Chapter 60 - 56: Level 1 Iron Mine

Qin Ziwen nodded. "Don’t call me ’My Lord’ from now on. Just call me Brother Qin."

Li Tieshan’s voice boomed, "Yes, My Lord!"

Qin Ziwen shot him a look. Li Tieshan’s voice softened a few notches. "Yes, Brother Qin!"

’As for calling the lord ’brother,’ that was something Li Tieshan would never dare to do. How could he possibly call his lord ’brother’?’

Qin Ziwen asked, "Can you forge weapons and Armor?"

’Compared to other tools, weapons and defensive gear are a higher priority right now.’

Li Tieshan looked ashamed. "Brother Qin, I can forge things like sabers, spears, swords, and hammers. But I don’t know how to make overly complex or obscure weapons. As for Armor, I’ve never made it before, but I could give it a try if I had blueprints."

Qin Ziwen nodded in understanding and praised him, "Don’t worry about it. That’s already very impressive."

Hearing this, Li Tieshan chuckled and scratched his head, a simple, honest smile spreading across his face. It was just that, combined with his features, the smile looked rather ferocious.

"Come with me," Qin Ziwen said, leading Li Tieshan to the Level 1 Blacksmith Shop. "Go take a look. Are all the tools inside?"

Li Tieshan stepped inside and looked around the room. He then glanced down at the furnace and bellows, giving the latter a test pull.

A look of delight appeared on his face. He turned, cupped his fists, and said, "Reporting to Brother Qin! The tools here are a bit crude, but all the vital pieces are here—it has all the essentials. I can even forge any other tools I might need myself. The only things missing now are firewood and iron ore."

Hearing him say "Reporting to Brother Qin," Qin Ziwu almost lost his composure.

He turned away, clamping a hand over his mouth to forcefully stifle his laughter.

Qin Ziwen cleared his throat. "You don’t need to say ’reporting.’ Just call me Brother Qin. And when we’re outside, talk to me like a normal person... actually, forget it. When we’re outside, say as little as possible. If you don’t have to talk, don’t. Just watch my eyes for cues."

Li Tieshan replied, "Understood!"

Qin Ziwen pointed at Li Tieshan’s long hair, which was tied back simply with a cord. "We’ll get the things we need later. The priority right now is to change your look. That long hair has to be shaved off."

"Understood!"

They didn’t have a razor at home, but they did have scissors. After a good while of work, they finally managed to shear off Li Tieshan’s long hair, leaving him with a patchy, uneven buzz cut.

Combined with his brawny physique and the scars on his arms and face from flying sparks, he looked utterly menacing. One glance and you’d think he was a bad guy.

After cleaning up the fallen hair, Qin Ziwen led Li Tieshan to the guest room. "You can sleep in this room for tonight."

Li Tieshan had never seen a modern comforter or bedsheets before.

With a trembling hand, he carefully stroked the duvet cover. Its softness was incredible, almost like silk.

He swallowed hard. Li Tieshan turned, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply. "Thank you, My Lord!"

"All right, let’s eat first."

Qin Ziwen went to make dinner. He used the rice from their last distribution to cook a large pot of congee, which he served with smoked crocodile meat and a soup made with wild rice shoots and loaches.

Li Tieshan ate with gusto, proclaiming how good his lord’s cooking was thirty-two times over the course of the meal.

’This isn’t a Blacksmith we’ve recruited,’ Qin Ziwu thought, ’it’s a sycophant.’

After lunch, Qin Ziwen took the two of them out.

"Brother Qin!" a voice called out from the side.

Following the sound, they saw Li Yue approaching, leaning on a crutch.

Qin Ziwen glanced at his leg. "How’s it doing?"

Li Yue said, "Thanks for asking, Brother Qin. It’s much better. The wound has already scabbed over. I went to Renxin Hall yesterday to get it treated."

His gaze fell on Li Tieshan, who was standing behind Qin Ziwen, and he paused for a moment.

Because Qin Ziwen had warned him not to speak carelessly outside, Li Tieshan kept his lips sealed shut, his jaw muscles taut. With his patchy buzz cut and a t-shirt stretched tight over his bulging frame, you could say he was fresh out of prison and people would believe you.

Averting his eyes, Li Yue asked, "Brother Qin, are you guys recruiting?"

"Mhm, we just got a new member."

A flicker of hope appeared in Li Yue’s eyes. "Can I join you, then?"

"Our team only recruits people who are the right fit. You just graduated, right? What did you major in?"

Li Yue answered, "I was in the Materials Engineering program at Shenyang Nanhua Vocational Technical School."

Qin Ziwen fell into thought.

Li Yue quickly added, "It’s a nickname for Northeast University. I studied metallic materials, focusing on metal processing."

Qin Ziwen was surprised. "That’s what you studied?"

Li Yue nodded. "Yeah, I’m pretty interested in ancient weaponry. I figured that with this major, I could learn to make weapons and Armor. But after I enrolled, I found out it was a bit different from what I had imagined."

Qin Ziwen glanced at the hand Li Yue was using to grip his crutch. "How long will your leg take to heal? What did the doctor say?"

Li Yue said, "I’ve been taking antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. I should be able to move around freely in two weeks, tops."

When Qin Ziwen didn’t respond, Li Yue gritted his teeth. "One week. I can be ready to head out with the team in one week."

Qin Ziwen said, "Don’t."

Hearing this, the light in Li Yue’s eyes dimmed.

Qin Ziwen looked at him. "Just focus on recovering for now. You can come out with me in two weeks. That materials..."

"Materials Engineering!"

Qin Ziwen grunted in agreement. "Right. First, I want you to write down everything you know, so you don’t forget it over time. Especially about steel—how to turn iron into steel using ancient methods. Spend some time thinking about that. Don’t worry about food for the next few days; you’ll have rations. Just stay home and focus on writing. But I expect to see results. Can you do that?"

Li Yue’s face flushed red as he nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

"Good. I’m counting on you. Don’t disappoint me."

Qin Ziwen watched Li Yue’s motivated figure limp away on his crutch, then retracted his gaze.

He knew that "steel" was a broad category, and there was a difference between good steel and bad steel.

If they really possessed the technology to reliably forge iron into high-quality steel, the value of the equipment Li Tieshan crafted would increase exponentially. Therefore, Li Yue had value.

’More and more groups were forming within the Gated Community these days. Going it alone is a sure way to lose out, but I’m not comfortable joining someone else’s crew.’

So, he planned to build his own team, with his brother and recruited members at the core, and a periphery of valuable neighbors.

He would use this team as cover, buying himself time to grow stronger.

After strolling around the Gated Community for a while, they returned home in the afternoon.

Qin Ziwen closed his bedroom door.

With a flick of his wrist, two Cards with silver faces and black borders appeared at his fingertips.

One was the Level 1 Coal Mine Card he had received from the dawn settlement, and the other was the Level 1 Iron Ore Card he had acquired at the altar.

With the Blacksmith and the Blacksmith Shop,

The puzzle was now complete.

Everything was ready. All he needed was the east wind.

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