Chapter 67: Learning to Forge 3

Adam smiled.

"A regulating loop."

"Exactly."

She gestured for him to place his hand on a control crystal.

"Inject a small amount of mana."

Adam obeyed.

But he had to simultaneously maintain the compression within his own body.

When he sent mana to the crystal, its internal density shifted slightly.

The furnace reacted.

The temperature rose too quickly.

Elaria immediately cut off the flow.

"You released some of your compression."

"I felt it."

"Try again."

Adam inhaled.

He mentally separated the two tasks.

Maintaining the internal density.

Extracting a stable flow.

Feeding the crystal.

The second attempt was better.

The runes gradually illuminated.

The temperature increased steadily.

Elaria observed the furnace.

"Good."

Adam continued.

His arms were tired from hammering.

The bracelets strained his body.

The heat of the forge made breathing more difficult.

Yet, his mana remained compressed.

After several minutes, holding the furnace became almost second nature.

Adaptation was still at work.

Elaria then taught him how to use mana while hammering.

It wasn’t simply about strengthening the blow.

He had to circulate a small amount of energy through the metal at the moment of impact.

This energy revealed irregularities.

Areas that were too dense.

Internal cracks.

Unstable mana concentrations.

Adam placed a heated bar on the anvil.

He struck.

A faint wave of mana rippled through the metal.

Eyes of the World showed him several variations.

"There’s a weaker area near the center."

Elaria checked.

"Correct. Now, fix it."

Adam struck around the weakness.

Too directly at first.

The flaw shifted instead of disappearing.

"You’re pushing the irregularity," Elaria explained. "You need to rearrange the metal around it."

Adam changed his approach.

He spread the blows out.

He heated the piece.

Then he used a weak pulse of mana to stabilize the structure.

The weak area shrank.

"Better."

The session continued in this way.

Traditional forging.

Magical forging.

Precise hammering.

Hot metalworking.

Temperature recognition.

Cooling.

Quenching.

Tempering.

Annealing.

Normalization.

Alloys.

Mana usage.

Defect analysis.

Adam felt like he was absorbing weeks’ worth of information in just a few hours.

Accelerated Learning organized his knowledge.

Eyes of the World allowed him to observe hidden properties.

Boundary revealed the thresholds of temperature, pressure, and stability.

Adaptation helped him withstand the heat, the bracers, the fatigue, and the continuous compression of his mana.

Even his new martial skills were useful.

Blunt Weapon Mastery naturally improved his hammering technique.

Heavy Weapon Mastery helped him distribute his effort when wielding larger tools.

At the end of the session, Adam had produced a small piece of steel.

It was neither a sword nor an impressive weapon.

Just a simple chisel.

Its shape wasn’t perfectly regular.

Its surface still bore several hammer marks.

But the object was solid.

The tempering had been successful.

And its point could actually be used.

Elaria examined the chisel from several angles.

Adam awaited her verdict.

"Acceptable."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Only acceptable?"

"For a first attempt, it’s an excellent result."

Adam smiled slightly.

"You could start with this part."

"I prefer to be precise."

She handed him the chisel back.

"Keep it."

Adam examined the tool.

"As a souvenir of my first blacksmithing session?"

"As a tool. An object must first be useful."

"Naturally."

He put the chisel back in his inventory.

Then he looked around the workshop.

The furnaces.

The metals.

The hammers.

The anvils.

The countless possibilities offered by magical materials.

"Smithing is much more complex than simply crafting a form."

Elaria nodded.

"A good artisan doesn’t just create an object. She chooses a structure suited to its function."

Adam thought back to the Runic Calculator.

"Like a program."

"Yes."

Elaria placed a hand on an ingot.

"The material represents the available resources. The form represents the architecture. The processing determines the behavior. Enchantments add functions."

Adam finished:

"And a mistake in one step can compromise everything else."

"Exactly."

The comparison further piqued Adam’s interest.

Smithing, enchanting, and programming weren’t as far apart as they seemed.

In each field, it was necessary to understand the properties of the elements.

Choose a structure.

Anticipate the constraints.

Test the result.

Identify the flaws.

Then repeat until you achieve something stable.

Elaria consulted a small enchanted clock.

"The session is over."

Adam gazed outside through a narrow window.

Several hours had passed.

"I feel like we’ve only just begun."

"That’s right."

Elaria began putting away the tools.

"Today, you’ve only learned the basics. Next time, we’ll work on forge welding, creating laminated steel, and preparing a real blade."

Adam looked at his tired arms.

"Selene will once again consider this an excellent way to supplement her training."

"Probably."

After cleaning his work area and putting away his equipment, Adam took off his apron and gloves.

He greeted Elaria.

"Thank you for the lesson."

"You’re welcome."

The elf then handed him several sheets of paper.

"Read this before our next session."

Adam quickly scanned the headings.

Classification of Ores.

Forging Temperatures.

Principles of Tempering.

Internal Defects of Metals.

Compatibility of Magical Alloys.

"Homework."

"Yes."

"I’m starting to think you’ve all conspired to fill every minute of my days."

Elaria calmly adjusted her glasses.

"Poor time management would be a waste."

Adam smiled.

"Shiora influenced you."

"Perhaps."

He put the documents in his inventory.

Then he left the workshop with Elaria.

When they reached the corridor leading to the main hall, Adam stopped.

"See you later."

"See you later. And don’t release your pressure."

Adam looked at the elf.

"Vespera really warned you all?"

"Yes."

"Of course."

Elaria returned to her desk to continue her work on chess.

Adam went down to the hall alone.

He greeted the receptionist once more before leaving the Artisans’ Guild.

The outside light made him squint slightly.

His arms felt heavy.

His hands were still trembling from the hammer blows.

His body bore the fatigue of his training with Selene.

And his mana was still compressed.

Yet, he didn’t regret the session.

He now had a better understanding of the materials that made up the weapons, artifacts, and magical circuits of this world.

Iron.

Copper.

Gold.

Mithril.

Adamantite.

Orichalcum.

Black Iron.

Steel.

Bronze.

Magical alloys.

Each had its advantages.

Its limitations.

Its incompatibilities.

And its possible uses.

This knowledge wouldn’t just be used to make weapons.

It would be essential for the Memory Crystal.

The Projection Box.

The Urban Barrier.

And above all...

The Runic Calculator.

Adam continued on his way.

A new stage of his day awaited him.

And as always since his arrival in Valoria, he felt that each lesson opened up ten new possibilities.

After leaving the Artisans’ Guild, Adam headed to the Merchants’ Guild.

The forging session had left its mark on his body.

His arms were still numb from the hammer blows.

His fingers bore the fatigue of the tongs and tools.

The heat of the furnaces still seemed to seep into his skin.

Added to this were the two hours of training with Selene, the Progressive Charge Bracelets, and the mana compression he had been maintaining since morning.

Yet, he continued forward without slowing down.

His body was getting used to it.

His muscles were distributing the effort more effectively.

His breathing remained steady.

Even his mana remained compressed almost naturally, despite the crowds and the constant movement in the streets.

Adam could still feel slight fluctuations when he changed direction abruptly or when a sharper pain shot through his shoulders.

But he no longer needed to completely rebuild the compression.

It corrected itself.

"At this rate, Vespera will probably increase the difficulty starting tonight..."

He sighed softly.

Then he observed the shops lining the avenue.

Colorful signs hung above the stores.

Some vendors shouted out the qualities of their wares.

Others displayed their finest merchandise right outside their doors.

Several employees were handing out small pieces of food to attract customers.

Adam also noticed a perfume shop deliberately diffusing a pleasant scent into the street.

A blacksmith had hung a particularly impressive sword above its entrance.

A clothing store had dressed several wooden mannequins in its most expensive designs.

Advertising already existed in this world.

But it often remained direct.

Shouting the product.

Shouting its price.

Presenting its quality.

Trust the merchant’s reputation.

Adam smiled slightly.

Shiora would probably enjoy the rest of his lesson.

Or become even more dangerous.

When he reached the Merchants’ Guild, the building was as busy as the day before.

Traders were coming in with contracts.

Employees were carrying ledgers.

Several caravan representatives were waiting near the counter.

Adam headed towards the reception desk.

The young woman behind the desk recognized him immediately.

"Good morning, Mr. Adam."

"Good morning. Is Shiora in her office?"

The receptionist nodded.

"Yes. She’s been working on the launch of the new games since this morning."

She glanced upstairs.

"Several department heads have already come out of her office with new to-do lists."

Adam remained silent for a second.

"How long has she been working on it?"

"Several hours."

"Naturally."

The receptionist indicated the stairs.

"You can come up. She asked to be notified of your arrival, but she also specified that you could come directly in."

"Thank you."

Adam crossed the lobby, went up the stairs, and reached the private corridor reserved for management.

The door to Shiora’s office was closed.

He knocked twice.

"Come in!"

Adam opened the door.

The oni’s office had undergone a complete transformation since his last visit.

The previous day’s economic files had been moved to a side table.

The center of the room was now occupied by a huge map of Valoria and its surrounding territories.

Pins of different colors marked the cities, villages, guilds, schools, garrisons, and major trade routes.

Several posters were leaning against one wall.

They depicted prototypes of Reversi, Go, and chess.

Temporary slogans were written beneath each illustration.

Sheets detailing production costs, planned quantities, and distribution routes covered a second table.

Shiora stood in the middle of it all.

A quill in one hand.

Several documents in the other.

Her Ring of Promise glittered on her finger.

When she saw Adam, her face lit up.

"Hello."

"Hello."

Shiora put down her papers.

"You’ve arrived at the perfect time."

Adam observed the perfectly organized chaos around her.

"I’m afraid to ask why."

"Because I work on the advertising, distribution, and marketing of Valoria Games."

She showed him several posters.

"I’ve already divided the products into four ranges."

Adam approached.

Shiora pointed to the first.

"Popular version. Simple wood, durable pieces, low price. Intended for families, taverns, and small schools."

Then the second.

"Guild version. Reinforced materials, more durable board, integrated storage."

The third.

"Noble version. Precious wood, sculpted pieces, customizable finishes."

Finally, she pointed to the last poster.

"Prestige version. Light enchantments, rare materials, serial number, and certificate of authenticity."

Adam nodded slowly.

"You’ve almost finished positioning the different product lines."