"Neil!" she protested, her voice holding more desperation than anger.
"What?" Neil asked innocently. "You said you're not weak and don't need armor. I'm just respecting your wishes."
The room filled with gentle laughter as the family watched their youngest member finally get the upper hand over his notorious older sister.
Lyra crossed her arms and pouted dramatically. "Fine! I take it back. I'm weak, okay? I need armor too!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "There, are you happy now?"
Neil's grin widened. "Very happy. But you have to promise to stop calling me the weakest."
"I promise, I promise!" Lyra said quickly. "I won't bully or tease you for a whole week!"
Neil considered this offer. A whole week of peace from Lyra's relentless teasing? It seemed too good to be true, but he decided to accept it.
"Alright then," Neil said, standing up from his seat. "Everyone, give me some time. I'll craft all your armor, and then you can go outside for your work."
The family members exchanged excited glances. Uncle Kael leaned forward eagerly. "You can take your time, Neil. Even if it takes a while, we're okay with it if we can have such armor."
Neil smiled at their patience. "It won't take long," he assured them, then returned to his seat.
Opening his inventory, Neil saw his abundant iron reserves. Even if he ran short, he had plenty of hematite left to smelt. He did some quick calculations in his head.
A complete set of armor—helmet, chestplate, leggings, and boots—required 24 iron ingots per person. With 12 family members total, including himself, that meant 11 people still needed armor. So 24 multiplied by 11 equaled 264 iron ingots needed.
Neil accessed his Page 5 inventory and transferred the required ingots to his quick-access slots. Then he began crafting through his interface—11 helmets, 11 chestplates, 11 pairs of leggings, and 11 pairs of boots, creating each piece methodically.
While Neil worked with intense concentration, his family watched him sit motionless with that familiar blank expression they'd come to associate with his mysterious crafting process. They exchanged curious glances, still amazed by his ability to create things seemingly from thin air.
As they waited, conversation naturally turned to their plans once they received their armor. Lyra perked up, reminding everyone of the promises made the night before.
"Don't forget what you all promised us children," she said pointedly.
Orion and Caspian nodded enthusiastically in support of her reminder.
The adults remembered their commitments. Kael had promised to take Orion exploring the surrounding areas. Rhys had agreed to take Caspian hunting for bigger game. Lyra had requested that Grandfather Eldrin make sweet honey candy, and Neil had asked to visit the lake.
"Yeah, we know our promises," the adults confirmed. "After the armor is complete, we'll do just that."
They thought to themselves that this would give both the children and themselves an extra layer of security during their adventures.
After what felt like a short while to Neil but seemed longer to the watching family, he finished his work.
"It's done," Neil announced.
Everyone looked at him in surprise. Grandmother Linnea asked, "Neil, did you make armor for everyone so fast?"
Neil nodded with a smile. "Yes, it's done, Grandma."
He began retrieving the armor pieces, starting with the helmets and handing one to each family member. Seeing Neil actually distribute the armor, they finally believed it was real. They accepted their helmets with grateful thanks.
Just as they started to examine their new helmets, Neil began taking out the chestplates, then the leggings, and finally the boots, distributing complete sets to everyone.
Watching Neil hand over so many pieces of armor, the family was stunned. Grandfather Eldrin spoke up, "Neil, you had so many pieces of armor ready? We were thinking of having just one piece each, since it protects the whole body anyway. We didn't expect you to give us complete sets for everyone."
Neil shrugged casually. "The material to make them isn't so rare—it's just iron, and I mined a lot of it earlier. So there's no need to hesitate, everyone."
Hearing that such "divine" armor required only iron to create left the family speechless with shock.
Everyone began putting on their armor when Lyra suddenly stood up and headed toward the rooms with her armor pieces. The family watched her go with confusion but didn't interfere.
Soon, everyone except Lyra was wearing their shining iron armor over their clothes, the metal gleaming under the lobby's lanterns. They began testing the armor's effects on each other, their excitement growing.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Neil cautioned them: "Everyone, if the armor's durability reaches zero, it will break, so use it wisely."
His warning immediately sobered them, and they stopped their testing, fearful of damaging their precious new protection.
As they discussed the armor's capabilities, Lyra emerged from the rooms. Noticing she appeared to be wearing only her regular clothes, her mother Maya asked, "Lyra, where is the armor? I know it's something Neil gave you and you don't want to lose or dirty it, but you must use the armor for your safety."
Lyra's face reddened with embarrassment. "Mother, I don't care about Neil's opinion. And who says I'm not wearing the armor?"
Everyone looked confused until she explained, "I'm wearing it under my clothes. It fits the body perfectly—feels like wearing tight-fitting undergarments. While the armor shows when worn over clothes, you can hide it completely by wearing it against your skin and putting regular clothes on top."
She gestured to her outfit. "A woolen cap, jacket, pants, and boots perfectly hide the armor underneath."
The family marveled at her discovery. The women immediately gathered around Lyra, whispering among themselves, while the men except Neil moved to another room to change into their armor privately.
Neil remained seated, simply using his personal interface to make his armor invisible rather than physically hiding it.
After some time, the women also went to change in privacy. When everyone finally returned to the lobby, they all wore their regular clothes, but each person carried armor underneath that would protect their lives.
The morning sun continued to climb higher, but now it illuminated not just a family, but an armored clan ready to face whatever challenges awaited them beyond their home.