Chapter 31: An idea

[Julian (Second Gen)]

[Occupation: Ninth Rank Ability Equipment Craftsman]

[Level: Foundational Energy Level Five]

[Psychic Constitution: Mixed Five-Element Psychic Constitution]

[Techniques: Qi Gathering, Mega Hammer Technique]

[Traits: Strong Bones, Iron Precision]

[Iron Precision: When forging metal weapons, speed +100%, proficiency with weapons +100%!]

...

"Third Young Master, did you... did you just craft some psychic gear?!!"

At Gratitude Village's blacksmith shop, amidst the heat of the forge, four veteran blacksmiths cheered for Julian.

"What kind of psychic gear is this supposed to be?"

If Amelia became a pharmacist by following her own path of cultivating psychic powers, Julian here relied purely on luck. He even disdainfully tossed aside the freshly forged iron sword, "You guys haven't seen anything truly awesome, but I have!"

"That thing is all metal, as tall as several buildings. Don't even talk about Foundational Energy warriors, even Emerging Ability experts can't scratch its iron. It emits blue light, flies through the sky, is decked out with weapons, can shoot psychic powers from its shoulders, and can even conjure divine swords out of thin air!"

As Julian spoke to the blacksmiths, his eyes sparkled with envy. He remembered the day the Forebearer unleashed the War AI Bionic Robot, its majestic form instantly taking down Elder Gonzalez!

That was the day.

He realized that was the true romance of a real man!

"My goal isn't to make this kind of psychic equipment. They're just for gaining experience in crafting. My real target is crafting those powerful AI Bionic Robots!"

"Clang!"

With the hammer's fall, sparks flew.

Julian, holding a steel plate with tongs, slowly moved towards the back.

Behind him, there was actually a wooden model of an AI Bionic Robot!

Julian, using a black iron plate, slowly placed it on the wooden figure's shoulder, securing it with chains.

...

"Dreaming of crafting War AI Bionic Robots, huh?"

Watching Julian chat with the craftsmen in the game, Ethan didn't quite know what to make of it, just hoping Julian really pulls it off someday.

And Ethan got it.

The characters in this game, they all got their own minds, picking their paths as they grow. The four kids of the Blackwood second gen, Lucas is more like Nathan, a solid pick to take over the family reins.

Loner Amelia went down the path to become a pharmacist, diving deeper into the world of psychic plants, now a legendary healer in Gratitude Village.

Olivia, dragging her sickly self, chose a tough road. As she's getting older, her smarts are leveling up, just like that time she cracked a case wide open with ease.

And Julian, he's running a shop in Gratitude Village, crafting psychic gear with four blacksmith masters, beefing up the whole crew's metalwork.

[Blackwood Year 28.]

[Nathan led Gratitude Village folks and Blackwood youngsters to the Silver Iron Forest, heard a beast roar deep inside. The terrifying presence in the depths warned the Purple Lightning Python protecting humans, to back off or face annihilation!]

"We can't go any deeper, the temple guardian beast said the monster king is ticked off!"

As Luna translated solemnly for the Purple Lightning Python, the crew had to halt their deep dive into the Silver Iron Forest.

The monster king, now as powerful as a human D-class!

"Can't go any further, huh?"

Ethan let out a long sigh, recalling what the Purple Lightning Python had told the Blackwood folks about the forest.

Seems like the forest's monster king cut the Python some slack, so it hadn't attacked Blackwood's people. But now, with Blackwood digging too deep too often, they were threatening the monster king's turf.

"But that's enough for now, we'll just slowly explore the outskirts from here on."

Ethan didn't mind.

These years of growth had boosted Blackwood's strength up a notch!

Now, Gratitude Village's population hit three thousand.

Just think, even Tailin Town only had forty thousand before the disaster, and that's probably halved by now.

Take another look at Blackwood's current digs.

The whole place spans ten thousand square meters, with pavilions, towers, flying eaves, and blue tiles, all classy yet grand. The ground's all cobblestone, surrounded by lush greenery and flowers, even the four-meter-high walls are carved with dragons and phoenixes.

Further out, there's the psychic beast park, now part of Blackwood's back hills. Looking into the distance, you can see the thick branches of the beast blood fruit trees standing tall like giants, with psychic beasts occasionally leaping from limb to limb, birds screeching.

Beyond the psychic beast park is the psychic herb garden, plus some simple houses.

The old psychic herb garden was inside the beast park, but as another beast blood fruit tree grew, it gradually squeezed out space for the psychic herbs, so Amelia moved the garden.

Those houses are home to a dozen teens from Gratitude Village, helping to plant herbs, giving Amelia more time to cultivate psychic herbs, and maybe even train a few pharmacists for Gratitude Village.

And before all of Blackwood, there's Gratitude Village.

They're spread all around Blackwood, like guards protecting the whole place.

Ethan was still keeping an eye on Blackwood's progress, feeling a whole lot of pride. Even though they couldn't push further into the Silver Iron Forest, Blackwood was still growing in an organized fashion.

In their ranks, they now boasted over a dozen Psychics.

Especially Julian, that dude, always dreaming about making War AI Bionic Robots, but never slacking off when it came to arming Blackwood!

He led the Gratitude Village blacksmiths, working day and night to forge gear, even the tailors were hustling.

Now, Blackwood's guards were all decked out in chainmail made from black iron, looking mighty fine under the sun. They each wielded a long sword forged from black iron and carried a triple-strength bow made from black iron and beast sinew on their backs.

With over a hundred guards firing these bows at once, even someone at the Emerging Ability stage would have to think twice about taking all those arrows head-on.

Just as he was admiring the family's progress, a notification popped up on the screen—

[Your descendants have a matter to consult you about.]

The family cultivating psychic powers simulator game was getting more human-like by the day. Whenever someone from Blackwood needed him at the ancestral hall, time would automatically slow down, and the game would alert him.

He quickly switched perspectives.

"Lucas and Olivia, huh?"

By now, Nathan had reached the ninth level of Foundational Energy and had started a strict retreat, vowing not to emerge until he broke through to Emerging Ability. Amelia and Julian, those workhorses, spent nearly all their time on alchemy and crafting psychic gear, only showing up in Blackwood if there was something they couldn't handle.

As for Luna, she was currently taming a psychic beast in the beast park.

"Hiss—Sss—"

The Purple Lightning Python in the ancestral hall opened its eyes and hissed.

The siblings quickly knelt before the Forebearer cards, "Greetings, Forebearer!"

Olivia said, "Forebearer, I have a bold idea I'd like to discuss."

"Oh? An idea?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. It had been a while since anyone in Blackwood had come to him with their own suggestions.

He typed into the computer, saying.

As the temple guardian beast hissed, Olivia continued:

"Since we can't continue to develop the Silver Iron Forest, maybe we should shift our focus and start doing business with Tailin Town. After all, over the years, we've accumulated a large stockpile of beast hides and picked a lot of useless psychic herbs in the Silver Iron Forest, filling up our warehouses."

"Ah?"

Lucas's eyes widened in disbelief, looking at his sister, "Sis, we've already tricked them once, Tailin Town can't possibly fall for it again, right?"