"It's Bai Cheng again! She actually has iron ingots!"
"She was buying up scrap iron in bulk last night, and so were the other big shots like Tang Yan and Lin Qiuyue. Could it be…?"
"Scrap iron can be smelted into iron ingots? Damn it, why didn't I think of that?!"
"Idiot, I figured it out ages ago! If I had the resources and a way to smelt scrap iron, I'd have bought them too!"
"Her luck is insane. Another big shot emerges. Why can't I be one of them?!"
"And she's so pretty too… Hehe… I wonder if she has a boyfriend…"
"Dude, learn some self control. Don't crash and burn."
"..."
At first, the chat was filled with envy and admiration for Bai Cheng's luck. Some even praised her looks, using her photo as fuel for their fantasies.
But soon, after scrutinizing her trade offer, the mood shifted. Just like when they had turned on Lin Qiuyue, they began cursing Bai Cheng, calling her a profiteer.
"Don't you think… three pieces of scrap iron for one ingot is ridiculously overpriced?"
"Now that you mention it… damn, who knew such a pretty face hid such a black heart?"
"Scammer! Don't trade with her!"
"Uh… can I trade my signed overalls for a bottle of water?"
Watching the chat tear into her, Bai Cheng remained utterly unfazed. If anything, she found it amusing.
Her plan to get rich off the furnace wasn't just empty talk.
After watching the chat for another two minutes, she noticed that while people were cursing her, no one actually stepped forward to say that her exchange rate was unfair.
This only confirmed that Bai Cheng was the only one in the entire channel who had a furnace.
"I guessed right. Even Tang Yan and Lin Qiuyue don't have one!" Bai Cheng smirked. She was playing the information gap to her advantage.
Without hesitation, she typed an explanation in the chat:
"Scrap iron isn't the main material for smelting ingots. It's full of impurities. You need two pieces to make one ingot, plus a ton of wood as fuel."
The moment she sent it, the crowd finally started to catch on.
A few stubborn skeptics still accused her of lying and being a scammer, but most had seen scrap iron before. They were jagged, rusted, and clearly packed with impurities. Many were willing to believe her, and those who actually wanted iron ingots had no choice but to accept it.
Of course, a big reason they were inclined to trust her was that Bai Cheng's previous trades were not only fair, they were even generous.
"I believe that Bai Cheng is a good girl. When she was trading four pieces of fine wood for one scrap iron, none of you called her a profiteer!"
"Exactly! The smelting ratio is 2:1, and she has to burn fuel too. Who'd trade without making a profit?"
"The price is steep, but it's not like sister Bai Cheng wants it that way!"
"Ugh, she's too kind. If it was me, I wouldn't even explain to you ingrates—just take it or leave it."
"Girls like her are rare. Love her!"
Bai Cheng nearly laughed out loud reading these messages. Since no one else had a furnace, she could set whatever price she wanted.
She closed the chat, ignoring the ongoing chatter.
At the same time, she had calculated the furnace's fuel efficiency.
Full fuel capacity was 10 units. For example, one piece of coal could smelt two iron ingots.
One full load of coal could process two full loads of scrap iron.
The furnace could also burn wood, but Bai Cheng hadn't tried it. She knew that the efficiency would be far worse than coal.
"At night, I get five pieces of coal every half an hour. That's enough for two full smelts per hour, which means non-stop production."
She checked her crate. The coal she had collected last night was more than enough for today.
Even if it ran out, she could always buy more.
With only about 8,000 people left in the channel, the market wasn't huge. Trades for iron ingots came in sporadically, but Bai Cheng wasn't worried. The current demand matched her supply perfectly.
Last night, she had obtained 51 pieces of scrap iron. After using 10 to build the furnace and trading 12 to Lin Qiuyue, only 29 remained.
And she was already on her second smelt.
"So damn hot." Bai Cheng frowned.
The furnace radiated intense heat in the cramped space, and she was drenched in sweat despite being naked.
She touched her clothes and noticed that they were dry now. She quickly put them on and activated the cooling mode.
After confirming that the furnace was loaded with scrap iron and fuel, she prepared to continue her journey.
But just as she stepped onto the driving mechanism, she noticed two private messages on the screen.
"Tang Yan?" Bai Cheng raised an eyebrow. "What does he want?"
The other message was from Lin Qiuyue, but Bai Cheng could already guess what it said. It was probably something like "Sister, you're amazing! How did you get a furnace?"
She had no patience for mutual flattery. What intrigued her was Tang Yan's message.
After all, he wasn't the type to chat idly.
Tang Yan: How did you get the iron smelting equipment? Unlocked via materials? Chest? Day or night?
Tang Yan: Does entering Iron Age offer any upgrades for the rail cart or ways to add more train carriages?
Tang Yan: Is it really two scrap iron for one ingot?
Bai Cheng rolled her eyes. Why would I tell you?
She didn't respond, but his questions reminded her to check the new tools and structures unlocked in the Iron Age.
"Five ingots for an iron axe? That's daylight robbery!"
"Mount saddle, iron sword, furniture… What's the point of these?"
Thanks to her Book of Cheng, Bai Cheng could upgrade tools directly, making most crafted items inefficient for her.
Besides, these were all basic tools, nothing that directly improved the train.
She guessed that she hadn't unlocked everything yet, likely because she hadn't upgraded her rail cart. The full Iron Age content was probably tied to the steam train.
"Huh? The wooden crate can be upgraded?" She suddenly noticed an upgrade option for the crate in her cart.
[Name: Iron Crate]
[Quality: Uncommon]
[Upgrade Requirements: Wooden Crate, Iron Ingot ×2, Fine Wood ×2]
[Description: A storage box with 5 slots and a total capacity of 100 units.]
[Evaluation: Forget weight limits, be free!]
"Oh, so once you get a steam train, they just remove the weight system?!" Bai Cheng's face darkened. "They're really just screwing us during the beginner protection period!"
Still, upgrading to an iron crate was a waste of materials. With her small backpack, she had enough storage for now.
Closing the interface, she was about to resume her journey when Tang Yan sent another message, as if he knew she would leave him on read.
Tang Yan: Tell me this info, and I'll give you an employee card. Deal?
Bai Cheng: Buddy, you do realize that this information is as precious to me as family, right?
Tang Yan: Then…?
Bai Cheng: Then you'll have to pay more!