Burning Gem

Harren and Sejuani's group finally arrived at the Winterclaw tribe before dawn... carrying stolen goods.

But when Sejuani distributed these "stolen goods" to the emaciated tribesmen, Harren didn't know what to say.

Harren still despises Sejuani's behavior from his own value perspective, but it must be said that Sejuani brought hope for survival to the people of Winter's Claw.

At one point, Harren finally realized that he was judging these barbarians with modern thinking... They had their own morality, but it was different from Harren's; it was primitive, but objective, and it was a way to save lives.

This didn't make Harren think much more highly of Sejuani, but it did make him admire Ashe even more.

"For you, Herren."

Sejuani walked over carrying a package and handed it to Heron.

Upon opening it, one finds a considerable amount of forging materials, as well as some animal hides and ivory.

After all, they were looting the Luhu tribe, so it's normal to find some materials.

"...This is stolen goods."

"Whatever, it'll just sit in the warehouse collecting dust if you don't use it anyway."

Sejuani shoved the package into Heron's hands.

"I know you're unhappy with this operation... but you have to understand, it's for survival."

"Of course I know, but things have to change, Sejuani..."

"I cannot guarantee you, Helen... even if I become the War Mother as you say, I cannot stand by and watch my people die."

Sejuani, unusually, did not argue with Harren. Perhaps it was because she had regained what she had lost, but instead of arguing with Harren, she explained her difficulties.

"There's always a way for the Freljordians to survive without killing each other."

Herren said earnestly.

This is not just an ideal, but an example of the future Avaros... Ashe unified the various tribes through peaceful means, rather than through killing.

"Hmm, that depends on how much help you can provide."

Sejuani remained noncommittal, then bid farewell to Heron.

She's rushing off to her mother-in-law's place to receive a scolding...

Yes, Kojiya returned as promised in the morning and also heard about Sejuani's raid on the Ibrahim tribe.

Although Sejuani brought back a lot of food, the Ibrahim tribe was, after all, an ally, and one that the Frostguard had distributed to the Winter's Claw. Knowing her mother as she did, Sejuani knew that if it involved offending the Frostguard, she would never let it go.

Herren then carried the bag of materials back to the simple furnace room.

The furnace was still not lit, and old Ian and his two apprentices continued to do odd jobs such as sharpening weapons.

Upon seeing Herren arrive, they stood up and respectfully made way for him.

"Old Ian, do you make farm tools regularly in the tribe?"

"farm tools?"

Ian was somewhat taken aback and asked in confusion.

"Why bother making those useless things?"

"It's no use? I remember Freljord should have cold-resistant crops..."

"Yes, but most of us wouldn't plant them; it's a waste of time, and we might end up with nothing."

Freljord does have farmers and agriculture, but due to the terrible weather, the harvest is much less than that of hunting, and even less stable than hunting where you might not see a single prey for three to five days.

A blizzard or a rare cold snap can turn months of waiting into nothing.

"The Orncar Mountains are the coldest places and are not suitable for farming."

"Is that so..."

Herren rubbed his chin, lost in thought.

He pondered that Freljord's biggest problem was the food shortage... If the food problem could be solved, most of the problems would be easily resolved.

But that's precisely the difficulty...

Heron thought for a long time but still couldn't figure it out, so he unconsciously rummaged through the bag that Sejuani had given him.

I actually found something interesting while flipping through it.

"This is...red crystal?"

[Red Crystal: A common, unpolished crystal, said to possess the ability to enhance physical strength; however, legends are just legends... but a skilled craftsman can bring it to life.]

Several pieces of red rough stone of varying sizes were scattered in the bag, mixed among other iron ore, and seemed to have been overlooked.

"This... it's just a broken stone. Some people would embed it in their weapons as decoration, but the Freljordians don't really like red... they use blue crystal more often."

"..."

Herren frowned. He didn't believe that red crystals were useless; so many tanks and equipment could be synthesized from red crystals...

Well, even in reality, something that makes the panel pop up is clearly more than just a useless decoration.

But after thinking about it, Herren realized that there probably weren't many things that could be forged directly from red crystal... He really didn't have any blueprints in mind.

Suddenly, a possibility occurred to him...

Heart of Steel!

Herren recalled that the original artwork for Heart Steel was rather abstract, making it difficult to discern the specific type of equipment it represented. However, considering the chains connecting the two sides and the name "Heart Steel," Herren tentatively concluded that it was an ornament worn around the heart.

It seems that, given their small size and simple materials, these red crystals might be more than enough...

Even if it isn't, so what? Anyway, this kind of red crystal is very common. Let me use my imagination, maybe it will work?

Just do it!

Herren picked out the red crystals and placed them all on the iron table.

Seeing this, Ian hurriedly called to his two apprentices.

He could tell that Herren was about to forge something... Opportunities to witness a master forger's forging process are rare!

Herren piled the red crystals together, then puffed out his chest, and a stream of fire shot out from his mouth, instantly enveloping the red crystals.

Several pieces of red crystal melted instantly under the flames, but instead of flowing freely, they gradually coalesced and mixed together within the flames.

"Hmm!"

"God!"

Herren frowned and looked over, only to see two furnace apprentices who were encountering such a scene for the first time, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Harren prefers a quiet forging environment...

Old Ian immediately sprang into action, punching each of them once while muttering curses under his breath.

"Keep it down! If you make another sound, get lost!"

When he turned around, he looked at Herren with extreme obsequiousness, as if afraid that Herren would drive them away in a fit of anger.

Herren certainly wouldn't do that; he simply shook his head helplessly, raised his hammer, and struck the still-warm red crystal.

A few impurities were hammered out, but perhaps because Herren's fire was too intense, and the red crystal was not as durable as the pure ice, after a few hammer blows, the red crystal sphere became more and more rounded. It was like trying to cut water with a knife, but the water just kept flowing. It was flattened with a hammer, and soon it became a sphere again.

After several attempts, Herren vaguely grasped the knack, but he knew that this forging attempt was likely to fail.

Helpless, he had to use pliers to remove the crystal ball and put it into a bucket of water to cool it down.

When it was retrieved, the crystal sphere had a strange color. Inside the translucent sphere, several red patterns seemed to flow as if they were alive, as if they were "burning".

[Forged: Burning Gem]

High-quality accessories can slightly increase the wearer's physical constitution.

[Obtain Golden Health Fragment]

Herren: ? ? ?