Corbin's walls were shorter and less impressive than Wendy's Fort, only one and a half storeys high. The more reassuring sight, to Cato anyway, was the ramshackle streets and houses that had outgrown from the walls. This wasn't a city that suffered constant attacks.

They even tended farmland nearby, the dead swamp had slowly given way to green pastures and field after field of cereal crops. Despite his weariness, Cato still noted how the fields rotated through varying stages of growth. Only the lack of seasons meant that every stage of growth was visible as the farmers rotated through their fields. Cato also noted how one field they passed by was being harvested by a small army of farmers with scythes and sickles.

Still, as they progressed down the street, Cato could almost see a parallel to Earth's history. The wide main street for carts was lined with wooden and the occasional stone building. None of them were over two storeys. Varied shops peddled their wares to an early morning crowd. But besides the occasional cobbler or cloth, most of the others were selling grain, fruit and bread. It felt more like a farmer's market than a town's commercial district.

Of more interest was the occasional Fuka mixed among the people on the street. Danine's tail and ears twitched in curiousity every time she spotted one, but Cato refrained from pointing out that none of the shopkeepers were Fukas and what few there were looked not a little browbeaten, hurrying along with heads lowered and refusing to make eye contact with anyone. He suspected the slight prejudice towards the Fukas he had seen in Wendy's Fort might be more magnified here.

"Woah, what happened to you out there?"

Rusel waved a hand sleepily at the guard standing at the gate, handing him a few official looking sheets, "twice in five days. We barely got any sleep!"

"The miasma?" the guard shook his head, "You sure are unlucky. "

"Finally, safe..." Danine mumbled wearily, slouched over the raised sides of the cart. She had been trying to learn how to create light, just in case they needed it. That was how desperate the situation would have got. Rusel, of course, knew how to, being a retired knight.

"One more time and we would have run out of firewood and might have to burn the cart," Landar sighed, "I've never heard of miasma happening so often. "

"You've not left Wendy's Fort for a year," Rusel said, "the miasma has increased lately. But still twice in five days is just..."

"True true," the guard nodded as he began to check the loaded crates, "the official supply carts are well-stocked with wood but every month some fool idiot insists on leaving with only a night's worth. We can't stop them and to make things worse, most of them do get through. It only encourages others to take their chances. "

"Anyone lost a farm yet?" Landar asked.

The guard nodded unhappily, "a few. The fields nearest the Death Marsh are starting to turn to mud again. There was another field abandoned just after you left, Rusel. "

"Again?" Rusel shook his head and sighed, "well, at least Inath won't abandon Wendy's Fort and as long as that fort is still there, so will Corbin. "

The guard nodded and waved them through, "everything seems to be in order. You have a lot of stuff for an alchemist, you know?"

Landar just smiled back at him.

As they entered the gate, the houses and shops became more wealthy, more or less as expected. They were still impoverished by Earth standards of course, facades of wood and stone couldn't hold a candle to the perfection of concrete, steel and good white paint. The stink of human waste was less than expected however, but when Cato tried to see if sewers existed in this place, he instead spotted trails in the side alleys where refuse had been removed from the town.

On the other hand, metal and wood craftshops, tailors and one case of a jeweler were now visible and the number of peddlers of food had reduced while quality had improved. In fact, a man pushing a small handcart of tiny baked delicacies tried to sell some to Landar in a strangely lilting language Cato didn't understand but she simply shook her head.

Cato noted how most of the workshops of a particular type seemed to hang some sort of coat of arms outside, all of them the same. Smiths had one sign and tailors had another, but all of the smiths used the same sign. It smacked of a monopoly.

"Right then, here we are," Landar said as she hopped off the cart, holding out a hand to Danine, "the Academy branch in Corbin, also representing the order of knights. "

They pulled up alongside the side entrance of one of the largest buildings in the center of town. Decorated with many varied coat of arms and festooned with flags, the Academy certainly looked impressive to Danine. Cato could only see chaos.

"Academy?" Cato inquired as he donned the thick gloves offered by Rusel and helped unload the crates onto the cobbled ground. The side entrance was where Landar was to store her items until she found a place to setup her workshop again.

"The full name is the Royal Academy of Magical Studies, it used to be the most influential guild in Inath but since twenty years ago, the war pressure has risen so much the knights are now more important," Landar levitated one of her crates off the cart with a shell of magic, eliciting a jealous look from Danine.

Rusel, also helping in unloading Landar's crates, said, "the Academy's spellstorm training is famous. Even if the Academy doesn't outright teach war and fighting, spellstorms are so devastating that they're more than holding their own compared to the knights. "

"Alchemy is undervalued," Landar sniffed, "it may not be as flashy as the rest but who else makes the armour the knights wear and the arrows the archers use? I say we're under appreciated. "

More than under appreciated, Cato suspected alchemy was probably one of the most important magical disciplines. The Inaths just hadn't realized it yet. Well, he would have to fix that. After he learnt more of magic of course.

"So what are you going to do now?" Landar asked as they stacked the last of the crates on the ground in the storage area. Landar sent the heavy cloth cover over it with a wave of a hand and a burst of magic. She seemed to substitute magic for physical exertion whenever it looked like she was going to need to do anything. It seemed like an eminently useful way to train magical ability to Cato.

"If you could recommend a place to stay in the short term, Danine and I would appreciate it greatly," Cato asked, "Also, do you know any traders who happen to be in town? I have a few proposals to make. "

Landar raised an eyebrow, "a business proposal, hm? Well, there's a nice inn to stay at two streets down, do you need some money?"

Cato smiled and nodded back at her, "the Fukas gave me half of their bounty for working on the bowgun for them. It was too generous but since this girl decided to come along, I'm thankful for it. " He ruffled Danine's furry ears. She nodded her thanks at Landar.

"I'll just settle my affairs with the Academy here, as well as register your temporary guild membership, I'll meet you for lunch at the inn to discuss your... proposals. "

The inn was wooden and low. Candles burned even in midday and gave the whole establishment a stuffy smoky smell. Instinctively bending down from the low ceiling, Cato felt like his height was somehow emphasized by the fact that everyone else didn't cringe every time they walked past a beam.

The clientele was sparse since it was about an hour until lunch but the few men and women eating early or just lounging around looked at them curiously. Cato caught a few unreadable glances towards Danine too. Still, he could tell from their dress compared with those outside the wall that this wasn't an inn that attracted the lower strata of society.

Even so, the wall at the back was lined with very familiar looking barrels and the air carried the smell of alcohol. Looked like some things never changed even between worlds. Give a man any sort of plant and he'd find a way to get drunk off it.

He nodded to the innkeeper standing in front of the counter and paused. A room for two? Or should he get separate rooms? Danine might be considered too young to be on her own though. Who knew what counted as age of majority here? Oh what the heck.

"A room for two?" Cato ventured.

The innkeeper looked down at Danine and frowned. She clung to Cato nervously. "I'm sorry, we're not that kind of establishment," the innkeeper said.

What in the world? Was it just the way he asked? "Uh, I need a room to stay in for at least three days. Do you think she needs her own?"

The innkeeper stared at Cato for a moment then considered Danine's twitching ears. He mumbled something inaudible and then said, "One room. One rime per day. "

That would be one of these big coins, Cato mused. Come to think of it, he had no idea how expensive things were in this town and he had only twenty of them plus miscellaneous change. Danine tugged on his shirt and whispered into his ear, "he's overcharging you. "

How did she know that? Cato raised an eyebrow and resolved to ask her later. "You can go lower than that," Cato said then made a snap judgment, "half a rime per day. "

The innkeeper held his gaze for a long moment where Cato also resolved not to look away. "Fine," he said finally, "but you have to be quiet. "

Despite the incomprehensible comment, Cato accepted the price. He wondered if he still wasn't being overcharged but Danine didn't seem to react. Alright, if he needed to stay for longer, Cato would certainly get his money's worth the next time. They counted out the requisite coins and the innkeeper showed them the room.

Sadly, the wooden room held only a pair of beds on either side of the room and a washtub in one corner. The clay chamberpot would be emptied twice a day and Cato swore to himself that he would use it only right before it was due. They were limited to no more than a sixth of a candle per day or there would be an extra charge. Even the wooden flooring was creaky. All in all, a poor substitute for an equivalent room on Earth.

"How did you know he was overcharging me?" Cato asked once they were alone, "I don't think you know the prices here either. "

"He was nervous," Danine frowned, "I think. I just got the feeling that he couldn't be trusted. "

Hmm? Cato looked at her closely but she just looked back up. The large eyes and furry ears betrayed no special mind reading abilities however. Perhaps she was just good at reading people?

He shook his head and gestured at one of the hard beds for her to sit down. She fidgeted a little, it wasn't very comfortable, being a few sheets draped over a wooden board. Nothing like the soft fur of piyos. Cato added an entry for mattresses in his mental wish list. Pillows and blankets too.

"What exactly do you want to do by following me?" Cato asked, "you said that you didn't want to be just some girl who couldn't do anything. So what is it you want to do?"

Danine shook her head, "I don't know. "

"So your first task will be to find out what that is," Cato said.

She frowned in confusion for a moment then she got the implication and her eyes widened.

Cato smiled and nodded, "I've decided. If your parents permit, you may follow me if you want. "

Danine's tail shot up in surprise then drooped immediately afterwards, "but mama will never let me do that. "

"You'll have to persuade them, and I will encourage them to let you stay as well," Cato held up a finger, "but. I expect you to practice magic seriously without me to watch you. You cannot expect me to tell you what to do all the time, nor will I do so. I am not your parents and this is not your village, keep that in mind. "

Right. That should be enough for now. He had to make clear what he expected from the outset or she would never achieve her goals. She nodded enthusiastically.

He pulled out his quill and paper to help write the letter then paused. Danine's writing was still bad and her reading skills were marginal at best. "Also, I will try to teach you how to read and write. Properly. It's going to become a very important skill. "

"Finally something more than sandwiches," Landar sighed as they finished their lunch. Looked like she was as sick of it as Cato was.

It was soup of a brown-coloured pea and bread, with chunks of paka meat. The soup was starched with a floury mix, probably from whatever they used to make bread, that gave it a creamy smooth texture that Cato didn't know he missed. Altogether a nice change from endless sandwiches on offer in Wendy's Fort. Best part was that none of it was spiced although Landar then proceeded to add eye-watering amounts of the red flakes from the pepperpot to her own bowl.

The price was unbelievably low, all three of them cost less than a tenth of a rime. And Landar still complained of high prices. Looked like the innkeeper had still massively overcharged the newcomers but despite Danine's suspicious glare towards the innkeeper, Cato held his peace.

"So about your plan?" Landar asked.

"I want to make steel," Cato said, "reliably and in large quantity. But the processes I read about require a large scale operation and obviously, that requires financial resources that we don't have so I was hoping you knew a few merchants who might be interested in an investment. "

Landar blinked at him for a moment then suddenly grabbed his arm and whispered, "are you crazy? The Ironworkers' guild is the supplier for the knights' equipment! If they heard you knew how to make steel-"

Cato held up a hand, "I don't know how. Not exactly. I will have to perform some experiments first. "

"Doesn't matter," Landar hissed, "you don't threaten the guild like that. I have no doubt there will be people willing to take the risk, maybe even wealthy merchants, and they don't care about the small shops but bad things happen if you cross them. "

"Even more reason to break their monopoly," Cato said firmly.

"What?!" Landar glanced around the inn but no one seemed to have noticed anything yet.

"Where I came from, we went through this stage before," Cato explained, "guilds concentrate political power and knowledge, with special privileges for its members. For example, the arbitration may be fair on the surface but I'm sure you can think of a few cases where the knight was favoured over say, another peasant. "

Landar could only stare at him incredulously. But she nodded reluctantly.

"In fact, judging by how much the bounty is, the order of knights has... made Inath increase the bounty paid out for monster kills," Cato ventured, "in a similar way, the Ironworkers' guild raises prices for steel. The knights can afford it after all. They have no incentive to improve the process and so steel remains a specialist art, expensive and slow. "

Landar frowned, "I don't really understand. Why would the guild not want to make more steel? They would make more money. "

"It's difficult work," Cato said, "trying to research new methods is high risk with little reward. Surely you know of a few people who could work a bit harder but don't because of guild monopoly power?"

Landar opened her mouth but stopped with a troubled look on her face.

"Never mind economic theory," Cato waved a hand, he couldn't expect her to understand it immediately. But he would have to keep an eye on fiat currency too. Why, this world was probably running on mercantilist principles! "I just want to find a merchant or two who might be interested in something like this. I'll solve the other problems when I meet them. "

"The Academy," Landar waved a hand around the courtyard as she brought them through the main gate.

Contrary to the austere university-style atmosphere Cato was expecting, he saw a few groups of men and women milling around a row of counters. Most of the courtyard, paved with expensive stone slabs, was empty and the guild buildings around it only had a thin trickle of people. Seemed like most everyone was at the far end of the courtyard from the entrance.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

Despite the lackluster appearance, Danine still looked around with starry eyes.

"What's going on there?" Cato asked.

"That would be where today's enchantment requests will be posted," Landar explained, "alchemists go there to know what is wanted and book requests. Once they have enchanted the given item, they also return it there to be checked and get paid. "

"What about you?"

"Me? I don't take on normal requests," Landar said proudly, "I'm so good that people write to me asking me to make things. Far too many for me to accept them all in fact," she looked towards the direction of the guild stores where her crates were kept.

"So how did you get so good?" Cato asked. Perhaps the ease with which she created the bowgun could not be replicated by others. He was lucky to have met Landar.

"A whole lot of hard work," Landar said, "Well, my family's also a bit special. I have a lot of magical strength because of our childhood training. Some would say it's cruel to train a three year old child in magic but I turned out fine. I had to pay to learn alchemy by myself though. "

"But it's not talent?" Cato asked. Tori hadn't said anything about that and once Danine had demonstrated her magic, had cheerfully expected Danine to pick up magic with the same practice as humans.

"The noble families might claim to have inherited some power," Landar said, "but everyone knows they just train their children in magic. Not everyone can learn magic simply because there aren't enough teachers. You need to be rich to afford one you know. " She looked at Danine, "or know someone crazy enough to ask the Knights to teach you. "

Danine was eyeing the crowd of alchemists with glint in her eye. She didn't catch the reference.

"Interesting. " And good to know. So there really was something wrong with Cato.

And looking at crowd again, it seemed most of them were lining up to get assignments to make magical arrows. They came away clutching bundles of arrows and some even started working on them while walking away. Arrow-making sure seemed to be in high demand. The people giving out the assignments had already begun to turn people away and some of the disappointed alchemists wandered over to the other counters with angry faces.

"Why does everyone want to make magical arrows?" Cato asked.

Landar sniffed derisively, "ever since I invented them two years ago, it's been everywhere. Instead of using your own magic to make the arrow fly faster, magical arrows let you save power. Bows have always been popular, and now almost half the knights can shoot a bow. " She caught the look on his face. "Most knights aren't actually flame haired berserkers, you know?"

Cato grinned. "That still doesn't answer the question," he pointed out.

"Well, the real answer is that magical arrows are easy, you just make the same magic over and over again. No need to think even a bit. The orders even come with the arrows pre-made," she shook her head sadly, "alchemists are generally regarded as the worst job to have in the Academy. A dead end, no prospects for bounty or commendations from the knights. I think they're just not trying hard enough. "

Or perhaps its reputation as the worst position made others expect less from alchemists and attracted the people least likely to want to work hard. Cato frowned. Finding out who was right would be a task worthy of a sociology department. At least Cato knew Landar must be exceptional, but as a rule, exceptions always happened. He'd worry about it later.

Looking back at the alchemists, Cato noticed something. "You know, everyone here, even the knights seem to have white or yellow hair," Cato asked, "only you and I have black. Is black hair really that rare?"

Landar raised an eyebrow, "you only notice this now? Well, the Tsar have black hair and not all of them, and there's not many left from the Tsar either. So yes, black hair is rare. My family's descended from the Tsars yes, I guess yours must be as well. "

Cato merely gave a vague shrug. Who knew, maybe the Tsar came from Earth too. Nah, almost certainly not. "So where are we going?"

Landar shook her head, "too much to hope you'd change your mind, hm? Well, the Ironworkers is probably a bad idea. So I'm going to ask for the merchants who supply the food to Wendy's Fort. I would also dearly love to meet that guy. "

The look in her eyes told Cato she wanted to talk to that merchant for a completely separate reason. Come to think of it, he only had the sandwiches for a week or two and Cato was already sick of it. The knights had been eating it for years. He was starting to understand why all the bread was so spicy. And how the Fukas had made so many friends so quickly, why they must have tasted like saviours to the knights!

On the other hand, some of the Fukas actually seemed to like the spice. Madness.

Landar returned from the guild office building and lead them away from the Academy to another building right across the road. Apparently the primary supplier put his branch building next to the guild. Obvious why really. Even more lucky, he was in this week. The stone building was also a good sign of the merchant's wealth.

"A business proposal for Mr Kalny?" the servant who let them into the front room frowned, "And your name is?" Without any sign of recognition of Landar's name, he nodded before leaving, "I will have to check if he is available. "

"Somehow I feel bad for using your fame," Cato remarked as they waited.

"You can thank me by giving me a share in the venture," Landar said jokingly.

"I was intending to," Cato answered seriously, "while I know the outlines of how to make steel without magic, I suspect magic can help alot in the process. Once I re-invent it, I hope to have you available to help optimize it using magic. "

Landar stared at him for a moment, "I think perhaps I ought to hear this out before deciding. "

She could say that but Cato had already seen the betraying glint of curiousity in her eyes. Landar was already all over it. "In due time," Cato nodded.

The door opened and the servant bowed stiffly in his uniform. Did it somehow get crisper? "Master Kalny will see you now," the servant said but looked at Danine sharply, "but the Fuka stays here. "

A look of dismay flashed across the girl's face before she looked at Cato. He was about to step forward when Landar marched over to the servant. "We mean no disrespect," she bit her words in anger, "but Danine is a friend and close companion. We go together. "

They locked gazes for only a moment before the servant backed down, he grimaced and waved them through the door, with markedly less respect, "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. You may proceed. "

Landar's fuming mood lasted until they reached the indicated door. It was good to know that she didn't discriminate against the Fukas, unlike so many others Cato saw here, but that anger was something he hadn't anticipated.

The room was paneled with wood and festooned with shelves of paper and wooden binder clips. A pre-digital age office. In the center was a solid wooden desk that radiated wealth and power despite age tarnishing the glossy finish.

"Ah, the Mad Alchemist of Wendy's Fort," Kalny stood up and greeted them, "and who is this- oh, a Fuka as well. How unusual. "

The man had a round face and equally round body. Too many sandwiches? Cato suppressed the thought. The merchant wasn't that fat. What was more surprising was the short crop of black hair on his head. There was something different about him though, his face looked more like the other people with yellow hair.

He pulled up a set of wooden chairs and seated them around his desk.

Landar smiled a little and nodded, "this is Cato, he's the one with the business proposal. This is our friend, Danine. "

"I was told you were the one with the proposal," the merchant narrowed his eyes.

"That must have been a miscommunication," Landar smiled sweetly.

To Cato's surprise, he just laughed. Kalny nodded to Cato, "all right, if the Mad Alchemist would go so far as to recommend you, I'll hear you out. "

"Before I start, can I ask if you're from Tsar?" Cato asked.

"It's the black hair, isn't it?" Kalny fiddled with his fringe wryly, "I'm a quarter. My mother's mother. I'm sorry for my servant's behaviour, you can't never really get it out of them and good servants are hard to find all the way out here. Will you forgive him?"

Danine nodded at his question. Kalny smiled back and offered her a boiled sweet from the bowl on his desk. She considered it for a moment before taking it with a grin. The attention returned to Cato.

"I want to make steel," Cato said, "I can figure out how to make it in large quantities and better quality than the Ironworkers. "

Kalny was unimpressed, "and why should I fund you and get into trouble with Ironworkers? You haven't even shown me you can do it. "

Cato weighed his options. Would the bowgun be enough of a demonstration to show his ability? But it had nothing to do with making steel. Just one instance of being clever and seeing a new improvement to an old system. Perhaps this was a good time to reveal his secret. The Tsars seemed to be less prejudiced, he trusted Landar a little more now and this merchant would need something to convince him.

He took out the pen again and watched the man's eyes light up with wonder. Even Landar stared at it hungrily as if she wanted to dissect it right there in the office. "I'm not from this world," Cato said, attracting Landar's sharp gaze. He recounted how he woke up in the forest and found the Fukas in their valley. To make things clearer, he took out the Earth clothing that had followed him from his bag and then disassembled the pen.

"I don't recognize the cloth," Kalny said, running a finger over the hem of the shirt, then after seeking Cato's permission, tugged hard on it. "Incredible tolerance, it didn't stretch at all. And the colour is so smooth. Rather than steel, I'd rather you make this, it'll be a rain of money direct from the Royal Court. "

"It's polyester," Cato explained, "I only know the theory behind the material, not the exact steps needed to make it. But before you can make any of that, you need steel. A lot of steel. That's why I wanted to talk to you about that. "

"Tell me then," Kalny asked, "convince me that steel is worth the risk you want me to take. I don't see how steel can be used for this. "

He took a piece of blank paper from Kalny's desk after getting permission. Using his pen, Cato wrote 'steel' down in the center of the paper. "With good cheap steel, one can build pressure vessels that can withstand both high pressure and hard vacuum. You can build springs and gears, used in almost every mechanical device, and to such a precision that things like the nib of this pen will be trivial. "

He drew a line out from the word and wrote another word for each item he mentioned.

"Steel mechanisms will carry enough torque to drive machines, and steam engines to power them. With steel, you can build the tools you need to go prospecting for other materials we know of, oil and coal deep in the ground. Drills, pneumatic tools. Pipes that last for years without replacement. Rotary printing presses. Buildings even, you can build higher and thinner than with stone. "

Cato fetched another piece of paper.

"With good steel, good mechanisms, you can start to make glass in precise shapes. That's needed for laboratories, which I'm going to need to reinvent chemistry. Chemical processes and it's products, when we figure that out, will improve the steel further, polymers from the oil make this cloth you want so much. Additives and proper chemical mixtures can make plastics, the casing of this pen, and combined with dyes will make the ink. "

He looked up from the two pieces of paper full of scribbles and concepts. He was talking only in general terms, without any detail as to how he was going to achieve it. But Cato was sure he could figure it out with a little re-invention. After all, he vaguely knew the path to get there, it was only a matter of time. And who knew, with magic, it might go a whole lot faster.

"This is the world I came from," he said, pointing at the paper, "we had all of that and more. This is why this pen and this clothing look like First artifacts to you. Probably better than theirs even. And steel is the basis of all that. "

Cato sighed and looked at Kalny who looked like he was staring at something that had walked out of... well, the future. It was almost true even.

"It won't be easy, and it won't be instant. But in my world, I was studying to be a materials engineer," Cato said, "simply put, an engineer is someone who builds things. We study physics and chemistry, the science of how things move and how they react with each other. I know what's inside the steel and what makes it stronger than iron. That's how I know how to make steel. "

There was a silence in the room for a moment. Did he overdo it? Come to think of it, going on about future plans might make him sound a bit... insane. He hoped he didn't sound insane, it generally wasn't good for convincing sponsors.

"Perhaps we should start calling you the Mad Alchemist of Corbin," Kalny rocked back in his chair, smiling. The wood creaked below his weight. "A very interesting plan- no, I suppose I should call it a vision. You have an interesting vision. "

"I was expecting to have to do a few more things to convince you," Cato said.

"Oh of course," Kalny nodded, "for one thing, I'd like you to make a small amount of steel using the same technique you are thinking of. What do you need?"

Cato could feel his eyebrows trying to climb into his hair. Oh, wow. Kalny really was going for it.

"Don't look so surprised," Kalny said, "it's clear you think you know what you're talking about. Besides, if this doesn't work out, I'll be wanting you to pay back whatever I spent. So, what do you need?"

Cato nodded. He looked at Landar and pulled a few more sheets of paper. "I'm going to try to remake the Bessemer furnace," he said, sketching the parts as he thought of them, "for a test, a small one, perhaps the size of a barrel of drink, will do. It won't need anything fancy in terms of machinery, because we'll use magic to do everything heavy or dangerous. "

"Completely impractical," Landar said, "having an Academy wizard do everything would be ridiculously expensive. And what is that you put into the furnace, molten iron? Are you crazy? That takes ridiculous amounts of charcoal or magic. "

Cato stared at her. Charcoal? Wasn't this something like Earth's Middle Ages? He sighed mentally and asked, "you forge iron by smelting it with charcoal?"

Landar nodded, "of course. And the Ironworkers' guild make the best wrought iron in Inath. They don't compete with the likes of me but Toal might get in trouble if he tried to sell his iron. He made good iron. You don't need to ask how steel is made. Only the Ironworkers know that. "

Right. Even Inath made iron using the same method as a small village blacksmith. No wonder everything was built out of stone and wood.

"I'm sorry, steel will have to wait," he apologized to Kalny, "I should start with a blast furnace instead. "

"And what is that?" Kalny asked.

"A method to produce lots of pig iron. It'll be much harder than the iron that comes out of your smelter but pig iron can't be worked. It just shatters if you hit it too hard. "

They were back to looking at him as if he was crazy.

"And what do you need this unworkable iron for?" Kalny asked.

Cato could almost roll his eyes. Here we go again.