[6 - ANGELIC GOLEM]

I wake up to my mother knocking on my room door.

"Mingyu, Xingxi! Breakfast is ready!"

"Ah, we're coming!"

I enter the Hearth of Hestia, seeing Xingxi still curled up in the purple jewel. I gently tap the Hyacinthium Amber, waking up the homunculus. He blinks and yawns, it looks like Xingxi's not very good at waking up, then again, neither am I. Xingxi holds out his hands, and I gently guide him out of the crystal, it's really like taking care of the twins all over again. Exiting the Hearth of Hestia, we walked into the living room for breakfast.

I greeted the twins, and after a rib-crushing hug from the both of them, they left home immediately, stuffing toast in their mouths like school girls in shoujo anime being late, to my mother's dismay. She's always trying to get them to stay for breakfast, especially because the twins are always excessively early at school for no reason, she's come crying to me about it multiple times.

"Ah, Mingyu." Here we go again.

"The boys never stay for breakfast! I swear, they love you more than their own parents! Will you please convince them to eat properly in the mornings? Ah, they worry their Mama so much, what if they collapse from hunger at school!? I always think they'll be good boys when they grow older, but I think they just get more mischievous!"

I looked towards my father, silently asking him for help.

He shook his head at my misery. Traitor.

My mother continued to worry about the twins for another half hour.

⸻⸻⸻⸻

I spent the next week lazing about in the comfort of my own home. Xingxi was getting used to doing the housework with my parents, and he was getting along wonderfully with the twins. There wasn't any word from the Tower about 'Resplendent Merchant', which confused me. With their prestige, I really thought they'd be one of the people who finished the first floor quickly.

But I was snapped out of my thoughts when my mother called me to take Xingxi to the mall. He looked excited at the concept of walking around in a large building decorated with shops at every corner.

So that's what we did for the next 2 hours.

I let Xingxi freely roam the mall, watching him get excited over mundane everyday things. But these were new experiences for him, since he was technically only born a few days ago. I barely know him, but it feels like he's been with me for years.

[Xingxi has been with you for years.]

I jolted when the Tower's message rang in my head. What was that? And what does the Tower mean? I don't remember a capable child like Xingxi in the 15 years that I lived. I tried to pry the Tower for more questions, but the Tower fell silent. How rude.

Xingxi held my hand in concern. "I'm alright, Xingxi, there's no need to worry." He smiled, such a good kid. "Have you found anything you want?" Xingxi put a hand to his chin, and I could almost see the little lightbulb light up in his head as he dragged me towards a new store that opened up.

"Black Iron Smithy?"

That rang a bell in my head. There was a massive weapons corporation called 'Black Iron' that quickly rose to fame in the second year after the Tower's arrival. They often produced quality equipment at reasonable prices, which made them a popular choice for newbie Players. Was this how the corporation started out? Just as a little shop in a mall? "We already have weapons, Xingxi." Xingxi shook his head and pointed at the worker at the register.

Oh, now that I look closer, she's quite familiar.

"The cashier from the clothing store!" "Oh? It's you." I didn't expect to see her here. "After getting dragged into that mess and escaping with barely my life intact, I got fired, so that's why I'm managing this store now. It's actually one I set up myself." She leaned forward on the counter.

"So, are you here to buy weapons? A lot of people have been trying to challenge the Tower after getting these 'Blessings'." "What about you? I'm guessing you've received a Blessing from the Tower too?" She sighed, nodding her head. "My Blessing has to do with blacksmithing, since my family has a history of that. Every weapon you see here is all handmade by me." What an accomplishment, and with a quick use of Appraisal, I saw that she was right. Each and every weapon here was handmade with delicate care. I saw Xingxi from the corner of my eye, staring at the magic staffs on display. I was curious, so I decided to use Appraisal on her.

[Player Kurogane Megumi - Status]

[Player Title: Angelic Golem]

[Blessings: Bladeworks of Kagutsuchi - B]

[Class: Blacksmith]

[Description: The eldest daughter of the Kurogane family. Though she appears aloof, she's quite the conversationalist if you let her speak. A skilled blacksmith who does her best to make quality equipment that meets high standards.]

I guess that explains how she's been carrying this conversation. "Unfortunately, I'm not here to buy weapons for the Tower today. Xingxi was curious about a weapons shop here, so we came in to take a look." "Ah…" She paused, "That's alright, talking with someone who knows about the Tower was nice." But then a thought popped into my head. "Is a custom order possible?" Megumi paused, she looked like she was contemplating something, but eventually she nodded her head. "Yeah, I think I can handle custom orders, I assume you have one for me then?"

"Yeah, I've got one."

After telling Megumi the details of my custom order, I exchanged contacts with her.

"Do me a favour and recommend this store to other Players, alright?" "Of course, I'll see you, then." I called for Xingxi and we waved goodbye to Megumi, deciding to head home after that.

So Megumi founded the Black Iron corporation with her own two hands. I didn't think I'd be able to meet a big shot like her today, that was lucky on my part. And despite being a chatterbox with a pleasant aura, she's definitely strong enough to hold her own, considering she managed to complete the first floor in less than a week. Even though the number of Players having completed the first floor have shot up into the ten thousands, she needed time to set up that store, which meant that she was also one of the first people to have completed the first floor in a matter of hours. It's scary how I'm meeting so many powerhouses at once, just because I cleared the first floor early.

"She's skilled in making weapons, maybe I'll get one to protect myself soon." Xingxi had a look of despair on their face, clinging onto me a little too hard. "Ah, Xingxi, I'll get one for you too." Xingxi shook his head, pointing to himself. "You'll protect me?" Xingxi nodded vigorously. I laughed, "Okay, Xingxi, I don't need a weapon if you'll protect me, happy?" I gave Xingxi a pat on the head.

He looked very happy, I was happy too.