from the witch's house has sharp eyes. Every time he sneaks a peek at me forging iron, I feel like I'm being stripped bare.

Strange."

He then continued to focus on his forging.

He still had several orders to deliver today.

Outside the blacksmith shop, Mercer's lips curled. "You don't teach, but whether I learn or not is my business."

"And those abandoned mines. Are they really all mined out? Heh, I doubt it!"

He pondered the operation of Otto's muscles and his exertion while forging.

Bear Cub, who had been waiting by the door, then came up to him. Mercer smiled, "Let's go, we're heading to another blacksmith shop."

They then went to other blacksmith shops in town to pick up goods, whether it was iron hammers, strange iron helmets, or a bulky half-plate armor.

Each time, Mercer would spend a while in the blacksmith shop, chatting with the owner or an apprentice.

He subtly used Observation Haki to perceive their movements and techniques.

Continuously comparing and verifying them in his mind.

Mercer left the town with a look of satisfaction. Bear Cub, pulling the wooden cart, was laden with quite a few iron products.

Finding a secluded spot, Bear Cub looked at Mercer with a happy expression on his bear face.

"Eat up."

The next moment, with a roar, Bear Cub turned, climbed onto the cart, grabbed the iron helmet, and bit down with his mouth wide open.

Crunch, crunch!

After eating the helmet, he ate the iron hammer and the half-plate armor.

He ate the entire cartload of iron tools clean.

A short while later, Bear Cub let out a satisfied burp. Whether he was full or not, only Bear Cub himself knew.

Mercer looked at him. "Come on, show me your ability."

Bear Cub's eyes sparkled with excitement.

The next second, his body began to change.

He stood upright.

A black iron helmet materialized on his head.

Only its black ears and its face were visible.

A half-plate armor appeared on its body, only protecting its chest, abdomen, and back.

Its right claw transformed into a pumpkin-shaped iron hammer.

Mercer's eyes lit up, and he immediately pounced on Bear Cub, patting and tapping him all over.

Clang, clang!

With the Gulp-Gulp Fruit's abilities, the armor and weapons Bear Cub had eaten were as if they had grown on him naturally.

An unusual Fusion.

Extremely cool.

The Battle-Armored Bear.

Seeing Mercer like this, Bear Cub retracted his iron hammer and sat on the ground, looking curious as he patted and tapped himself with his claws.

After playing for a while, Bear Cub swallowed the wooden cart into his belly as well.

"Let's go, to the mine we were at before."

Bear Cub nodded.

On all fours.

Mercer straddled Bear Cub's back, and the latter, knowing the way, lowered his head and ran out.

Taking advantage of the free time, Mercer took out a Surgical Knife and played with it in his hand.

"Appraisal"

[E-rank Surgical Knife (Refined): An excellent blade forged through countless hammer strikes, superior in quality.]

It could only be called an ordinary weapon, not a famous blade, and had no special effects.

The lowest grade of famous blades was "Fast Swords."

"According to Otto, Surgical Knives are considered the highest quality under 'Fast Swords,' meaning that, barring any surprises, the quality of 'Fast Swords' should be D-rank."

"It's a shame Otto's craftsmanship is limited and he can't forge blades of 'Fast Swords' quality."

"It's the same with the watermelon knife, which borders on being a weapon, both are refined iron tools of E-rank."

A light screen appeared in his retinal projection, and he looked at the "Gifted Abilities" column.

[Forging]

The gray Forging Gift, not yet truly materialized, Mercer's eyes flashed with thought:

"Should I materialize the Forging Gift? 'Famous blades' should also be items with legendary characteristics."

"The moment they are born, Merit Points should gather towards them, after all, whether a famous blade is well-known or not, its existence alone guarantees that special quality."

His mind was made up.

From birth until now, the accumulated [1615] Merit Points were instantly consumed by a full thousand.

The next moment, a torrent of information appeared in Mercer's mind.

His mind gained numerous pure forging techniques, the refining ratios for processing various materials, and his hands developed a forging feel as if they had undergone countless hammer strikes.

What is forging?

Repeated hammering and shaping?

No.

Forging is a discipline.

An art.

A technique for creating "life."

All things have spirits; understand the veins and textures within materials, forge and integrate these textures, gather the material's spirit, give form to the tool, and awaken its spirit.

Mercer calmed his mind, absorbing the pure forging memories that appeared in his consciousness.

He cross-referenced and compared them with the skills he had secretly learned in various blacksmith shops during this time.

After a long while, Mercer, sitting on Bear Cub's back, opened his eyes.

"So that's how it is, I should have realized it sooner. The true materialization of a Gift isn't baseless or conjured from nothing; it's based on one's own 'possessions' for deduction and expansion."

It's like a tree wanting to become a giant tree; the prerequisite is that it must first have a "seed" to sprout and grow.

Extracting Gifts from one's own history and experiences is equivalent to a method of cultivating a "seed."

It's a symbiotic relationship of "chicken" and "egg."

He shook his head.

He stopped thinking about these overly complicated matters, clearing these distracting thoughts from his mind.

Mercer's consciousness clicked open the Gifted Abilities column.

He looked at his newly acquired Gift.

[D-rank Gift: Forging]

[Gift Effect: Clearly discern the veins within materials, forge and gather spirituality, and imbue tools with form.]

[Gift Evaluation: What makes a masterpiece endure? A tool with a spirit.]

Blinking, Mercer grinned.

"As expected, the D-rank 'Forging' Gift can forge tools with spirituality, and tools with spirituality are generally on the same level as famous swords.

This means I'm qualified to forge 'Fast Swords'."

"So, the next step is to get more iron ore."

"Ying!"

At this moment, Bear Cub stopped, and Mercer snapped back to attention, looking at their surroundings.

Everywhere were collapsed wooden structures. Though covered in snow, it was still possible to tell this was once a mining site.

Mercer and Bear Cub were currently standing at the entrance of a collapsed, abandoned cave.

Looking into the cave, a gentle slope supported by wooden beams led underground, dark and ominous.

Mercer hopped off Bear Cub's back and led the way into the cave.

A pitch-black tunnel.

About two meters in length, width, and height.

They proceeded forward.

After walking a hundred meters, Mercer retrieved a torch from a corner and lit it with a lighter.

Roar!

The flame sprang to life.

The surroundings became clear: small stones with a rusty appearance were scattered on the ground.

Iron ore.

After hearing Otto mention the location of the nearest mine, Mercer knew exactly where the closest iron ore deposit was.

It was not far from this abandoned mine, about a kilometer away.

The mine tunnels within this abandoned site were extensive and interconnected.

However, with Observation Haki, Mercer wouldn't lose his way.

Mercer and Bear Cub moved through the depths of the mine.

In a state of Unity of Heaven and Man.

He could sense the frequency and breathing fluctuations of all things.

In Mercer's view, all things in the world had their unique breathing and frequency.

Earth had its own.

Stone had its own.

Ore had its own.

Just like every human has two shoulders and a head, yet everyone's aura is different.

Similarly, ore, ordinary stones, and soil emitted different auras.

Finally, a dead end appeared before Mercer and Bear Cub.

The torch illuminated the area.

Unlike the main mine tunnel, there were no wooden supports here.

There were also few signs of excavation.

Mercer could clearly see that the cave wall before him was just ordinary hard rock.

Not a trace of iron ore in sight.

Yet, according to Mercer's Perception, if there was any iron ore left in this abandoned mine, it could only be here.

Because Mercer sensed the same breathing frequency from this spot as he did from iron ore.

Placing a hand on Bear Cub's head, Mercer declared heartily:

"Go on, eat it."

"Ying?"

Sensing Bear Cub's confusion, Mercer smiled. "What's there to eat is still eating, you know? Pandas have a name called Iron Eater Beast, so you, Bear Cub, are naturally meant to eat iron.

Once I find this hard rock, I'm sure there's iron ore inside, and I'll leave the task of refining high-purity Tekkai to you."

"Wu~" Bear Cub's furry face showed a human-like bewilderment, and he turned to look at Mercer.

Mercer looked at Bear Cub, bared his white teeth, and gave him a thumbs-up.

"You can do it!!!"

"Roar."

There was no other way.

Bear Cub walked up to the cave wall, opened its big mouth, and took a bite.

Crunch!

Crunch!

Crunch!

Its mouth became even bigger than Mercer's, and it effortlessly gnawed a large hole in the cave wall.

Mercer followed behind Bear Cub, moving forward.

Until five meters later.

Mercer held up his torch and leaned in to look. What greeted his eyes were reddish-brown and dark black ores, along with cloudy white crystals.

"So it's a low-grade ore deposit. It's hematite, black iron ore, and quartz. But it's no big deal. With Bear Cub here, I'm not afraid."

"Eat it. But don't digest this iron ore yet. Use your abilities to refine and purify it, then I'll see the specific quality of what you process."

"Ying!"

After Bear Cub nodded, he began to work enthusiastically.

Crunch, crunch!

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