After returning home, Moses' daily life resumed as usual.
Simple and unadorned.
Yet profoundly fulfilling.
His morning routine always began with a jog.
After warming up properly, he'd return home to wash up and have breakfast.
Then it was straight to studying.
After lunch,
He'd either go hunting, taking Bear Cub out for some fresh meat.
Or accompany Kureha on medical visits, or handle other tasks.
In the blink of an eye,
By May 1504 on the Sea Calendar, Moses had entered a new age.
One morning at dawn.
[Merit Points +1]
Merit Points: [1615]
"My merit points have surpassed a thousand."
Closing the status panel, Moses gazed at the small town before him.
"Ost Town"
A steelworking town on Drum Island.
This nation's primary smelting settlement.
From weapons for the royal army to kitchenware for households across the country, everything was produced here.
"Good Again Blacksmith Shop"
Located at the northeast corner of town.
A two-story stone and brick building.
The shop's door stood slightly ajar.
Upon arrival, waves of heat brushed against his face.
The rhythmic clanging of hammer on metal could be heard from blocks away.
Thick coal smoke billowed from the rooftop chimney.
Pushing the door open, Moses entered.
Inside, a bare-chested, bearded burly man swung his hammer vigorously against a glowing red metal ingot on an anvil.
With each strike, the rough shape of a kitchen knife emerged.
The shop owner was skilled, but stubborn—only accepting orders for farming tools and kitchenware.
Absolutely no military weapons.
Thus, despite his craftsmanship, his shop remained in the town's outskirts.
The burly man glanced at Moses and said flatly, "Your blades are on the dining table. Take them yourself and leave the final payment there."
"And keep your eyes to yourself. My forging skills aren't for outsiders."
Moses squinted at him. "Uncle Ott, which eye saw me stealing techniques? I haven't even touched your hammer."
"Besides, you're a lifelong bachelor without even a wife, let alone a son. Who would you pass them to anyway?"
Ott's eye twitched as he smirked. "So you want to be my son?"
He gave Moses a once-over and chuckled. "Not bad—you've got fair, delicate features. Call me 'Dad' sincerely, and I might just teach you."
Now it was Moses' turn for his eye to twitch.
Their banter skills were truly evenly matched.
No wonder Kureha had recommended him a month ago.
Moses walked to the heavily scarred table, examining five surgical scalpels and one flat watermelon knife placed there.
The scalpels were single-piece cast.
Resembling miniature naginatas, palm-sized.
With silver-white handles and blades.
Exquisitely crafted.
Picking one up, Moses tested its edge against the table—leaving a clean groove with minimal effort.
Nodding in satisfaction, he tested each blade.
With every stroke, another mark appeared on the tabletop.
Ott's mouth twitched with each new scratch.
"That table costs a hundred Belly. One more scratch and you're paying."
Hearing this, Moses immediately stopped.
He laughed wryly.
"Cheapskate. Your table was already like this."
"Oh right, Uncle Ott, that iron mine you mentioned last time was dried up. There was hardly any iron ore left inside. It had been abandoned long ago."
Upon hearing this, Ott revealed a strange grin and burst into raucous laughter.
"Looks smart, but actually a complete fool."
"Iron ore is a controlled resource. How could there still be any left in an unguarded mine? You're lucky to even pick up some scraps.
After all, you were asking about an unattended mine last time."
"The Old King may be kind, but he's no fool. If you want large quantities of iron ore, you'd either have to work as a miner for cheap wages paid in ore, or buy it yourself.
Or..."
Moses' eyes lit up at this, glancing at Ott. "Then, Uncle, do you know of any undiscovered iron veins on the island?"
A glint flashed briefly in Ott's eyes as he looked at Moses impassively. "As for veins, you can ask around anywhere.
Miners are scarce, and the harmful gases in mined-out tunnels are plenty. No wealthy person would go there.
As for undiscovered veins, that requires professional prospecting skills. If you find a new one, you can report it to the King's Staff for a Belly reward."
"About three kilometers south of town, near the foot of Drum Mountain, there's one currently being mined.
I hear the ore there has a high iron content."
A flicker of surprise crossed Moses' eyes. Having gotten what he wanted, he said nothing more.
He placed a thousand Belly on the table.
"Payment settled. I'll take my leave now. Uncle, you can keep hammering away."
He slid the scalpel into the specialized sheath at his waist and the machete into the wooden scabbard Ott had given him for free.
With that, he turned and left the smithy.
Inside, Ott looked thoughtful, somewhat puzzled. "No idea what he needs so much ore for. Ah, whatever, none of my business."
"But that kid from the witch's family has sharp eyes. Every time he watches me forge, it feels like I'm being stripped naked.
Weird."
Then he bent back to his work.
He still had several orders to deliver today.
Outside the smithy, Moses smirked. "Whether you teach me or not is your choice. Whether I learn is mine."
"And those abandoned mines—are they really all empty? Heh, I doubt it!"
In his mind, he reviewed the movements and muscle coordination Ott used while forging.
Bear Cub, waiting by the door, trotted up to him. Moses grinned. "Let's go. We're visiting other smithies."
They made their way around town, collecting goods from other blacksmiths—hammers, strange iron helmets, or a bulky half-suit of armor.
Each time, Moses lingered in the smithy, chatting with the owner or apprentices.
His Observation Haki subtly recorded their techniques, comparing and verifying them in his mind.
Satisfied, Moses left town. Bear Cub pulled a wooden cart laden with iron goods.
Finding a secluded spot, Bear Cub turned to Moses eagerly.
"Eat up."
With an excited "Rawr!", Bear Cub climbed onto the cart, grabbed the iron helmet, and chomped down with wide-open jaws.
Crunch! Crunch!
After finishing the helmet, he devoured the hammer and half-armor.
Soon, the entire cart of ironware was gone.
Before long, Bear Cub let out a satisfied burp. Whether he was truly full or not, only he himself knew.
Moses looked at him and said, "Come on, show me your abilities."
Bear Cub's eyes sparkled with excitement.
In the next moment, his body began to transform.
He stood upright on his hind legs.
A black iron helmet materialized on his head, leaving only his black ears and face exposed.
A half-body armor appeared, protecting his chest, abdomen, and back.
His right paw transformed into a pumpkin-shaped iron hammer.
Moses' eyes lit up, and he immediately pounced on Bear Cub, touching and tapping all over.
Ding ding dong dong!
Thanks to the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit, the armor and weapons Bear Cub had consumed now seemed as if they had grown naturally on his body.
Perfectly fitted.
Extremely cool.
An Armored Battle Bear.
Seeing Moses like this, Bear Cub retracted the hammer and sat on the ground, curiously tapping and feeling his own body with his paws.
After playing for a while, Bear Cub swallowed the wooden cart whole.
"Let's go, back to that mine we visited earlier."
Bear Cub nodded.
He dropped back onto all fours.
Moses straddled Bear Cub's back, and the latter, knowing the way, lowered his head and ran off.
During the idle moment, Moses took out a scalpel and twirled it in his hand.
Appraise.
[E-grade Scalpel (Refined): An excellent blade forged through relentless hammering, of superior quality.]
It was just an ordinary weapon, not a named blade, and had no special effects.
The latest novels are first published on 69shu!
The lowest grade of named blades was the "Swift Blade."
"According to Ott, a scalpel is considered the highest quality below a 'Swift Blade,' which means, barring any surprises, a 'Swift Blade' should be D-grade."
"Unfortunately, Ott's skills are limited, and he can't forge 'Swift Blade' quality. A bit of a shame."
"The same goes for the machete, which is also an E-grade refined iron tool."
A holographic panel projected onto his retina, displaying the "Bestowed Ability" section.
[Forging]
The grayed-out Forging Blessing had not yet been materialized. Moses' eyes flickered with contemplation:
"Should I materialize the Forging Blessing? 'Named blades' must be items with legendary traits."
"The moment they're born, Merits should gather. After all, whether famous or not, named blades inherently possess that quality."
His mind made up.
The [1,615] Merit Points he had accumulated since birth were instantly reduced by a full thousand.
In the next moment, a torrent of information flooded Moses' mind.
Pure forging techniques, refining ratios for various materials, and a sense of hands tempered by countless hammer strikes—all appeared in his consciousness.
What was forging?
Repeated hammering and shaping?
No.
Forging was a science.
An art.
A technique for creating "life."
All things had spirits. Understanding the veins and textures within materials, hammering and integrating those patterns, channeling and gathering the material's essence—this was how to give form to a tool and awaken its spirit.
Moses calmed his mind, absorbing the pure forging memories that had surfaced in his consciousness.
He compared and contrasted them with the techniques he had secretly learned from various blacksmith shops during this time.
After a long while, Moses, still seated on Bear Cub's back, opened his eyes.
"I see, I should have realized it sooner. The true manifestation of a Blessing isn't baseless or conjured from nothing—it's built upon one's own 'possessions' through deduction and expansion."
Just like a tree that aspires to become a towering giant must first possess the "seed" to take root and sprout.
Extracting a Blessing from one's own history and experiences is akin to cultivating that "seed."
It's a symbiotic relationship, much like the "chicken and egg" dilemma.
Shaking his head,
Moses dismissed these overly complex thoughts, clearing his mind of distractions.
He mentally opened his Bestowed Ability panel.
Looking at his newly acquired Blessing.
[D-Class Blessing: Forging]
[Effect: Discerns the veins within materials, hammers to gather spiritual essence, and bestows form upon tools.]
[Evaluation: What makes a masterpiece? Tools with spirit.]
Blinking, Moses grinned.
"As expected, the D-Class 'Forging' Blessing can create tools imbued with spirit—tools that are generally on par with famous blades."
"In other words, I now have the qualifications to forge a 'Swift Blade.'"
"Guess I'll need to gather more iron ore then."
"Yip!"
At that moment, Bear Cub stopped. Moses snapped back to attention, surveying their surroundings.
Everywhere lay collapsed wooden structures, blanketed in snow yet still revealing the remnants of what was once a mining site.
Now, Moses and Bear Cub stood before the entrance of a collapsed, abandoned cave.
Peering inside, they saw a gently sloping path leading underground, supported by wooden beams—dark and foreboding.
Moses dismounted Bear Cub and entered the cave first.
The tunnel was pitch black.
About two meters in width, height, and depth.
They pressed forward.
After a hundred meters, Moses retrieved a torch from a corner and lit it with a lighter.
Whoosh!
Flames rose.
Illuminating their surroundings, revealing scattered small rocks flecked with rust.
Iron ore.
Earlier, after Ott had mentioned the location of the nearest mine, Moses had learned exactly where the closest iron mine was.
Just about a kilometer away from this abandoned site.
The abandoned mine's tunnels sprawled in all directions.
But with Observation Haki, Moses never lost his sense of direction.
He and Bear Cub navigated deep into the mine.
In the state of Unity of Heaven and Man,
He could perceive the rhythmic Breath fluctuations of all things.
To Moses, everything in the world had its own unique Breath and frequency.
Earth had earth's.
Stone had stone's.
Ore had ore's.
Just as every human had two shoulders and one head, yet each person's aura was distinct.
Similarly, the aura emitted by ore differed from that of ordinary stones or soil.
Finally, a dead end appeared before Moses and Bear Cub.
The torchlight revealed the spot.
Far removed from the mine's main passage, this area lacked any wooden supports.
Traces of excavation were scarce.
Moses could clearly see that the wall before him was nothing but stubborn, ordinary rock.
Bearing no resemblance to iron ore whatsoever.
Yet, in Moses' perception, if there was any iron ore left in this abandoned mine, it had to be here.
Because here, he sensed the same Breath frequency as iron ore.
Placing a hand on Bear Cub's head, Moses declared boldly:
"Go on, eat it."
"Yip?"
Hearing Bear Cub's confusion, Moses chuckled, "What does it matter what you eat? Did you know? Pandas are also called Iron-eating Beasts, so Bear Cub, you're born to eat iron.
After discovering this stubborn rock, I'm certain there's iron ore inside. The task of refining high-purity Iron Body will be left to you."
"Wuu~" A human-like look of bewilderment appeared on Bear Cub's face as he turned to Moses.
Moses looked at Bear Cub, flashing a grin of white teeth, and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Go for it!!!"
"Roar."
No choice.
Bear Cub walked up to the cave wall, opened his massive mouth, and took a big bite.
Crunch!
Crunch!
Crunch!
His mouth stretched even wider than Moses',
effortlessly gnawing a huge hole into the wall.
Moses followed behind Bear Cub, advancing forward.
After five meters.
Moses raised the torch for a closer look—reddish-brown, pitch-black ores, and murky white crystals came into view.
"So it's a low-grade deposit—hematite, black iron ore, and quartz. But no matter, with Bear Cub here, there's nothing to fear."
"Go ahead and eat, but don't digest this kind of iron ore yet. Use your ability to refine and purify it, then let me see the exact quality of your work."
"Ying!"
Bear Cub nodded and immediately resumed his enthusiastic labor.
Crunch! Crunch!