Meiji Blacksmith

Creating a functional modern firearm in a new world was no easy feat.

After all, the fruits of over a hundred thousand years of human technological evolution couldn’t just be replicated on a whim.
Even if he had the blueprints, there was no way to source the required materials.

But for Sui Ming, these problems were just minor details.

This wasn’t the twenty-first century—it was an entirely new world.

And he refused to believe he couldn’t find some equivalent materials here.
Or at least… something that could serve as a substitute.

“Uncle Ai! I’m heading out for a bit!”

“Just be sure to come back before dark, Young Master!”

Watching Sui Ming’s figure disappear into the distance, the old butler couldn’t help but sigh.

“The boy’s grown up… and I can’t keep him under control anymore.”

Noah City—just a small, insignificant border town within the Mingxi Empire.
It barely even registered on the national stage.

Although the Xi Family had long since begun its decline, even a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.
They still owned around twenty percent of the shops in Noah City… though nearly all the profits went straight toward debt repayments.

Sui Ming suffered greatly because of this.

“Sure, leave if you must, but why take the money and run too?
Were those two even my real parents?”

“Even adopted kids get treated better than this, right?”

Grumbling aside, Sui Ming knew he had to find a way to prop the estate back up.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the funds to retire peacefully—let alone survive in this world.

His pale eyes scanned the streets, clearly searching for something.

Noah City’s roads were fairly tidy.
Not extravagant by any means, but at least acceptable.

A few sparse green plants lined either side of the street.
The neatly arranged houses created a maze-like layout that split the city into smaller segments.

And that’s when something caught Sui Ming’s eye.

“There it is!”

A signboard hung above the entrance, boldly inscribed with three characters:
[Meiji Ironworks].

“Now that’s a wise name.”

Were people in this world really this… forward-thinking?

Sui Ming stepped into the smithy, only to find it completely empty.

“Hello? Anyone here?
You’ve got a customer!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”
A gruff voice called out from behind.

Sui Ming instinctively reached for his gun—
Only to remember he was currently nothing more than a skinny, powerless noble heir.
He resisted the urge to retaliate and glanced back.

What he saw made his soul tremble.

It felt like the sun had vanished from the sky.
He could practically hear his blood pressure spike.

A hulking man stood at the door, built like several bulls stacked together.
Veins bulged along his arms as he casually held a hammer that looked hilariously tiny in his grip.

“Uh… this guy… what the hell is he drinking?
Liquid testosterone?”

Sui Ming had the gut feeling this man could snap his limbs off with a single punch—then dip them in sauce for a snack.

“Boss, do you have anything like explosives?
Or… materials that make a big boom when they go off?”

The man glanced at Sui Ming’s gesturing hands and immediately understood.

“You mean Flame Stones?”

“What’s that?”

The man walked over to a nearby workbench and rummaged through a pile of materials.
He pulled out a glowing orange stone, radiating waves of heat.

Without effort, he snapped off a small chunk and tossed it casually to the ground—

“Szzzt—BOOM!”

A burst of sparks exploded on the spot, scattering the dust around it.

From the size of the fragment he threw, the explosive force easily rivaled that of gunpowder—possibly even stronger.

Sui Ming’s eyes lit up.
A wide grin spread across his face.

“Never thought I’d find something like this in another world…”

“Boss, do you have a lot of these?”

“Flame Stones?
They’re pretty common, honestly.
If you want some, I’ll charge five Fars apiece.”

“I’ll take ten, then.”

Sui Ming placed his last fifty Fars onto the counter.

Thankfully, he’d asked Uncle Ai for some money before leaving, saying he needed to buy a few things.

Though Ai had hesitated at first, he eventually handed over a pouch of Fars and gave Sui Ming a long lecture—
Don’t trust strangers too easily.
Always think things through.
Be cautious.
Don’t act rashly…

Of course, Sui Ming had barely listened.

All he cared about was figuring out how to recreate firearms in this world.
He just stood there nodding like a scolded student—expression vacant, as if he’d been hit by a truck.

“You’re… the heir of the Xi Family, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

Sui Ming blinked.
He hadn’t mentioned his identity at all.
And judging by his plain, shabby clothes, there was no way anyone would think he was a noble.

“Hahaha… Boss, you must be joking.
Do I look like a noble to you in these rags?”

“Yeah… You’re right.
Sorry, my eyes must be getting old.”

“And you are?
I might want to do business with you again sometime.”

Sui Ming had a gut feeling this man was no ordinary blacksmith.
So to be safe, he decided not to reveal his identity.

Caution above all.

“Call me Uncle Wang. Or just Old Wang.
Doesn’t matter to me.”

With that, Old Wang turned to begin processing the Flame Stones.

The stones were notoriously unstable—just tossing them could set them off.
There was no way he’d hand over raw material like that to a customer.

“Kid, I don’t know what you plan to do with all this,
but let me give you a bit of advice—”

“Don’t go making trouble right now.”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t know?
Youngsters these days never read the paper.”

“A pretty big name just arrived in Noah City.”

“The Empire’s very own Inspector—Mr. Hecaré.
Surely you’ve heard of him?”

“One of the highest-ranked [True Manifestation] level experts in the entire Mingxi Empire.
Second only to Her Majesty the Empress herself.”

“True Manifestation…?”
Sui Ming repeated, eyebrows furrowed.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Old Wang could only sigh.

“Kids these days…
Really ought to read more news.”

“Anyway, your Flame Stones are ready.
See you around, little brother.”

Old Wang handed over a satchel filled with processed Flame Stones.
Sui Ming thanked him, then quickly took his leave.

As the boy’s figure disappeared into the distance,
Old Wang’s lips curled into a knowing smile.