Blacksmith: The Tempering Begins With One’s Flesh - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Grade-3 Blacksmith

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“He came here really early in the morning. I keep telling him you’re not around, but he refused to listen.

“He just barged in here, and then! He went into your workshop and even put his hands on almost all of the weapons you left inside. He even took the Grade-2 weapon you wanted to give the city defense corp and looked at it for a really long time.

“Then he went even crazier. I don’t even know what he’s doing now.”

Thanks to Brent’s explanation, Lin Feng began to understand what was going on here.

The corners of his lips curved into a smile.

To be honest, Lin Feng did not necessarily dislike the Grade-3 blacksmith, Andera. In fact, Brent’s rant made him empathize with Andera somewhat.

It was one blacksmith empathizing with another. Only someone like Lin Feng, who had put his whole life into this field, could understand how Andera was feeling right now.

Andera was still swinging his hammer, the sword before him gradually taking shape.

“Hey! My master is back! Weren’t you looking for him? Why aren’t you saying anything now?”

However, Andera simply ignored Brent.

His swings were unnaturally powerful. Sparks rose and fell, the sound of clanging metal almost identical to the rhythm of Lin Feng’s own forging.

“Brent, shh…

“See that? This Master Andera is focusing all of his attention on forging his weapon. Just like him, most blacksmiths can maintain a pure and undistracted heart when they forge, no matter how the world outside tries to disturb them.

“If you want to become a real master blacksmith, you will one day find yourself in exactly the same state.”

Brent widened his eyes at Andera before he frowned slightly, echoing,

“Master Andera? Master, did you just call him… a master as well?”

Lin Feng just smiled and reached out to pat Brent’s head gently.

“That’s right. He’s a master.

“Master Andera here is a bona fide Grade-3 blacksmith, in the flesh.”

Brent’s little mouth fell open, and then the corners of his lips began to twitch. He began to reappraise Andera, who was still swinging the hammer, as though he could not believe what he was seeing. 

Lin Feng did not say anymore, focusing all his attention on watching Andera at work from where he stood in his smithy.

Soon, Lin Feng nodded instinctively.

Andera was truly worthy of his title as a Grade-3 blacksmith.

The way he used the hammer looked unassuming, but every time he brought it down, he added a hint of technique to go with his strength.

His wrist would tremble just a tinge, so that the hammer would accurately land on the most critical points on the blade. Sometimes his hammering was heavy, and other times it was light. Despite the difference in force or speed, though, his hammer was always steady and stable.

That steadiness of his hand could not be replicated without at least a decade of experience.

After an hour, Andera suddenly plunged the hot steel into a bucket nearby that was filled with cold water.

There was a plume of white smoke. Andera then held up the blade, still smoldering slightly, with his pliers, and gave it a long look.

After a full minute, he abruptly threw the ostensibly Grade-2 sword aside and yelled,

“That’s not right either… Something must be off!

“Why are all the Grade-2 weapons I make so much worse than Lin Feng’s…?

“How did he do it…?”

Andera frowned like a man possessed, kicking the sword away.

When Brent saw Andera taking up another piece of iron ore, the boy jumped in shock.

“Hey, have you had enough?! If you really want to make something, do it in your own home!”

Lin Feng held up a hand to stop Brent and took a deep breath, stepping up to face Andera.

When Lin Feng stood in front of him, Andera froze in the middle of putting the iron onto the forging table.

A flash of clarity suddenly returned to his eyes.

“Are you… Lin Feng?”

Lin Feng finally smiled and nodded, bending down to pick up the sword Andera had thrown to the ground with his bare hands.

“Master Andera, you made this item with the simplest of materials and molds, but you still managed to elevate it to Grade-2 on the merits of your exceptional skills alone. Why are you still so disappointed with it?”

Andera blinked and then pursed his lips, finally heaving a long sigh.

“I… I just can’t stand it…”

After a long time, Andera finally let those words leave his lips. The next instant, he walked briskly to a corner of the smithy and picked up the Grade-2 sword Lin Feng had placed there earlier.

“This sword you made was also forged out of normal iron, but not only is it Grade-2, it can even trigger flames to injure the enemy when swung.

“I want to know… How did you do it?

“I know that if I really focus, I can make a Grade-2 weapon out of normal iron.

“But how did you manage to give this Grade-2 weapon a strange ability not found in its original materials?

“Did you really forge this weapon?”

Andera was silent before, but now that he had finally opened his mouth, he rattled off questions like a gatling gun.

Lin Feng heard him out patiently and then replied with a chuckle,

“You had quite a few questions, so allow me to answer them one at a time.” 

With that, Lin Feng gestured at Brent to bring them two chairs.

Brent had been Lin Feng’s apprentice for a while now, so he immediately understood his master’s orders. Soon, he returned with two wooden chairs, which he placed in the smithy.

“Master Andera, I’m sure an expert like you knows about Centi-forging Iron, yes?”

Centi-forging Iron was one of the skills Lin Feng used the most. It was a staple of every blacksmith’s toolkit, and any self-respecting blacksmith would know about it.

Andera blinked and frowned ever so slightly.

“What do you mean by that? Centi-forging Iron is the most basic forging technique, of course I know about it.”

Andera seemed to think that Lin Feng was pulling his leg. The latter sheepishly rubbed his nose.

“Alright then, I’ll get straight to the point.

“Master Andera, how many times do you use the Centi-forging technique when you forge an item out of iron?”

Lin Feng’s next question left Andera deep in thought.