Is the person you sculpt as cute as me?

The Rust Remover wondered whether to show some mercy, but it wouldn't be a good idea to let these strangers go so easily...

But no matter what, I have no loss.

The assistant mustered up the courage to say the last and most important thing: "And... Master - I feel the sword is missing."

The Rust Remover squinted his eyes, seemingly not understanding.

No, no, no, I could understand the literal meaning: the sword was missing—but what did it mean? Why couldn't I understand it?

But on the other hand, one's instincts have already taken action before one's reason.

She put down the wooden cup, and the wine inside spilled onto the table. She didn't care about it and just opened the door.

——No calories.

——There is no fire.

There was no…the roar of the sword.

There was only a peaceful and tranquil island, a group of strangers eating and chatting, and a slightly petite girl at the door.

"Eel, wait a minute..."

The Rust Remover rushed towards the deep pit regardless of anything. It was the pool used to contain the sword's wrath.

Now, it is quiet.

There were signs of battle, and plenty of scorched earth burn marks—but there wasn't any.

No sword.

"……what?"

The Rust Remover blinked blankly and immediately ran back to the door.

She was furious and raised her hand to the air as if to retrieve a weapon.

"Stranger! You...you stole my sword!—"

But the word "steal" was not fully uttered, because the Rust Remover's mind was still functioning.

These people don't have the ability.

The sword was newly forged, its fiery power still lingering. Even if they sacrificed a thousand lives, they couldn't steal it. Anyone who touched it would be consumed by the raging fire... That was the way it should be, right?

"What happened, Eel?" The Rust Remover calmed down.

She had already thought of several possibilities.

Or perhaps there was some hidden danger, and the materials didn't fuse smoothly, so the sword actually burned itself out. This meant that my skills were poor... but it was the most likely scenario.

or--

However, the Rust Remover didn't think about the symbolic correct answer.

Only Yu Man whispered to her, "It's tamed."

"……what?"

"what?"

Not only the Rust Remover, but even the assistant who wasn't supposed to speak was surprised.

What is she saying?

In front of them, Yu Man took out his sword.

A gentle warmth spread through my hand. Even without a handle, the metal felt smooth and comfortable. The center of gravity leaned slightly forward, yet it gave me a sense of the boldness to cut through anything.

"mission completed."

"...What? Really?" The Rust Remover didn't snatch it away. Instead, he reached out and took it, examining it carefully for a long time. "What? It's actually real."

Returning the sword to the opponent was the best solution Yu Man judged.

Although this is a powerful weapon, it can undoubtedly kill everything in the early stage.

but……

——Kill whom?

On the island of Shimlabakken, apart from the natural world tree itself, there should be nothing that Yu Man cannot defeat.

Even if they wanted to go out to sea and kill people, repairing the port would take time and money, and there were things that couldn't be completed immediately. After the repairs, it would take even more time to build ships, conduct sea trials, draw up nautical charts... and resume trade.

After all this time passed, Yu Man knew very well that he no longer needed this sword.

"Are there any weapons that need to be tamed?" Yu Man asked.

"…Not yet…I didn't expect it to be so soon."

The Rust Remover's tone changed, and a sense of respect for the girl before him emerged. It was only then that she realized—the other person had never been humble from the beginning.

"You..." She regretted not going to see how these strangers did it.

"After all, I'm strong too."

Yu Man finished speaking naturally and continued.

"And, like you, I am honest and moral. I did not take the sword away, just as you did not embarrass us, but explained the rules fairly."

The main thing is... taking the sword won't maximize the benefits.

——But lying can.

Especially lies used to praise.

Whether it is the old world or the earth, the souls living there are always happy to be praised.

There is a slightly more advanced way to give compliments, which is to draw a beautiful frame and naturally put the other person in it.

Nowadays, the best framework for comics is "honesty, morality, and fairness."

——This will also become a constraint.

If the other party denies it, it will become inherently dishonest, immoral and unfair.

"Rust Remover, I have completed your mission, and I only wish to take my fair share of the reward."

"...According to the rules, indeed." The Rust Remover had no way of getting away with it, she realized this.

However, she didn't intend to deny it, at most she would feel a little pain.

——Some people are born to live in a box.

"Thank you, you saved me a lot of effort. The sword's temper has been completely smoothed over... Then follow me. I have an underground warehouse for scrap metal. You can pick out some and take them away."

The Rust Remover was about to add some conditions—

Yu Man unexpectedly spoke.

It wasn't a bargain, it was a question: "If I could have you forge a two-handed sword... could you give me a quote?"

……

ps

(This is the only update I'll be doing today. I was so exhausted from watching the games in the early morning that it drove away all my inspiration. I can only manage to finish this chapter.

I'll make up for it later when I've had a good rest. Adding in the interest and outstanding balance, I still owe four chapters.)

080·Okay, update again!

Are you here for business?

Yu Man made a commission - this was beyond the expectations of the "Rust Remover".

She is a master craftsman, a legendary figure, and a mysterious being.

Even this island dedicated to forging - her residence, is isolated from the world and a special place unknown to mortals.

For every level, there is a circle for every level.

Therefore, in the cycle of history, "rust removers" always receive big business and deal with big people.

This seventh-tier weapon, for example, was only just reaching that threshold. However, the person who placed the order was someone with a prominent background, so he accepted it.

The task of taming this sword is just right for those strangers...so the gods arranged it this way.

But has the “Rust Remover” ever considered that these people, dressed in rags and with very little ability, seem to want to become his clients?

The Rust Remover didn't laugh—he just thought it was a bit ridiculous.

She tried to explain: "My price is extremely expensive, and it is only suitable for your children's toys. I am not willing to make it because it is not interesting..."

The Rust Remover had chosen his words carefully, not wanting to hurt the other person's self-esteem.

But at this point, the "Rust Remover" felt something was wrong.

In her opinion, there was a glimmer of "boredom" in Yu Man's eyes, no, it was closer to "contempt".

But the look was fleeting.

Yu Man simply spoke softly and calmly in the old world language that she had made some progress in learning recently.

"I can afford it."

The words are short, but they have a solid and persuasive power, and every word is a fact that needs no explanation.

The Rust Remover was taken aback... then, he put aside his last bit of contempt and regarded Yu Man as a big customer.

"What class of weapon do you want to forge?"

"Level 7, probably. I have a Level 3 weapon with sufficient training as the base, something like the Bloodless Longsword."

The Rust Remover shook his head. "It will take me several days to forge it. I'm afraid you can't stay that long... You need to go back to where you came from, right?"

Yu Man nodded, but in her heart she understood the meaning of the Rust Remover's words.

A seventh-level weapon with a base material also takes several days?

It seems that she is not a master craftsman who has achieved complete success and reached the tenth level of perfection.

Probably, between eight and nine.

Because he had seen so much in the latter part of the first week, Yu Man couldn't help but reveal a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Oh no, this was caught by the "Rust Remover" again and he understood it.

The latter immediately gritted his teeth: "...You...you...Alas, I am still very powerful, don't look down on me."

"Well, I know, a few days is not enough."

The Rust Remover then suggested, "Not necessarily. I can deliver. Which island are you on?"

"Shimlabakken." Yu Man said the name.

The Rust Remover pondered the phrase "Heavenly Mountain" and suddenly frowned, "...Is it that island that's always covered in snow?"

"Ah."

"Is it possible that there is a terrifying ice dragon wreaking havoc on nature?"

What kind of strange quest chain had been triggered? Yu Man was slightly surprised, but nodded.

Then she explained honestly.

"Our harbor is frozen, and technically I haven't seen the dragon yet, but the island it lives on, Rumana Seti, is indeed around Shimlabakken."

"...Yes, the eternally frozen sea." The Rust Remover's gaze was far-reaching, his voice soft as a whisper, "The World Tree is calling for winter."

"what?"

"It seems we can't deliver. The ice on the sea is hindering navigation. As far as I know, only the ships of the 'Phantom World Chamber of Commerce' can sail... But they seem to have a problem, and the materials I ordered before haven't arrived yet."

This time it was Yu Man who was stunned.

"Excuse me, what material is it?"

"I have a long-standing order. A certain person wants a weapon of world destruction. To do this, I need to obtain the winter scales of that dragon... or the unmelting snow roots of the World Tree. I commissioned the 'Underworld Chamber of Commerce' to purchase it, but now I can't contact them."

The roots of the world tree?