The Blacksmith Shop

Li Wei also thought the whole thing was a little suspicious, and seemed like an unnecessary hassle. If they didn't have enough Iron Ore, they could just go look for more. Why did they have to melt down the tools they had at home?

The only thing in the house they could melt down was the broken shovel. All their other tools had important uses: the hoe was for weeding, and the sickle was for harvesting.

In fact, weeds had been running rampant in the Wheat Field these past few days, and Li Wei made time every day to pull them out.

Was Penny, that bitch, planning to pull something again?

"Can't we go find more Iron Ore?"

Li Wei asked. Penny shook her head with a bitter smile.

"George, I don't want to do this either. I understand your concerns, but we really have no choice."

"There's no more Iron Ore. I've searched for miles in every direction these past few days, and this is all I could find. It may have been washed downstream from upstream by the flood. To smelt Molten Iron, the furnace really needs to be filled completely. If it's only half full, it's hard to succeed, and the temperature is difficult to maintain. I've calculated it: all the Iron Ore, together with our iron tools, should be just enough for one full furnace."

"I promise that once the Molten Iron is ready, I'll make all our everyday tools as quickly as I can, and with the best quality. Mom, George, please believe me."

Penny sounded very sincere, but whether it was Li Wei or Phila, anyone who believed her would be a fool.

That was right—Penny was still up to something. It was obvious now: she wanted to delay finishing the Blacksmith Shop until next month.

But then Li Wei would be the one in trouble.

There wasn't much time left. The month was almost over, and Li Wei didn't have time to search farther afield for Iron Ore. He was the head of the household and couldn't afford any major upheaval.

Getting the Blacksmith Shop done and completing this month's Main Quest had to come first.

Even knowing full well Penny was up to something, he had no choice but to swallow it.

Besides, if they didn't finish the Blacksmith Shop this month, then next month, when Penny finished it herself, the family wouldn't own the entire shop.

That was important.

Penny dared to take a gamble, but Li Wei didn't dare raise the stakes.

And what if Penny was telling the truth?

After all, he'd spent a whole day searching for Iron Ore himself, walking more than twenty miles upstream along the creek, and found nothing.

So, from that perspective, Penny's request to use iron tools in place of some of the Iron Ore made sense.

"Fine. I believe you."

After thinking it over, Li Wei finally agreed. Whatever the truth was, he had no choice.

"That's great, George! But I need every iron tool in the house. And tomorrow, you'll need to help me crush all the ore. It's really important!"

Penny cheered happily.

"Oh, George, have you lost your mind?"

Phila cried out in disbelief, her eyes full of disappointment.

"Do whatever you want. You're grown up now, and you can make your own decisions. But you need to understand that you alone will be responsible for the consequences of your actions."

Phila stopped arguing. It was two votes to one, so her opposition wouldn't make a difference.

"Mom, I promise you, this won't be a gamble!" Penny said hurriedly. Afraid Li Wei might change his mind, she rushed forward and took every iron tool in the house. That meant most of the family's work would grind to a halt tomorrow.

They were literally selling the pots and pans for scrap.

At that moment, a line of information appeared.

[As the head of the household, you have made a major decision that could put your family at great risk. You alone will bear all the consequences.]

Huh?

The message made Li Wei feel uneasy. He suddenly tensed up as the pressure mounted, torn by doubt until he even wanted to take back his decision.

But in the end, he held firm. Being the head of the household really wasn't easy. It took guts. This was practically a huge gamble.

If Penny failed to smelt Molten Iron, it would all be over. The family, which had finally gotten on track, would suffer a devastating setback. They'd be thrown back into the Stone Age.

Phila's earlier disaster was still fresh in his mind.

"Don't wait until tomorrow. Let's get started tonight!"

Li Wei felt the urgency keenly, but Penny looked completely relaxed, as if she were confident. Every now and then, she glanced over at him with a hint of admiration and regret. Setting aside their rivalry, Li Wei had guts. If he hadn't, her plan would have worked.

Now, though, she wouldn't be able to pull any tricks while Quenching the Molten Iron.

After that, Li Wei and Penny really did get straight to work through the night.

The former handled the heavy labor, smashing the Iron Ore into pieces. The latter crushed the charcoal, spread it inside the furnace they'd already built, and prepared the clay molds they'd made earlier. These were all technical tasks. Li Wei didn't understand them, but he was still deeply impressed.

He figured Penny must have been a top science student before. A Professional Craftsman card alone wouldn't have been enough to do all this.

It just went to show that even after crossing over to another world, knowledge was still the most important kind of power.

They worked until dawn, crushing all the Iron Ore. Li Wei was exhausted, hungry, and unable to keep going, so he went back to sleep. He couldn't deal with anything else.

Only Penny kept at it. She had already lit the fire. Everything depended on whether it worked.

Li Wei slept so deeply that even hunger couldn't wake him. It took several lines of information appearing to finally jolt him from his dreams.

[With your full support, Professional Craftsman *** successfully smelted the first furnace of Molten Iron]

[Professional Craftsman *** made a simple iron anvil and a hammer]

[Professional Craftsman *** made a rough Iron Pot]

[Professional Craftsman *** made three rough short knives]

[Professional Craftsman *** made a rough axe]

[The family obtained five units of Pig Iron Ingots]

[Your family Main Quest—the Blacksmith Shop—is complete]

--

Good grief! Incredible!

Li Wei sprang out of bed and rushed from the room. Penny and Phila were pouring the Molten Iron into the clay molds together. They were both drenched in sweat, but their faces were alight with excitement.

The Blacksmith Shop had really been completed. Even Phila, who'd been so opposed to it earlier, would benefit.

This was unquestionably a milestone in the family's development.

But it also meant Penny had completed her Blacksmith Shop Main Quest. She'd have at least six or seven days to do whatever she wanted.

Li Wei still had two units of prey left to hunt.

Fortunately, that wasn't a big problem. No matter what, all the Main Quests had been completed while he was head of the household. That would earn him plenty of extra points in the final evaluation.

For the next two whole days,

Li Wei didn't go hunting. Instead, he helped Penny heat the rough tools cast from Molten Iron until they glowed red, then hammer them hard against the anvil.

That was also an important part of the Blacksmith Shop's work, commonly known as Quenching.

The process was complicated, as usual. Li Wei didn't understand it; all he knew was how to swing a hammer.