Several days later, at the Udon Quarry.
Deafening blows echoed through the enormous mining pit.
Thousands of bare-chested samurai swung pickaxes, driving them hard into the solid rock.
Large chunks of high-purity seastone ore were dug out and loaded into iron mine carts.
"Move faster!"
"Don't stop!"
Denjiro stood on a raised platform, shouting orders.
"Lord Lorne took our country back for us. Now it's our turn to do our part!"
"Ship this batch of ore to Ringo!"
A samurai captain waved his arm.
"The furnaces can't wait any longer!"
Waves of heat rolled through the Arms Factory in Ringo.
Hundreds of enormous furnaces spewed tongues of flame at once.
Bare-chested craftsmen fed dark gray seastone ore into the raging fires.
"Raise the temperature!"
Hyogoro used a pair of tongs to pull out a piece of glowing red metal.
"Remove every last impurity!"
"Lord Lorne needs weapons of the utmost purity!"
A barrage of hammering rang out, sending sparks flying.
With a cigar clenched between his teeth, Ryan entered the Arms Factory, looking through the dispatch slips in his hands.
"Uncle Hyogoro, is the first batch of Seastone Bullets ready?"
Ryan shouted his question.
"They've been ready for ages!"
Hyogoro kicked aside a stone by his feet and pointed at the mountain of wooden crates piled in the corner.
"A full hundred thousand high-purity Seastone Armor-Piercing Bullets!"
"They're all here!"
Ryan walked over and pried open a wooden crate.
Inside, faintly gleaming bullets lay in neat rows.
"Excellent work!"
"With these beauties, ability users will be nothing but live targets to us!"
Ryan scooped up a handful of bullets and laughed.
"And it's not just bullets!"
Denjiro strode into the Factory, carrying a brand-new tachi.
"We've also forged three thousand blades incorporating seastone, enough to equip the first batch of