Blacksmith Shop

Li Wei also found the matter rather strange, a bit like closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. If there wasn't enough iron ore, they could just go find more, why did they have to melt down the household tools?

The only thing in the house that could be melted down was the broken shovel. Besides that, all the other tools had important uses: the hoe could be used for weeding, and the sickle for harvesting.

In fact, over the past few days, the weeds in the wheat field had been quite rampant, and Li Wei spent time weeding every day.

Could Penny, that b*tch, be up to some new tricks again?

"Can't we find some more iron ore?"

Li Wei asked at this point, but Penny shook her head with a wry smile.

"George, I don't want to either. I know your concerns, but there's really no other way."

"There's no more iron ore. I've searched all over for miles these past few days. This is all the iron ore I could find. It might have been washed down from upstream by the flood. When melting iron, it's best to ensure a full furnace. Half a furnace is difficult to succeed with, and the furnace temperature is hard to maintain. I've calculated that, including all the iron ore and our iron products, it's just enough for one furnace."

"I can guarantee that as soon as the molten iron is smelted, I will forge these commonly used tools with the fastest speed and the best quality. Mother, George, please believe me."

Penny spoke sincerely, but anyone, whether Li Wei or Phila, who believed this sincerity would be a fool.

That's right, Penny was still playing games. It was certain now; she just wanted to drag out the completion of the Blacksmith Shop until next month.

But that would be Li Wei's misfortune.

There wasn't much time left. The month was about to end, and Li Wei didn't have more time to search for iron ore further away. He was the Head of the Family; he couldn't afford major upheavals.

The priority was to get the Blacksmith Shop done quickly and complete this month's main quest.

Even though he knew Penny was causing trouble, he had to grit his teeth and accept it.

Moreover, if the Blacksmith Shop wasn't completed this month, and Penny finished it herself next month, the ownership of the Blacksmith Shop wouldn't entirely belong to the family.

This was very important.

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

What if Penny was telling the truth?

After all, he had also spent a day searching for iron ore before, walking upstream along the creek for more than twenty miles without any results.

From this perspective, Penny's request to use iron products as a substitute for some iron ore was understandable.

"Okay, I believe you."

After thinking it over, Li Wei finally agreed. No matter what the truth was, he had to agree.

"That's great, George! But I need all the ironware in the house. Also, tomorrow you need to help me smash all the ore. This is a very important task!"

Penny cheered happily.

"Oh, my George, are you crazy?"

Phila cried out in disbelief, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"It's up to you. You're grown up and can make your own decisions, but you need to understand that you alone are responsible for the consequences of all your actions."

Phila no longer insisted. Since it was two against one, her opposition would be ineffective.

"Mother, I promise you, this won't be a gamble!" Penny said hurriedly, afraid Li Wei would change his mind. She rushed forward and took away all the iron tools from the house, which meant most of their family's work would come to a standstill tomorrow.

Truly selling the family's ironware.

At this moment, a line of information appeared.

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

Huh?

This information made Li Wei feel a pang of fear, and he even became nervous all at once. The pressure suddenly increased, making him anxious and worried, to the point where he even wanted to go back on his word.

But he eventually steadied himself. Being the Head of the Family was indeed not easy; one couldn't do it without some courage. This was like a gamble now.

If Penny couldn't smelt molten iron, then it would all be over. The family, which was finally on the right track, would face a devastating setback and would have to revert to the Stone Age.

Phila's previous experience was still fresh in his mind.

"Don't wait until tomorrow, let's start tonight!"

Li Wei felt an extreme sense of urgency. On the contrary, Penny looked relaxed, seemingly very confident. Her occasional glances carried a hint of admiration and regret. After all, setting aside their rivalry, Li Wei's courage was commendable; otherwise, her plan would have succeeded.

Now, however, she couldn't play any tricks during the molten iron smelting process.

Next, Li Wei and Penny really got to work in a frenzy, starting overnight.

The former was responsible for the heavy physical labor, smashing the iron ore, while the latter was responsible for smashing the charcoal and spreading it in the already built furnace, and preparing the clay molds made earlier. These were technical tasks that Li Wei didn't understand but was still greatly impressed by.

He felt that Penny must have been a top student in science before, otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to do all this with just a Professional Craftsman card.

It could only be said that even after transmigrating, even in another world, knowledge was still the most important power.

They worked until dawn, smashing all the iron ore. Li Wei was exhausted, tired, and hungry, unable to persist any longer. He went back to sleep, unable to care anymore.

Only Penny was still persisting. She had already started the fire. Whether it would succeed or not depended on this moment.

Li Wei slept soundly until dusk, unable to be woken even by hunger. It wasn't until a few lines of information appeared that he was jolted awake from his sleep.

[With your full support, Professional Craftsman *** has successfully smelted the first batch of molten iron.]

[Professional Craftsman *** has created a simple anvil and a hammer.]

[Professional Craftsman*** has produced a rough Iron Pot]
[Professional Craftsman*** has produced three rough Daggers]
[Professional Craftsman*** has produced a rough Axe]
[The family has obtained five units of Pig Iron Ingots]
[Your family's main quest - Blacksmith Shop is complete]

Wow! Amazing!

Li Wei scrambled to his feet and rushed out of the room. He saw Penny and Phila working together, pouring molten iron into clay molds. Both were sweating profusely, but their faces were alight with excitement.

The Blacksmith Shop was really operational now. Even Phila, who had been strongly against it before, would benefit from this.

This was definitely a milestone event in the family's development.

However, it also meant that Penny's main quest for the Blacksmith Shop was now complete. She would have at least six or seven days of free time afterward.

Only Li Wei still had two units of prey left to complete.

Fortunately, this wasn't a big problem. Regardless, all main quests had been successfully completed during his time as Head of the Family. This was enough to earn significant bonus points in the final evaluation.

For the next two full days, Li Wei didn't go hunting. Instead, he cooperated with Penny, heating the rough tools cast from molten iron until they glowed red, then hammering them fiercely on the anvil.

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

Anyway, this process was also complicated. Li Wei didn't understand it; he only knew how to swing a hammer.