The eastern beach of Jo Isnd stretched out in a dazzling e hue, its golden sands glimmering uhe sun’s relentless heat. Amid the serene sounds of waves brushing against the shore, a small b of shade stood out: two chairs and a table led under an umbrel made of expeightly woven cottoh its shadow sat Ravenna and Marie, the se before them—a group of workers b diligently on a two-storied test structure made of t.

  At another er of the beach, fishermen hauled up seabed soil from the o. Uheir usual routine of farming with it, the soil was being carefully packed into wooden boxes by bcksmiths, who worked with precision under Nille’s watchful eye.

  Nille approached Ravenna with an uneasy expression, his heavy boots g over the sand. “Yhness,” he begaantly, “do you really think this will work? We’re trying to make iron out of sand here... this feels like chasing for the impossible.”

  From beh the shade of the umbrel, Ravenna tilted her head, her sharp gaze pierg through Nille’s doubt. “Do I look like an idiot to you, Nille?” she asked, her voice calm yet ced with authority. “This is only the first experiment. Now, get to work.”

  Defeated but pliant, Nille gave a curt nod and turned back to bark instrus at the bcksmiths.

  Marie, sitting quietly beside Ravenna, had been the exge with growing curiosity. Finally, she mustered the ce to ask, “Master, are we really making iron out of sand? Is that even possible?”

  Ravenna turoward the girl, a faint smile curling her lips. It was clear that Marie was slowly shedding her life of svery and embrag a more normal existence. “You’re quite the curious girl, aren’t you?” Ravenna said, her tone softening.

  Pig up a gss of lemon juice from the table, Ravenna took a refreshing sip before tinuing. “I expihis to night, but it seems he’s still pgued by doubt. The seabed soil from this beaormally used for farming has an unusually high tration of iron particles. I suspect we’re sitting near a rge deposit of bck sand.”

  Marie tilted her head, intrigued. “Bck sand? What’s that?”

  Ravenna handed her a cookie from the pte oable. “Bck sand,” she expined, “is a type of sand ri iron and other heavy minerals. It’s usually found near areas of volic activity.”

  Marie bit into the cookie, her muffled voice chiming, “Hwoh tha’ hewp ush?”

  Ravenna chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” she said patiently. “Bck sand has a higher tration of iron particles, which makes it an ideal source for f when traditional resources are scarce.”

  Marie quickly swallowed her bite and asked, “So, are we using that sand to make iron? Does that really work?”

  Ravenna’s eyes twinkled with a mix of amusement and fidence. “We won’t know until we try,” she said simply, her gaze drifting back to the workers strug the test building.

  Marie, seemingly satisfied with the answer, resumed nibbling on another cookie. She opened a book she had been studying, a primer on reading prehension and began jotting down notes. Suddenly, she looked up, curiosity reignited. “But how did you even know there was so much iron in the sand?”

  Ravenna reached over aly patted Marie’s head. “Let’s just say it was an educated guess,” she said, though her mind repyed the events that had led to this discovery.

  A week ago, The geological s had revealed high levels of iron in the area’s uer sand. Initially, Ravenna hadn’t thought much of it. But after delving into researg online, she had learhat a Japanese smiths aain regions of a had historically used bck sand te steel during times of scarcity. Inspired, she had spent days iigating and firming the feasibility of the idea. The ss had indicated that the bck sand deposits around a few meters from the isnd were abundant, with the eastern beach being the shallowest and most accessible location to start the experiment.

  The workers tiheir efforts uhe bzing sun, while Ravenna’s thoughts were momentarily interrupted by Marie’s voice. “Master,” she began, “about today’s bat training...”

  Ravenna g her with i. “How did it go?”

  Marie smiled sheepishly. “Master Dame Aisha said I might not be suited for swordsmanship. She thinks I’d be better off with a le on, like a bow or crossbow.”

  Ravenna frowned slightly. “What does she mean by that?”

  “She said I ck the instincts for close bat but have good focus and precision,” Marie expined. “She thinks I’ll learn faster with a on I’m more naturally ined to.”

  Ravenna houghtfully. “That makes sense. Focus on your strengths, then. Keep at it.”

  Marie beamed at the encement auro her book, scribbling notes with renewed determination.

  As the sun dipped closer to the horizon, casting golden light over the beaille returned with a few workers carrying the packed boxes of seabed soil. “Yhness,” he said, gesturing to the boxes, “is this all we need? Are we supposed to use the lodestones now?”

  Ravenna stood, her chair scraping softly against the sand. She g Marie, a pyful glint in her eye. “e on, Marie,” she said. “This will be fun.”

  Marie quickly closed her book and stood up, her excitement barely taiwo maids approached, holding umbrels to shield them from the remaining sunlight as they walked toward the bcksmiths. The rhythmic sound of waves, the king of tools, and the hum of distant versations filled the air as the experiment te iron from bck sand began.

  As they approached the group of bcksmiths, ood ready with the lodestones and a setup that had beeiculously crafted over the past night. The main apparatus sisted of a rge, drum-like structure ected to the isnd's waterwheel. The wheel, powered by the flowing stream, turhe drum, causing the lodestones io rotate and gee a magic field. This, in theory, would draw out the iron particles hidden within the bck sand.

  Ravenured toward the setup, her voice calm but firm. “Watch closely, Marie. This is where theory meets reality.”

  Marie’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she observed the lodesto work. The drum spun, and the lodestones began attrag tiny fleetal—iron filings, to be exact. The bck sand’s grains shimmered as the magic field separated the iron particles from the rest of the material.

  “Master,” Marie chimed ione eager, “what are these? and why are they so trated here?”

  Ravenna smiled at her student’s quick observation. “Normally, iron fillings are scattered in trace amounts in sand. But this particur sand has an unusually high tration, likely due to uer volic activity that created these bck sand deposits ri iron.”

  Marie tilted her head in wonder. “It’s like nature hid treasure right beh our feet!”

  Nille, who had been the process with a skeptical eye, finally spoke, his toinged with awe. “Yhness, this might actually work. I didn’t expect the lodestoo pull so much material.”

  Ravenna gave him a knowing look. “Does this clear your doubts, Nille?”

  The bcksmith gulped, his pride momentarily dented. “Yes, Yhness. I see now that there’s real potential here.”

  With the iron filings collected, the step began. The bcksmiths carefully washed the gathered material, separating the remaining sand and impurities. The filings were then poured into a -designed bst furhe furnace, also ected to the waterwheel, utilized a meical hammer powered by the wheel. This innovation reduced the physical bor required and allowed for sistent, precise strikes to purify the molteal.

  As the furnace roared to life, glowing embers illumihe beaille and the bcksmiths worked with practiced efficy, their hammers rhythmically striking the heated iron to remove the st trapurities. Ravenna watched the process with a sense of satisfa, her sharp eyes taking in every detail.

  “It’s a simple yet effective design,” Ravenna remarked, her tone carrying a hint of pride. “The waterwheel’s energy isn’t just p the magic drum but also the furnace’s hammer. This reduces bor and ensures uniform results.”

  Marie nodded, entranced by the synergy of human iy and nature’s bounty. “It’s amazing, Master. We’re turning sand into something so valuable.”

  Hours ter, the molteal was allowed to cool, solidifying into a gleaming bck bar. Nille approached the finished product, his hands trembling slightly as he exami. He tapped it with a practiced ear and nodded in approval.

  “It’s iron,” he said, his voice reverent. “And not just iron—this looks like it’s of excellent quality. Yhness, this could ge everything.”

  Ravenna smiled, pleased but not surprised. “Good work, everyohis is only the beginning. With this method, roduce iron locally, strengthening our position and redug our relian trade.”

  As the bcksmiths cheered softly in relief and pride, Marie looked up at Ravenna, her admiration evident. “Master, you really are amazing. How did you think of all this?”

  Ravenna ruffled Marie’s hair gently, her gaze softening. “The nd speaks if you know how to listen, Marie. And sometimes, the answers are hidden in history, waiting to be rediscovered.”

  Ravenna decided to put up an act of a wise princess for her disciple as the beach, bathed in moonlight now, seemed to hum with the promise ress.

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