1020. Shirou's Sword Clashes with Another Sword / 1021. The Gods Prove Shirou's Scabbard ...

"Well, do you think it's possible?" Hephaestus asked with a relaxed smile.

The Hephaestus Familia is the largest blacksmithing house and has become quite established. In addition to providing a one-stop service of forging, selling, and repairing weapons, they also operate as a raw material supplier. They have hundreds of shops all over the world and are deeply rooted in Orario, so there is no need to rush.

"Tsk! I'm not afraid at all!" Gubinyu snorted.

Gubinyu, on the other hand, takes an elite approach, attracting high-level adventurers and a segment of enthusiasts with its unique craftsmanship. Although its scale is not large, the weapons it forges are all high-end products. Therefore, if it were merely an innovation in the scabbard...

In fact, this idea wasn't just shared by those two; other long-established blacksmith shops with legendary blacksmiths in charge also thought the same way.

Most of the people who came to cause trouble this time were actually from small to medium-sized blacksmith shops.

When the market undergoes changes, these small and medium-sized enterprises are the first to be impacted.

Just like the establishment of Amazon, the fast and convenient new sales model has caused countless stores without brands, which were simply wholesalers, to decline and never recover.

However, for international brands, these are nothing. Whether they open their own online store or join a shopping website and establish a flagship store, it's the same; they can attract a large number of customers.

Of course, Shirou is not yet well-known; he has only attracted the attention of a segment of people with his innovative works, and he cannot be compared with big names.

If he takes advantage of the large crowds gathered at the Monster Festival to promote the scabbard and gain public recognition, he will leapfrog into becoming a brand.

If they can't do that, then by the time other major manufacturers have thoroughly researched the principles of sword sheaths and developed their own products, his sword sheaths will be nothing more than a cheap knock-off.

In any case, whether one becomes Jackie Chan or a worm depends on this one move.

At the center of the booth, Shirou was explaining to everyone the specific usage and maintenance methods of the sword sheath.

"Words are meaningless. If you can't explain the underlying principles, how can we verify whether what you're saying is true or false?" a red-bearded dwarf loudly questioned.

"Then let's test it out." Shirou said with a light laugh, beckoning to the backstage crew. The Amazon then carried two weapon racks and placed them on either side.

Then Tiona and Tione also went up onto the stage and each stood next to a weapon rack.

"You've all probably met these two before, so I won't go into further introductions. Next, the twin sisters from Loki's Familia will demonstrate the difference between the armored sheath and the ordinary sheath."

As members of only two of Orario's top-tier Familias, almost every powerful member is well-known to Orario's adventurers, and the Amazon sisters, being from the younger generation, are no exception.

Because they were twins, they worked together seamlessly and were roughly equal in strength, making them the perfect candidates for weapons testing. So they were recruited as laborers. Of course, with Penthesilea around, they had no chance of refusing from the start.

When we first approached them.

"Huh? Are we going up on stage too? We're just here to keep Ais," the twin sisters said in surprise.

"That's only natural! All our kind are contributing to this event, are you just going to stand by and do nothing?" Penthesilea asked.

So the two of them could only raise their hands, indicating that they absolutely needed their help!

Shirou promised to make weapon sheaths for them at cost price as compensation, which meant that he had signed two people, just like Ais. So Tiona and Tione happily went on stage to demonstrate.

The people in the audience recognized the two and applauded.

"Thank you everyone! Oh dear, I'm getting shy too."

"Thank you so much!"

The Amazon sisters waved to the audience in response.

"What tricks is this young punk up to?"

"Hmph! Always so secretive."

The dwarves and goblins cursed in hushed tones.

Seeing that everything was ready, Shirou raised his arm and pointed to both sides, introducing them one by one:

"The weapon on the rack that Tiona is using on the left is a Mediterranean dwarf-style sword that I forged in the Hephaestus Familia's blacksmith shop. It costs between 100,000 and 250,000 falies."

"Hey!" The short-haired twin sister, Tiona, picked up the cheapest iron sword from the far left of the shelf and put on the new mass-produced wooden scabbard that Shirou had given her. Since it was the same type of sword, the scabbard was interchangeable.

"The weapons on the rack used by Tione on the right are Mediterranean dwarf-style swords available on the market, priced between 200,000 and 500,000 falies."

"Drink!" The long-haired twin sister, Tione, also took the 200,000-fali sword from the shelf behind her and swung it twice with great force.

"Next, Tiona, equipped with the new scabbard I crafted, will engage in a sword fight with the same force against a weapon twice the price, comparing the quality of the blades based on the wounds sustained."

Seeing this, the blacksmiths who had come to cause trouble all revealed triumphant smiles.

They believed that Shirou had clearly been pushed to the limit, which was why he resorted to this drastic measure.

"They've thrown themselves into disarray. They're still too inexperienced," the goblin murmured in dismay.

"Hmph! Arrogant brat, you'll be crying soon!" the red-bearded dwarf said with a laugh.

While swords are consumables for adventurers, different price points naturally have their reasons; the higher the grade, the greater the performance difference.

Swords priced between 100,000 and 150,000 might not differ much in performance, but their price is limited by the materials used. Even if the blacksmith makes concessions, the cost must still be factored in. Weapons priced below 200,000 use steel of the same grade as those priced below 200,000.

Materials of 200,000 or higher quality are only used on weapons costing 200,000 or higher. Therefore, given the same materials, even with superior forging skills, there won't be a significant difference in quality.

The difference between 250,000 and 500,000 is enormous.

Even if the sheath can generate a certain degree of amplification, it still requires a long time to recharge. How could it possibly offset a distance of twice the amount of money in a short period of time?

Shirou, standing on the stage, remained as calm as ever.

The dwarves and goblins have no idea that this was actually a program that Shirou and Penthesilea had planned from the beginning. From the start, Shirou and Penthesilea had anticipated that once the publicity reached a certain scale, it would attract provocations from other blacksmiths.

Chapter 1020: Shirou's Clash of Swords

Serves you right! You little brat, you'd better stay put and wait until I retire before you get a chance to shine. You have no sense at all!

"I've been forging iron with a hammer for over eighty years now, and I'm still not famous! How dare some nobody, some shady character, try to climb over my head?"

'Exactly! Go to hell! Drag your life out at the very bottom! You're not from a prestigious family, nor are you a member of a large clan, and you think you can rise above others by working alone? You want to reap all the benefits for yourself? Dream on!'

Dwarves are an ancient race that lived in high mountains, valleys, or caves, making a living by mining and forging. Forging can be said to be their survival instinct.

Goblins are earth-elemental spirits who can imbue weapons with earth-elemental magic. If they pay a certain price, they can even create magic swords. Although they are unassuming, they are also very proud.

But at the same time, they are also 'human beings,' living beings with complex emotions.

There are highs and lows, moments of generosity and moments of jealousy.

They sensed something in Shirou that they had never possessed, something extremely important.

It is precisely because of this lack that they are particularly wary of Shirou. They cannot ignore everything about Shirou, just like discovering a Gil star in a pile of pebbles sunk in a stinking swamp.

The pebbles didn't want to watch the star fly away while they remained forever in the stinking mud. So they tried their best to smear mud on the star and splash dirty water on it, attempting to cover its light and keep it in the mud forever, just like them.

At this moment, everyone was ready, so Shirou waved to the lighting crew inside, and the spotlight changed angle, shining on the two Amazon girls.

"Alright! Let's begin, you two!" Shirou said to the girls.

"Alright! Tione ~! Here I come!" Tiona assumed a ready stance for Drawing Sword Slash.

"Bring it on!" Tione also prepared to slash horizontally.

The swords flashed, a gust of wind swept through, and the two Amazon girls showed no mercy, both striking at the same time. To the uninitiated, it was not an experiment, nor did they believe they were twin sisters; it was more like a group of enemies fighting each other.

The two silver lights collided, forming a dazzling cross-shaped arc of light.

Crack!

The tip of the sword, worth two hundred thousand falies, flew out of Tione's hand.

"What!"

Although there was no brand, the red-bearded dwarf recognized at a glance that the broken sword was his work. A sword priced at 200,000 was cut in two with a single blow by the opponent's sword, which was only worth 100,000 and had a simple scabbard.

"Ughhhh!!! Damn it..." The red-bearded dwarf stood up, gritting his teeth. His bald head, resembling that of Sha Wujing, was bulging with veins that looked like mountains. He was so angry that he seemed about to spew molten lava. He turned and left.

Not only the scabbard, but even the sword lost. The sword's cut was very smooth, meaning that the opponent's sword was inherently sharper than his. If it were based on amplitude, the sword would have broken, and the blade would have already been warped.

Rather than saying his sword was broken by the amplitude of the scabbard, it would be more accurate to say that his work was completely outclassed by Shirou. As a blacksmith, no matter how much he wanted to argue, this fact was destined to remain unchanged.

"A sword can shatter a blade. It seems that in the 100,000 vs. 200,000 range, the scabbard is still very useful. It is very suitable for skilled players of level one to two. Swords of the 100,000 range do not have attributes, so the scabbard's role is to protect the blade and enhance its sharpness. As long as you are not facing high-level monsters, you don't have to worry about it being damaged."

"The new scabbard that Tiona is currently using is the basic version, which is priced at 400,000 falies. However, if you pre-order it today, you can get a 50% discount, only 200,000 falies," Shirou said with a smile.

The remaining dwarves and goblins stared at Shirou, who was speaking eloquently. They hadn't given up yet, and if Shirou showed any weakness, they would gang up on him.

"Hehe, I won!" Tiona flashed a triumphant smile, revealing her pearly white teeth.

"Tsk!" Tione looked at the broken blade in his hand, threw it on the ground in displeasure, turned around and walked to the shelf, picking up the next sword.

At that moment, another sword flew out, and the blade tip that collided with it was chipped.

"Damn it!!!" A goblin with blue skin turned pale, stood up trembling, and turned to leave.

"Hehe, I won again~!" Tiona said with a grin, rubbing the 120,000 Fali sword in her hand.

She'd already started planning: by helping with the demonstrations and promoting the weapon with Ais, she could get Shirou's custom-made high-grade Takahashi. But she had one small problem: her weapon was a large pair of blades.

It's a large weapon with two blades connected by a handle; the other two ends are heavy swords, making it incredibly powerful to swing. However, because it has two blades, it needs two sheaths. It's unclear whether Shirou will give her one sheath or two.

Of course, she wanted two sheaths; otherwise, one side would be heavier than the other, making it less fun to swing around. However, it wouldn't be good for her to be the only one making exceptions. But if she behaved well enough, Shirou might agree.

However, Tione on the other side was getting increasingly annoyed. After all, she was the older sister! She had her pride too! How could the weapon be so rubbish?!

"Again!!!" Tione refused to believe it and drew an even taller sword.

Bang!!!

The weapon racks on the display stand swayed and creaked in the wind.

The fight between the two intensified, and at this point they were wielding their weapons like hammers, smashing them at each other.

"Damn it!!! My weapons are completely useless! They're totally worthless!" Tione's eyes turned bloodshot. She threw the crooked sword to the ground, stomped on it until it sank in.

"Waaah..." A blacksmith in the audience was startled, feeling both scared and aggrieved.

Tione usually very intelligent and sensible, but once she gets angry, she goes on a rampage.

At this moment, she was completely enraged. Ignoring the order, she directly drew the last greatsword, worth 500,000 falies, leaped high into the air, spun 360 degrees, and swung it down at Tiona.

"Hey, hey, hey?" Tiona's expression changed. She hadn't had time to switch swords yet, and she was still holding the 150,000-gold sword. But it was too late. The greatsword was already close in, about to slice off her nose.

Tiona had no choice but to grit her teeth and grip the sword with both hands, holding it less than ten centimeters in front of her nose.

When!!!

A loud bang reverberated, making the eardrums of those nearby ring.

Tiona shuddered violently as if electrocuted, the sword in her hand still gleaming with its light, and shook violently under the force of the impact, the shaking continuing for a long time.

"Huh?"

"Hey!"

Tione, who had landed on the ground, had calmed down and looked at her sister.

The sword in Tiona's hand swayed, but the blade stubbornly remained intact.

Tione, however, felt a sudden lightness in her hand. The steel greatsword in her hand suddenly shattered, and cracks began to appear from the spot where the iron filings fell, spreading outwards until half of the sword shattered and fell onto the carpet of the display stand.

Chapter 1021 Divine Proof: Shirou's Sheath

"..." Tione took two steps back, and the greatsword in his hand wobbled and fell even faster. The remaining sword was missing a large, crescent-shaped gash, and was completely ruined.

Tiona, standing to the side, held the sword Shirou had forged and examined it in amazement. She flicked it, then shook it; the blade remained sturdy, with a faint, lingering light.

The people in the audience stared wide-eyed, and it took them a while to recover.

After nearly a minute of silence, someone finally shouted out what had shocked everyone.

"It broke!!!"

"A sword worth 500,000, struck with all its might to cut a sword worth 150,000, was actually broken instead!"

"Ooooooooo!!!"

Everyone understood that this was all thanks to the scabbard.

This experiment proved that even Shirou's basic version of the scabbard has a value of at least 350,000, and if you pre-order now, it only costs 200,000 Fali!!! That is to say, you only need to buy a sword worth 150,000 Fali to own a sword with a strength of more than 500,000 Fali within a time limit.

Not to mention that swords are consumables; they wear down with every battle, and over time, even if you want to repair them, their original attributes will decrease, forcing you to replace them. But scabbards, as long as they are of the same type, can be used for a long time, making them incredibly cost-effective.

"Oh?" Infected by the atmosphere, Tiona raised her sword high like a victor.

"Oh oh oh oh!!!" The people in the audience shouted even louder.

'But... what should we do next?'

Faced with this situation, Tione and Tiona were completely inexperienced. After all, their strongest sword had been shattered, and they had ruined the demonstration.

Penthesilea, inside the passageway, beckoned the emcee to come on stage and bring the two Amazon sisters back.

"Yes! That's amazing! I didn't expect that such a fierce blow from Tione wouldn't break the sword in Tiona's hand. Instead, a sword worth more than three times its value broke. Could this be the effect of Mr. Shirou's scabbard? To verify this fact, we've already invited a weapons appraiser here to conduct a comprehensive examination of this sword," the rabbit-eared host exclaimed loudly.