I Contracted Myself

The next day, Zhang Ping made a special trip to the school library.

He first searched for the history of Mingzhu City but found no information about "TM" or "Lion Sir," indicating that these terms were not old place names.

If they weren't place names, then what could they be?

Zhang Ping returned to his dormitory, filling out his graduation application while pondering.

"Could it be that the words are meant to be read backward and rearrange some characters?"

In the afternoon, Zhang Ping put down his pen and had a new idea.

Although it seemed unlikely, he still wrote the words backward on a piece of paper.

Sirloin.

Martial Training.

Zhang Ping's eyes widened as he looked at the reversed words.

So, the puzzle wasn't that difficult after all.

But not many people would know this; the person clearly knew him well!

No, they knew the original him very well.

There used to be a sirloin noodle shop not far from the orphanage in Mingzhu City.

Because the character for "Sirloin" on the signboard was split in half, it looked like the characters for "Sir Lion."

Behind this noodle shop was a small park, a paradise in the hearts of the orphans.

Before entering Mingzhu Academy of Powers, Zhang Ping often practiced martial arts alone in that park, throwing random punches.

However, the noodle shop went out of business four years ago, and it was now an armor workshop. The chances of the Tianchang Fox knowing this information were extremely low. The number of people who knew he practiced martial arts in that park could be counted on one hand.

From this, he could infer that the person who appeared behind him last night definitely knew the original him!

Zhang Ping tore up the paper with the words and threw it into the toilet, then picked up his graduation application and walked out.

Knowing the answer made him feel much more relaxed.

From the literal meaning, the person wanted him to meet at the small park behind the sirloin noodle shop on the 23rd.

The numbers didn't need to be reversed because there are no 32 days in a month, so it had to be the 23rd.

The graduation application process went very smoothly.

After all, he was just a good-for-nothing Awakener with a useless grade ability and wasn't given much attention.

***

In the evening, Zhang Ping packed his luggage and left the school directly.

When he arrived at Iron Soul, Stinky Qiang, who was taking care of Uncle Liu, immediately showed a smile. Seeing Zhang Ping with his luggage, he already knew Zhang Ping's answer.

"Little brother, you came at the right time. I have a task to do tomorrow, and it will take about five days. I was worried about who could take care of Uncle Liu. Come, let me show you upstairs first," Stinky Qiang said happily, pulling Zhang Ping by the hand.

The shop had three floors: the first floor was the store, the second floor was the living quarters, and the third floor was the workshop.

The second floor was large with many rooms. Zhang Ping chose a room, put down his luggage, and then went downstairs with Stinky Qiang. It was only then that he learned Stinky Qiang's real name was Qiu Qiang, but because the neighbors had called him Stinky Qiang since he was a child, he didn't mind the nickname.

Uncle Liu's name was Liu Tiefeng, and he was 79 years old. He had a son named Liu Dashan, who had gone missing recently.

Probably due to a bad premonition.

Liu Tiefeng's mental state had been deteriorating, becoming slower in reaction and somewhat confused. That's why Qiu Qiang wanted to find a reliable person to take care of Liu Tiefeng.

He chose Zhang Ping mainly because Zhang Ping was a student and an orphan, unlike those who had complicated social relationships.

Moreover, Qiu Qiang himself would often come to take care of Liu Tiefeng, so he wasn't worried about Zhang Ping having ulterior motives.

Of course, Qiu Qiang didn't say the latter part; Zhang Ping guessed it himself.

A student who wanted to become an adventurer.

No need to guess.

Definitely an orphan.

This was too easy to judge in Mingzhu City.

At night, Qiu Qiang had some time, so he decided to teach Zhang Ping some basic blacksmithing skills.

When he went on his task, Zhang Ping could stay in the shop to look after Liu Tiefeng and practice the basics, so he wouldn't be idle.

The blacksmiths in this world were somewhat different from what Zhang Ping had imagined.

Before learning, Zhang Ping thought forging weapons was just about hammering red-hot iron blocks, then quenching, polishing, and sharpening them.

But the forging techniques in this world were not that simple.

"Xiao Zhang, I'll demonstrate once. Watch carefully," Qiu Qiang said, putting on fireproof gloves and turning to Zhang Ping.

Zhang Ping nodded, concentrating and watching Qiu Qiang's movements closely.

Qiu Qiang placed several iron ingots on a wooden tray and said, "These are refined iron ingots, usually bought from iron mines. A 10-pound ingot costs about 6,000 yuan."

"So expensive!" Zhang Ping exclaimed.

Qiu Qiang placed several scales on the tray and smiled, "You have to understand, the iron mines in Mingzhu City are all mined in the wild, and going outside the city is like gambling with your life. Every piece of refined iron might be stained with the blood of miners and adventurers. Is 6,000 yuan expensive?"

"…"

Zhang Ping had nothing to say.

Next, Qiu Qiang prepared the materials and said, "These scales are called Scarlet Snake Scales, from the Mutated Beast Scarlet Snake. Under high temperatures, these scales gradually melt and emit extremely high heat. They also release a substance called 'Scarlet Ash' that can merge into the refined iron, enhancing its hardness and toughness, and giving it self-repairing properties.

Therefore, once you add Scarlet Snake Scales, you must forge the weapon in one go. Otherwise, once it cools, the iron ingot will retain its shape, making it difficult to reforge."

As he spoke, Qiu Qiang placed the iron ingots and materials into the furnace, stirring quickly with his hands. It looked more like kneading dough than forging a weapon.

"Many of these materials need to be mixed by hand, so this forging method is also called Dough Forging Technique," Qiu Qiang said, not minding the high temperature, his eyes fixed on the flames, his hands constantly stirring.

Zhang Ping swallowed hard. He saw that although Qiu Qiang was wearing fireproof gloves, the flames had already reached Qiu Qiang's arms, but Qiu Qiang didn't care, not even a hair was burned.

"Watch carefully; this next step is crucial," Qiu Qiang said.

He took a red-hot "dough" from the fire, placed it into a black rectangular mold, and then picked up a huge hammer, pounding the protruding part of the mold until it became flat.

"Bring me that red oil over there!" he said, panting.

Zhang Ping immediately carried a one-meter-high oil barrel from the counter, struggling to bring it to Qiu Qiang.

"Not bad, being able to carry the kerosene means you're in good shape," Qiu Qiang said with a smile, testing Zhang Ping's strength.

Although Dough Forging Technique didn't require immense strength, it still needed more than a weakling's.

Qiu Qiang opened the kerosene barrel and poured a small amount onto the mold. With a loud bang, steam erupted from the mold. Qiu Qiang pulled a lever on the side of the mold, and it slowly opened, revealing a black blade with red patterns.

"This is the basic step of forging a weapon. This blade is called the Mingzhu Blade, a standard weapon in Mingzhu City. All blacksmith apprentices start by forging this. Once you understand the material changes, you can forge various weapons without using a mold," Qiu Qiang said, taking the blade to a testing platform.

Next, he raised the blade and struck a stone on the platform. With a flash, the stone split in half, the cut smooth and clean.

"This is the most common blade in Mingzhu City!"

Zhang Ping felt his eyes open wide. This was something he couldn't learn at Mingzhu Academy of Powers, giving him a basic understanding of Mingzhu City's weapons.

But he quickly sobered up, realizing that even with such weapons, Mingzhu City was still infiltrated by the Tianchang Fox.

No doubt about it.

The Tianchang Fox was even more terrifying and dangerous.

"Can this standard weapon harm mid-level Mutated Beasts?" Zhang Ping asked after some thought.

Qiu Qiang put the blade aside, smiled at Zhang Ping's question, and said, "It depends on the Mutated Beast. Some have strong defenses, some are incredibly agile, and some are skilled in attack, so there's no absolute answer.

However, the Mingzhu Blade is generally used against low-level Mutated Beasts. Even among low-level ones, some with strong defenses can still withstand the Mingzhu Blade's attack."

Mutated Beasts were generally stronger than humans, becoming more so with higher levels.

Even those without physical enhancement abilities had bodies as strong as physically enhanced Awakeners at higher levels.

This was one of the disadvantages humans faced against Mutated Beasts.

"Alright, now it's your turn to try. Don't be nervous the first time; you'll have plenty of time to practice the basics later," Qiu Qiang said, patting Zhang Ping's shoulder after removing his fireproof gloves.

Zhang Ping nodded, taking the gloves from Qiu Qiang and walking to the furnace.

He had memorized Qiu Qiang's techniques and just needed to follow the steps to forge the Mingzhu Blade.

First, prepare all the necessary materials.

Second, place the materials in the furnace for open flame burning.

Zhang Ping placed the tray into the furnace. Without the protection of fireproof gloves, his arms felt the intense heat, and the burning materials released more heat, curling his eyebrows and emitting a faint smell of burnt hair.

"Don't back off, carefully observe the material changes, and don't let go, or the materials will be ruined," Qiu Qiang reminded.

Zhang Ping wanted to retreat but gritted his teeth and held on. As the tray burned away, he felt an unknown weight in his hands, clearly the mixed materials.

"The time should be about right. The materials in your hands are unevenly distributed. Slowly knead them and feel their weight," Qiu Qiang said.

Zhang Ping nodded, slowly kneading with both hands.

Even through the fireproof gloves, he felt the different textures of the material, realizing that kneading required much more strength than he had imagined.

It was very strenuous.

But he continued to knead and stir.

"This step is crucial and can't be too slow, or some materials will burn away," Qiu Qiang said, seeing Zhang Ping sweating profusely.

Zhang Ping gritted his teeth, feeling the "dough" in his hands becoming uniform. He glanced at Qiu Qiang, who gave no indication, leaving it to Zhang Ping's judgment.

"It should be ready!"

Zhang Ping thought, quickly taking the red-hot "dough" from the furnace and placing it into the mold, closing it.

He bent down to pick up the hammer, finding it heavier than expected, needing both hands to lift it.

Finally, he managed to lift the hammer and pounded the mold.

With the sound of metal striking, the mold's protruding parts gradually flattened.

Satisfied with his work, he poured kerosene onto the mold.

Boom!

Steam erupted from the mold's seams.

Zhang Ping put down the kerosene and didn't rush to check his blade, instead sitting on the ground, exhausted.