Castle of Black Iron

Hearing Zieg's explanation, Zhang Tie also started to consider about this abnormal situation. Combining with the above points, this animal tide was truly too weird. No wonder one wild patron of school of patron was attracted here.

"What did that wild patron find?"

"I don't know. He stayed over one night in Kurgan village to inquire about what I've told you. After that, he left!" Saying this, the village head recalled something, "Oh, he has a pet, a very huge black eagle. Before I saw him off, that huge eagle directly landed on the ground from sky, startling me a lot."

A weird animal tide, a wild patron of school of patron who came here to investigate with a huge black eagle. These clues reminded Zhang Tie of that attack from iron-beak ibis on the way back to Huaiyuan Prefecture by airship. Because of the attack from those iron-beak ibises, many airlines above Waii Sub Continent had been greatly influenced, some were even stopped.

"Is there any link between the two events?"

Zhang Tie sensed a bit danger instinctively. However, it was not a negative event for him; instead, it was easier for him to form seven-strength fruits. Therefore, he didn't think too much about this event.

For Zhang Tie, whatever happened in the future, he had to keep increasing his fighting strength in the first place.

It was a grand supper. Zhang Tie had not tasted such yummy food before he came here, especially the Buckthorn wine which was brewed by the villagers themselves, absolutely unforgettable.

It was a simple process to brew Buckthorn wine. Being similar to the brewing process of wine, picking off Buckthrons, cleaning them and crumbling them into pieces; after that, mix them with sugar and ferment the mixture in wooden barrel. Zieg said that everybody across Ice and Snow Wilderness could brew Buckthorn wine, each of them grew up drinking Buckthorn wine. Not only did it taste good, but also made people healthy. People here almost didn't get sick at all.

If it was before, Zhang Tie would have been amazed about this; however, now, Zhang Tie knew it clearly that those aboriginals were actually fermenting. Although these people might not know what was ferment, they had found the way to obtain a great amount of ferment in Ice and Snow Wilderness so easily and instinctively.

People here seemed inseparable from Buckthorns. All the items; Buckthorn tea, Buckthorn wine, Buckthorn oil and the Buckthorn twigs was stored for tiding over winter and were closely related to their daily lives.

Even the Buckthorns being planted outside the village had formed a barrier to this village. Standing neatly in lines like guardsmen, these Buckthorns could prevent wild beasts coming close to this village from all directions to a certain degree. As a result, those wild beasts could only move closer to the village through special accesses that people had prepared. In this way, villagers would be able to notice the traces of huge dangerous wild beasts entering the village much easily.

Besides, Buckthorns could fertilize the soil. After being planted with Buckthorns for some years, the previous barren farming land could be grown with vital plants like soya beans and provide grains for people. Villages across Ice and Snow Wilderness usually inter-plant wheat among Buckthorns and could always have big harvests.

Living conditions and quality of life of these people was influenced by this plant. It could be said that without Buckthorns nobody across Ice and Snow Wilderness could survive here.

This common plant had become the most important guarantee of local residents. Buckthorn fruits and leaves were edible and easily stored. Additionally, as the main fuel of the local residents, they could help people tide over the long winter. Besides, it was the most important cash crop here. By exporting Buckthorns, people here could gain gold coins as payment. Finally, by growing them, people could fertilize their soil and further expand their living space. It was hard to imagine how people would survive here without Buckthorn.

At the dining table, Zieg introduced the functions of Buckthorns. Hearing those words, Zhang Tie instantly came across a thought, "I'm wondering whether it would be more marvelous after a round of mutation and evolution in Castle of Black Iron."

The moment it hit his mind, Zhang Tie had become excited. Such a sense of achievement of creating a species was really cool. When Zhang Tie was imagining about the new Buckthorn that might have greater effects, another thought flashed across his mind and struck him like a lightning bolt, causing him stiff all over at once.

"What if Ice and Snow Wilderness is covered with the new Buckthorn and those residents could get a better life brought by the new buckthorn?"

Zhang Tie started to quiver faintly as he remembered what he had learned in the book 'General History of Man Kinds' in Huaiyuan Palace.

Before catastrophe, the agents and lackeys of demons among humans were applying this scientific means to control the quality of grains over this planet before influencing people's agricultural production. After that, humans were actually under the control of demons and their agents and lackeys among humans.

The grain seeds provided by demons to humans were poisonous. The toxin was not the common chemical; instead, it was a more terrifying gene virus. Grains were growing with that gene virus. After entering people's body, it could regulate their genes and DNAs, reducing their life expectancy and making them frail and sick, even making them slow-witted and infertile. By replacing people's grain seeds, demons were actually castrating humans, causing them losing their ability to fight demons. If humans eat those poisonous grains, they would definitely be ruled by demons in the end.

At that age, Chinese were under the conspiracy of demons and suffered a lot before finally woke up. After that, Chinese led the rest of humans to resist demons and became the pillar of humans of the 2 holy wars.

"If I could get a new Buckthorn, of course, I would not poison the aboriginals with it; however, given that these people could not survive without Buckthorn, I can have a greater influence over Ice and Snow Wilderness by controlling them with the new Buckthorn like how demons ruled humans by the poisonous grain seeds. It's of the same logic."

If it was before, Zhang Tie might not have such a great ambition; however, this time, the moment this thought flashed across his mind, it had started to grow and extend wildly like weeds in his mind.

Seeing Zhang Tie becoming absent-minded, Zieg thought that Zhang Tie didn't like these food as he asked him out of concern, "Don't like this?"

"Wuh, of course not!" Zhang Tie responded with a smile, "When I heard about the functions of these Buckthorns, I was thinking about taking some seeds back as a memory!"

"You want the seeds of Buckthorns?" The village head asked.

"Is there any in the village? If not, I can collect some outside!"

Zieg then burst out into laughter and generously replied, "The last thing that you cannot get from Kurgan village is Buckthorn seeds. As they are used for squeezing oil, many Buckthorn seeds are piling in the mill. We've got several hundreds kg. You can take as many as you will. If you tell me where you live, I can have some young men carry them to your place!"

"I only need a small pack, about half a kilo!"

"Hassan, go get a small pack of Buckthorn seeds from the mill for Peter!" Zieg touched his grandson who was only about 6 years old.

Hearing this, his grandson glanced at Zhang Tie before nodded and scuttled outside. After a short while, he already came back with a pack of Buckthorn seeds which weighed about 1 kg...

Gazing at those seeds, Zhang Tie faintly narrowed his eyes, "Although it's low for Buckthorn seeds to mutate and evolve in Castle of Black Iron, If I could input different number of merit values, aura values and basic energy storage into the 300 Buckthorn seeds, which are divided into different groups, I might finally gain a whole new Buckthorn seed."

Thinking of those Buckthorns over Ice and Snow Wilderness which would be "docile" to him in the future, Zhang Tie revealed with a smile.

After supper, it was already dark. Zhang Tie learned a lot about Ice and Snow Wilderness from Zieg. At this time, Evan and the other teenagers came here to invite Zhang Tie to attend their bonfire party.

"Go, evening belongs to you, young man. Actually, there are only young men at the bonfire party. We old people do not go there!" Zieg also persuaded.

Without any hesitation, Zhang Tie agreed pleasantly. It was still a period of time before going to bed. As they were all young, Zhang Tie didn't mind attending it.

Hearing Zhang Tie's response, all the other teenagers became joyful. Before leaving, Evan pointed at Zhang Tie's heavy crossbow which was placed against the wall, "Can we take that huge thing there? So many people want to take a look at it!"

Zhang Tie instantly took his crossbow. Seeing that, everybody burst out into laughter.

The bonfire party was held in the middle of the village. Each night, this place would be the world of young persons and kids in Kurgan village. They set a big bonfire in the vacant place; meanwhile, they sat around the bonfire to chat, drink, sing, dance and share their achievements on the very day; besides, these adolescents wrestled and challenged their peers on fighting skills. What a boisterous scene!

Those diligent girls who helped their family members do farming works in the daytime would also come out in the evening. They sat and joked with boys, being not bashful at all.

Smaller kids ran around the bonfire as they caught fireflies or played hide-and-seek game.

Those married ones or elders would not attend such a party at all. Therefore, these young men felt free doing whatever they wanted here.

According to Evan, such parties were held everyday as long as weather permitted or nothing special happened. These young men would kill time here each night. All the young ones would like to attend this party.

Before arrival, Zhang Tie had already seen the fierce blaze from afar and heard the laughter of these young people.

When he arrived there, Zhang Tie found about 400-500 people over there. The atmosphere was boisterous and free. The age of these people ranged from 5-20-odd years old. The younger ones were even running here and there with naked butts. Everybody here looked relaxed and pleasant.

Zhang Tie noticed that more than 20 young men spared a region on one side of the bonfire as they threw javelins towards a scarecrow being covered with hide which was standing dozens meters away. They were so hyper.

This was more an open-air party than a bonfire party that every young people would like to attend each night in Kurgan village. Zhang Tie as an average person who grew up in a small city had not imagined about enjoying such a special treatment by attending parties and exchanging with familiar peers each night. Young people in cities often went to bars. However, the atmosphere and feeling in bars could never match that of here. Not to mention that Zhang Tie was very poor when he was in Blackhot City and couldn't afford bars at all.

At this moment, Zhang Tie started to admire about the night life of the youth in Kurgan village. They didn't spend even a penny on attending this party; yet their happiness and freedom could not be bought by many people.

Zhang Tie's arrival didn't arise any surprise. Those young men didn't welcome him with any special audible and visual effects; instead, they all acted as casual as before. Zhang Tie then followed Evan's team into that circle formed by Burman's team whom he met at the sunset. After that, they started to chat with each other happily.

The heavy metal crossbow that Zhang Tie took here seemed being more attractive than himself. The moment those young men caught sight of such a huge weapon, they instantly surrounded it and wanted to have a try.

After teaching them how to adjust the moment gear of that hydraulic sliding bar, Zhang Tie handed it to those young men. Many people then tried to take it up one by another.

Those who could take up this crossbow stared at Zhang Tie with full of admiration; however, those people who could not take up, would not feel too embarrassed either; instead, they only felt a bit bashful as they would always laugh in a benign way.

Evan shouted that with this crossbow, a bolt could penetrate through an iron-teeth hyena before completely sunk into the soil with its full strength. With Zhang Tie's consent, some more young men crowded in and wanted to have a try.

When in trial shooting, almost all the young people in the village crowded over here.

They tested its power at the point where they threw their javelins. Zhang Tie told some of them to place 3 scarecrows in a row 40 m away.

Because nobody could take up that huge weapons and shot horizontally like Zhang Tie, they carried it onto a wooden vaulting horse which was about 1 m high. After fixing that metal foot stool with the help of the vaulting horse, they triggered the crossbow.

Burman was the first. He firstly inserted a metal bolt clip into a slot under the crossbow. After that, he forcefully pulled the sliding bar 8 times consecutively before finally made it with a sound of "kacha". He then placed it over his shoulder against the fold-able handle of the crossbow and triggered the bolt in a few seconds.

Almost nobody had heard the faint buzz; however, they saw 3 targets exploding at the same time.

"Wow..." All the young men in Kurgan village uttered a scream as this crossbow's power was out of their imagination.

"Even Eschyle City could not make this..." A teenager sighed with emotion, "I've seen the heavy crossbow in Eschyle City. They could not match its power and craftsmanship at all!"

"It might cost a lot!" Evan watched that crossbow as he asked Zhang Tie with sparkling eyes.

"Hmm, probably!" Actually, even Zhang Tie didn't know the price of this heavy crossbow. Because he took it away from the warehouse of the Zhen's Mansion in Heavens Cold City. It was absolutely a imported good from other continents. He had 10 more heavy crossbows of the same kind in Castle of Black Iron. After arriving at Grey Hill, Zhang Tie found this weapon was the most efficient weapon in killing iron-teeth hyenas; therefore, he took one out of Castle of Black Iron and kept using it.

Zhang Tie thought this crossbow should be worth 400 gold coins or so in Huaiyuan Prefecture. It might be more valuable in other places. In a contrast, the price of a Faerie-Dragon T9 sports car was only 500-odd gold coins. Based on this, the price of such a crossbow was truly expensive.

After Burman, almost all the teenagers above 12 had a try one after another. Even those girls couldn't wait to join them.

It was such a boisterous and happy party. Zhang Tie performed as an interpreter of weapon and a coach on teaching the young men in Kurgan village to manipulate this heavy crossbow. After all, the crossbow was like a big-bore heavy weapon before catastrophe, which was rarely seen. However, this weapon became a big toy in this bonfire party, making everybody excited.

After playing with his peers innocently for such a long time, Zhang Tie also felt very happy.

...

The bonfire party didn't come to an end until midnight. As the flames gradually became lighter, those young men returned to their homes.

Zhang Tie was arranged by Zieg to sleep in the only public room of the village. It was a cabin built by the villagers. If any family could not hold their relatives or guests, they could arrange them in the public room. The wild patron from school of patron also slept here that night.

As was imagined, Zhang Tie didn't complain about the treatment at all. Actually, he found that this public room was even better than most of private cabins in the village. Additionally, although the quilts here were not new, they were very clean and carried the smell of sunshine. The villagers especially prepared them for Zhang Tie.

...

When all the households in Kurgan Village died out their lamplights, Zhang Tie, lying on his bed, was intending to enter Castle of Black Iron to taste the latest seven-strength fruit. However, at this moment, he heard faint footsteps from outside the cabin, which stopped Zhang Tie's intention at once.

"It's been so late! Who's that?"

"Bang, bang, bang..." After a short while, someone finally knocked at his door.

When the second round of knocks drifted in his ears, Zhang Tie got off the bed instantly and opened the wooden door.

It was a beautiful girl of 18 years old who was wearing a cloak made of bear's fur. Zhang Tie could even smell the fragrance of flowers from her, which indicated that she had just taken a bath.

"She's familiar. I've met her today; oh, she's Evan's elder sister..."

Before Zhang Tie uttered, the girl had revealed a smile as she walked inside. After closing the door, she took off her cloak, sending it sliding onto the wooden floor. At the same time, a perfect white, naked body was present in front of Zhang Tie...