Encountering a hidden mission for the first time, Si Shu couldn't help but be taken aback for a moment.
Noticing his strange expression, Inoue Mie tilted her head and asked, "Did something happen?"
"It's nothing. It's just my first time here, so I'm a little surprised, that's all."
Just as Si Shu said, the atmosphere of this small village was markedly different from that of the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters. Compared to the quiet headquarters, this place was filled with loud shouts everywhere. The people walking around were also one more muscular than the next, with biceps that looked thicker than thighs. Some were pushing small carts, others were shouldering massive rocks. Some were even squatting in front of huge furnaces, adding firewood.
Si Shu even felt as if the art style itself had changed. Looking left and right, he felt like he had wandered into a world of muscle-bound men.
After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped.
"These people... they all seem to be ordinary humans."
"That's right." Inoue Mie walked up beside him, a slightly sad look in her eyes as she watched the burly men at work. Through her explanation, Si Shu learned the origins of these people.
They were all survivors of demon attacks; many had had their families and friends killed by demons. After being rescued by the Demon Slayer Corps, they had volunteered to serve the Corps in turn. Aside from the few who could learn Breathing Styles, most chose to come here to work as miners. Countless people had been saved by the Demon Slayer Corps, and among them were many, like the family with the Wisteria House, who provided services in return.
There was another point that Mie didn't mention, but Si Shu figured it out anyway. There were two main reasons why the mining operation was set up here. Besides its proximity to Sunlight Mountain, the most important reason was that this place was bathed in sunlight all year round. Demons feared the sun, so they would naturally never come here. With their safety guaranteed, the men could carry out their large-scale mining operations.
"You go find a room over there and rest for a bit. I'm going to find the person in charge here," Mie said, pointing Si Shu in a certain direction before leaving. Compared to Si Shu, whom only the top brass of the Corps knew, Inoue Mie, as a Hashira candidate, was undoubtedly the better person to handle negotiations.
After Mie left, Si Shu began to walk, checking the details of the hidden mission in his mind.
[Hidden Mission: Go to Sunlight Mountain and personally obtain the highest quality Tamahagane, Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand, and Scarlet Crimson Ore.]
"Tamahagane?"
Rubbing his chin, Si Shu thought for a moment. Ore taken from Sunlight Mountain was smelted into Tamahagane, which was then further refined to extract the Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Crimson Ore used for forging Nichirin Swords. These materials were then sent to the Swordsmith Village to be forged by the swordsmiths.
"Since this is a hidden mission, the reward should be pretty good."
With this thought, Si Shu slightly changed his direction. If he was going to find these things, he at least needed to know what they looked like.
Walking up to a huge building, Si Shu could hear shouts and the explosive crackle of a blazing fire from within. Leaning against the doorframe, he tilted his head and looked inside.
Inside the building, a burly, middle-aged man and a slightly thinner young man were heating a large piece of ore.
"Gou, add more firewood! The temperature can't drop!" "Yes! Right away, Master Motetsu!"
The middle-aged man, Motetsu, instructed his apprentice, Gou, to add more fuel to the furnace while tossing a piece of ore from beside him into the flames. Squatting down, Motetsu pumped the bellows, forcing a large amount of air into the furnace.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
The massive influx of air made the already roaring fire burn even more fiercely. The crackling of burning wood was incessant, and the scorching flames turned Motetsu's and Gou's faces red. As time passed, a fiery red glow began to spread across the surface of the dark ore.
While carefully observing the state of the ore, Motetsu had Gou bring over a massive iron hammer.
"Pay attention, Gou! Whether or not we can extract a complete piece of Tamahagane all comes down to the timing."
Spitting on his hands, Motetsu gripped the large hammer, his expression extremely serious. Listening to their conversation, Si Shu also learned a few things about Tamahagane. Once the flames had completely heated the ore through, the outer impurities had to be smashed off within five seconds. Otherwise, the Tamahagane inside would melt and fuse with the surface impurities, turning the entire piece into scrap.
The young man, Gou, nodded seriously after hearing Motetsu's words. As the red color continued to spread across the ore, both of their expressions grew more and more solemn.
Outside, Si Shu was also mesmerized, forgetting to even swallow. It was his first time seeing the Tamahagane extraction process, and he was deeply shaken.
Finally, the fiery red completely covered the ore.
"Now!"
With a great roar, Motetsu swung the hammer over his head.
"BREAK!"
His powerful arms suddenly tensed, with veins bulging like earthworms. It was clear that Motetsu was using one hundred and twenty percent of his strength in this strike. As the heavy hammer fell, it created a piercing boom in the air.
BOOM!
The hammer struck the surface of the ore, creating the roar of metal on metal.
Crack, crack, crack~
A series of cracks spread across the surface until the entire piece of ore was covered in fissures. With another great roar, Motetsu swung the hammer again. This time, the immense force completely shattered the outer layer of the ore.
Shattered rock fragments flew everywhere, and the dust kicked up by the impact completely engulfed the room. After a while, when the dust settled, Si Shu could finally see the scene inside clearly.
The massive rock, which had been a meter in diameter, was gone. All that remained was a piece of stone about the size of two fists. The stone was a deep, dark green, but its luster was very clear, not giving off a murky feeling at all. Despite the distance, Si Shu could still feel a hard, searing aura from the stone. It felt less like a rock and more like a piece of steel radiating heat.
"Looks like that's Tamahagane."
Straightening up, Si Shu walked into the building, intending to get a closer look.
"Who's there?!"
Sensing someone approaching, Motetsu and Gou, who had been laughing happily around the Tamahagane, instantly spun around. After discovering it was just a child of eight or nine, the two relaxed their guard slightly. But even so, Motetsu still placed the Tamahagane behind his back, his tone clearly unfriendly.
"Kid, who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Scratching his face, Si Shu didn't bother to hide anything. "I'm from the Demon Slayer Corps. I came here to find Tamahagane to forge a sword. Would you believe me if I said that?"
The man shook his head, clearly not believing Si Shu's story. Motetsu even challenged him to show proof.
Si Shu spread his hands, a helpless look on his face. It wasn't that he didn't want to show proof; it was that he realized he didn't actually have any.
Seeing Si Shu remain motionless for a long time, a dangerous glint flashed in Motetsu's eyes. Gripping the forging hammer in his hand, he seemed to have other ideas.
Noticing the man's subtle movements, Si Shu also began to subtly gather his strength. If the other party really made a move, he couldn't just stand there and take it.
A strange tension spread between the two, like a powder keg about to explode.
Just then, a voice came from behind him. Turning around, Si Shu saw that Inoue Mie had returned.
And at that moment, Motetsu also lowered his hammer, rubbing his eyes.
"Huh? Is that you, little Mie?"
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