Chapter 429: The Cyclops That Produces Steel

The Little Tinkerer stood up directly, intending to search the nearby corners again to see if there were any exposed ores available for collection.

But the moment it turned around, it collided head-on with Luo Mu and the Luxray, who were lurking stealthily outside the cave and peering constantly inside.

"Kanu!?"

The Little Tinkerer's eyes instantly widened; it let out a terrified cry and subconsciously raised the two iron hammers in its hands.

Let alone Luo Mu.

In the Little Tinkerer's view, humans were weaklings who could be silenced with a single hammer strike.

But that Luxray was highly unusual!

The instant their gazes met, the Little Tinkerer felt a sense of crisis, as though it were being targeted by some powerful predator.

This sense of crisis made the Little Tinkerer's hair stand on end, and several bean-sized beads of sweat immediately seeped out onto its forehead.

Tense!

Relieved that it hadn't casually tossed away its hammers, the Little Tinkerer clenched its fists, gripping the two hammers; adopting the stance of the Two-Hammer Style, it faced the Luxray as if confronting a great enemy.

Survival experience imparted by elders in its clan once told the Little Tinkerer that it must never turn its back on a Luxray; it had to overwhelm the beast with presence and sound! Clang! Clang! Clang! The rhythmic sound of collision and striking rang out once more; watching the two hammers constantly clash and emit noise, both Luo Mu and the Luxray froze for an instant.

Wait, who taught this Little Tinkerer the technique of using sound and presence to drive away wild beasts?

Luo Mu immediately became even more interested in the Little Tinkerer.

Several questions floated up in his mind.

Questions such as where exactly the Little Tinkerer came from, whether it was a wild Pokémon or one with an owner, and who had taught it this knowledge; yet Luo Mu did not rashly approach the Little Tinkerer out of mere curiosity, for its wariness was almost surface-level, making no attempt at concealment.

After a brief moment of thought and a glance at the Little Tinkerer, Luo Mu whispered to the Luxray, "Let's stop here for today; tomorrow we'll bring some small gifts, which should alleviate some of this Little Tinkerer's wariness."

"Meow?"

The Luxray tilted its head in confusion, its gaze falling upon the basket on Luo Mu's back, which was packed full of mushrooms; weren't these ready-made small gifts? Noticing the Luxray's look, Luo Mu shook his head. "The Little Tinkerer itself is a Steel-type Pokémon, so most toxins have no effect on it. But regardless of whether there are any poisonous mushrooms that slipped through the net inside, as a gift for our first meeting, I feel we must leave a deep impression."

"Let's go."

With that said, Luo Mu turned and left.

They still needed to hurry back before nightfall; otherwise, by midnight, the mushrooms wouldn't even be sorted yet.

Thoroughly stewing this stuff to maturity would require a very long time.

Although it did not understand Luo Mu's logic, the Luxray helplessly shook its head, glanced once at the Little Tinkerer, and then followed Luo Mu down the mountain.

Oh well, let him be.

Not long after Luo Mu and the Luxray departed, the Little Tinkerer, which had been staring fixedly in the direction of their departure, finally let out a sigh of relief and wiped the beads of sweat that had seeped onto its forehead.

Fortunately, they had been scared off by the Little Tinkerer Mountain King's imposing presence; otherwise, a fierce battle tonight would have been unavoidable.

Thinking of this, the Little Tinkerer couldn't help but place its hands on its hips triumphantly.

Hehe, as expected of me; I easily accomplished what others could not! Gripping its two hammers, the Little Tinkerer, which planned not to let the hammers leave its side all night, left the cave once more and climbed toward the summit.

When it reached the mountaintop, where the trees had become sparse and the view opened up, gazing at the orange-tinted sunset about to set behind Luoshan and looking out toward the distant farm, the Little Tinkerer took a deep breath, its eyes filled with determination.

Watching those Skarmory that had been circling in the sky during the day slowly land, the Little Tinkerer confirmed once again that the farm was the nest of those big fellows.

Just you wait; once I conquer this mountain, I'll come to conquer you! The story of it, the Little Tinkerer, as a legendary smith, was only just beginning!

By the time Luo Mu and the Luxray returned to the farm, the sky had already been dyed by the night.

Fortunately, the farm's streetlights turned on on schedule as programmed; walking along the brightly lit stone-paved road, Luo Mu sighed with emotion, "Technology really does change life."

"Meow."

The Luxray nodded in agreement.

Although it was somewhat regrettable that it could not use the Flash move to become a continuous light source illuminating Luo Mu's path forward, the convenience brought by these streetlights was indeed very nice.

Even when it was not present, the lights would continue to illuminate this road home.

Luo Mu and the Luxray had not walked many steps before they ran straight into the Oranguru and the Mudsdale.

Thinking that this combination was truly rare, Luo Mu asked curiously, "What were you two just doing?"

Luo Mu's gaze fell upon the Oranguru's hands; the fan that usually never left the Oranguru's side was nowhere to be found, and the hands of the Oranguru, who was typically very clean and even somewhat germophobic, were covered in undried mud.

Could it be that the Oranguru had accompanied the Mudsdale to roll around in a mud pit?

But the Oranguru's body wasn't dirty at all.

Fortunately, the Oranguru soon resolved Luo Mu's confusion.

With wise light flashing in its eyes, the Oranguru explained to Luo Mu via telepathy, "Young Master, I intend to build a kiln."

"A kiln?"

Luo Mu recalled carefully; was it the kiln he was thinking of?

The kind used for firing ceramic crafts?

The Oranguru exchanged a glance with the Mudsdale, then reached out to show Luo Mu the mud staining its hands.

"A kiln is a device used for firing ceramic crafts; look at the mud on my hands—it was produced by the Mudsdale. This is high-quality clay for making ceramic materials."

Once the Oranguru said this, Luo Mu instantly understood what it planned to do; rubbing his chin and examining the mud on the Oranguru's hands, he realized with sudden enlightenment, "You plan to make some handmade ceramic utensils?"

He vaguely remembered that among the Oranguru's long list of mastered moves, there seemed to be one such skill.

Always treating the Oranguru as an all-around butler, Luo Mu couldn't be bothered to recall whether the Oranguru had actually mastered this skill; disregarding the mud covering the Oranguru's hands, he directly grabbed hold of them.

"Then let's build one!"

Luo Mu, who encouraged all the Pokémon on the farm to cultivate their own hobbies and interests, made the decision on the spot.

Moreover, the Oranguru's craftsmanship might just bring everyone an unexpected surprise.

The Oranguru added, "Although the farm's bowls, plates, and teacups are all bought from outside, I want to handcraft some for everyone to use; we can also make some nice ornaments to add decorations to the new home once it's built."

"... It would be even better if no one minds."

Stroking the dirty braids of the Mudsdale, which had lowered its head and nudged closer, Luo Mu said quite seriously, "We will look forward to your works; if you need anything, just speak up, and I'll handle it!" The Oranguru concealed a fleeting touch of emotion in Emperor Yan Di's eyes and revealed a Little Little Dandan smile.

But before it could respond, Luo Mu quickly added, "However, before that, go wash your hands first; later, come to the dining table so everyone can separate the edible mushrooms from the poisonous ones!"

The next day at noon.

Looking at the mushroom soup already thoroughly stewed in the large pot, emitting an ultimate savory aroma.

Luo Mu wiped away the tears streaming from the corners of his mouth, took a deep breath to savor the fragrance of the mushroom soup, and whispered, "This is the last pot!"

Luo Mu remembered that in his hometown before he transmigrated, the stewed mushroom soup tasted fresh, fragrant, and rich; moreover, because sliced pork belly was added, it carried a hint of meaty flavor, making the layers of taste even more abundant.

Yet, just as usual, since there were Pokémon on the farm who didn't much care for meat and others who couldn't be happy without it, he still made two versions of the stewed mushroom soup.

One was light in flavor, relying solely on the ingredients' own tastes and a little seasoning to display the ultimate delicate freshness of mountain delicacies.

The other was rich and multi-layered in taste, like a big-pot hodgepodge of pork belly and mushroom soup.

If forced to choose between the two soups, Luo Mu would definitely pick the one with the richer flavor.

But before that, Luo Mu glanced at the insulated bucket resting quietly on the side table, turned to Cangyan Cangyan Rengui, who was wearing an apron and helping out nearby, and instructed, "Be careful with Moltres and Miltank!"

"Hisss-lo!"

Having already tasted the soup beforehand, Cangyan Cangyan Rengui nodded seriously, demonstrating through action an unyielding determination to stay right beside the insulated bucket, vowing to protect this bucket of soup at all costs amidst the farm's crowd of foodies.

Trustingly patting Cangyan Cangyan Rengui on the shoulder and giving it a thumbs-up, Luo Mu dashed out of the kitchen, anxiously shouting toward the chaotic scene outside, "Save some for me!"

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Bringing Serperior along, Luo Mu carried the insulated bucket and headed toward the small hill.

Enjoying the sunlight that felt comfortable to a snake, Serperior wound forward elegantly, extending a vine from its leaf-like collar to poke Luo Mu in the waist.

"Gah-lo?"

Serperior was curious.

Carrying such an insulated bucket, yet not heading to a human town, who could Luo Mu be going to meet?

"Consider it a gift for a formal visit," Luo Mu smiled, explaining to Serperior, "Although you weren't there at the time, Luxray and the others must have shared this with you later; it's about that Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield hanging in the living room."

The tip of Serperior's gently swaying tail paused as memories returned.

It seemed this concerned those two items that looked tattered and broken but were actually divine treasures once commissioned by Lei Guan Wang to be crafted by artisans.

If so, that meant either a suitable artisan had been found, or a Pokémon capable of providing the most appropriate steel or metal had been located.

"Gah-lo?"

Serperior spoke again to ask Luo Mu, so was it a Tinkatink or a Melmetal that had been found?

Luo Mu did not beat around the bush and answered directly, "Melmetal is indeed a bit rare; you could think of it like Victini, but today we are going to meet a Tinkatink."

Upon hearing they were going to meet a Tinkatink, Serperior's tail slapped the ground several times in displeasure.

It remembered clearly that Luo Mu had said before that all Tinkatink were female; was this only their second meeting, yet he was already preparing gifts to go up the mountain? Nevertheless, Serperior ultimately did not lose its temper; not only was this a matter of magnanimity, but Serperior understood this issue concerned the safety of an entire region, and it was not the kind of Pokémon to cause a fuss when faced with matters of right and wrong.

Not noticing Serperior's inner turmoil, Luo Mu recalled recent events.

He clearly remembered that not long ago, while discussing the recasting of the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield with Lei Guan Wang, Lei Guan Wang had mentioned two necessary conditions.

First, a craftsman with excellent skills.

Second, sufficiently special metal or steel.

A craftsman with sufficiently excellent skills had already been confirmed as a Tinkatink, but there was no lead yet on sufficiently special metal or steel.

Luo Mu had asked Lei Guan Wang, "Wouldn't Corviknight feathers work?"

Lei Guan Wang's answer was that it was not enough.

To forge weapons capable of countering the Darkest Day, the materials absolutely could not be treated carelessly.

It was only after Lei Guan Wang recalled the memories from when it had previously ordered people to forge the sword and shield that it provided the key hint.

【The Cyclops capable of producing iron】

This keyword hint was extremely crucial, and Luo Mu quickly thought of the Pokémon that fit Lei Guan Wang's requirements.

Melmetal, the evolved form of the mythical Steel-type Pokémon Melmetal, indeed possessed the power to produce iron; moreover, if he remembered correctly, the timing of Melmetal's awakening mentioned in the Pokédex was also quite interesting.

"Suddenly awakened after three thousand years"—this was the description in the Pokédex; viewed alone, perhaps there was nothing noteworthy, but combined with the historical fact that the Darkest Day erupted in the Galar region also three thousand years ago, it became quite meaningful.

Under Luo Mu's persistent questioning, Lei Guan Wang recalled that the main force producing iron at that time indeed resembled the appearance of Melmetal as Luo Mu described, which confirmed his two future targets.

Find Tinkatink, a craftsman capable of undertaking the recasting of the Rusted Sword and Rusted Shield, and Melmetal or Melmetal as the primary source of materials for the recasting.

Luo Mu had certain leads on Melmetal, but now was not the time; first, he needed to focus on cultivating a suitable craftsman.

Luo Mu and Serperior soon arrived at the foot of the small hill.

Following the system's guidance, Luo Mu found a path completely covered by dense vegetation, making it impossible to tell it was a road leading up the mountain.

Pressing his palms together, Luo Mu pleaded with Serperior, "Could you help clear a path up the mountain? We can only rely on you!"

Serperior: "."

So that's why Luxray wasn't brought today but I was; it turns out I'm here to do this dirty work! Serperior's face instantly darkened; just as Luo Mu instinctively stepped back to avoid having his butt targeted, Serperior merely slapped its tail on the ground a few times in annoyance, then resigned itself to gathering its unparalleled sharp Leaf Storm to clear the way for Luo Mu.

Using Leaf Blade or the like was definitely out of the question; it did not want to get its body covered in dust.

As a majestic Royal Pokémon, it must maintain an elegant posture at all times.

While clearing the weeds with an increasingly fierce Leaf Storm, Serperior let out a sigh.

Truly, there is no dealing with you.

Since you have relied on me, I will naturally give you a response, just like back then.

Serperior cleared the path very efficiently; in just a short while, the bumpy mountain road, long obscured by plants and weeds, reappeared under the sunlight after a long absence.

Luo Mu, happily reaping the benefits, very sensibly used all sorts of extravagant praises to lift Serperior's mood, making the floating-on-air Serperior so distracted that it didn't even notice its vine instinctively hooking onto his fingertip.

(End of Chapter)