Free Web NovelChapter 36: "What’s that smell...?"
Leo had decided to prioritize what tool or item to forge first on necessity and effectiveness.
The anvil and the hammer came first,as these two were needed for forging the other items,and they took less time.
Once the iron slag had settled in the anvil mold,Leo used pieces of hide to pick up the hot mold and dip it in a stone container,half filled with water. As the little boy keenly watched from the side as he munched on the bundle of bananas handed to him by Leo. He needed these to quickly restore his used up energy,though replicating the iron slag had not taken a huge toll on him,if he did not replenish the used up energy,he would slowly fall into a fatigued state. Which would take him hours to recover.
"Ssss...!"
There was a sad sizzling sound as the hot iron slag made contact with water.
The middle aged man, Fort,had informed Leo that there were various fluids that were used for cooling,but the universally recognized one was water.
The cooling process took time,as he had to wait for slag to harden and lose hit. During the wait,he kept adding cold water to the stone container,and whenever it was close to filling up,he would empty a few bowls of water.
As for the hammer head mold,it was dipped in another container.
Close to an hour later,Leo fished out the iron anvil mold from the stone container and broke the mold.
Appearing before him was his first iron tool,an anvil,grey in colour with some dark shades. Though it had taken up the molds shape,it had not come out as Leo had imagine,but it was hard and cold to the touch,and the surface was flat though as little bit uneven.
System Alert: You have crafted an iron anvil...
System Alert: You have received fifty experience points...
"One down..."
Leo lifted the iron anvil, feeling it’s weight. It weighed at most five pounds,but what really mattered was its hardness. He struck it with his stone blade,only for the stone blade to shatter.
"Good..."
Leo was satisfied with his work.
"Next item..."
Through out the night,Leo and Gemini worked as a team,one forged while the smelted the iron ores. By dawn,the two extremely exhausted,and the little boy could barely keep his eyes open.
"Let’s eat first and you can go rest..." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Leo said to the little boy,as he called out to Hu,who was standing guard, while the middle aged man rested. All through the night,the two had alternated guard shifts. While one rested,the other stood guard and kept the perimeter fires burning. As for Miss Fortuna, she had stuck her nose in one of her manuals for a couple of hours before falling asleep,beside the central fire without a single worry in the world.
"You have worked hard young lord..."
Hu said as he brought the two some water.
"Thank you Hu..."
Leo dawned the whole mug of water.
"Wake that woman up and have her prepare breakfast..."
Leo instructed,but he did notice both Hu and the little boy faces tightened.
"Hahaha...!"
Leo could not help but laugh.
"Fine..."
"I will make us breakfast..."
Leo declared,and from the relieved reaction of the two,he knew that these two were with him,it just that none of them wanted to say it out loud,but the young woman’s cooking was horrible.
System Alert: You have received a daily quest...
Quest
Daily Quest:Food
Gather something edible to satisfy your hunger.
Reward: Ten Experience Points
Penalty:Fatigue
"Just in time..."
Leo retreived some fruits from the inventory and shared with the two,he had learnt that the amount of food eaten did not matter,as long as he ate something,this daily quest would be completed,and everytime he completed it,his energy and stamina would be replenished in full. This was why he did not mind working overnight,for as long as he completed this daily quest,he will be fit for another day of hardwork.
System Alert: You have completed the daily quest - Food.
Quest
Daily Quest: Food (Completed)
Gather something edible to satisfy your hunger.
Reward: Ten Experience Points
Penalty: Fatigue
System Alert: You have received ten experience points.
"Day six,here I come..."
Leo murmured as he stretched his muscles.
"Time to make breakfast..."
Leo picked up the small iron knife he had forged and went towards the central fire.
Apart from the iron anvil and the small iron knife,he had successfully forged both the door hinge and the window hinge, which was a small version of the door hinge,as well a simple door lock,a saw,a hammer head,a mattock head and a foot long blade.
There was also two sizes of nails,one was two inches while the other was four inches.
All the hardwork had gained him only five hundred and fifty experience points. But mostly the quota of items he needed to craft as to advance his craftsmanship class had reduced by big chunk.
"Thirty-eight more items..."
Leo celebrated his little progress. If he could get enough iron ores,it would take him at least two days of constant forging to fill the quota.
All these had depleted his iron ores,but he did not mind,as he was planning on clearing a couple of floors within the mysterious tower,and he had a feeling that an uncommon rank chest would be rewarded to him.
"Greetings young lord..."
Leo acknowledged Fort with a nod as he busied himself with breakfast. He had settled on egg soup, boiled sweet potatoes and goat milk. He decided on a simple breakfast,as he did not wish to keep the little boy up for long.
Fort joined Hu and Gemini at the makeshift table after washing his face and rinsing his mouth.
"What’s that smell...?"
The young woman finally woke up. Her ability to sleep through anything had astounded Leo,as he had earlier on tried to wake the young woman so he could use the central fire for cooking,but the young woman did not even falter or wink, forcing Leo to build a little fire close to the improvised table.
