Chapter 122: Forging the Crimson Firmament

The system was undergoing maintenance and upgrades once again. Luo Gan felt the lack of newly delivered items; the Scarlet Heaven Sword, as a manifestation of the void, was not a permanent fixture, and relying on such an unstable weapon presented significant disadvantages.

He recalled the witch in the bamboo forest secret realm saying that the Scarlet Heaven Sword manifested according to the wielder’s intent, taking on good or evil traits based on their desires. So far, nothing strange had happened, and the few times it had appeared, it had served him well. However, the times he had tried to summon it later had not gone as planned, which meant he clearly had not fully mastered the technique.

Opening the system directory, he looked at the description for the Scarlet Heaven Sword: "The sword of Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang; the legendary serpent-slaying blade, which undergoes transmutation based on human morality." At the same time, Luo Gan found the entry for the initial Dragon-Man case. Although their origins were unknown, their race was clearly recorded as "Dragon."

In the communication directory, Yanshan and Xiaozhi, who were nearby, had clear icons and could be tracked within a certain range. However, looking further afield, Liu Buwen and Juntao had already lost contact on the map. Luo Gan’s gaze shifted to the bottom of the list, to Er Hu, Uncle De, and the others, and he sank into melancholy. It is said that at home one relies on parents, and abroad one relies on friends; in these harsh lands, the top priority was to improve his own comprehensive capabilities, otherwise, he would surely be crushed by the Hu people.

He had scavenged some treasures from the Hu, including discarded ironware, dry firewood, and a piece of Phoebe zhennan wood. This piece of wood had been rescued from a fire pit; the Hu did not understand its value, thinking only that it smelled pleasant when burned and provided some mental stimulation, so they had used it for casual roasting.

It was hard to blame them. Whether it was agarwood or Phoebe wood, if the length was insufficient for a weapon, its utility was lost on them. After retrieving the wood, Luo Gan pondered its use, though in this era, it truly seemed to have no practical application.

Inside the tent, Xiaozhi was tinkering with his wood carvings again. By observing the forging methods of the Hu, Xiaozhi had managed to pick up a thing or two. He had carved a wooden Pegasus—a magnificent steed leaping up a mountain, its gaze sharp as lightning, looking remarkably lifelike. Luo Gan was astonished.

"Xiaozhi, your craftsmanship is improving every day."

Xiaozhi proudly picked up the carving and gestured in the air with it. "Waiting here is a waste of time, isn't it? Better to do something than to let time slip away."

"In the future, this kind of carving would surely be an exquisite work of art," Luo Gan praised repeatedly. The carving was truly delicate; even the hooves were arranged in perfect order, capturing both form and spirit.

Xiaozhi looked a bit dejected. "I reckon only Brother Luo would appreciate this. If I showed it to my two older brothers, they’d probably think I was neglecting my real duties, just playing with crafts all day without any serious skills—no money, no power."

"You can't say it like that. Being a postman or a cook doesn't necessarily make one a winner in life. We aren't any more shameful than they are."

Xiaozhi, who had been smiling bitterly, finally relaxed his brow in the firelight. Luo Gan knew that for him, the most important thing was to be validated.

"Why don't you give this to the Duke of Ju? See what they think of it."

Xiaozhi was surprised. He considered it seriously and nodded in agreement.

***

The tent flap opened, and Yanshan entered holding a jar of wine, looking tipsy and disoriented.

"Yanshan, I don’t know when it started, but how did you become such a drunkard?" Luo Gan asked, not without disdain, feeling that someone constantly clutching a bottle could hardly be doing anything serious.

"Guild Leader... let me tell you, I've been thinking about what I can do in the future. I've figured it out now—if I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it differently."

Xiaozhi scratched his head and said, "Well, it seems none of us are people who do serious work. One is muddled by drink all day, the other is a loner playing with wood carvings, and both are just creating trouble for Brother Luo."

Luo Gan replied, "That’s not true. Everyone has their own strengths. The blizzard blocks the path, but there is no turning back, only the road ahead. Set a goal and move forward boldly; just do it."

Encouraged, Xiaozhi and Yanshan felt a surge of spirit. Luo Gan suddenly remembered something.

"Wait a moment, let me read your fortunes."

"Brother Luo, you can read fortunes?"

Luo Gan grinned, "I know a thing or two."

In truth, Luo Gan knew nothing about physiognomy or geomancy. He simply used the system to scan them, check their statistics, and provide a comprehensive analysis.

After scanning, Yanshan’s data showed: "Methodical in work, loyal, potential for martial arts, average intelligence, possesses some oratorical skill. Commercial value is much higher than administrative; agricultural value is nearly zero."

Luo Gan said, "Oh, Yanshan, you have a talent for persuasion. Politics doesn't seem to be your path, but becoming a merchant would be an excellent choice."

Yanshan asked, "How can you tell?"

Luo Gan wondered how to explain it to Yanshan. Explaining the system analysis wouldn't be appropriate, so he just babbled whatever came to mind, hoping to bluff his way through. "I’m looking at your face—your head is round and your features are square, you act with discipline, your eyes have a sliver of cunning, your smile is harmless, your nose is neither too big nor too small, and your mouth is just right..." Luo Gan kept making things up, knowing that as long as he sounded mysterious, he would succeed.

"As for Xiaozhi," Luo Gan pretended to look at him for the first time, acting very surprised, which made Xiaozhi feel quite nervous.

"Is there something strange on my face?"

***

"Your bone structure is unique; you are surely a man of great fortune. I see a lot of wood and earth in your destiny. You should achieve great things in architecture or craftsmanship."

Xiaozhi and Yanshan were amazed.

"Usually, fortune-tellers ask for your birth date and time to calculate the five elements. Our Guild Leader can tell just by looking at someone's face?"

Luo Gan waved his hand dismissively. "It’s nothing, just a minor trick of the trade, not worth mentioning in the world of martial arts." He then struck a pose like a great master, mimicking the aloofness of Master Yuan, causing Xiaozhi and Yanshan to burst into laughter.

The firewood continued to burn, and as they added a new batch, Luo Gan tossed some ironware into the fire, only to find the temperature insufficient for melting. He suddenly recalled that the blast furnaces used for iron smelting were far more professional than this small campfire.

The system prompted him to add "Supernatural Wine" to increase the success rate.

Luo Gan was dumbfounded. Isn't this pseudoscience? Did the game designer lose their mind? Adding wine to a campfire to smelt weapons? Pure fantasy!

Despite his doubts, Luo Gan did as instructed. As soon as the wine hit the flames, the fire roared violently, spiraling out of control and causing the ironware to vanish into nothingness. The melting point required to liquefy iron should be over a thousand degrees; that this miraculous method could achieve it completely upended the chemistry knowledge Luo Gan had studied for years.

"The game designer must be a liberal arts student who failed chemistry and thought of this way to forge weapons."

Following this train of thought, Luo Gan felt very excited. After all, it was his first time experiencing the thrill of being a blacksmith. He hurriedly threw pile after pile of ironware into the fire, only to watch them all disappear.

Luo Gan collapsed on the ground, feeling helpless. It seemed that taking shortcuts wouldn't work; he would have to find another way.

Just then, some flames from the fire jumped onto the Phoebe wood. Before long, the wood began to burn, and an incredible scene unfolded.