Chapter 119: Alloy (2)
ONdmuLThere is something men can never resist.u0BD
q3USomething that seems stupid, yet looks fun.y9Buii
puVFThe pure fun that stimulates one’s instincts.Tjru
sthgMost of the time it ends in something foolish that causes trouble, but you can’t always choose the safe path.hNSFmJ
bG32WAnd if, on top of that, the chances of success seem extremely high.a422Ss
w4qHAnd even if you fail, you have so many opportunities that you can simply laugh it off.inhaP
zC8bMttThen a human excavator incapable of fearing failure is born.1ZfS
2JhVALSomething fun and also guaranteed to perform.5s0inS
2lbY7An action capable of providing both romance and practical benefits.z0LKMq
8onIt was impossible to resist.ypqU4
oNsfxDwarfPassingBy was the type who pursued romance.v9yBPE
CcwDLI was the type who pursued practicality.GIo3avU
RZzSnOrIt was an excellent combination.0TqY7l6
EA7N[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll give you specialized bricks that can withstand high temperatures, so build the furnace with those. You’ll have to provide the clay yourself.]H1zw
Fz99Y[WildGrills: Ok. Do I need anything else?]SA2
ozXNyXy[WildGrills: Some kind of container to hold the molten metal or something?]iMgw0
21dDv[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll give you that too. But be careful, it weighs a ridiculous amount. Even professionals often make mistakes when pouring molten metal.]O3v
NG58l5[WildGrills: And how do I install the bellows?]CKZOMaq
TANrfMZ[DwarfPassingBy: Since you’re only going to melt it, just make an opening on one side. That said, make it somewhat long.]4rqVZh0
3y7fLittle by little, I obtained materials and instructions for building a simple furnace from the dwarf.Z0Cgq7t
M09B2vsAlthough he provided most of the materials, the installation was my responsibility.JKWK
yXcFIn fact, building it was much easier than making the cooking oven.7aTll5
NGip2jI wasn’t going to refine anything.114C08
xcUllvI only needed to melt the minerals.JAvg0
shnEI stacked the bricks provided by the dwarf into a rectangle and covered the outside with plenty of clay.Yqk
4stZCuNI also made sure not to forget an opening for the bellows.REOBhUr
nPMThe dimensions were roughly fifty centimeters wide and fifty centimeters long.1so4XZD
OfBojThe height barely reached above my knees.fItbDk
ffvhAfxThat said, the top had to gradually narrow.GDgOQ
2r3ENThe reason was obvious.IH3vvT
kh7nSt6To retain as much heat as possible.UWmuHS
7t5Lastly, there was the container in which I would melt the mithril and orichalcum, as well as the tongs for transporting it.Y8zr
5lscHI thought that was everything.zBV
kEZIAyBut the dwarf still had one more thing.hlR
kRo[WildGrills: What’s this blue powder? It’s not drugs, is it?]bjodX
oxg[DwarfPassingBy: Snort it through your nose. It’ll take you to heaven.]auI
7U2P[WildGrills: Sorry. ;; Do I put it into the molten metal?]z0NihT4
eR04cH[DwarfPassingBy: Yes. Since this is the first time I’ve tried an alloy of mithril and orichalcum, just in case. If you add that powder, they’ll mix better. And if impurities rise to the surface, remove them.]8RM
qIjyAccording to the dwarf, the powder was magic stone ground into an extremely fine powder.inJ
vVLB4It helped during the alloying process.HetgBs
2ywD0It was an advantage for me, so I gladly accepted it.TQMYyo
Jxxo1S‘He even gave me a mold.’YKxpbwM
s3EAnd not just any mold.v624t
zBqwmsIt even came with a lid.ZGJcI
wP2UaIt looked like the molten metal would have to be poured through a hole located in the center of the lid.OJ9J49
bmnAsCreeeak—amU7t
HkRDtUGI carefully opened it.uvloV
zATLInside was the shape of a longsword carved into it as a mold.s7I5T
L0NTSince it was a tool made by a dwarf, there was no danger of it melting from the molten metal.I8pzWY
rhdQ8I closed it again while listening to the dwarf’s warnings.XJ1
6Xe[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll repeat it. If you spill molten metal, run as far away as you can. That’s the best option.]eT0
g2qL[WildGrills: Because it can splash everywhere?]RQ65gK
vpoW[DwarfPassingBy: That too. But mainly because even I don’t know what might happen.]NhYdfB0
UKFZABesides that, he said that molten metal could splash like hot oil, so protective gear was mandatory.QhzOdTV
uhsdwI even considered wearing a helmet.e77o
R8mVPgBut it would reduce my vision too much.GixNPA
FYWxCYSo I discarded the idea.Mknx
QVcInstead, I asked the dwarf for protective goggles.Qnm
0JIdWuFThey were spares.4X2vFiQ
vnuwEIt might seem like I was receiving too many things.DvOW
IrCf5l4But there was no problem.MsZjJ
ssToeVIf the dwarf wanted, I was willing to make more alloys in the future.yha3en
XURQUAnd I would soon be giving him a crab.xhCG2y
KUCK[DwarfPassingBy: I’ll tell you one more time. Be extremely careful with the molten metal. I’m being completely serious.]QK45QgC
nmcw[WildGrills: Ok, ok. Got it.]XFepv
lnzYWA[DwarfPassingBy: If you get injured, I won’t be able to touch the mithril-orichalcum alloy.]HfL
v2fP[WildGrills: Idiot. Hahaha.]Wiq5
QXICrQBI couldn’t tell whether he was serious or joking.Plux
TGRWith dwarves, it was hard to know.BRllAS
1MlIn any case, the preparations were finished.JcIFP
1eXNow all that remained was to do it.CxA98U
9bzr‘He said an eight-to-two ratio was ideal, right?’ngU
4QyBIIt was a ratio recommended by the dwarf himself.Nlrfp
zhSSFC5Naturally, there was far more mithril.kv3
1wbne6Orichalcum had a great affinity with mana, but it lacked the durability of mithril.qpg4x
1MNGRustle—PTmQNae
uezI poured roughly half of the charcoal I had accumulated into the furnace.UqyRw
mtpvuIt hurt my soul to use it.7DAV
cw8bRBut if it was for the sword, I could accept it.68V
Vmq‘I’ll also have to build a dedicated charcoal kiln.’whFLOJC
esCV4tCAs soon as you build one thing, you need another.sZ7uF86
v56gBfBesides, charcoal was an incredibly versatile material.l1AL1h
K5mHHIt was useful for practically everything.Pvt
gpngI looked at the charcoal inside the furnace.ifEQok
kvDBPjOnce I judged it was enough, I moved on to the next step.Vmoo3n
geL‘Just as the dwarf said, this thing weighs a ton.’SdF
HZXfnaThe heat-resistant container was thick and had a large diameter.SKmWyS
4PtWjIt was heavy enough on its own.LnQuJPY
FCDfAnd since I had to hold it with tongs for safety, it felt even heavier.oXfB
BTDXHhI placed it inside the furnace, hoping the minerals would begin to melt.Uq4a
qyfV‘Now all that’s left is to light the fire…’eJi
Km7Fwoosh!fF5VYHV
zxIFij6I threw a burning branch onto the pile of charcoal.2SIXSNi
rLXaSoon afterward, the charcoal began glowing red as the heat gradually increased.BbKmstr
30Ev“Ah. Wait a second.”4kG1k
v7GB8DCome to think of it, it would’ve made more sense to light the fire first and add the charcoal afterward.rRnXHC
kYNXcubI had reversed the order.fYio
tI6I scolded myself for my own stupidity.NdpN9
9wUBut there was nothing I could do now.lrLp
r0KThe fire was already lit.u1qXZS
bcy1FfAs the charcoal gradually heated up, I checked to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything.kSBc2TU
q2gGkx“Sloth. Take Wonmo far away from here.”HqC3cc
2HMg“……”Ujx
jB9o“Kyuu?”r8R3W
Z3FJust in case, I asked Sloth to leave together with Wonmo.HSfgu
KVocLRhNow was the time to focus.toE
o41cjWhen the furnace began heating up, I grabbed the bellows with both hands.qIB
1L8O2LVEveryone knows that fire burns more intensely when supplied with oxygen.YAus
nBYguFsssshhhh—KuJL
vbI3I slowly opened the bellows to fill it with air.Um02q
ZhjWhoooosh!eU2b
yO4fQThen I sent that air directly into the furnace.ozN
KuJDFwoooosh!!CES4l
adcjsmThe flames became far more violent than before.1tXuJnW
0431TEmI could tell just from the sound.Z4BO5E1
ydOHo0I worked the bellows continuously to raise the charcoal’s temperature even further.OY0lEl
dbt8wqWhooom! Whoooom!abB1SLY
e1teSI9The more air I pumped in, the wilder the flames became.isYSMBH
reKvtBut it still wasn’t enough.f9sBEqU
OqMII didn’t stop working the bellows until the flames began taking on a whitish hue.LlG
buUkuRI also added more charcoal from time to time to increase the intensity.u5z
uY0uSince it was my first time, I couldn’t help feeling somewhat anxious.y4r
loDsMSFwoooooosh!2EKx
TMTv9As time passed, all the charcoal eventually burned away and produced a fierce fire.lNjo
vrkucThe color constantly fluctuated between yellow and white.7DL
WidThat should be enough.BF2
lTgNsI set down the bellows and wiped away my sweat.tG7Cit
1c1SEven from a distance, I could feel a terrifying amount of heat.zNAFW
yf8u4KJust getting close was uncomfortable.4T09uoA
j1pU96But I had to check on the state of the minerals.X4D
s7W8iFwoooooosh!!U0ZsbQz
LHSnS“Ugh…”eaHr
mm5hdpI frowned.ORWT
5MDA9LNJust approaching a little made my face feel like it was burning.Q5WpON3
jg1D0eEven so, I had to make sure everything was going well.t5x0
e5dSo I endured the heat and looked inside.XhvX5i
xRt‘The container is still intact, but it looks like the volume has decreased?’xci
669Q6l2The size had visibly shrunk.yM0y
4PqTThe changes were especially noticeable in the orichalcum.iytvJx
Xb8GNtEven the mithril seemed to be sweating.ujm9z
9atjFYSA liquid was slowly running across its surface.lP2t
hVtfpRWThe minerals were melting.cHgfdVC
vN1eAt last, I was seeing results after all that effort.6QOahMS
sGmzOaE‘I’ll add more charcoal and keep using the bellows.’kIK
agNUzI had already confirmed that the minerals were melting.ws9Ell4
wd2QNow all that remained was maintaining the fire.77VuLNC
KnnUMI worked the bellows with all my strength before slowly stepping back.9CR
1ogcIn truth, I hadn’t worked that hard.0e6Wx
MsIphaCBut the heat was so intense that sweat poured down like rain.br3N
MU3N‘And this dwarf did this every day?’4ebiJ
cX8And mine was only a makeshift furnace.KDR45L
gApC4AThe dwarf worked under much harsher conditions.KbMoZ
tjTThere truly is no easy profession.AZPX
qqdEspecially not those related to the foundations of civilization.EHoi
C3o4wThere have always been people enduring that suffering in place of others.CkMi50q
JajIzAAnd I had lived my life without truly appreciating that effort.vE05j
6xkl‘I should add the powder too.’Tl78
qX6cKcFollowing the dwarf’s instructions, I added the blue powder.O5G56
qcFVkjThe minerals were already about halfway melted and beginning to lose their shape.wHoz
RLveFI stirred them with the tongs to help them melt more evenly.RttVFr
dnnMDfhThen I sent a message to the dwarf.OReRAl
jLg(Video of the minerals melting)ykRu9ei
QbnqPR[WildGrills: Everything is melting.]PCwXDO
oeLd6u[WildGrills: I’m sweating like crazy ;;]EBeQRop
MBJz[DwarfPassingBy: Hard, isn’t it?]rc5Wqi
ToB4[WildGrills: How the hell did you do this every day?]uk5vA
XRzBuI[DwarfPassingBy: You get used to it. Professionals can even drink molten metal. Haha.]5UuZiMF
eSKa4dn[WildGrills: Want to drink some?]8k0e
uQjnyLG[DwarfPassingBy: I prefer alcohol.]POPbW
im4wSGThat’s what I thought.uyDbcrT
CjlnTI let out a small laugh.slDv
CAH4vSince even the mithril was melting, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to keep him updated in real time.sWUdEHJ
MPFITnR[DwarfPassingBy: Ah, right. You also have to quench it. I almost forgot.]XaU
GzoB[WildGrills: Quench it? I’ve heard of that, but is it really necessary?]EE6eg
2Pe5a[DwarfPassingBy: It’s a weapon, so of course it is. I’ll give you oil, so get a suitable metal container and pour it in there.]MoX7G
qhf[WildGrills: Why oil instead of water?]Ekfw
Qqgy[DwarfPassingBy: Because if you use water and something goes wrong, it could crack. It’s better to use oil.]fyrF
giThj[WildGrills: Ok.]Xbvq
lXPo[DwarfPassingBy: If it catches fire, that’s completely normal, so don’t panic.]ViXn
daVSLvAs expected of a professional.qQWwhi
mP3He even explained details that specific.Lq4iSo
I8wNVThough receiving advice was one thing.9rRg
hCJ8qActually doing all the work myself was another matter entirely.TTIv
iRQofI prepared the oil for quenching and watched the furnace.PggyW
OrF8Bubble bubble bubble—VXC
h8BSymuThe mithril and orichalcum had completely melted and were slowly beginning to boil.4O1hnJQ
CNnA few impurities floated on the surface.DspXpE
MUcFFI immediately removed them.BrG
DELnTcHow did I remove them?TFQPK
nvt5zI used another tool the dwarf had given me.VnpbF
nTPi3Perhaps thanks to the blue powder, the impurities separated easily, and the molten metal eventually became completely pure.AAQxN
xny4O‘Now I just have to pour it into the mold.’TYjAa
Nb4AMBThe most important moment had arrived.IxUe5
2yV8ZyI swallowed nervously as I gripped the container with the tongs.CdrmMn
J0hlIt had already been heavy when it was empty.NjfW
tDqxNow that it contained molten metal, it was much worse.seUyJz
U64038Just in case, I circulated mana through my body while slowly carrying it to the mold.dftH
NjJI8oFinally, I carefully tilted the container over the small hole located at the center of the mold.kODfZO
wEznEXDrip drip drip drip—m0Vo
a4AMXwI had to stop exactly when the molten metal reached the edge of the hole.e3Xq
conThat was what the dwarf had taught me.TTi
LzaBut I couldn’t stop halfway through.NHNBo
qBRrcsMolten metal cooled very quickly.41nro
Wo6bfiI focused all my attention on the hole.UruC
6DJoI could feel tension building in my forearms.aDRjH
MSWjiJEven so, I endured.rBO
JMF8ZDrip drip— Splash!O3w
Nm5xgtWNow.KBk
Y8NtThe moment the hole could no longer hold any more molten metal, I stopped.bQG1BfQ
95y46There was still some left inside the container.Kvl
m6ABut it didn’t matter.yBOQeh
R7ps0I had more than enough materials.c09Gp
ZguCI set the container aside and slightly lifted the mold.Pys
pbYnC6YThen the molten metal that had completely filled the hole spilled outward.Xnsy
aVfHIt was a mandatory step.IUzW7u
v8ZozThe hole must never be completely blocked by metal.tr8x
GGXC“Haa…”fPxhpH
nj9jI let out a deep breath.A3rGFPY
Q5W7My first attempt had gone quite well.IhnJd
Y17DfzNow all that remained was waiting for the metal to harden.81EQE
e0MR75N(Video of the mold filled with molten metal)3UYIpMn
huvnJY[WildGrills: It’s almost finished.]Uqtb3m8
0nAPXAu[DwarfPassingBy: Haaak… haaak…]HYHSj
2cqU3M[WildGrills: …]d2Emu
lij6He must have been so excited that he couldn’t even speak like a normal person.oxyfGKA
cYJDI smiled while waiting for the metal to solidify.oOq
XfsY1xgFrom what I had heard, it normally took between ten and fifteen minutes.VCE1xk
nTX0mCUntil then, I could take care of the cleanup.Tqs
Ew0COThe furnace came first.kDJdX
WFyNAZ‘No choice but to wait until the charcoal burns out completely.’lAS
kHXbYMost of the charcoal was no longer black.qHtIgl
fvLgIt had turned gray.LjW
6pblEven if I did nothing, it would eventually go out on its own.jFXl
R4w‘For all my bad luck, I’ve actually been pretty lucky.’tt4
Zkbs4bAs I wiped the sweat running down my body, I thought about it.H5xlGwf
BN1MIf those minerals hadn’t been solid blocks, I would have suffered much more.n8x
hrtKn7YAnd I would still have to make a dagger and a spare sword later on.GknfgRP
SJAIt looked like I still had quite a bit of work ahead of me.a6Vsg
9xoqxC‘Has enough time passed already?’y2zu
hyZ6keUAfter a while, I slowly opened the lid of the mold.nNny
aNzSpAnd there, a perfectly formed sword appeared.LVc
BV1G03An alloy of green mithril and black-violet orichalcum.e2pAO
Aws‘It has a duller color than I expected.’fHAY
wZhIt wasn’t particularly beautiful.rNQ
P8rTm4Just dull.lpkZ5
rW2ZckvIt wasn’t green.2HiJ
PaMTKdcNor was it black-violet.Q9xaEt8
fCFKeIt was ordinary silver.4pTF
s6RRLAnd a rather dark silver at that.61VZ
oQKmI felt a little disappointed.EeA
WGEawoeBut as long as the performance was good, it didn’t matter.iDv31F4
IZIInstinctively, I reached out to grab it.iD7
j45UThen immediately stopped myself.xHrpA
RvnYGef‘That was close.’Pud
HUjHmI had assumed it had already cooled.RKHcY
UJkIzBut when I brought my hand near it, it was still radiating heat.K1DZlq
9rxrk8jSo I used the tongs the dwarf had given me to tap it several times, confirming that it had hardened before carefully lifting it.I8W00TQ
i07fNow all that remained was to slowly place it into the container filled with oil for quenching.yKL2O
iIUFaSsssss!Nph
ikOftVFwoosh!AJp
feYeJust as the dwarf had said, the moment I submerged it in the oil, the oil burst into flames.G9tW
FQzBut he had also assured me that it was normal.mO5SQFf
7DMSo I continued the quenching process without worrying.RXt3
ETfSMVAfter repeating it several times, the oil stopped catching fire.uqg5
aO8AwAnd with that, my first sword was complete.dy1yzl
fmioS“Huu…”YlBMm
VZvNQI looked at the sword as smoke continued rising from it.sqKO
1EfeSeeing the final result filled me with immense satisfaction.eiB1WP
HX8QRIt was a tool made with my own hands.nzt
gmNnIf it had been up to me, I would have even sharpened the blade myself.efwc0r
iH7SYehBut that part had to be left to the dwarf.1QU
gx0XHe had insisted that sharpening the blade alone was enough for him and that he wanted to hold it in his own hands at least once.D1ILR
bXvncAn(Photo of the finished sword)u5Tb
TsoIt’s finished.KwTcAs
hA9jIt’s cooled down now.GxI4UDy
djbocj[WildGrills: Should I send it to you right away?]bIkWb
7737G1[DwarfPassingBy: Please… Let me at least sharpen the blade…]IhB7
dvTk[WildGrills: Y-yes…]pxBKxr
fI3XHe sounded so desperate that I couldn’t even bring myself to joke.5nemdX
tzpbFKII handed the longsword over to the dwarf.CpyS
mlklI‘I sweated a lot, but it actually wasn’t that difficult.’kAF
cVFqiI drank some water and checked the time.SO3AA
xk9juZThere was still quite a bit of free time left.wGz
C77quUxI could use it to take care of other things.vUl0
8QA‘Wonmo… is asleep.’PLAL0
KAWAt that moment, Wonmo was taking a nap.GOxOY
idJIt seemed like a good opportunity to go catch the crab I had promised the dwarf.gdft
Pof6Before leaving, I hung the CCTV sphere DemonPrincess had given me above the cave entrance.Gn0g
MJY0How did I hang it?spN1vr
OFHFp9RLiterally like a block of meju drying in the air.fwKq
f3Q3g3That said, I made sure it wouldn’t swing around.3F1i
NJzNrf“Sloth. I’m heading out for a bit.”S2D2Y4Y
zgTLi1y“……”0Zw5mQV
Ulp4KSaying goodbye to Sloth as well, I left the shelter.ND41AV
660***h7gnw4
GlsrYR4At that same time, in another place, Gares had received Grills’ sword.eMf1N
FSm“Haaa…!”cKxz4z
UvQnlHe exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the sword.iS3PB8
0FDJAn unsharpened blade.UEPq9FR
ERuq2An unfinished hilt.pKW
ym3E5ZMEven so, that sword rested firmly in his hands.K0Xe7U
a6kXHowever, something had changed.OIp
qrn4bWhen Grills forged it, its color had been dull and dark.TQxWl
eT21Shaaaaaaa—bON
0XuBut the sword Gares now held was completely different.sac
yZ74A brilliant green sword shone before his eyes.Omaq
gekqSAcross its green surface sparkled tiny black-violet specks of light like stars.MQNm
ca51It looked as though an entire galaxy had been sealed within a luminous green sword.CNEF
qD9IVa“It’s fucking awesome.”oGV1C
3tdOGares muttered, utterly captivated.CwpN
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