I also saw a very large underground hole, with fire burning brightly inside, and the outside forest was ablaze too. Many demon creatures moved in and out of there.
Ma Lin and Na Du were very curious at first and went to look, but soon they ran far away.
Before long, they arrived at a plain full of mounds. The highest of these mounds was no more than twenty meters, with the distance between each ranging from a hundred to a thousand meters. It was quite magical.
Na Du recognized a lot of vegetables and was also very skilled at tracking game. Working with Ma Lin, they could essentially eat well every day.
Especially since "The Book of Servitude" also offered some hints, prompting Ma Lin to search for precious food ingredients in the wild.
Now Ma Lin felt that life here was rather interesting.
That noon, as he roasted potatoes, he saw a column of white smoke rising seven or eight miles away. The smoke was quite tall.
After watching for a long time, he did not know what was happening there.
He said to Na Du, "Let's go over there and have a look."
Na Du replied, "Up to you."
So they walked over, taking about half an hour to reach the place.
They saw a mound about seventy to eighty meters high, with a stone structure piled up on its southern slope.
The smoke was coming from inside it.
A horse-faced demon was 'ding ding dong dong' working with a forging hammer, striking iron.
It seemed that he was trying to forge a Longsword.
Na Du had seen blacksmiths and iron weapons when he was a slave before, so he instantly understood what the other party was doing.
Several finished swords were thrown on the flat ground beside, each with flaws, seemingly failed works.
Ma Lin and Na Du watched secretly for a long while, until the horse-faced demon suddenly turned and looked towards the pile of rocks where they hid.
Ma Lin quickly stood up with his hands raised, palms facing out, to show that he was completely harmless.
Na Du, however, was holding a shield in one hand and a stone axe in the other, unsure whether to attack.
Ma Lin asked in the demon language using chicken egg phrases, "Hello, can you understand what I am saying?"
"Understand your mother, what are you sneaking around here for?"
Ma Lin said, "I'm watching you forge iron."
"What's so interesting about forging iron?"
"You forge better than an ordinary blacksmith."
Na Du couldn't understand what the two were saying.
"Forge better, my ass, you scared the hell out of me," said the horse-faced demon.
"Can I take a look at the swords you've made here?"
"No way, get lost, or I'll come up and kill you," the horse-faced demon replied, waving a red-hot iron sword.
Ma Lin pulled out his purse and said, "I can pay for them. I also have things for trade."
He then took out a green gemstone, a fire rat fur hat, and a beautifully carved wooden cup.
The horse-faced demon pointed at the wooden cup and said, "Let me have a look at that."
Ma Lin stepped forward and handed it over. The cup was made from a very magical type of wood that kept water fresh inside for many days.
The horse-faced demon sniffed it a few times and said, "This cup can be traded for one of the three swords by your feet."
Ma Lin bent down, compared, and picked up a crooked one-meter long sword, handing it to Na Du. Na Du used it to chop at a sapling nearby and easily cut it down.
Na Du's face was full of joy.
The sword was not only made of iron but also contained some sort of Magic Power, which made it so sharp.
Ma Lin said, "It's a deal. I'd like one for myself, too."
"No more selling."
Ma Lin replied, "You are a blacksmith, right? If I provide the materials, can you forge one for me? We can negotiate the labor cost."
The horse-faced demon replied, "Don't take that kind of job."
"Why are you forging iron here?"
"Stop asking, go away if there's nothing else. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."
Ma Lin said, "I am just interested in blacksmithing and wanted to talk with you more about it."
Ma Lin, the demon, picked up the glowing red longsword and walked over. Ma Lin immediately retreated many steps, and he also pulled Na Du with him until they were outside a low wall.
Then they sat down to watch the horse-faced demon forge.
The horse-faced demon just kept busy with his work.
Na Du also found it very interesting.
When it was almost noon, Ma Lin took out two pieces of smoked meat from his pack and started to grill them by the fire, while he asked the horse-faced demon if he'd like to try some.
He also grilled potatoes, sweet potatoes, a small fish, and a leg of lamb, sprinkling a bit of seasoning on each.
The horse-faced demon initially wanted to refuse, but after smelling the aroma, he couldn't resist trying a grilled potato. Then he sat down beside the fire and ate with them.
The food was very plentiful.
Ma Lin didn't waste words either.
This horse-faced demon forges by himself here; surely his mind isn't quite like other demons'.
The key issue was that his craftsmanship was indeed strong; Ma Lin felt it was very reliable.
"Would you like to come to my place to forge? We can provide you with food and lodging. Additionally, we have a drink called 'beer' that's very tasty—I could treat you to it every day," Ma Lin said.
The horse-faced demon interrupted, "Wait a moment, did you just mention beer? Do you know what beer is?"
Ma Lin took out a demon gourd from behind him, filled with beer. He had never told Na Du that he carried a gourd of beer on him.
The horse-faced demon took it, sniffed it, took a sip, smacked his lips, and said, "This brew of yours is really good."
Then he guzzled it down with an expression of pure enjoyment.
If he was willing to drink beer, then he was an ally. Because the demons of Aike's lineage all hated beer and the creatures that drank it intensely.
Ma Lin said, "In our village, there are about a dozen dog-people who know how to brew beer. If you like it, you can have some every day."
The horse-faced demon replied, "Do you know the risks I've taken to drink beer? In most towns, beer is banned. Anyone who dares to drink it will be executed by the demon lord; anyone who dares to brew it will have their entire family killed."
Ma Lin said, "There are quite a few dog-people in our village who like beer, but this guy beside me doesn't like it."
The horse-faced demon spoke the language of the dog-people too, so he could converse with Na Du.
Na Du didn't understand why Ma Lin was talking with the blacksmith, but he got the point that Ma Lin intended to invite the blacksmith to live in their village.
Na Du thought to himself that this was a great idea. Clearly, the horse-faced demon was adept in combat and a good warrior, as well as a weapon maker. It would be excellent if he agreed to join Big Bone Village.
"But do you have an iron mine there? If it's too far away, what iron would I be able to forge?" asked the horse-faced demon, glancing with disdain at the stone axe in Na Du's hand.
The question made a lot of sense, without an iron mine, what iron would you forge anyway?
Ma Lin didn't know if they had one and asked Na Du, who said, "I don't know either."
Trade in the area was extremely undeveloped. If there was no iron mine at home, it would be nearly impossible to buy ore, which meant no iron forging. The iron ore in Poison Snake Town was transported from far away, making its price exorbitant, resulting in commoners being unable to afford ironware.
Fortunately, "The Book of Slaves" vibrated and provided a hint.
There was a small, easily mineable open pit iron mine not far to the east of Big Bone Village. Plus, there was a large magic iron mine about thirty miles to the south.
Ma Lin took the book from his chest, flipped through it, and then explained the situation to the horse-faced demon.
"You have a magic iron mine there?"
"Yes, we do," Ma Lin said.
"The reason I forge here is because there are small quantities of magic iron."
Ma Lin said, "Our village has a large magic iron mine, but it is very difficult to extract."
The horse-faced demon replied, "I would like to go there and see."
Ma Lin made a long list of promises, including help with mining the magic iron, assistance in building a bigger forge, and a daily supply of beer.
"Our village is three hundred miles to the west from here. Because the roads are rough, it will take four days to get there."
The horse-faced demon said that was no problem.
Then they learned about each other's combat abilities.
As it turned out, the horse-faced demon was indeed strong, evenly matched with Na Du, and he could also stand toe-to-toe with Ma Lin when the latter didn't use his dog-tooth dagger.
His name was Bulma.
Na Du felt a bit undermined; it was embarrassing to think that the village guard captain's fighting strength was comparable to that of an invited blacksmith.
However, he was also happy—the more skilled fighters in the village, the safer it was.