met free Chapter 39 Increase in Debt
Chapter 39 Increase in Debt
half a month later.
Inside Cocolia's office at the Tenkai Orphanage.
Lu Xingchen sat at his desk, a forging tutorial video playing on his computer screen.
"In the art of forging, the worst thing is to be impatient and restless. Only by persevering can one go far on this path," a middle-aged man dressed in black forging clothes said in a deep voice on the screen.
He was a well-known level-five blacksmith in Tianhai City. At this moment, he was standing in front of the forging table, holding a heavy forging hammer in his hand, and explaining the core principles of forging with a serious expression.
"Secondly, comprehension is also extremely important. Many people may misunderstand the word 'comprehension,' believing that as long as their mental strength is high enough, they can make up for a lack of comprehension."
"However, I must tell you that this is a big mistake." The blacksmith raised his forging hammer and gently tapped a piece of red copper in front of him, producing a crisp sound.
"Those with strong mental strength may not lack comprehension, but the comprehension required for forging is not simply the ability to understand, but the ability to resonate with the metal and integrate one's own will into the metal—to make the metal an extension of your body, so that you can clearly perceive its texture, its toughness, and every slight change in it."
After saying this, the blacksmith stopped talking, gripped the forging hammer tightly with both hands, and the muscles in his arms suddenly tensed up.
With his movement, the forging hammer fell with a whistling sound, striking the red copper with precision.
"Now, I will demonstrate the thousand-fold refining process for you. Please pay attention to my exertion and rhythm."
The screen focused on the forging table and the forger's movements. The forging hammer rose and fell with precise and steady force, each strike landing on a different spot in the red copper, as if containing a special rhythm.
As the copper was hammered, it gradually turned red-hot, and the impurities on the surface were peeled off at a speed visible to the naked eye. The originally dull metallic luster gradually became warm and lustrous.
Lu Xingchen leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowed, carefully observing every detail on the screen.
When he saw the blacksmith finally stop, the red copper in his hand transformed into a lustrous metal ingot, and the screen displayed the mark "Thousand Refinements, Grade Two," he couldn't help but let out a soft "hmm," subconsciously muttering to himself, "It seems that forging isn't so difficult after all?"
In his view, although the blacksmith's movements in the video seem complicated, when broken down, they are nothing more than precise control of force and rhythm.
He also knew something about the second-grade metal forged with a thousand-fold refining—this quality of metal was the basic material for the core formation of purple-grade mechs, and it was also a common choice for those poor one-word battle armor masters to make battle armor parts, and there was a stable demand for it in the market.
But then he thought again that things were not so simple.
As one of the four major professions in Douluo Continent, blacksmiths enjoy a prestigious status and high income. If it were really that easy to master, wouldn't everyone be able to become a blacksmith?
Lu Xingchen shook his head, suppressing the restlessness in his heart, and took out the silver-rimmed glasses "0-02" from his pocket, gently placing them on his nose.
The cool frames of the glasses pressed against his skin, instantly activating the sealed artifact's power. He reached out and rewound the video, replaying the segment where the blacksmith demonstrated the thousand-fold refining process.
This time, with the support of "0-02" resolution, the images on the screen seemed to be slowed down countless times—the angle of the blacksmith's arm swing, the amplitude of the wrist rotation, and the precise position of the forging hammer falling.
The degree of muscle contraction with each exertion, even the rhythm of his breathing and the frequency of his hammering, were clearly presented in Lu Xingchen's mind, as if they were broken down into countless detailed modules and imprinted one by one into his consciousness.
Furthermore, "0-02" also provided an in-depth analysis of the blacksmith's power exertion techniques, transforming the underlying mechanical principles and soul power circulation methods into easily understandable information and integrating them into his understanding.
It was as if an invisible mentor was meticulously explaining the core points of each movement in his ear.
When the video finished playing again, a hint of surprise and doubt flashed in Lu Xingchen's eyes: "So it seems... it really isn't difficult?"
Could it be that although my innate soul power is low, I have a rare talent in forging?
The thought flashed through his mind, making him feel a little expectant. But he quickly calmed down, knowing that theory alone was not enough; only practical experience could verify whether he truly had the potential.
"I still have to try my luck at the Tianhai City Blacksmith Association," Lu Xingchen muttered to himself, taking out "0-01" and a book from his pocket.
With the pen hovering above the page, he began to ponder how best to showcase his skills at his debut in the Blacksmiths' Association, so as to attract a powerful figure to take him on as an apprentice.
That's right, he has decided to enter the field of forging and earn enough wealth with his own hands—after all, what he needs to solve most urgently right now is that heavy debt.
His thoughts drifted back to two weeks ago, when he had relieved most of the burden in his heart by breaking the curse in the children's bodies through blood transfusions.
But soon a new problem arose: Rosalia, Lilia, Meu, and another surviving girl, although the curse power in their bodies had completely dissipated, remained in a coma and could not be woken up no matter how they were called.
After repeated examinations, the healing-type Soul Masters at Tianhai Hospital finally concluded that:
The children's bodies showed no abnormalities. Their coma might be a self-repair process after being eroded by the curse. They will naturally wake up if we wait patiently.
Although this conclusion was unsettling, Cocolia had no choice but to believe it when there was no better option.
To facilitate medical staff's monitoring of the children's condition and prevent any accidents, Cocolia did not take them back to the orphanage. Instead, she kept them in the hospital's special care ward and hired professional caregivers to take care of them 24 hours a day.
However, this makes the already heavy economic burden even more unbearable.
Through the "0-01" record, Lu Xingchen clearly knew that in the past half month, Cocolia's accumulated debt had increased from eight million federal dollars to eight million two hundred thousand.
The extra 200,000 yuan not only covered the children's subsequent treatment costs, but also their accommodation in the special care ward, the salaries of caregivers, and various examination fees.
Eight million two hundred thousand is just a drop in the bucket for high-level Soul Masters, but it is a huge sum of money for ordinary people and low-level Soul Masters.
During this time, Lu Xingchen never heard a single complaint from Cocolia. She always pretended to be relaxed, but the increasing weariness in her eyes and the occasional anxiety she revealed could not escape his notice.