I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Although he was puzzled, he didn't hesitate and immediately said:

"Let her in!"

"Yes!"

Before long, familiar footsteps reached Qingdeng's ears.

With a whoosh, accompanied by the sound of the door being opened, long, light-gold hair tied in a high ponytail for ease of movement bounced into Qing Deng's view.

"Elodie, what brings you here so suddenly?"

As Qingdeng asked the question, he looked down into the other person's arms.

Elodie was carrying a huge, heavy bundle, the contents of which were unknown.

At first, Qing Deng also considered changing his address to her real name, "Alice".

However, after being called "Elodie" for so many years, it is indeed quite difficult to suddenly ask him to change to another name.

After receiving permission from her to "not worry about it, you can call me whatever name you want," Qing Deng chose to continue as before and called her "Elodie."

In response to Qing Deng's question, Elodie smiled slightly:

"Master, it's nothing serious, I just... wanted to bring you something."

"Sending something?"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng subconsciously looked again at the large bundle in his arms.

"Master, do you still remember the dream I mentioned a while ago?"

As she spoke, Elodie bent down, placed the large bundle in her arms on the ground in front of her knees, and then sat down respectfully.

Qing Deng immediately said:

"'To live a free and chivalrous life like Robin Hood'—of course I remember that."

Elodie nodded.

"Yes."

"Although this dream was naive and absurd, I was very serious about it back then."

Even today, I sometimes fantasize about becoming the 'second Robin Hood'.

“Master, if I remember correctly, I should have told you that in order to fulfill my dream, I not only asked my father to arrange more sword lessons for me, but I also stole the special steel that my family has passed down for generations, hoping to forge a divine weapon that belongs only to me.”

At this point, Elodie reached out and slowly untied the large bundle in front of her knees.

"It is difficult to verify where this piece of steel came from."

"All I know is that our family has had this piece of steel for a long time, and we have regarded it as a precious family treasure, passed down from generation to generation."

“My father had no interest in it, so he casually put it in the cabinet in his study, which gave me the opportunity to steal it.”

"My father probably doesn't even know to this day that the family heirloom is in my hands."

“When I was very young, my grandfather would often tell me stories about this family treasure by the fireplace.”

"Although the stories are varied and bizarre, one thing I always remember is that weapons forged from this steel will have a jet-black luster! And they will be incredibly tough and incredibly sharp!"

"Therefore, our family calls it 'Iron-Cutting Steel,' meaning 'to cut through steel and iron'!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng could no longer remain calm, his face filled with intense shock.

"Elodie, could it be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Elodie nodded knowingly, a smile on her face.

"Although I'm not sure yet, I think our family's 'Iron-Breaking Steel' is your 'Ten-Thousand-Refined Steel'!"

The moment she finished speaking, Elodie ripped open the bundle, revealing the contents—an irregularly shaped iron block.

The instant she lifted the cloth, a dark halo appeared in the room—the luster of the iron block.

At first glance, it appears to be just a large, dark lump of iron.

However, upon closer inspection, one can discover that this iron block faintly reveals a beautiful, pearl-like luster.

Even Qingdeng, who knew nothing about materials science, could tell at a glance that this iron was extraordinary!

Before Qing Deng could recover from his shock, Elodie continued:

“Master, I have come here to entrust it to you.”

She paused, then straightened her back and said, slowly and deliberately, in a serious tone:

"Please use this steel to reforge the blade of Vairocana!"

Her solemn expression and serious tone showed that she was not joking; she was very serious.

Qingdeng glanced at Elodie, then at the "broken iron steel" in front of her knees, and the shock on his face gradually subsided.

“…Elodie, I appreciate your kindness. But I cannot accept this.”

As he spoke, he solemnly shook his head.

"This is your family heirloom; how could I possibly steal it?"

"Besides...didn't you intend to use this steel to forge a divine weapon that is uniquely yours?"

"In that case, I absolutely cannot accept it."

Elodie didn't seem surprised by Qing Deng's response.

She smiled gently.

"Master, you don't need to be so polite."

"Indeed, this item is indeed a family treasure, and I do intend to use it to forge a divine weapon that is uniquely mine."

"However, since I am my father's only daughter, I will inherit all the family's wealth sooner or later."

"In that case, how to use this family heirloom is entirely up to my personal preference."

"I'm just using my assets ahead of time."

At this point, she playfully stuck out her tongue, a sly look on her face.

"As I've gotten older, I've gradually come to terms with reality."

"With my limited abilities, I am no match for Robin Hood."

"Compared to wielding swords, I'm more suited to working with an abacus."

"I am not a genius martial artist like Miss Souji or Miss Sanako. I am just an ordinary person with a little talent."

"It would be such a waste for a mortal like me to use such divine steel."

"A fine knife deserves a worthy master, and so does fine steel."

"Rather than let a pearl be covered in dust, it is better to generously part with it."

"In other words, this is not a 'gift,' but a 'entrustment.'"

"Master, I now entrust my dream to you!"

"Please forge an unparalleled sword from this steel, and then become a legendary hero who will be renowned throughout the land and remembered for eternity, thus fulfilling my unfinished dream!"

After saying this, Elodie bowed solemnly and generously, and pushed the black steel in front of her knees forward towards Qingdeng.

Qingdeng opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

He wanted to say something more, but after hearing Elodie's words and seeing the expression on her face, the words that had been on the tip of his tongue fell back into his stomach.

If Elodie is not mistaken, then this "broken iron steel" is very likely "ten-thousand-times-refined steel".

The "Ten Thousand Refined Steel" that he had been searching for for so long but could not obtain would actually appear before him in such a way... To be honest, Qing Deng had a dreamlike sense of unreality.

However, he was not surprised by such an unexpected development.

In the real world, anything, no matter how absurd, can happen.

At this moment, he sensed Elodie's unwavering determination.

Especially after she said "entrusting my dreams to you," Qing Deng could only come up with one response—

"……I see."

Qing Deng sat upright and solemnly nodded, then bowed in return, and said loudly, word by word:

"I'll accept the 'Steel Breaker'!"

……

……

The person who knows the most about swords and steel around Qing Deng is undoubtedly Mr. Kiryu, who comes from the Yamada Asaemon family.

After his battle with Hannya, Kiryu, who had suffered considerable injuries, did not return to Osaka, but instead recuperated at a villa in the western suburbs of Kyoto.

In order to verify whether "broken iron steel" was indeed "ten-thousand-refined steel", Qing Deng hurriedly rode his ox to the residence of Mr. Tong Sheng.

As soon as he met the other party, he took out the "Broken Iron Steel" to show him.

This was nothing short of a shock; upon closer inspection, Kiryu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Qingdeng asked:

"Mr. Kiryu, what do you think? Is this 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel'?"

The Kiryu boss was silent for a moment, then said quietly:

"King Tachibana, this is troublesome... This steel is too perfect; I'm afraid no swordsmith these days can handle it...!"

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Chapter 880 Back to Edo! Searching for Shikisaki Sukeyo! [5400]

Kiryu's first half of his words brought a look of joy to Qing Deng's face.