Hwee-Kyung’s eyebrows twitched.

She hadn’t lost all hope yet.

“What do you mean you don’t think it’s going to work? You need to tell me clearly whether you can or can’t do it.”

The blacksmith solemnly declared, “I can’t.”

“You said you could do it.”

“I said I could probably do it. It would have been better if you asked for sure.”

Hwee-Kyung realized that she couldn’t remove the blacksmith shop from Automation until the problem was solved. It didn’t matter to her if the blacksmith shop was removed after the problem was solved.

“So what’s the problem?”

“You shape iron by heating it up and hammering it while it’s hot. But it’s really hard to forge this iron. If other kinds of iron only require ten strikes, this one requires thirty to forty.”

“Are you saying it’s not iron?”

“It is iron. However, the type of iron depends on where it is from. It’ll likely make a good tool if it is hammered and shaped well, since the quality is good. I also want it done.”

“So? Does your pride as a professional blacksmith not compel you to heat it up and try again?”

The blacksmith pointed at the pouch and shook his head.

“That’s much too hard.”

“...Okay. Let’s think of another way. Can’t you just melt it? What do you think? Melt all of it and put it in a mold for it to harden in the shape we want.”

The blacksmith...