Minho’s face practically lit up. “Follow me!” she urged, motioning for Gu to follow her with an infectious optimism that had him trailing behind her, still half-dazed from her mysterious plan. She led him to the small stream running from the cave, sheltered by the ancient tree with roots dipping into the clear water. By the stream, two large empty pots sat next to a bag stuffed with ripe berries.

Minho pointed at the pots. “I need you to crush these berries and make enough juice to fill both of these pots, Brother Gu!”

Gu eyed the sizable pots with a groan. “Both? These are huge—it's going to take hours. And why am I even doing this?” he asked, still confused but reluctantly intrigued.

Minho gave a small, knowing smile. “It’s hard to explain... but you’ll understand if it works. Just trust me, Brother Gu. Now get to work.”

With a resigned sigh, Gu sat down and started mashing the berries, the rich, dark juice slowly filling the first pot as his hands stained red with berry pulp. Meanwhile, Minho began crafting what looked like a makeshift furnace. She placed a large stone pot with a smaller pot nestled inside, setting the empty space around it for coal once she gathered black sand.

While Gu worked, Minho retrieved a thick iron rod Gu and Tao had been using to strike at the vault doors deep within the cave. She attached a small copper chain to it—the same one she used to charge her [Smartphone]. She knew she’d need more power this time than the weak 5-volt charge it usually provided, so she had doubled down on her plans to generate as much acidic liquid as possible.

After nearly an hour of crushing berries, Gu wiped his brow, the pots finally filled to the brim. “Done, Xiao Minho... Now will you tell me what this is all about?” he asked, still baffled.

Minho inspected the pots with a satisfied nod. “Perfect!” She carefully placed a different metal piece in each pot, creating a makeshift acidic battery, much like she’d done when she charged the [Smartphone]. She then connected the chain from the pots to the copper-wrapped iron rod, holding it carefully with a cloth to avoid any shocks.

“Now, bring the pots closer to the sand here, Brother Gu—make sure the chain stays connected,” Minho instructed with a focus so intense that Gu found himself listening without another word. He followed her directions, positioning the pots nearby as she moved the iron rod across the sandy bank.

Slowly, as Minho hovered the iron rod over the sand, flecks of black material clung to it. Little by little, more dark particles began gathering along the rod, shimmering faintly in the sunlight.

“It worked!” Minho’s face broke into an overjoyed smile as she examined the collected particles on the rod. “Yes! It actually works!”

Gu, still in the dark, watched her with confusion. “It does? What exactly are we doing here, Xiao Minho?”

Minho carefully scraped the iron particles onto a cloth, grinning with satisfaction. “This!” she said, holding up the cloth for him to see. “This is black sand! It’s the key to making iron!”

Gu looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “Xiao Minho, everyone knows iron is made from iron ore—not sand.”

Gu looked at her with raised eyebrows, clearly dubious. “Xiao Minho, everyone knows iron comes from iron ore—not from sand.”

Minho shot him a sharp look. “Of course I know that!”

“Then explain yourself,” Gu challenged. “How will this ‘black sand’ make iron?”

Minho crossed her arms confidently. “Just follow me, Brother Gu. You’ll see!”

Gu, despite his skepticism, couldn’t deny her enthusiasm, and so he continued to help, albeit with a doubtful look. Their exchange hadn’t gone unnoticed—both Shun and Tao, overhearing the debate, soon joined them out of curiosity. They settled nearby, watching intently as Minho carefully collected more iron filings until the smaller pot of her makeshift furnace was full.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

After nearly an hour, the pot was filled with the fine iron-rich black sand. Tao, intrigued but still unconvinced, helped pile hot coals around the larger stone pot while Minho placed the smaller pot filled with iron filings into its center. Finally, they sealed the furnace with a makeshift lid to trap the heat inside.

“Now, all we need is patience,” Minho explained. “The black sand will melt, and once it solidifies, it’ll become iron.”

Gu simply shrugged, still unconvinced, while the others exchanged skeptical glances. Yet as time passed, the group waited in silence, the anticipation thick in the air. When Minho finally signaled it was ready, Tao carefully removed the smaller pot with tongs fashioned from sturdy branches, revealing the molten metal inside, glowing a brilliant orange-red.

With practiced caution, they moved it to the stream. A quick splash of cold water solidified the molten material into a solid piece of black iron, and steam hissed up into the air. When the pot was cool enough, they removed it, and everyone gathered around the dark, solidified iron.

Shun, ever curious, tested the surface with his small knife. Tao gave it a light tap with a rock, while Gu, amusingly, bit it with his teeth.

“It does feel like iron,” Shun murmured, visibly impressed.

“That’s because it is iron!” Minho replied, crossing her arms with a smug grin.

Tao, still puzzled, glanced at the young girl. “But how? Everyone knows iron comes from big chunks of iron ore in mines. This...this seems impossible.”

Minho explained patiently, “Well, that’s where you’re wrong! What we collected weren’t just sand particles—they were tiny bits of iron ore. And when I used this special process, we could gather enough to melt into one solid piece.”

She pointed to the setup with the rod and copper chain. “When this iron rod and the copper chain are connected to the pots of berry juice, it creates a weak magnetic field, like a lodestone. This lets me pull out tiny iron particles from the sand.”

Gu’s eyes lit up with understanding. “You mean like Brother Yuan’s lodestone he used for navigation?”

Minho nodded, pleased. The others shared a look, slowly catching on.

“But,” Shun interjected, still confused, “even if it’s like a lodestone, how did the iron end up in the sand in the first place?”

Minho gestured toward the distant mountains. “Simple. This stream must flow down from the mountains, gathering tiny iron particles as it goes. Over time, all these little fragments collect in the sand along the riverbed.”

Shun and Tao exchanged glances, realization dawning on their faces. “So you used a lodestone-like iron rod to attract these small pieces and then melted them into one solid piece of iron?”

“Exactly!” Minho replied, beaming at their astonished faces.

Shun and Tao exchanged glances, the realization finally dawning on them. “So you used a lodestone-like iron rod to attract all those tiny bits of iron, then melted them down into one solid piece?” Tao asked, her voice tinged with amazement.

“Exactly!” Minho said, her face glowing with pride as she looked at their astonished expressions.

The three of them shared a look, marveling at the ingenuity of the young girl standing before them. Until now, her “wild experiments” had seemed more like child’s play, but seeing the results first hand made them realize just how valuable her ideas could be.

“Wait… are you saying we just made iron?” Tao asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Minho nodded. “Yes, Sister Tao. We created iron, right here.”

Shun picked up the solidified piece, inspecting it closely. “This is unbelievable! Iron is practically a luxury right now—expensive, and so hard to come by. And you’re telling me we made it here with just some berries, a couple of pots, and a bit of black sand?”

“It took a lot of berries, actually,” Gu chimed in, grinning as he lifted Minho up onto his shoulders. “Our Xiao Minho really is a genius!”

Minho laughed, clutching Gu’s shoulders to balance herself. Shun and Tao’s eyes sparkled with a new sense of excitement.

“With this discovery,” Gu declared, “we could strike a trade deal with Hisu Town! Imagine—they’d never believe a tiny settlement like ours could make iron. And yet, here we are.”

“Not only can we trade our sugar, but now we’ve got iron to barter with too!” Shun exclaimed, clapping his hands together with enthusiasm. “This could be a real turning point for us.”

As they spoke, the atmosphere was electric with hope and excitement, the possibilities ahead now feeling endless. Minho, their “little inventor,” This could be just the beginning of a new age for their settlement.

Meanwhile, at the Greenwood Brotherhood’s base, a very different scene was unfolding. In the past three weeks, the bandit fortress had thrived, swelling with new recruits and the vibrant chaos that accompanied their lawless lifestyle. A village had formed around the base’s thick stone walls, filled with raucous laughter, shouts from gambling tables, and the steady clinking of ale mugs. Guards were posted at every corner, while bandits and thugs reveled with abandon, some enjoying the company of the hostages and women kept there against their will.

However, inside Yu Ryang’s office, the mood was anything but celebratory. Seated at his desk, he wore a scowl that deepened with each puff from his pipe. His sharp eyes scanned the map spread across the table, its surface marked with dozens of red and black inked annotations showing where his men had already searched. Frustration crackled around him like static.

He exhaled a heavy sigh, his gaze shifting to his assistant standing rigidly across the desk. “It’s been three weeks. Three weeks, damn it! And you’re telling me there isn’t a single sign of those Thunder Sky Brotherhood survivors?”

The assistant’s head was bowed, his expression a mix of shame and anxiety. “We’ve been trying, Senior Brother,” he said, gesturing to the map. “As you can see, we’ve practically combed every part of the Jing Mountains. Our men have searched the villages and towns repeatedly.”

Yu Ryang’s eyes narrowed, tracing his finger over the last few unmarked regions on the map. “Yes, I can see that. Only the roughest, most treacherous terrain remains unchecked. Every other area is marked, and our men guard their secret stashes day and night, yet…” He trailed off, muttering to himself as his frustration simmered.

The assistant shifted uncomfortably, but Yu Ryang continued, his voice harder now, his mind already calculating. “We can’t keep wasting resources on these ghosts. We need to act decisively if I’m going to take control of the entire Jing Mountain range—especially before those Imperial bastards start intervening.”