Mechanic

"It's amazing, Kakadon, how did you manage to do it? Even the scent has changed."

On the way to the Swordsmith Village, Tanjiro kept talking incessantly.

"The Glasses of Superman" are really powerful. Even Tanjiro, who has a sense of smell like a bug, couldn't detect Aomori's disguise, which gave Aomori a lot of confidence in the upcoming action of luring out demons.

Under the guidance of Kanae, Aomori and Tanjiro rode a carriage to the Swordsmith Village.

Everyone living in the Swordsmith Village, regardless of age or gender, is skilled in forging Nichirin swords. They wear different styles of Fire Masks and forge Nichirin swords day and night for the Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen. It is an important stronghold for the Demon Slayer Corps.

Upon seeing the village chief of the Swordsmith Village, Kanae immediately stated their purpose.

"This is the newly appointed Thunder Hashira Kakadon. We kindly request you to forge two Nichirin swords for him."

The village chief, short in stature and with white hair, spoke with an old voice from behind the mask: "Oh, the new Thunder Hashira, it's been a long time since I've met one. You seem to be a fine young man."

After a pause, the village chief continued, "The Master has already given orders for this matter. According to custom, you must choose suitable ores yourself."

Nichirin Swords are the main weapons used by Demon Slayers in the Demon Slayer Corps in order to kill demons. They are forged with Scarlet Crimson Iron Sand and Scarlet Ore, both of which are found on high mountains like the Sunlight Mountain, which is perpetually bathed in sunlight all throughout the year on Mount Yoko.

Scarlett Ore sometimes has accompanying ores, so selecting the ore is actually selecting the type of accompanying ore.

Aomori nodded and said, "Understood."

The village chief brought out the best ores from the village for Aomori to choose from.

These past few days, Aomori had been thinking about the reason why "The Village's Good Sword" broke. The biggest possibility was that he forcibly merged the powers of Thunder and Holy Light, and the rejection between different powers shattered "The Village's Good Sword."

Truly, too much is as bad as too little.

Learning from this lesson, Aomori decided to separate the powers of Thunder and Holy Light. That's why he needed two Nichirin swords.

One to bear the power of Thunder, and one to bear the power of Holy Light.

Therefore, the selected ores should ideally be compatible with their corresponding powers.

Aomori concentrated Thunder power in one hand and Holy Light power in the other, carefully selecting among the pile of ores.

By the time it was almost dark, he had finally chosen the ores that satisfied him, while Kanae had already taken Tanjiro to visit other places.

"Village chief, these two will do. Thank you."

"No trouble at all. It's the first time someone has taken so long to choose ores. It's clear you value these two swords a lot. Rest assured, we will do our best to satisfy you." The village chief seemed quite pleased with Aomori, nodding repeatedly.

"Village chief, I have another request." Aomori adjusted his glasses and said.

"Feel free to speak. The Swordsmith Village will solve any difficulties for you." The village chief thumped his chest.

"I heard that the Swordsmith Village has an impressive 'Sharpening Stone' tradition, which can make swordsmen stronger."

"Hmm? Are you referring to 'that'?"

...

In a hot spring, Aomori found Kanae and Tanjiro, both soaking in the same pool. Despite Kanae's modesty in wearing a towel, it couldn't completely hide her graceful curves. With Aomori's keen eyes, it was easy to see through the mist and discern the essence.

"Tanjiro, come with me, I'll show you something more interesting."

Aomori's cold voice woke up the dazed Tanjiro. With a red face, he quickly stood up and hoarsely said, "Okay, Aomori, I'll be right there."

A bit flustered and a bit regretful, he hastily left the hot spring.

"Ah, Tanjiro is so adorable." Kanae giggled, covering her mouth, then she also stepped out of the hot spring. "I'll go too."

"As you wish."

Leading Kanae and Tanjiro, who had put on clothes, Aomori walked steadily into the depths of the mountains. In the quiet night, Tanjiro couldn't tell the direction.

"Aomori, why are you so familiar? Aren't we all here for the first time?" Tanjiro asked.

Kanae also seemed to have the same doubts, looking at Aomori with wide eyes.

"Because I can see. The mere darkness can't hide from my eyes."

Kanae wanted to ask more, but was interrupted by Aomori: "Here we are."

There were two rows of wooden houses here. Aomori walked straight to one of the houses and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" A childish voice sounded, and a seven or eight-year-old child opened the door, wearing a Fire Mask on his face just like everyone else. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"We are swordsmen from the Demon Slayer Corps, Thunder Hashira Kakadon," Aomori pointed behind him, "and Flower Hashira Kanae."

Kanae nodded. She already understood Aomori's goal. How did he know the secret of the Swordsmith Village? Even she, if not for a chance mention by Gimei Island's Walking Puppet, wouldn't have known about it.

In the midst of their conversation, Aomori felt the child's body tremble.

"I haven't heard of it, I don't know, please leave!" The child tried to close the door but was stopped by Aomori.

"You must be Kotetsu. I think you already know why I'm here. Bring out the key to the automaton. I have already spoken to the village chief."

"No!" Kotetsu stubbornly refused.

Aomori looked at him firmly for two seconds, then suddenly turned and pushed the bewildered Tanjiro in front of the child: "It's up to you now, Tanjiro!"

Tanjiro: "???"

"It's up to you. Soothing children is your specialty. Nezuko and the others trust you as their older brother. Don't let them down." Aomori encouraged with a clenched fist.

"I... I understand." Tanjiro looked at Kotetsu with determination.

"Don't... don't come over!" Kotetsu shivered, panicking, and hurried back into the room.

"Ah, don't run away, big brother is not a bad person." Tanjiro followed and ran over.

"But Tanjiro is really cute." Kanae covered her mouth and chuckled, then walked out of the hot spring. "I'm going too."

"As you wish."

Turning around, Aomori entered another wooden house, where an automaton that had been passed down for over 300 years was hidden.

With Aomori's secondary profession as a mechanic, he started researching with great interest.

Half an hour later, Tanjiro and Kanae successfully persuaded Kotetsu to hand over the switch key to the automaton.

"Tanjiro, you promised me not to break it."

"Don't worry, Kotetsu."

"It really can't be damaged. The method of making it has been lost. Once it's broken, it can't be repaired." Kotetsu kept nagging.

"Don't worry, Kotetsu!" Tanjiro once again firmly planted his flag on his back.

When they arrived at the wooden house where the automaton was hidden, they were shocked to see a floor covered in broken pieces. The three of them were utterly stunned.

"Ah, you owe me my automaton!" Kotetsu's tears gushed out like a waterfall. He broke free from his petrified state and rushed over, relentlessly pounding Aomori's back with his fists.

Tanjiro grabbed Kotetsu's clothes, comforting him, "Kotetsu, don't be impulsive. Kakadon definitely didn't mean it."

"Even if it wasn't intentional, this is outrageous!" Kanae knew how much Kotetsu cherished the automaton, and she was genuinely angry.

Aomori, buried in the pile of parts, seemed to have just woken up from a dream. He scratched his head awkwardly, looking at the dismantled automaton, which now only remained a skeleton. He felt a bit embarrassed after such a long time. "Ah, sorry, sorry, it's my professional habit."

"What's the use of apologizing now? My automaton can never be restored!" Kotetsu still wanted to grab Aomori's hair, but he stopped when Aomori placed a finger on his forehead.

With a light flick of his finger, Kotetsu let out a yelp and fell into Tanjiro's arms.

"Who said it can't be restored?"

"The ancestral craftsmanship has been lost. My father, grandfather, and great-grandfather have all tried, but there's no way to make such an automaton. Do you even know about this? No one in our Swordsmith Village can do it. Are you relying on this pretty face of yours?" Kotetsu's anger flared.

"Ah, ah, Kotetsu, calm down!" Tanjiro was sweating profusely.

"You swordsmen only know how to destroy things. How would you understand how to fix it? If you can repair it, I'll eat... " Kotetsu couldn't finish his sentence, because he saw Aomori's hands moving rapidly, and the automaton, which had been reduced to a frame, slowly began to gain flesh.

"Ah? I must be dreaming..."

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