"I don't know how to make this," the man replied.
Gideon fell silent. It was natural for the man to say he didn't know how to make a bullet like this, considering he was born and raised in a fantasy world more familiar with swords and arrows.
Still, Gideon was willing to help him if the man truly believed he could make it.
"What's the strongest metal you have?" Gideon asked.
"We have plenty. But to make a bullet like this, I think it needs to be a strong metal with a light mass."
"Can you show us that metal?" Gideon asked, and the man nodded.
He went back into the forge to bring out two samples of metal suitable for making this bullet. The tomboyish woman was still standing behind the counter, waiting for her father to return with the ore.
Not long after, the burly man returned carrying two different wooden boxes. Inside each box was a different type of ore.
The first box contained Aetherium. The second contained Mythralite. Gideon narrowed his eyes, not knowing their exact differences in properties and durability.
But in terms of color, they were very different—Aetherium was silvery white, while Mythralite was deep green.
"Aetherium is usually used to make strong swords, and Mythralite as well. But I don't know if either of these can be shaped into this… thing," the man said.
"Do you want to take this challenge or not?" Gideon asked.
The man went quiet for a moment, looking down at the two metals he brought. His family's financial situation was worsening, and they hadn't been making much money lately.
Gideon came with an interesting offer—to make a weapon never before imagined. But seeing Gideon's unassuming appearance, the man felt doubtful about this custom order.
"Are you from a noble family?" the burly man asked, wanting to be sure.
Gideon was silent for a moment, then shook his head. He made it clear he wasn't a noble, nor was he rich. But the power he held could rule the entire world.
"No. But my power could rule the whole world. You could become famous," Gideon replied.
"Sorry, sir. I can't risk my valuable metal on someone whose status is unclear."
Gideon froze for a moment, then chuckled quietly, realizing his attempt had hit a dead end.
Right… he doubts me because I have no title, no noble status.
To him, the man's attitude was understandable—he was a service provider. A craftsman needed to be sure of a client's guarantee.
If Gideon didn't give him something as collateral for production, the burly man wouldn't help him.
"Alright. I understand," Gideon said.
"But can't we at least try it first, Dad?" the red-haired tomboy asked.
"No, Sora. They promised us nothing. We must not be fooled by their nonsense."
Gideon's attention shifted to Sora, the ponytailed tomboy. She seemed to believe he wasn't a fraud, and she also looked genuinely interested in the bullet Gideon was talking about.
"How skilled is she?" Gideon asked, pointing to Sora.
"She? She's the best blacksmith in this district. I raised her myself," the burly man explained.
"Interesting."
"How do I hire her?" Gideon asked, surprising both Sora and her father.
"Hire her? Are you trying to enslave her?!" the man snapped, and Gideon narrowed his eyes.
"What? Of course not! Her talent would be wasted if she became a slave."
The burly man kept staring at Gideon sharply, trying to figure out what he intended for his daughter.
Even so, this was the first time he felt intimidated in return while trying to threaten someone. Gideon was using his facial expression to intimidate the man.
"I will never hand her over, no matter how much you pay," the man said firmly.
"That's because… she looks just like her mother," the burly man murmured, making Sora's eyes well up with tears.
Her mother had died five years ago, when Sora was fourteen, due to a severe illness. Since then, Sora had stayed in the shop to help her father—either selling goods or forging swords.
Thanks to that experience, Sora became skilled in making swords and armor. Her first sword sold for about forty copper to an adventurer. That adventurer had fallen for her and promised to marry her someday.
Letting Sora go with Gideon meant letting go of his wife's memory. The burly man didn't want that. He didn't want to be lonely.
Gideon and Lena were touched by the closeness between father and daughter. Hearing this made Gideon hesitate to take Sora away from her father.
Instinctively, he reached for the dog tag always hanging from his neck, containing the faces of his wife and daughter whom he missed dearly.
Gideon closed his eyes, feeling a wave of sadness because even now, he still hadn't found a way back to Earth.
"Alright. I won't force you."
"How much metal do you have?" Gideon asked.
"A lot. Why?" the man replied.
"What do you use in explosive bombs?" Gideon asked.
The burly man stiffened, unsure why Gideon would ask that. Many blacksmiths refused to make bombs—gunpowder was expensive, highly flammable, and could ignite easily.
"I stopped making bombs. But we used fuses to trigger the explosion."
A fuse, huh? Bullets don't use fuses. Looks like making the primer will be tricky.
"What's your name?" Gideon asked.
"I'm Jack."
"Alright, Jack. I get it. I'll come back with the details of what the bullet should contain."
"Listen, I'm not going to help you, understand? I don't know what this thing is, and I'm not getting any guarantee from you."
"So stop trying to push me."
Gideon sighed. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a coin pouch. He placed ten gold coins on the counter—enough to shock both Jack and Sora.
Ten gold coins was an enormous amount of money, equal to one hundred silver or one thousand copper coins.
With ten gold coins, Jack could pay off nearly half of his family's total debt.
"Ten gold coins?" Jack asked, stunned.
"That's your payment. I'll be back, and you will help me. Do you understand?" Gideon said firmly.
"Who are you, really, sir?"
"And one more thing." Gideon raised a finger, drawing both Jack's and Sora's attention.
"Once you've agreed to help me, you cannot tell anyone about this bullet."
"If you leak it, your head will end up like that armor."