C758
The sudden and extremely low behavior of Anvil left the group momentarily stupefied. Anvil not only knelt but even prostrated himself and began bowing.
When they looked closely, tears were falling to the ground.
Anvil, at least, maintained some dignity as a leader and was deeply moved by the situation.
The members beside him broke into tears.
"Are they crazy...? Crying just because they heard the name 'Picon Minche'? Unbelievable."
Jin pondered those words, suppressing his astonishment.
If there really was more steel on this island than the combined reserves of the Vamel Alliance, then there would be no need to grieve in Kinzelo.
[Will you give it all?]
"Of course!"[Are you really okay with that?]
"Picon-nim, our Minche Association consists only of those who sincerely follow your will. Your words from a thousand years ago still burn in our hearts."
What did I say?
Picon wanted to ask that but cleared his throat and waited for Anvil's next words.
"Do not abandon the blacksmith's forge. Dedicate yourself solely to forging weapons. Until the master appears."
Those were the words Picon often said to his disciples in the past.
Of course, the "master" he mentioned did not refer to himself.
At that time, Picon saw his less talented disciples getting discouraged.
To encourage them not to give up and to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly, he said those words.
As a result, many of them ended up creating masterpieces.
After Picon's death, that intention was faithfully passed on to future generations for about fifty years.
However, over time, the original meaning of Picon's words became distorted.
Without understanding the true intention, Anvil interpreted them this way.
"Our association has been eagerly awaiting the appearance of a true master, someone who can elevate the blacksmiths of this world and thus be truly worthy of being called the reincarnation of Picon. That is why the association has maintained a three-member governance system for the past thousand years without naming an Iron King."
What is an Iron King...?
Picon suppressed the urge to ask that question and smiled as naturally as possible.
Yes, you have all faithfully followed my will, so he put on that expression.
When Picon was alive, there was no position called Iron King.
The legendary blacksmith symbolized Picon.
Anyway, according to Anvil's words, the temporary leaders known as Fire, Anvil, and Hammer were not true successors.
They had been keeping the position of the true leader, the Iron King, vacant all this time, waiting for a blacksmith worthy of being recognized as Picon's successor.
And now, unexpectedly, not even the successor of Picon, but Picon Minche himself, the god of blacksmiths, was coming to the association. It was natural for them to react so strongly.
From the association's perspective, the long-awaited Iron King had finally been reborn.
[Hmm... Excellent.]
As soon as Picon spoke in a solemn voice, Anvil and the members of the association raised their heads.
Their tearful eyes gleamed as if they were people who had been saved.
Then, suddenly, Anvil was startled and lowered his head.
"Oh! I hope I haven't strayed off topic in my excitement. If it burdens you to accept the goods from our blacksmiths, then..."
Jin quickly nudged Picon in the side.
[That’s not the case. From today on, I will guide you once more.]
Although it was a casual comment, it had a tremendous effect.
"It is the greatest honor to have been born! Please, come inside."
Before moving, the members of the association took out small trumpets from their pockets. It was a trumpet signaling the truth of the Vamel Alliance's letter.
As soon as the trumpet sounded, the previously dark island suddenly lit up.
Flames erupted across the vast expanse of the island, representing 80% of its total surface area.
The association members who had been waiting in the forge hurriedly moved, preparing to greet Picon.
At the same time, Anvil's attitude towards Jin changed.
"Please forgive my earlier rudeness. Now that Picon-nim has honored us with his presence, from now on, the young patriarch will be considered our benefactor."
"Thank you for saying that."
And what about me? Syris wanted to argue, but she restrained herself. It was astounding, to the point where she couldn't find the words.
At the entrance of the forge, all the blacksmiths of the association were lying in rows.
"There are true fanatics among them."
Though it was a bit exaggerated, Jin felt relieved to have secured reliable allies and smiled.
Just like with Anvil, a sea of tears opened up for a while, and Picon encouraged each one as they were introduced by the officials.
No one doubted Picon.
Not only because his appearance matched perfectly, but also because Picon immediately recognized the purpose and completion of the forge's equipment and weapons.
With just a few words of conversation during the process, the blacksmiths recognized Picon's skill and were grateful.
[Fire, why did you choose this island as the holy land for blacksmiths? It’s not even my hometown.]
Once the formalities and greetings were over, Picon asked serious questions on behalf of Jin.
"Is it okay for me to answer without the presence of the acting Hidden Palace Master?"
"I will personally vouch for the acting Hidden Palace Master. And from now on, I hope you will also show respect to the acting master. She is my guest."
"I will."
If Cyron, Talaris, or Ron had personally witnessed this scene, they would have been left stunned and speechless.
Syris sighed inwardly, lowering her head.
"The reason we established our headquarters here is because of Marine Steel."
"Marine Steel?"
"It means 'steel from the sea.' The association’s headquarters has been on this island for about three hundred years. We chose it as the headquarters because there is no other region with as much Marine Steel as here."
[I know of the existence of Marine Steel, but it must be extremely difficult to extract. I’ve heard that the association currently possesses more steel than the Empire or any other great power.]
"Half of that statement is true, and the other half is false."
[Explain.]
Even at this moment when the association's greatest secret had to be revealed, including Fire, the high-ranking officials showed no hesitation.
"First of all, we extract Marine Steel through the inner core monster, who is the ruler of the sea. His name is Vailam, and he is a friend that the ancient officials embraced. Although he is a monster, he does not have a clear consciousness like them and has no intention or reason to harm humans."
"Are you saying such a monster exists?"
In response to Jin's question, the officials nodded.
"Yes, young patriarch. He feeds on marine organisms and algae. Since he mostly resides in the deep sea, he rarely attracts people's attention."
So, he was a benevolent being more like a spiritual beast than a monster.
"A long time ago, Vailam made a deal with us. Since Vailam needs to sharpen his teeth periodically, he had reached his limit by sharpening them with unprocessed Marine Steel from the seabed."
"Then, if he brings Marine Steel, does that mean you process a part to create steel pieces for Vailam's teeth sharpening?"
"That's correct."
The Marine Steel buried in the waters near the blacksmith's island was almost infinite.
Usually, the cost of extracting and processing Marine Steel far exceeded its value, so no one bothered to dig for it.
However, the association had obtained Marine Steel practically for free through Vailam for hundreds of years.
The association was also the only group capable of rapidly processing such large quantities of Marine Steel.
The idea that monsters and humans could coexist in this way was an unexplored concept.
"It’s an amazing story. You've kept this fact hidden for so long."
The officials led the group to the underground area of the blacksmith's workshop.
In the center, there was a huge opening mechanism, and when the officials pulled a lever, the floor opened, revealing the sea.
It was a space large enough to accommodate several merchant ships with room to spare.
With such a space, the sight of Vailam supplying steel to the association would never be revealed to the outside world.
"Thanks to these circumstances and the mentality passed down by Lord Picon, our association has never had a reason to feel inadequate anywhere. Until recently, it would have been accurate to say that the association possessed the most steel in the world."
The group exclaimed in amazement as they looked at the turbulent sea.
Jin was impressed but also sensed a powerful aura emanating from the sea.
"It seems Vailam has been tainted by chaos."
At that comment, the officials grimaced, furrowing their brows as if in pain.
"...That is correct. The relationship between Vailam and the association is not just a simple symbiotic relationship. We are practically friends now. The chaos spreading through the world, from the Battle of the Sword Emperor Castle to the Evil God, has afflicted Vailam, making him sick."
When Fire blew several trumpets towards the sea, the surface of the water churned and frothed.
After a while, the injured Vailam, resembling a colossal whale, appeared.
[Phiiii...]
His cry sounded similar to that of a whale, and overall, his round and gentle appearance did not seem threatening, just as the officials had described.
However, black spots of chaos were visible all over his body.
Vailam continued to cry out in agony without rest.
"If Vailam does not recover, not only will it hinder the extraction of Marine Steel, but it will also plunge the entire association into the sorrow of losing a friend."
There was joy in Picon's arrival, but also the sadness of having to say goodbye to a friend.
Picon chose his words carefully, and Syris couldn't hide her pain at the sight of Vailam's tender yet suffering appearance.
Then Jin, staring intently at Vailam, spoke.
"Has there been any physical transformation in Vailam?"
"What do you mean?"
"Excluding the black spots, is Vailam's appearance exactly the same as before being tainted by chaos?"
"Well, yes."
Jin grinned slyly.
"It seems I might be able to heal that friend of yours."
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