Upon hearing that Yu Su was willing to exchange two drawings for ironware, Tie Cang and the others breathed a sigh of relief.
Tie Ying quickly apologized, "We offended you earlier. Please don't take offense. We will prioritize forging this batch of ironware for you. I guarantee that when your caravan returns in a month, you'll receive them."
Yu Su smiled, "It's settled then."
True to his word, Yu Su immediately drew another design and handed it to the chief of Iron Casting Village.
When Tie Ying received the parchment, he looked at Lu Yan with excitement and fear, unable to resist asking, "The one who summoned the flame sword earlier, is he also a great witch?"
Lu Yan spoke for the first time, "I'm not a great witch; I'm just a guard. The flame sword is nothing special. These are all teachings from Lord Yu Su, the successor of our Mountain God."
Tie Ying and the others looked at Yu Su in shock. All of this knowledge came from Yu Su?
Is Yu Su truly the successor of the Mountain God?
They were aware of the Deer God Mountain, the grandest mountain on this land. From their earliest memories, the elders warned them never to approach Deer God Mountain. The Mountain God lived there, and mortals couldn't get close. Anyone attempting to approach the mountain would perish in the misty forest.
If Yu Su was indeed the successor of the Mountain God, his formidable magical abilities were no longer surprising.
Moreover, if a guard was this powerful, how strong must Yu Su be?
Tie Ying and the others looked at Yu Su with awe, no longer daring to underestimate him.
With the cooperation settled, Yu Su didn't rush to leave. He wanted to ensure that Iron Casting Village forged the ironware to his specifications before departing.
Thus, they temporarily stayed in Iron Casting Village.
The village arranged the most luxurious accommodations for them and provided attendants, but Yu Su declined the service, stating that Lu Yan was enough.
Iron Casting Village dared not insist and arranged everything according to Yu Su's wishes.
In the evening, in the room of the witch doctors.
"Tie Cang, what's your opinion on Yu Su and his guard?" Tie Ying, having calmed down from the day's events, discussed the matter with the witch doctor.
Tie Cang's eyes gleamed, "I consulted Lord Craftsmanship God. He foresaw the rise of Yu Village. A large village would emerge in the south."
Tie Ying nodded, not surprised. A rising village in the south wouldn't interfere with the north. Yu Village's growth wouldn't lead to territorial conflicts with them.
Tie Cang added, "Lord Craftsmanship God also foresaw a conflict between Yu Village and Salt Village."
"They fought?" Tie Ying was surprised.
Tie Cang nodded, "Salt Village lost."
Tie Ying was slightly shocked. Salt Village lost?
As far as he knew, Salt Village had a three-headed bird. Relying on that creature, Salt Village disregarded even Feng City. Yet, they were defeated by Yu Village?
Tie Ying secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, they didn't engage in a conflict with Yu Su during the day; otherwise, they would be the ones defeated.
"This is a good opportunity. By cooperating with Yu Village, we can escape Salt Village's manipulation. Let them fight for the dominant position while we stay uninvolved," Tie Cang suggested.
Tie Ying's eyes gradually lit up, "You're right. We have nothing to do with their conflicts. As long as we benefit from it."
Tie Cang nodded in approval. That's the way to go.
After confirming the cooperation, Yu Su didn't immediately leave. He wanted to see the ironware crafted by Iron Casting Village and ensure it met his requirements.
Therefore, they stayed temporarily.
Iron Casting Village prioritized forging the iron pots, plow, harrow, and hoe according to Yu Su's specifications. The plow was the top priority, and the design Yu Su provided was a modified version from the future—more complex and not entirely iron. However, the iron components were crucial, and precision was necessary.
The harrow and hoe were also improved, different from the clumsy iron tools of this era. They were more lightweight, convenient for applying force, and made work more efficient.
These were all agricultural tools needed for cultivation.
As Yu Su planned to expand the village and cultivate the fertile land east of the great river, he had already roughly outlined what crops to plant.
After the first batch of ironware was manufactured and met Yu Su's requirements, the people of Iron Casting Village were even happier than Yu Su. They jumped up and cheered.
"We succeeded!"
"Praise the Craftsmanship God, I truly succeeded!"
The speaker was a man named Tie Jiao, slightly lame. Initially, Tie Jiao didn't attract much attention, and even Tie Ying didn't assign him the main tasks.
However, when others failed, Yu Su saw Tie Jiao's skills and insisted he be the one to forge the ironware.
Initially, Tie Ying and the others were skeptical and seemed displeased. Yu Su didn't mind, persisted with his decision, and Tie Jiao eventually proved his capabilities.
"You did well. Continue to forge the rest with this quality," Yu Su said.
With Yu Su's approval, Tie Jiao's eyes turned red with excitement.
After being looked down upon in the village for so many years, he finally had a chance to showcase his abilities!
Tie Ying's expression softened from the initial indifference, and he said, "Since Lord Yu Su said so, you'll lead the others in forging this part of the ironware in the future."
Tie Jiao nodded vigorously, determined to complete the task.
Others couldn't help but envy him, their expressions complicated.
Yu Su paid no attention to the internal disputes of Iron Casting Village. Lawsuits and conflicts didn't concern him.After the needed ironware was crafted, Yu Su brought suitable wood for modification and assembly.
Being a Wood Spirit, controlling the wood was incredibly easy for him. In no time, he assembled the first plow.
After trying its functionality, the people of Iron Casting Village were so shocked that they couldn't find words to express it.
As an experienced witch doctor, Tie Cang immediately recognized the significance of this creation and the changes it would bring. He excitedly tightened his wooden staff.
"Are you really leaving this scroll to us?" Even Tie Ying couldn't believe it.
Yu Su nodded, "Of course, but if you intend to profit from it, we must share the earnings."
The concept of profit-sharing was something Yu Su had planned from the beginning. He didn't mention it initially because the results weren't seen yet. Now that the effects were apparent, it was easier to bring it up.
He only stated that the parchment was a gift to Iron Casting Village, not that using it to make money was free.
They didn't perceive this issue, and even if they did, they wouldn't refuse. The changes this invention could bring were too significant.
The concept of profit-sharing was foreign to them, so Yu Su had to explain it in detail.
In essence, Yu Su contributed the technological know-how, and they were responsible for production and sales.
After understanding how it worked, Tie Ying and the others discussed and eventually agreed.
"We also want to sell those iron harrows. We can share the profits with you as well."
"No problem."
After much discussion about the profit-sharing ratio, they finally settled on a ** split: Yu Su taking sixty percent, and Iron Casting Village taking forty percent. Additionally, the raw materials were provided by Iron Casting Village.
After finalizing the cooperation, both parties swore oaths to Craftsmanship God and the Mountain God, signing a contract.
Tie Ying and the others were thrilled. With the contract signed, it seemed like countless coins were flowing toward them.
Yu Su also told them that as long as they performed well, he would approach them for future inventions.
Tie Ying now understood that Yu Su was no ordinary person and believed his words.
"Don't worry; in our iron business, we emphasize integrity, unlike those people in Salt Village."
...
After teaching Iron Casting Village how to forge the needed ironware, Yu Su and Lu Yan prepared to leave.
During his stay, Yu Su brought daily innovations to Iron Casting Village. When the time came for him to leave, Tie Ying and the others were reluctant to see them go.
In the end, the people of Iron Casting Village were a group of tech enthusiasts, quite introverted. Except for trading with others, they usually buried themselves in ironwork.
Only another tech enthusiast could truly convince them, and that person was Yu Su now.
Facing their enthusiastic gazes, Yu Su felt somewhat embarrassed. The things he brought out were invented by someone else; he was merely shining on the shoulders of giants.
He coughed lightly and said, "I'll come back next time when the caravan returns."
Hearing that Yu Su would return, the villagers of Iron Casting Village reluctantly saw them off.
***
On the other side, at Yu Village's salt field.
After Yu Su left, everyone didn't slack off because of his departure and continued to work diligently.
The processed salt gradually piled up into small mountains.
Yushi led a team to pack the salt into pottery jars, sealed them, and stored them securely.
Originally, everything was proceeding smoothly, and everyone was working happily.
However, an unexpected event occurred one day.
First, the roar of the Black Bear King echoed from the valley. Immediately, Yufeng and others went to investigate. They discovered a group of people approaching from afar, led by none other than a three-headed bird.
Since the Black Bear King informed Yu Su about Salt Village using the three-headed bird, he had warned Yufeng and others.
Now, seeing the three-headed bird, Yufeng and the rest knew that people from Salt Village had come again!
Yufeng immediately led everyone back to the salt field, carefully covering their tracks along the way.
Upon returning, Yufeng instructed everyone to stop working temporarily and hide their tools.
"Uncle Feng, what's happening?" Yuye and the others ran over and asked.
"People from Salt Village have come again. We can't let them discover the salt field. First, hide everything," Yufeng said.
Hearing that people from Salt Village had come again, everyone became anxious.
Yufeng sternly said, "Don't panic, if Salt Village dares to act, we'll drive them away. Having everyone hide the tools is to avoid conflicts, not because we fear trouble."
Gradually calming down, everyone thought, yes, they were different now from before.
Yufeng and the others were formidable; they weren't opponents that ordinary people could defeat.
Once everyone calmed down, they followed Yufeng's command to suspend salt boiling temporarily, hide everything, and seal the cave.
As for the path leading there, they didn't need to worry. The crucial barrier there was the mist in the maze-like forest. With a mere thought from the Mountain God, the path could be concealed again. It wasn't easy for others to enter the salt field through the mountain path.
After completing these tasks, Yufeng had Yushi lead the villagers back to the village. He stayed near the salt field with the hunting team members to keep watch.
Actually, the salt field was quite far from the mountain hollow of the Black Bear Valley, separated by several mountain ridges.
This cautious approach was just to be safe. After all, Yu Su had mentioned that the three-headed bird was a demonic beast, not an ordinary wild animal. They had to be cautious in case of encounters.