The Bet

Joshua, tall and thin, grinned and said, "Martin, I think we've probably been deceived. How could that Hundred Refinements Greatsword possibly have been forged by him?"

"Hundred Refinements Greatsword?" Abel turned to look at Zack. Surely his big brother hadn't received a gift and immediately come out to show off?

Zack rubbed his hands awkwardly and sneaked another glance at Emily before saying, "Emily and I happened to bring it up. These three guys don't believe my little brother forged a Hundred Refinements Greatsword for me. We were arguing about it just now."

Abel stared at his big brother speechlessly. Their father had always praised Zack as mature and steady in front of him, but the Zack before him looked completely trapped in Emily's affections, unable to break free.

"That was just a practice piece I made while learning to forge." Abel explained it indifferently.

When they heard Abel say that the Hundred Refinements Greatsword was merely a practice piece, the group was rendered speechless. A Hundred Refinements Greatsword could only be forged by a master blacksmith, yet someone had called it a practice piece. For a moment, they felt an overwhelming wave of arrogance crash over them.

"Which master did you learn forging from?" Emily asked, her beautiful eyes sparkling.

"I learned forging under Master Bentham." Abel answered honestly. Since Emily might become his future sister-in-law, he treated her very well.

Martin couldn't help asking, "Master Bentham is a respected forging master. How long have you studied under him?"

"One month."

Martin, Bob, and Emily all cried out in shock at the same time, "My God, that's unbelievable!"

"Do you really believe this kid could forge a Hundred Refinements Greatsword after studying for only a month? Even if his teacher was Master Bentham?" Joshua said with a cold laugh.

"What does it have to do with you?" Emily cut Joshua off without mercy.

Joshua and Zack both liked Emily, and she knew it. But she despised the way Joshua tried to curry favor with her by belittling someone else's younger brother. Emily knew that Zack would never lie to her.

Joshua cast Abel an unhappy glance, curled his lips, and said sarcastically, "Abel, don't claim Master Bentham's work as your own just to save face."

Zack shouted furiously, "Joshua, watch what you say! Don't blame me for turning against you!"

Martin stepped forward and stood between them. "It's easy to find out whether it's Master Bentham's work. The Giant Hammer Weapon Shop is right ahead. We can just have their appraiser examine it."

"Of course." Zack glanced at the calm Abel. After Abel nodded at him, he answered.

Joshua burst out laughing. "Zack, you really believe Abel can forge a Hundred Refinements Greatsword? Let's make a bet." As he spoke, Joshua patted the greatsword on his back and continued, "This is a genuine work by Master Bentham, and I'll use it as my stake. If that sword isn't Master Bentham's work, I lose, and this greatsword is yours. If it is Master Bentham's work, then your greatsword is mine. Do you dare?"

Martin hurried forward. "There's no need to go that far. Forget it—let's not make a wager."

Even Bob, who had remained silent, stepped forward to persuade him. "We're all friends. Why not just bet on treating everyone to a good meal?"

Joshua taunted, "What's wrong? Don't you dare, Zack?"

Emily, however, only shouted even more enthusiastically, "I'll be the judge! Anyone who tries to cheat had better watch out—I'll deal with them!"

Martin and Bob sighed when they saw how excited Emily was. With her involved, there was no stopping the bet.

Abel couldn't help frowning slightly. Ever since they had met, this Joshua had constantly belittled him. He had never seen him before, either. Could he be his big brother's enemy? But he didn't look like one. Although there had been some arguing before Abel arrived, it was clearly just a minor squabble between friends.

"Fine, let's bet." Zack said angrily. Joshua had kept mocking him and his younger brother in front of Emily, and Zack's heart was already filled with fury.

Seeing that things had reached this point, everyone hurried toward the Giant Hammer Weapon Shop.

The Giant Hammer Weapon Shop was a store in Harvest City that specialized in weapons and armor. As soon as they entered, they saw a huge counter made of ironwood. Weapons in this world were all large and heavy, and only a counter made of ironwood could bear their weight.

"Welcome, gentlemen and ladies, to the Giant Hammer Weapon Shop. I'm the shopkeeper, Ted. How may I help you?" a thin, middle-aged man greeted them.

"Shopkeeper Ted, we'd like to have a greatsword appraised. Please bring out your best appraiser." Joshua spoke first, unable to wait any longer.

"Wait. I'm the judge, so give both greatswords to me. I'll handle this." Emily raised a hand to stop Joshua, her face displaying an expression of utmost seriousness and responsibility.

Zack said nothing and casually handed his greatsword to Emily. Joshua seemed extremely reluctant to hand over his own, but when he saw that Zack had already given his to Emily, he had no choice but to slowly and reluctantly hand his over as well.

"You're even slower than a woman." Emily seemed to forget that she was a woman herself as she snatched the greatsword into her hands.

By then, Shopkeeper Ted had already summoned an old man with a long beard. He introduced him, saying, "This is the Giant Hammer Weapon Shop's chief appraiser. Just hand the greatswords to him. The appraisal fee for each weapon is two gold coins."

Emily tossed over two gold coins, placed Zack's greatsword on the counter, and said, "Please appraise this weapon and determine whether it's Master Bentham's work."

When the old appraiser heard that he was to determine whether it was a masterwork, he immediately perked up. He drew the greatsword from the counter and examined it carefully. Gradually, his eyes grew fixed, and an intensely feverish expression appeared on his face. He suddenly leaned over the greatsword and gently ran his fingers over it.

"It's perfect. Which master created this masterpiece?" the old appraiser murmured. "What kind of secret technique was used on this Hundred Refinements Greatsword? How could it be so sharp?"

The old appraiser made no attempt to hide his admiration for the Hundred Refinements Greatsword, seemingly forgetting everyone around him.

"Ahem." Emily coughed twice to remind the old appraiser to pay attention, then repeated her question. "Can you determine whether this weapon is Master Bentham's work?"

"Oh, no, of course not. I can't tell which master made it, but it definitely isn't Master Bentham's work." The old appraiser spoke with absolute certainty.

"This... this... how is that possible..." Joshua knew from the old appraiser's expression that things weren't going as he had imagined. When he heard the appraiser's definite answer, he immediately lost his temper and leaped up. "Look carefully! Don't spout nonsense, or I won't let you off!"

The old appraiser looked at Joshua coldly and said arrogantly, "If you're dissatisfied with the appraisal result, you can report me to the Lord's Mansion. The Giant Hammer Weapon Shop belongs to the Lord's Mansion. But if you want to cause trouble here, you'd better consider the consequences carefully."

Emily glanced at Joshua, whose face had turned bright red but who didn't dare to act up. She picked up both greatswords and moved away from him, wearing an expression that said she didn't know him.

When the old appraiser saw Emily put the greatswords away, his face filled with regret. He then asked, "Are you selling this Hundred Refinements Greatsword? I can offer 1,200 gold coins."

The old appraiser's words left everyone puzzled. Emily asked, "Wasn't the value of a Hundred Refinements Greatsword said to be 1,000 gold coins? Why are you offering 1,200 to buy it?"

The others were curious as well. Abel, standing to the side, had never expected that merely using some methods from another world for the first time would increase the value of a greatsword by several hundred gold coins.

"That's the price of an ordinary Hundred Refinements Greatsword. The finest Hundred Refinements Greatswords are worth far more than ordinary ones. This sword uses an extraordinary secret technique, making it the finest of the finest. In the hands of a powerful knight, it could almost cut an ordinary Hundred Refinements Greatsword in half within a few strikes. Any powerful knight who obtained this greatsword would be like a tiger with wings."

When they left the Giant Hammer Weapon Shop, Joshua had lost the bet and felt too ashamed to stay. He left by himself first.

"Zack, you have to treat us!" Martin and Bob looked enviously at the two greatswords in Zack's hands. Emily, meanwhile, stared curiously at Abel. Her excellent upbringing kept her from asking what kind of secret technique it was.

"Abel, could you forge a sword for me? I can pay you." Emily blinked her large eyes and made the request softly.

"I only forge weapons for family." Abel refused with absolute decisiveness, causing Martin and Bob to abandon their own little schemes.

Emily seemed to think of something. Her little face flushed, and she glanced at Zack before turning to Abel. "Hmph!"