Old Li's Smithy.
The moment Lu Mingyuan stepped into the smithy, he sensed something was off.
The smithy no longer rang with the usual clanging of hammer on metal.
Could it really be just like that Yuan Shaosong said? Not only shops selling tools, but even smithies that make them are on the brink of closing down?
With a heavy heart, Lu Mingyuan walked into the courtyard.
Just then, a burst of somewhat noisy voices reached him. But perhaps they were too far away, because he couldn't make out what was being said.
Still, following the sound, he figured out where everyone from the smithy had gone.
Before long, Lu Mingyuan found them in the main hall at the back of the courtyard.
But at the entrance, he spotted Li Tiezhu pacing back and forth.
The moment Li Tiezhu saw him, he hurried over. On the way, he shushed him, signaling for him not to speak, then pulled him into a room nearby.
Once they were inside, Li Tiezhu carefully shut the door.
Lu Mingyuan had no idea what to make of all this.
"Brother Tiezhu, what's going on? Why all the secrecy?"
Li Tiezhu lowered his voice. "Mingyuan, that divine ability of yours for farming tools..."
After Li Tiezhu explained, Lu Mingyuan finally understood what was going on.
It was still about his [Complete Collection of Farming Tools]. Although the Agricultural School had only been promoting it for the morning, plenty of people had already seen the potential of this divine ability. Some of the city's artisan shops were planning to band together and create a similar divine ability. Afterward, they intended to discuss how it might affect their businesses.
The visitor in the hall had come to invite Li Tiezhu's father, Li Fuhong, to attend the Craftsmen's Association