Mino Ox's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Mino Ox hammered the glowing metal on his anvil, sweat dripping from his snout. He dreamed of the day he could forge his own tools and grow his own food. Complete self-sufficiency—that was the goal. No more depending on others for anything. The old anvil wobbled beneath each strike. Cracks ran through its surface like spider webs. He needed something better, something that would last. His friend had mentioned a festival coming up—the Lunar New Year celebration in town. Vendors would sell equipment there. Maybe he could find what he needed. The next morning, Mino spotted it at the first stall. A massive anvil sat on display, decorated with moon patterns in silver. Red and gold paint swirled across its edges. The vendor grinned and tapped the surface with a hammer. The ring was perfect, clear and strong. Mino counted his coins twice. He had just enough. He loaded the anvil onto his cart and pulled it home. When he set it in his workshop, sunlight caught the lunar designs. Now he could forge anything. Tools for the forge. Tools for the farm. Each strike would bring him closer to his dream. But water was still a problem. His crops needed more than rain could provide. He walked back to the festival that afternoon. Through the crowds, he found what he was looking for. A water pump stood tall, covered in bright patterns and festival colors. The handle moved smooth under his test. The vendor showed him how it worked, pumping clear water into a bucket. Mino nodded and paid. He hauled it home on his cart beside the anvil. Tomorrow he would install it near his fields. That evening, Mino stood outside and looked at his land. The fields stretched out under the fading light. His small forge sat behind him, waiting. He needed both to work together. A proper workshop would do that—a place where metal met soil. Where he could shape horseshoes in the morning and tend crops in the afternoon. He sketched plans on a piece of wood with charcoal. The building would have space for everything. His anvil would sit on one side. Storage for seeds and tools on the other. Windows would let in plenty of light. He would build it himself, board by board. This workshop would be where his dream came true.