33: Chapter 33 Townsmen Rejoice Together

Stepping into the range of Sunset Town's protective Formation, a familiar gentle Spiritual Qi washed over them, cleansing away the last traces of yin chill lingering from the mine.

Lin Shi could no longer restrain himself. After a hurried bow to Lin Yue, he clutched the cloth bag filled with the new Ores and dashed toward the Artifact Refining Workshop as if his feet were caught in a gale.

A gentle silver-gray spiritual light faintly peeked through the gaps of the cloth bag, flowing like water ripples as he ran.

From a distance, his excited shouts could still be heard echoing through the town's alleys: "Everyone in the workshop! Come out! There's good stuff! The Clan Chief brought back an incredible treasure Ore!"

Lin Cang watched his hurried back, shaking his head with a laugh. "That obsessed boy still has such a reckless temperament."

He then turned to Lin Yue and stroked his beard, saying, "This Ore is newly born and is the future Foundation of our town. It needs a resounding name; we cannot keep calling it 'new Ore'."

At this moment, many clansmen had already gathered at the town entrance upon hearing the news.

Seeing Lin Yue and the others return safely and hearing fragments of conversation like "evil spirits purged" and "Mineral Vein reborn," the worry on everyone's faces vanished, replaced by heartfelt smiles and curiosity.

A little girl of about six or seven with pigtails squeezed through the crowd to the front, tilting her small face up and holding high a spirit nurturing flower that still bore dewdrops.

She said crisply, "Clan Chief Brother, the stone you're holding is so pretty. It's all sparkly with light swirling inside, like you've hidden the stars from the night inside it!"

Lin Yue smiled gently at her words, leaning down to hold a piece of Ore before the little girl's eyes so she could see it more clearly.

The sunlight happened to pass through the semi-transparent crystal structure of the Ore, refracting into countless fine and soft silver glows; the points of light shifted as if stars were truly being born and extinguished within.

He straightened up, his heart stirred slightly as he looked around at the many expectant eyes and spoke loudly:

"This stone is born from the Fusion of the 'spiritual nurturing' of the bansheng spirit iron and the 'earth vein solidification' Origin of the spirit-eroding stone after refinement. It carries the 'spirit' of the spirit iron and the 'radiance' of the stone soul; its brilliance is restrained while Spiritual Qi naturally generates within. Why don't we call it—spirit radiance stone."

"spirit radiance stone... spiritual radiance, good! A fine name!"

"It sounds noble! And reliable!"

The clansmen chanted the name softly, followed by an explosion of enthusiastic approval.

Even Old Master Lin, who was usually the most solemn with his white hair and beard, leaned on his cane and nodded repeatedly, his voice booming:

"spirit radiance stone... the name fits the reality! It has the charm of an immortal spiritual material without losing the simple brilliance of our mountain Ores, and it even implies the dispelling of evil and the radiance of Rebirth. The Clan Chief has chosen a fine name, worthy of this heaven-sent treasure Ore!"

As they were speaking, Lin De had already arrived in a hurry with several nimble apprentices from the Medicine Hut, carrying medicine chests.

He first directed the apprentices to clean, bandage, and feed Medicinal Pills to the injured guards, then he approached Lin Yue.

He carefully examined the spirit radiance stone, took a deep breath, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes:

"The moment I stepped into the town entrance, I noticed the Spiritual Qi in the air seemed more lively and pure, carrying a trace of calming solidity. So this was the source!"

He carefully took a smaller fragment of spirit radiance stone from Lin Yue's hand, placed it near his nose to sniff, and probed it with a faint trace of wood-attribute spiritual power, his face filling with pleasant surprise:

"This stone's nature is balanced and peaceful, with metal qi contained within but not sharp, and an earth nature that is solid yet spiritual. It even possesses a rare cooling and soul-soothing effect!"

"If we spread the fragments of this stone in the medicine garden or make special medicine boxes to store precious medicinal materials for long-term nurturing, it will surely enhance their medicinal properties, improving the quality of spirit nurturing flowers and even allowing us to cultivate better spiritual plants!"

"Hahaha! Mister Lin De is right, but our blacksmith shop can use it too!"

Old Uncle Wang from the blacksmith shop spoke with a voice like a booming bell as he squeezed through the crowd, carrying the fine iron sledgehammer he had used for twenty years.

His rough, large hands unceremoniously weighed another piece of spirit radiance stone, then he tapped it lightly with his hammer head, listening to the echo with a tilted head, and praised:

"Good stone! The texture is uniform and dense, the echo is clear and long—its toughness must be excellent!"

"Just now when that kid Lin Shi ran past, he was shouting that this stone is very hard, but I see more than that!"

"If we use this stone as the main material, supplemented by other spiritual materials to forge farm tools and weapons, they will surely be indestructible, sharp, and durable. Even better is its inherent Spirit Gathering and nurturing effect."

"With long-term use, it might even nourish the user. If used to forge plows, the output of the spiritual fields might even increase by several percent!"

For a moment, the town entrance was like a boiling pot.

The women were discussing whether the scraps could be ground into protective talismans for children to wear to soothe their spirits and ward off evil.

Old craftsmen were thinking about carving them into house-guarding ornaments to regulate the Spiritual Qi of their homes.

Even the usually shrewd and stingy Accountant adjusted his crystal lenses.

While clicking away on his abacus, he muttered about the long-term benefits of using spirit radiance stone to reinforce Ore carts and improve transport efficiency... The laughter and discussions of future prospects intertwined into a vivid and hopeful picture.

Lin Yue stood amidst this bubbling atmosphere of daily life, looking at the genuine smiles and feeling the solid expectations for the future in his clansmen's words.

The sternness and fatigue after the fierce battle in his heart were gradually replaced by a warm current.

He suddenly realized clearly that the significance of this century-spanning conspiracy and struggle went far beyond defeating a certain evil cultivator or breaking a certain Formation.

What was ultimately being protected was exactly the scene before him: the carefree play of children, the focused shouts of craftsmen, the gratified nods of elders, and the steady light of hope for tomorrow in the eyes of the clansmen.

This "atmosphere of daily life," rooted in living and flourishing in hope, is the true Foundation of Sunset Town and a power that no evil scheme can erode.

Lin Cang had stood by his side at some unknown point, lightly patting his shoulder. His gaze also swept over the noisy crowd, his voice full of the comfort and pride of one who had weathered many storms:

"Look, the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs, the curling smoke from kitchen chimneys, the clansmen living in peace, the young growing up... this is how our Sunset Town should be, the thing the Lin family has protected for generations."

Lin Yue nodded heavily.

He raised the spirit radiance stone in his hand, which flowed with starlight under the setting sun. His clear voice rose above the surrounding noise, reaching everyone's ears distinctly:

"The spirit radiance stone is an Opportunity bestowed upon Sunset Town by heaven and earth, a reward for every clansman working together with one heart to protect our home!"

"Starting tomorrow, Lin Shi will lead the exploration of the new Mineral Vein and research forging methods;"

"Lin De will be responsible for exploring its wonderful uses in medicine and spiritual nurturing. The benefits of this stone shall reach the entire town!"

"Working together with one heart, we will surely build Sunset Town to be even more prosperous and wealthy!"

"Good!!"

"We'll listen to the Clan Chief!"

A mountain-shaking, ocean-roaring sound of agreement suddenly erupted with unreserved trust and passion, startling the birds perched on the branches of the ancient locust tree, which took flight toward the sunset-filled sky.

That night, as the stars first appeared.

Under the old locust tree in the center of town that had witnessed countless years, a roaring bonfire was lit.

The dancing firelight reflected on every joyful face.

Children held hands, singing and dancing around the bonfire; their newly composed songs were childish yet loud, with lyrics full of the joy of "spirit radiance stone, bright and clear, lighting up our town's beautiful scenery."

The adults brought out tables and chairs, taking out their home-brewed spirit grain wine and tossing several polished fragments of spirit radiance stone beside the braziers used to warm the wine.

A marvelous sight appeared; the wine liquid, warmed while surrounded by spirit radiance stone fragments, not only took on a faint, dreamlike silver glow.

It also emitted a clear and mellow fragrance. Upon drinking it, a gentle warmth spread through the limbs and bones, actually having the effect of slightly nourishing spiritual power and relieving fatigue.

Lin Yue and Lin Cang sat by the bonfire, the wine in their ceramic bowls shimmering with silver light.

Lin Cang raised his ceramic bowl, his face reddened by the firelight, his eyes full of emotion and hope:

"A toast to this heaven-and-earth-born spirit radiance stone."

Lin Yue also raised his bowl, his gaze sweeping over the laughing crowd, the warm bonfire, and the dots of light throughout the town, before lightly clinking his bowl against Lin Cang's with a crisp 'ding':

"A toast to Sunset Town, reborn from tribulation and thriving endlessly."

The ceramic bowls clinked clearly, the bonfire crackled, children laughed, and adults talked merrily—all of it intertwined and merged, rising with the evening breeze and lingering under the peaceful and harmonious night sky of Sunset Town for a long time.