"Clang, clang, clang."
A pleasing series of metallic hammer blows rang out.
Ranni waved a hand in front of her nose. "The smoke stings."
There was fire and smoke. Of course it stung.
Following Shinmen Harunobu, they came upon a large smithy.
The surrounding houses had all been built around it.
It seemed to be the center of the settlement.
The furnace blazed, and thick smoke poured from the chimney.
Inside, several lean, sturdy men in smithing aprons held hammers, pounding away at red-hot iron bars.
The bars bounced on the anvils, scattering sparks.
Every so often, a little old man put on crystal spectacles, inspected the bars, and offered pointers.
The most eye-catching figure in the smithy was a yokai.
His head was covered in shaggy hair, and he had one eye and one leg.
He was tall and powerfully muscled.
He too held a smithing hammer, striking a red-hot iron bar on an anvil over and over.
The smithy was especially large, mainly to accommodate this yokai.
The yokai was called One-legged Tatara. With one eye and one leg, he embodied an ailing blacksmith.
This yokai had been a blacksmith who transformed after death.
When blacksmiths lost an eye or became lame, it was usually an occupational injury.
When they leaned close to inspect the flames and iron bars, sparks could injure their eyes.
Controlling the temperature of the flames was extremely important in forging.
As for their bad legs, swinging a hammer while working iron also required them to exert force through their legs.
Over time, one leg would naturally suffer from strain and stop working properly.
Whether they were injured or developed occupational ailments had to do with the working conditions of blacksmiths in the Land of Reeds.
The god the blacksmiths worshipped had only one