Newcomer Lyon

"I'm planning to smelt a batch of molten iron in the next few days, George. Could you help me for two days? After that, when you reinforce the wall, I'll help you."

Penny suddenly spoke. Her voice was hoarse, and she looked like a gaunt, dark-skinned old woman, even older than Phila.

For more than twenty days, she'd been leaving early and returning late to mine iron ore. She also carried the ore back herself—one hundred pounds a day, over several miles of mountain trails. It was hard to imagine that this was the same Little Steel Cannon Penny, who had been so full of life and energy just last month.

But she should have gotten a Two-star Miner Card by now, right?

"Sure!"

Li Wei nodded. Penny was a worthwhile craftsman to trade with. His Hunting Bow was nearly worn out, and he needed her to make him another one—or better yet, a Recurve Bow or something.

A partnership like this was definitely worthwhile.

After that, nobody said much. They ate dinner in silence, then turned in early. As usual, Li Wei and Lyon took their Wood Spears and made a round of the camp. Afterward, Li Wei planned to whittle arrow shafts and practice archery.

Normally, Lyon would have gone back to his room to rest by this time. He'd had a hard time of it these past few days, too. Phila worked him like a pack animal, and whatever small measure of virtue and pride he'd once had had long since vanished. He'd squeeze into his room, grit his teeth, fart, talk in his sleep, and sleep more soundly than a pig.

But today, Lyon sat down by the campfire and watched Li Wei whittle arrow shafts. After a long while, he finally spoke. "George, Penny's been exhausted these past few days. I heard she's going to expand the house next. Starting tomorrow, I'd like to help out, just like you. And after the house is expanded, I can help you reinforce the wall, too."

Huh?

That was a pretty clever thing to say.

No, it was more that Lyon had finally found the blind spot. He'd probably figured out by now that they were all players, each with their own profession. But he'd never encountered a Plot Kill, never been involved in a monthly Family Main Quest, and had never earned any Family Contribution Points. He must have had some questions about how the game worked.

But he seemed like a smart guy. He'd had plenty of time to observe everyone and gather and analyze all kinds of information.

Was he going to probe further now?

"Sure, that's fine. To be honest, I feel sorry for Penny, too. She's our own sister, after all. A few months ago, after her fiancé, Sam, was eaten by a wolf pack, she couldn't move on from her grief. She had to bury it all inside. It's only been a few months, and look at what it's done to her."

"Lyon, I'm glad you noticed. I don't need you to help me reinforce the wall. Just help her."

Li Wei spoke earnestly.

What he'd said was true. As for what Penny thought, that was none of his business.

Everyone should push themselves harder.

Besides, he wanted to use this chance to figure out what Lyon's first profession was.

Never underestimate a newcomer.

That was something experience had taught him.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Lyon announced that he was going to help Penny with the ironwork and the house expansion. The flash of anger on Phila's face was crystal clear in the sunlight.

But she said nothing. There was nothing she could say. With Lyon's help, her monthly Family Main Quest was basically complete. No matter how you looked at it, she had no reason to keep Lyon from leaving. And her daughter Penny was practically being worked to death, even if, in theory, Penny was gaining a lot from it, too.

Li Wei, Penny, and Mixi said nothing, silently accepting Lyon's choice. His decision was rather subtle. From a plot perspective, it made perfect sense, but from a player's perspective, they couldn't help wondering if Lyon's first profession might be craftsman.

For now, they'd just have to keep watching.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Under the sunlight, Li Wei swung his hammer, smashing the iron ore into smaller chunks. After landing over a hundred blows in one go, he handed the hammer to Lyon. It was grueling work; without enough strength, you simply couldn't break the ore.

This was one step in smelting molten iron.

Like with making charcoal earlier, they were lucky to have plenty of charcoal left over, so they didn't have to go through that trouble again.

Penny was setting up the furnace. She needed to layer the crushed iron ore with charcoal. It was technical work, and she needed the bonus from her Two-star Craftsman Card.

Li Wei wasn't in a related profession, so he couldn't learn anything from it—and he wasn't planning to secretly copy her technique, either. He already had two professions. The right thing to do was master what he already knew until he could do it perfectly.

Of course, he occasionally watched Lyon, too: the way he swung the hammer, the force he put into it, the rhythm of his breathing. Comparing it with himself gave Li Wei a rough idea of Lyon's stats.

Overall, Lyon's strength was probably about the same as his own, around ten points. He hadn't started out with cancer, after all. But his form was poor, and his technique was two or three levels below Li Wei's. The coordination and balance Li Wei had built up through months of hard labor were beyond what a newcomer like Lyon could match.

Still, Lyon was clearly trying hard to learn.

There was also the fact that his stamina was obviously lacking.

Li Wei could swing the sledgehammer over a hundred times in one go. Lyon had swung it only a little over thirty times before he was drenched in sweat, his hands trembling, and he could barely stay on his feet.

And after a short rest, Li Wei could get right back to it and swing the hammer over a hundred more times. Lyon still hadn't recovered.

At first, he'd tried to keep up with Li Wei's pace, but after a few rounds, he could only lie on the ground, panting. Sweat covered his forehead, and he was completely spent.

That was why stamina was such an important attribute.

But smashing iron ore really was grueling. Before noon, Li Wei was so exhausted he nearly foamed at the mouth, his hands and feet cramping. He slumped to the ground, unwilling to move.

As for Lyon, he'd thrown in the towel three hours earlier. He was even worse than Penny.

Because Penny had taken the hammer and started smashing the ore in silence. They had to light the furnace today, so they had to crush enough ore to fill it.

There was no way Penny could manage it by herself.

After lunch and another two hours of rest, Li Wei had recovered most of his strength. He picked up the hammer and continued smashing the ore. Beside him was Lyon, looking completely defeated. After resting for four or five hours, the guy had finally forced himself to come back and keep swinging.

But whether he was there or not didn't matter much anymore. They were just about done gathering the iron ore they needed.

As evening approached, Penny sealed the furnace and lit it, then used the simple bellows she'd made to blow air into it. From this point on, the process had little to do with Li Wei. He didn't even want to interfere with what Penny planned to do with the molten iron once it was ready. It was obvious she was planning something big.

Phila and Mixi came over to help, too. They all had their own reasons for pitching in—even Lyon did.

"This batch of molten iron will be used to make nails and a saw first. We need those to expand the house. If there are any iron ingots left over, we'll forge them as the situation allows."

Penny announced this expressionlessly. Twenty-two days of the month had already passed, and she didn't have much time left. There was no helping it; she'd spent too long working toward her Two-star Miner Card.

But as long as she completed the monthly Main Quest, there was a good chance she'd remain head of the household next month, too. Her Family Contribution Points gave her an overwhelming advantage.

She was far ahead of the runner-up, Phila.