Chapter 88: Large Furnace
Although he didn’t fully understand what Bai Mo meant.
Young Master Wei still agreed wholeheartedly and left, thanking him profusely.
’Knowing my clan uncle’s personality, an appearance like this shouldn’t be too much to ask.’
Young Master Wang was more thoughtful.
"You should give your mother a heads-up about this first. Don’t put your clan uncle in an awkward spot. They might have other considerations..."
Young Master Wei emerged from Bai Mo’s place, his face beaming.
"What’s the big deal?"
Young Master Wang hesitated, then said,
"I might not know much about family business, but I know this involves Tier Two Pills—and ones that aid cultivation, at that."
"If we don’t report this to the family and we make one wrong move, they’ll probably break our legs..."
At his words, Young Master Wei instantly recalled how his own highly regarded cousin had made his name by closing a few deals for Tier Two Pills.
The family was now funneling resources to him, grooming him as a core clan member and helping him build an impressive network of connections.
He slowly nodded.
"Alright, I’ll write a letter to my mother right away."
The two spoke in hushed tones as they walked away.
Bai Mo, meanwhile, dove back into his medicinal ingredients, repeatedly testing and studying the ways their properties changed.
After all, herbs with a pure, spiritual nature like the Climbing Vine were rare.
He steadily eliminated the herbs he had on hand, leaving only a few that required further consideration.
Two days later, a loud BANG echoed as the wall of the neighboring shop was smashed open.
Bai Mo shot up at the sound and went out the door to see a burly man wielding a large, black iron hammer, smashing a hole through the wall of the shop next door.
The burly man swinging the hammer had bronze-colored skin that gleamed with sweat.
He grew tense when he saw Bai Mo approach.
"Alchemist Bai, this work kicks up a lot of dust. You shouldn’t get too close."
Bai Mo nodded. "I’m just taking a look, then I’ll go."
"You started today. When do you expect to be finished?"
The man with the large hammer glanced back at his equally tense companion, considered for a moment, and then replied.
"Probably half a month or so. It depends on the weather, so nothing’s for certain."
It wouldn’t have been this quick, but the carpenter, Master Wang, was very diligent. A lot of people agreed to start work as soon as he asked.
They had far more hands on deck than usual.
After all, working for a Pill Master was prestigious. Even if you didn’t get lucky with a big tip, it was something to brag about.
Having this on their record would give them a leg up when looking for future jobs.
"Looks good. Thank you for all your hard work," Bai Mo said graciously.
The hammer-wielding man immediately waved his hands.
"No need to be so polite, Alchemist Bai! We’re just doing the job we’re paid for!"
As he spoke, he saw Bai Mo examining the hole in the wall and suddenly gathered his courage.
"Alchemist Bai, are you in the market for some high-quality Spirit Wood?"
"Hm?" Bai Mo turned, a little puzzled.
"It’s the best for firewood! A lot of Weapon Forging Workshops use it!"
The burly man with the hammer explained cautiously.
When performing alchemy, a good fuel source could provide significant benefits or, at the very least, save a bit of effort.
Bai Mo’s interest was piqued.
"You do this kind of business as well?"
The burly man gave an awkward laugh.
"When we’re up in the mountains felling timber, we sometimes come across Spirit Wood, so we started this as a side business."
He added, "We cut the Spirit Wood, tie it into rafts, and float it down the river. It’s very low-effort, just a side gig, so the price is an absolute bargain!"
Although Bai Mo was tempted, he didn’t commit on the spot.
"Spirit Wood is good, but it’s mostly for large furnaces. It’s not suitable for a small one like mine."
The burly man watched Bai Mo walk away, a little disappointed.
’If they could land a Pill Master as a customer, they’d have no trouble selling their Spirit Wood.’
After all, among all the trades, Weapon Forging Workshops and alchemy consumed the most Spirit Wood, followed by restaurants that cooked Demon Beast meat.
But since the alchemist wasn’t interested, there was nothing he could do about it.
However, the burly man quickly shook off his disappointment. With a shout, he threw his shoulders into it and got back to work.
As Bai Mo strolled along, however, a different idea was taking shape in his mind.
’The Fire Marrow Pill is one thing,’ he thought. ’It requires my full attention.’
’But for pills like the Qi Absorption Pill, I’m already so proficient that if I really went all out, it wouldn’t be hard to use a large furnace for alchemy.’
’Otherwise, how will I manage when the shop expands?’
Pill Furnaces for alchemy were anything but cheap.
Scouring the market for used goods clearly wasn’t a viable way to find a large furnace.
Checking out some shuttered Pill Shops might work, but unfortunately, there weren’t any to be found at the moment.
At the merchant guilds, the prices for large furnaces had a floor but no ceiling.
The thought alone made Bai Mo’s teeth ache.
’An ordinary Pill Master would probably just have to grit their teeth and pay up.’
’Good thing I have a plan.’
With a plan in mind, Bai Mo headed out and, following his memory, made his way to Forging Street.
Xu Ruyuan’s home was here.
The street was lined with forges, the air thick with the smell of fire and sweat.
After finding a shop that clearly had some years on it, Bai Mo studied it for a moment before heading inside.
The moment he stepped inside, a blast of hot air hit him, and Bai Mo immediately broke out in a thin layer of sweat.
The CLANG CLANG CLANG of hammering was incessant.
Numerous men wielded iron hammers, pounding fiercely at the rough ingots on their anvils. Sparks flew, and their faces were masks of concentration.
Occasionally, the sound of quenching would ring out as water met red-hot metal, erupting in a massive cloud of steam.
"What can I get for you, fellow cultivator?"
Seeing that no one was attending to Bai Mo, a young, short-haired man set down the short blade he had just finished quenching and walked over to ask.
Although Bai Mo looked young, the aura emanating from him couldn’t be faked.
Someone at the Qi Refining Third Layer wouldn’t have an aura like that.
Bai Mo spread his hands, gesturing out a space about as wide as two men, and then asked:
"Can you forge a furnace this large?"
The short-haired young man thought for a moment and asked,
"What kind of design?"
"Two handles, three legs. I can draw the internal structure for you; it’s not complex."
Bai Mo watched him as he described it.
The short-haired young man laughed out loud when he heard this.
"You’re looking to have a Pill Furnace forged, aren’t you, fellow cultivator?"
"We’re a weaponsmithy. Our methods are direct and rugged. We don’t have experience with intricate pieces!"
Bai Mo nodded.
"That’s fine. The furnace is large, so the internal structure isn’t small or complex. With your experience, it shouldn’t be difficult to complete."
"I chose your shop precisely because it looks old. I’m looking for experienced hands like yours!"
"If you can’t do it, there’s not much hope for any of the other shops on the street."
"Well..." The young man hesitated.
He was tempted; they hadn’t received an order this big all year.
But after a moment’s thought, he still refused.
"Even if we could forge it, it would consume a huge amount of metal. Fire-resistant materials are hard to find and too expensive. I’m afraid it’s just not feasible."
Bai Mo quickly put his mind at ease.
"A deposit of fifty Spirit Stones now, and another one hundred and fifty when it’s done. How about it?"
As soon as he said this, several nearby cultivators who were hammering ingots immediately looked over.
"Ah Chong! We can do this job!"
"If we all put our heads together, we can figure it out."
"We can’t ruin the shop’s reputation!" Ah Chong said.
"We’re one of the more famous shops on this street, aren’t we?! If we rashly take an order and mess up a customer’s important work, how are we supposed to stay in business?!"
Bai Mo was a little surprised.
’This person seems to be the one in charge, yet he looks so young.’
After speaking, the young man named Ah Chong glanced at the expressions of his brothers and made a timely concession.
"How about this: we’ll forge the outer shell first. After you’ve had a look and confirmed it’s alright, fellow cultivator, we’ll proceed with the internal structure. What do you think?"
Bai Mo naturally had no objections.
"Alright. I’ll be back in seven days to inspect it!"