Chapter 278 - 276: Blacksmith

Chapter 278: Chapter 276: Blacksmith

The mine’s Blacksmith Shop.

As the chief blacksmith of Black Forest Island, Yanger had been thriving for the better part of the last year.

He now had more than ten apprentices under him, and construction on the Red Brick Factory had begun. He estimated the first batch of red bricks would be out of the kiln in another two months.

These days, whenever people saw him, they would address him respectfully as either "Master" or "Director."

However, he knew that all of this was a gift from his Lord. To him, completing the tasks his Lord assigned was the most important thing.

So, when he learned that the Lord was coming to pick up his weapons today, he had gotten up at the crack of dawn to inspect them carefully. By the time Duane arrived, he had already wiped down and oiled the weapons several times.

"Lord, these are the Long Spears and Big Ring Sabers you requested."

Yanger explained deferentially, "For the Forging of these Long Spears and Big Ring Sabers, we used better iron and hammered them several times more than the last batch. We’ve truly achieved the ’thousand tempers’ you spoke of!"

Duane picked up a Big Ring Saber. It was heavier in his hand than the previous one, and a light swing sent a sharp whistle through the air.

He then picked up a Long Spear. Although its iron shaft wasn’t as flexible as a wooden one, he now had more than enough strength and had no fear of being unable to wield it.

Duane moved to an open area and brandished it. A few quick lifts and straight stabs of the spear left the others around him stunned.

Simone marveled to himself, ’So fast, and so agile!’

If he were to face a spear that fast, he would likely be riddled with bloody holes in an instant.

Duane lowered the Long Spear. "Not bad. This whole batch of weapons is quite good!"

He had Yanger forge three Big Ring Sabers and three Long Spears precisely to prevent his weapons from shattering under the strain of fighting a powerful enemy.

’Iron weapons are no longer suitable for me now.’

Duane took out the Basic Fire Energy Essence and Magic Crystal Powder required for the "Blazing Fire" Enchantment from his Void Eye and applied the effect to all six weapons.

As he performed the Enchantment, he said, "Marquis Sean will soon have someone deliver ten thousand catties of Black Iron Ore. Yanger, will you be able to forge Black Iron Weapons?"

"Well..."

Yanger hesitated. He wanted to give an affirmative answer, but considering the practical difficulties, he ultimately gave up on the idea and answered truthfully:

"Lord, to smelt Black Iron Ore into wrought iron for Forging, we need much higher temperatures than we can currently achieve. Generally speaking, that requires a taller furnace and better fuel."

At this, he remembered the Black Demon Vine he had received last time.

"If you could get your hands on that Demon Vine like last time, we could smelt the iron right now."

Duane asked, "So you’re saying that with the Black Demon Vine, you can forge Black Iron Weapons?"

But Yanger shook his head. "Forging Black Iron Weapons requires continuous, prolonged hammering. I’m just an ordinary person. Even though I’m strong, it’s hard for me to meet that requirement."

Duane had a flash of understanding. No wonder people said that advanced blacksmiths had to be Extraordinary Warriors at a minimum.

He pondered for a moment, considering whether he should select a few Basic-level Warriors who were willing to change their profession to Blacksmith.

Just then, Yanger spoke up, "Lord, there is actually a favor I wished to ask of you today."

"What is it?" Duane asked, surprised.

Yanger pulled his son, Ryo, forward and said respectfully:

"Lord, this is my youngest son, Ryo. He recently awakened a Fighting Qi Seed and became a Basic-level Warrior."

Duane’s eyes lit up. "I remember you."

Ryo was very young, having just turned fifteen this year. Thanks to years of learning smithing by his father’s side, he was now sturdily built and had excellent vitality.

Ryo’s eyes shone as he asked excitedly, "Lord, you really remember me?"

Duane smiled faintly. "You deserve credit for helping Monbodt pass false information to Bard."

Hearing this, Ryo grew even more excited. That incident was a glorious moment for him, one he had boasted about to his friends at the mine for quite some time.

As Duane spoke, his gaze shifted to Yanger. "Are you hoping I’ll teach him a few skills?"

Yanger nodded excitedly. "Yes, Lord! I heard from Simone that Ryo awakened early, which means his talent should be quite good. It would be such a waste if he just learned smithing from me!"

He bowed and pleaded, "I hope Ryo can join your Guard and serve you!"

As a father, he wanted his son’s life to be different from his own.

And as a follower of the Lord, he also knew that only by becoming an Extraordinary Warrior and braving life and death alongside the Lord could one have a better future.

Duane looked at Ryo. "And what do you think?"

Ryo quickly knelt on one knee. "I want to follow you, Lord, and slay our enemies on the battlefield!"

Duane laughed. "I accept your pledge of service, but serving me doesn’t necessarily mean killing enemies on the front lines."

He paused for a moment before saying, "I have a task for you."

Ryo’s head shot up. "Please give me your orders!"

Duane looked at Simone, who was standing to the side. "From now on, Simone will be your Warrior Tutor. If you have any problems with your training, you can ask him for guidance."

Simone agreed. If it had been anyone else on the island, he could have decided whether or not to take them on as a student himself.

But Ryo was one of the Lord’s people, so his arrangements required the Lord’s explicit instructions; it wasn’t Simone’s place to make his own decision.

"Thank you, Lord!"

Ryo quickly expressed his thanks, then paid his respects to Simone as well.

Only then did Duane continue. "You have good experience with smithing. That’s a great thing, and it shouldn’t be wasted. So, the task I have for you is to continue learning the craft from your father.

"In the future, the Territory will not only have Black Iron Ore, but also Meteorite and even Tungsten Gold Stone. I hope you will be able to forge high-quality weapons for me!"

"Tungsten Gold Ore..."

Yanger sighed. "I’ve heard that only an Advanced Warrior barely has the strength to forge it into a weapon."

"So, Ryo, you’ll have to work hard!"

Duane encouraged him, "I hope that by the time I have Tungsten Gold Ore, you’ll have the strength of an Advanced Warrior."

"I..."

Ryo hesitated. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. The level of an Advanced Warrior seemed far too distant for him.

Simone patted the boy’s head. "Don’t you even have that much confidence?"

Ryo snapped back to his senses and said with determination, "I will work hard!"

Duane nodded in satisfaction. He set down the last enchanted Long Spear, then activated his Void Eye and stored all six weapons inside.

"Simone, you must teach him well. You don’t need to come and ask me about things like Swordsmanship and Step Skills."

"Don’t worry, Lord!"

Simone’s family life was now content, so it was the perfect time for him to strive and work hard. For people like him, every task assigned by the Lord had to be completed with the utmost seriousness.

"It’s still early, Yanger. Come on, let’s continue with the last lesson!"

Duane walked into the Blacksmith Shop, and the apprentices all greeted him.

He had spent some time learning here before, and his [Basic Forging] Skill Level had now reached Skilled 132/300.

Once his smithing skills improved, he would be able to forge his own custom-fit weapons as soon as the Black Iron Ore arrived.

"Right away!"

Yanger hurried in after him. "Shall we start from smelting the iron again?"

"Yes, we have plenty of time today. Let’s start from the beginning," Duane replied.

"Ryo, you work the bellows!"

Yanger ordered in a loud voice, while he himself fetched the already-processed iron ore and coke.

The smithing process here was divided into two steps. First was smelting the ore into molten iron, the so-called "pig iron." Then, it was stirred in a puddling furnace to decarburize it, producing wrought iron.

This was necessary to remove the hard but brittle properties of pig iron, allowing it to be forged into weapons and armor, or used to manufacture impact-resistant tools like plowshares and hoes.

The three Long Spears and Big Ring Sabers from earlier had been created by folding and hammer-forging wrought iron.

Although the process sounded complicated, it was far more efficient than producing sponge iron in the bloomery furnaces used in some more backward regions.

Soon, the WHOOSH WHOOSH of the bellows filled the Blacksmith Shop.