I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

But when he got to the second half of the sentence, he couldn't help but pause in surprise.

With the simple idea of ​​"addressing problems one by one," Qingdeng posed the first question:

"Mr. Kiryu, is this 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel'?"

Mr. Kiryu said in a deep voice:

"To be honest, I've never seen 'Ten Thousand Steel Refined' either."

"But I can feel it—this steel is extraordinary!"

As he spoke, he gently stroked the dark iron block in front of his knee.

As his hand traced the surface of the iron block, a look of amazement gradually appeared in his eyes.

“The Yamada Asaemon family’s secret records contain a detailed description of the appearance of ‘Ten Thousand Refined Steel’—which is almost exactly the same as this steel.”

"Therefore, I estimate... no, I'm certain, this is 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel'! And its quality is extremely high!"

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng, even though he had prepared himself mentally, couldn't help but feel excited.

"Steel that can withstand iron breakage" is indeed "steel that has been refined ten thousand times"...!

At this moment, Mr. Kiryu asked in return:

"Ju-kun, where did you get this piece of 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel'?"

The owner of Kiryu has been closely monitoring Aoto's "steel-seeking" plan.

At the same time, he did everything he could to help Qingdeng, not only mobilizing all his connections but also personally asking Huluwu to provide intelligence support, showing that he spared no effort in supporting him.

However, as of today, there has been no news from "Wanlian Steel".

Just a while ago, he was worried about his fruitless efforts, but now Qing Deng suddenly pulls out a piece of "ten-thousand-times-refined steel" of extremely high quality... No wonder Mr. Kiryu was shocked.

Qingdeng succinctly recounted its origins.

After hearing this, Mr. Kiryu's expression immediately turned strange:

"Such a thing actually happens... It's like finding a needle in a haystack, only to have it come to you effortlessly..."

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng chuckled lightly in agreement.

To be honest, even today, that "dreamlike" feeling still lingers in his heart.

A series of coincidences and twists of fate eventually led this divine steel across half a world and countless years to finally meet him... Whenever he thinks of this, Qing Deng can't help but feel his heart surging with emotion.

After a brief moment of reflection, Qingdeng returned to the main topic:

"Mr. Kiryu, what exactly did you mean when you said 'no swordsmith can handle this steel'?"

The Kiryu boss adopted a solemn expression and said seriously:

"Ten-times-refined steel is a rare treasure."

“It is already very difficult to heat it to a red-hot level enough to forge it, let alone forge it into a blade.”

"As far as I know, in the last twenty years, the only swordsmiths capable of mastering 'Ten Thousand Refined Steel' are the 'Edo Three Masters' led by Minamoto no Kiyomaro."

"However... all three of the 'Edo Three Masterpieces' have now passed away."

"If it were 10 years earlier, we might have been able to ask Gen Kiyomaro to forge the sword."

“If it’s just ordinary quality ‘refined steel,’ I can recommend a few master craftsmen with exceptional skills.”

"But this quality of 'ten-thousand-refinement steel'..."

Mr. Kiryu did not continue speaking.

However, his silence says it all.

The three masters of Edo – namely, Minamoto no Kiyomaro, Mizushinko Masahide, and Ōkei Naotane.

The three of them were known as the "Three Masters of Edo" because of their unparalleled sword-forging skills.

Among them, the most famous and most skilled was Minamoto Kiyomaro.

The replica of the "Nagasone Kotetsu" used by Kondo Isami was made by Minamoto Kiyomaro.

Although it is a replica, its power is in no way inferior to that of great works such as Izumi no Kami Kanesada and Horikawa Kunihiro, which is enough to show Minamoto no Kiyomaro's superb skills.

Unfortunately... just as Mr. Kiryu said, all three of the "Edo Three Masters" have passed away.

Even the youngest, Gen Kiyomaro, passed away 10 years ago... in the seventh year of Kaei (1854).

Upon hearing this, Qing Deng's heart sank.

Kiryu, the owner, comes from the Yamada Asaemon family and is an expert in the field of swords.

It's no exaggeration to say that he is a walking "encyclopedia of swords and blades".

He knows everything about famous knives and master craftsmen.

Therefore, his words naturally carry a high degree of authority.

Having finally obtained "Ten Thousand Refined Steel," they couldn't find a swordsmith capable of forging it... What a cruel twist of fate...

If this steel cannot be turned into a blade, then it is nothing but a piece of scrap.

Since that's the case, let's use a piece of steel that's easier to forge—Qingdeng couldn't bring himself to say something so heartless.

Now, this "ten-thousand-times-refined steel" is no longer a soulless, lifeless object.

It houses Elodie's former dreams.

Now, Elodie has entrusted her dream of "wearing a weapon forged from this steel and becoming a chivalrous knight-errant" to Qingdeng.

Regardless of anything else, even if it were just for Elodie, Qingden would not give up easily.

"...Mr. Kiryu, can you forge swords?"

The Kiryu boss chuckled to himself:

“I used to study blacksmithing in Akita, so I do know how to forge swords.”

"However, this applies only to unnamed knives made of ordinary iron."

"This thing is beyond my capabilities."

As he spoke, he pointed to the "Ten Thousand Refined Steel" in front of his knees.

[Note: Unmarked sword: A sword without a mark, generally referring to ordinary swords that are not even qualified to have one engraved, i.e., "common goods".]

—So you really know how to forge iron…

Qing Deng subtly twitched the corner of his mouth.

In reality, he only asked that question for fun.

Unexpectedly, Mr. Kiryu actually knows how to forge swords...

After this little incident, a deep, quiet silence descended between the two of them.

Although Qingdeng's circle of friends is quite large, there are no well-known knife makers among them.

Therefore, apart from Mr. Kiryu, he had no other people he could ask for help.

Kiryu A-Meng, please help me—Aoto exerts invisible "pressure" with his eyes.

Meeting Aoto's earnest gaze, Kiryu kept his eyes down, lost in thought.

About half a minute later, he let out a long sigh:

"...There's no other way but to try asking Shikisaki Sukeyo for help."

"Shikizaki Shiyō?"

Qingdeng was no stranger to this name.

Back then, the "Stabilizing Demon God" sword that the elder Ii Naosuke gifted to him was made by Shikisaki Kiyoshi.

For this reason, despite never having met him, Qingdeng felt a special closeness to him.

Kiryu the Boss slowly said:

"Compared to well-known sword-forging families such as Nagasone and Bizen Osafune, the Shikisaki family is not very famous, and can even be described as unknown."

"The reason for this is that they keep a low profile and rarely move around in public."

"In fact, the Shikizaki family's forging skills are in no way inferior to those of the top forging families."

“Tachibana-kun, if you remember, the Vairocana pendant you wear at your waist is a work of the Shikizaki family.”

"It was the head of the Shikizaki family, the very last generation, who devoted all his talents to forging this demon sword that is comparable to the 'Greatest Craftsman'."

Qingdeng nodded, indicating that he certainly remembered.

Kiryu the Boss continued the conversation:

"Shikizaki Kiyoshi is the current head of the Shikizaki family."

"Although he is still young, he has shown amazing talent at a very young age."

"Whether it's due to bloodline or family tradition, the Shikizaki family always produces strange and eccentric people."

"That's how it is with Shikizaki Kiyori."

"How should I put it, he's a... very strange person."

After a moment's hesitation, the Kiryu boss finally managed to squeeze out the comment, "weird."

“If you ask him to forge ordinary swords of mediocre quality, he will often mess it up.”

"However, if you let him forge top-quality swords, it can actually inspire his fighting spirit."

"The more powerful the steel and the more difficult the predicament, the more it can bring out its talents, ultimately leading to the creation of masterpieces that surpass everyone's imagination."

"If I were to ask which swordsmith in the world today could wield this 'ten-thousand-times-refined steel'... the only person I can think of is Shikisaki Kiyoshi."

At this point, Mr. Kiryu paused, then raised his gaze and stared intently at Aoto.

"Tachibana-kun, how about it? Are you interested in meeting Shikisaki Sukeyo?"

As soon as Kiryu finished speaking, Aoto grinned and said loudly without hesitation:

"Is there even a question? Since this person is our only hope, how could I possibly refuse to see him?"

"Mr. Kiryu, do you know where this person is now?"