1st Circle (1)
The blacksmith district of Hanes County.
Under the blazing sun, waves of heat shimmered across the streets.
Hot steam billowed from the fifteen blacksmith shops lining the road, creating the illusion that the entire street was engulfed in flames.
It was difficult to even stand still, yet the area bustled with a massive crowd.
It was indeed a major city of the North.
In the Farrow Territory, a proper blacksmith shop did not even exist.
The only forge they had was dedicated almost entirely to military supplies, making it difficult for commoners to benefit from it.
This was not just a problem unique to the Farrow Territory, but rather a structural issue of a society where iron forging technology itself was underdeveloped.
Because of this, the reality was that most farmers could not even use proper agricultural tools.
Compared to that, the blacksmith shops of Hanes County were thriving.
There were even shops dedicated to making sickles, hoes, and plows, not just weapons.
The shop Jeron sought out was one that specialized in parts.
It mainly sold construction materials and small ironware, but looking at the displayed goods, the quality was not particularly impressive.
Clang! Clang!
Whoosh!
Intense heat and acrid smoke poured out from the front of the shop.
This was the result of having no proper ventilation system.
With no concept of fine dust, everyone worked while burning away their own lifespans.
When Jeron entered, a pot-bellied blacksmith with a bushy beard greeted him with the typical stubborn air of a craftsman.
Of course, since the kingdom maintained a strict caste system, he still showed proper manners.
“I greet the Baron, whose name has been widely spoken of late.”
The blacksmith prostrated himself flat on the shimmering, hot ground.
It looked quite uncomfortable, but Jeron had grown used to it by now.
“Widely spoken of? I am merely a baron.”
“I have heard the rumors that the Farrow Merchant Guild is selling dwarven metalwork. Since we also work with metal, the news naturally reached our ears.”
“I see.”
“It was truly magnificent craftsmanship. I could only shake my head in wonder at how such intricate work was possible. It was certainly not the work of a human.”
Jeron smiled bitterly and glanced at Kang Yu-jung.
She was busy examining every corner of the shop.
The rumors were entirely her doing.
Claiming that advertising always required a bit of exaggeration, she had boldly written "Dwarven Made" on the promotional catalogs.
It was no wonder everyone went wild for them.
Rings and earrings that could be bought for a dollar at a modern novelty store were transformed into legendary items in an instant.
Among them were even products from dollar stores, famous for their cheap utility.
This was all because of the stark technological gap between Earth and the Karen Continent.
Jeron cleared his throat once and stated the purpose of his visit.
“I have something I would like to commission from your shop.”
“I do not know if I can satisfy a baron of such high standards.”
“Do not worry. It is not a very complicated item.”
With that, Jeron handed over a sketch drawn by Kang Yu-jung.
The part in the sketch was a gear.
The crossbow designed by Kang Yu-jung was a hybrid of wood and iron, and a gear capable of pulling a powerful wire string inside the crossbow was essential.
Combining the principles of a pulley and gears, the crossbow boasted a draw weight of 800 kilograms, easily piercing through iron plates.
It was a weapon designed based on the experience of survivors, who noted that crossbows were far more effective than sniper rifles when dealing with mutants.
Of course, the paper he handed over now only showed a few internal parts. It would be troublesome if the complete blueprints were leaked.
“This is a part of a shape I have never seen before. May I ask what it is used for?”
“I am afraid that is classified.”
“Haha, I see. That is only natural if it is a military weapon.”
The blacksmith examined the sketch closely.
It showed three gears of different sizes.
Two sets were essential, and he had ordered two more sets as spares.
The issue was whether the current forging technology could produce parts with the desired strength. If it was impossible here, he would have no choice but to cut iron scavenged from Earth's blacksmith shops with a hacksaw.
But cutting and shaping that by hand would take too long, which was why he had sought out this forge.
Despite the simple structure, the blacksmith requested a generous amount of time.
“It will take about a week to manufacture.”
“I will give you three days.”
“What?! But we have a massive backlog of work…”
“I will pay double. If you finish it in two days, I will pay triple.”
“Oh my! I will do my absolute best to make it.”
The blacksmith bowed deeply in surprise.
There was nothing in the world that money couldn't solve. The moment gold was offered, the delivery time for the parts was cut by more than half.
Jeron also ordered parts for the foot traps.
Since they were simpler than the crossbow parts, they agreed to produce the trap components by the original deadline.
***
A nearby beverage shop.
The heat remained oppressive.
Even though evening was approaching, the temperature showed no signs of dropping.
Jeron and Kang Yu-jung visited a shop famous in Hanes for its iced drinks.
They took a seat in a quiet area on the fourth floor and ordered cold water.
“Wow, this weather is absolutely insane.”
“Hot, isn't it?”
“Is it just my imagination, or does it feel hotter than summer in Korea?”
“It probably is hotter.”
It felt as though the temperature was pushing forty degrees Celsius.
Kang Yu-jung fanned herself constantly, trying to lower her body temperature.
Jeron was starting to get used to it. Though it was hot compared to the North, he had adapted to a life without air conditioning or fans.
Jeron idly looked down at the street.
Just as Kang Yu-jung said, the streets were packed with people working hard despite the crazy heat.
To be crowded by people in this weather was exhausting.
Suddenly, he missed the quiet, cool Farrow Territory.
Perhaps because there were many customers on the first floor, it took ten minutes for two cups of cold water to arrive.
“Geez, why does it take so long just to scoop some water?”
Kang Yu-jung grumbled, but there was no way the maid could understand Korean.
“Here is your cold water.”
As soon as the water arrived, Jeron and Kang Yu-jung downed it in one go.
As the ice-cold water, rather than lukewarm water, rushed down to their stomachs, they felt their body temperatures instantly drop.
“Wow! I feel like I can finally breathe. How do they even make this cold water?”
“They probably have a mage on staff.”
“A mage?! Do those really exist?”
“They do. Though they aren't as grand as the ones in novels or movies.”
“It's fascinating. This world seems so backward, almost primitive, yet mages exist.”
“Even so, they've declined. The mana on the Karen Continent is very sparse.”
Jeron and Kang Yu-jung chatted about trivial topics while waiting for Sir Birkin.
Being here made him want to cross over to Earth.
But then, when he experienced the bone-chilling cold over there, he would miss the Karen Continent again.
Human nature was truly fickle.
As he conversed with Kang Yu-jung, Sir Birkin walked up to the fourth floor, drenched in sweat.
Sir Birkin looked even more haggard, having been tanned by the summer sun.
He also gulped down the cold water the moment it arrived.
“Phew! I feel alive again. This is the first time in my life I have ever missed the North.”
“Stop exaggerating. Life is like that. More importantly, how is the merchant guild doing?”
“Yes! Thanks to the assistance of the lady from the East, we are reorganizing the guild. We are weeding out those who need to go and working to manage our funds more efficiently.”
“I have to visit the lord's castle this evening. I leave Yu-jung in your care until I return.”
“Oh, my Lord. Please do not call it a favor. You need only command me.”
“Utilize Yu-jung's help until I return. And if possible, teach her the language.”
“Oh! Truly?”
“Yes.”
“Your grace is as vast as the heavens, my Lord.”
Is this really something to call a grace?
Jeron tilted his head, but Birkin was entirely sincere.
The capability Kang Yu-jung had shown today was enough to make even Jeron, who had lived in the modern world, shake his head in admiration.
In particular, her mental arithmetic was something the people of this era could never hope to match.
Jeron prided himself on being decent at math, but he felt lacking compared to her.
If Sir Leila had been here, he would have paired Kang Yu-jung with her, but Leila was currently occupied with the Dark Moon.
Having become the practical leader of the Dark Moon, she was busy just establishing the connections needed to execute Jeron's orders.
For this reason, he decided to leave Kang Yu-jung with Sir Birkin today.
***
Hanes Castle.
Jeron hoped to finish his mana compression today if possible.
While he had been somewhat relaxed until now, that was no longer the case.
As time passed, the probability of Mr. Kang being alive on Earth dwindled.
Since Mr. Kang was a survivor who had lasted this long, he wouldn't perish easily, but one could never predict what might happen.
To rescue him, Jeron had put his head together with Kang Yu-jung to devise ways to fight the mutants, but in the end, a decisive weapon was needed.
Crossbows and foot traps were good, but to kill mutants with certainty, he needed a method that utilized mana.
He had an appointment with the Count, but he couldn't go empty-handed, so he brought a mechanical pencil.
He met the Count in a drawing room filled with masterpieces by the standards of this era, showing just how much money had been poured into it.
Count Hanes was highly pleased with the gift.
“Hahaha! Why bring such a gift? You make me feel burdened.”
“It is a small token of my respect, Count.”
“This does not look like an ordinary item either.”
The mechanical pencil he brought as a gift was a high-end model.
During Jeron's school days, there were models like the Tech 1000, Tech 3000, and Tech 5000, but recently, it seemed a Tech 10000 had been released.
It cost about ten dollars, which was quite expensive for students.
The ten-dollar mechanical pencil was gold-colored.
Jeron had never used such an expensive pencil in his life, and since it just used graphite lead anyway, the writing feel was mostly the same.
In fact, the pencil was rather heavy, which didn't suit Jeron's taste.
“This lead replaces ink. And you can write and erase it using this thing called an eraser.”
“What?!”
The Count was so shocked that Jeron found himself taken aback.
Was this really something to be so surprised about?
In any case, a mechanical pencil could not be used on parchment.
It didn't suit papyrus either; it only showed its true value when used on paper produced in modern factories.
If one insisted on using it on parchment or papyrus, it wasn't impossible, but the writing would be very difficult to read.
Ultimately, the mechanical pencil was designed to be used on notebooks.
“Since I have received a gift, I cannot stand idly by. It just so happens that top-quality venison was brought in today. I shall treat you to a rare feast of venison!”
“Ah, about that…”
“Hahaha, I may be old, but I am still a noble. Do not decline.”
Jeron wanted to cry.
If possible, he wanted to finish the mana compression and eat at the inn.
After eating the food prepared by Kang Yu-jung, who came from modern Earth, he could hardly swallow the traditional cuisine of the Karen Continent.
It seemed he would have to sacrifice his taste buds tonight.
At dusk.
He gorged himself tonight. And by force, at that.
Venison was only delicious when cooked well; otherwise, it was tough and had a strong gamey odor.
Wild deer ate all sorts of things, so the meat was not to Jeron's liking.
Still, pretending to eat it deliciously was quite an ordeal.
After dinner, he took a bath and arrived at the training ground with a clean and refreshed mind.
As Jeron sat cross-legged, the Count brought out an orb, which was immediately recognizable as a magic artifact.
“This is a magic artifact that amplifies mana. An artifact like this is worth as much as a castle.”
Jeron's eyes shook slightly.
He really has money to burn.
To think a crude-looking orb cost as much as a castle. Unless one was as wealthy as Count Hanes, even purchasing it would be a massive burden.
Having received an expensive gift, the Count intended to do his best.
His expression became incredibly serious as he explained the outline of mana compression in detail.
“Mana compression is fundamentally about utilizing the energy of the soul. The key here is whether you can move mana according to your will. If that is possible, you simply need to rotate it in sync with your heartbeat. Do you understand?”
“I understand. But Count, if one tries to compress mana in that manner, wouldn't it place an immense strain on the heart?”
“How did you know that?”
“It just seemed that way.”
He knew because he had tried it himself.
Jeron had attempted to compress it in sync with his heartbeat, but the excruciating pain in his heart had forced him to stop.
“I will cast a shield over your heart. It protects the heart with mana. This part is crucial; if you cannot control your mana precisely, protecting the heart is difficult.”
The Count subtly emphasized his own role.
Listening to the explanation, Jeron felt that reaching the 1st Circle was not that difficult.
As long as my heart is protected, this should be a piece of cake.