Blacksmith Master

Abel redecorated the greatsword's hilt and guard with a few ordinary gems, making it impossible to see the sapphire that powered the greatsword within. The re-polished guard had curved decorative strips added, and he replaced the scabbard with one inlaid with small gems. This sword transformed from an ordinary Hundred Refinements Greatsword into a deluxe Ice Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword.

The explosion a few days ago had made Abel abandon his plan to craft a Word of Power: Ancient's Oath. Currently, his defensive capabilities were insufficient. If another explosion occurred during the crafting process, it would put him in a very dangerous situation.

Time passed quickly. Three months went by, and Abel's daily life was very fulfilling. He had accumulated twelve Hundred Refinements Greatswords, including one deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword and two deluxe Ice Magic Hundred Refinements Greatswords. He had also made five Hundred Refinements Shields using Hundred Refinements Blanks. The Hundred Refinements Shields were prepared in advance for the future crafting of Word of Power: Ancient's Oath.

The weather had turned warm; it was already April. By morning, the people at the Blacksmith Shop had already started working.

"Abel, you and I are going to the Blacksmith Guild in Harvest City today," Master Bentham said, looking at Abel, who was recovering his spirit after forging another Hundred Refinements Blank.

"What are we going to the Harvest City Blacksmith Guild for?" Abel asked Master Bentham, looking a bit puzzled.

Master Bentham said with a hint of excitement, "After you made the magic greatsword, I applied for a Master evaluation with the Blacksmith Guild. The guild sent word yesterday that the Master evaluation is scheduled for today."

"Congratulations, Master!" Abel knew that although Master Bentham was called a blacksmith master, that was just a local term. Being able to craft a Hundred Refinements Blank was only a basic requirement; one also needed a professional mastery skill to truly become a blacksmith master recognized by the Blacksmith Guild. Therefore, Master Bentham was only a quasi-master.

"Why congratulate me? I applied for you," Master Bentham said, patting Abel's head with a look of relief. He continued, "I've spent my entire life crafting magic weapons. Although I couldn't craft magic weapons myself and become a true master, you, who can craft magic weapons, can become a blacksmith master."

Abel wasn't particularly interested in becoming a blacksmith master. However, thinking that a master's title would give him more opportunities to access runes if he wanted to learn more, and with Master Bentham's strong recommendation, he agreed. "I'll get ready and we'll leave."

Abel moved nine ordinary Hundred Refinements Greatswords and one deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword from his private workshop to Master Bentham's carriage. Abel planned to put two of these greatswords in his own Harry Weapon Shop, while the other seven, along with the deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword, would be sent to the Edmund Auction House. If he sold all these greatswords at Harry Weapon Shop, it would impact the local price of Hundred Refinements weapons and arouse suspicion from other weapon shops, which would be disadvantageous for establishing himself in Harvest City, especially since he had just acquired the shop from Lord Joel. The advantage of sending them to the Edmund Auction House was that it had branches throughout the entire duchy, so seven greatswords could be easily absorbed. The deluxe Fire Magic Hundred Refinements Greatsword would be auctioned by them to maximize profits.

Once again, they set off for Harvest City by carriage. It was another bumpy journey. Abel had already made up his mind; he wanted to find a way to get a carriage with a suspension system installed once they returned. Around 10 AM, the carriage arrived at the Harvest City branch of the Blacksmith Guild, located in the central area of Harvest City.

The Blacksmith Guild was a cross-racial organization on the continent, founded three thousand years ago by several human and dwarf blacksmith grandmasters. Over the years, even orc blacksmiths joined the organization, eventually forming the current Blacksmith Guild. The guild's functions were to provide professional evaluations for blacksmiths, issue corresponding professional rank medals, and offer protection to blacksmiths who joined the guild on the continent.

As Master Bentham led Abel into the guild hall, a dwarf with a large beard walked over. This was Abel's first time seeing a dwarf, and he managed to restrain himself from staring.

"Bentham, old friend, the guild notified me when your application came in. I'll be presiding over this evaluation," the dwarf said, spreading his arms. Master Bentham lowered his body and embraced the dwarf.

Releasing the dwarf, Master Bentham laughed heartily, "I didn't expect the guild to have you preside over the evaluation. I remember when we were studying together under Teacher Robin. So many years have passed, and you're still so young."

Abel looked speechlessly at the bearded dwarf, unable to see where Master Bentham saw his youth.

"This is my disciple, Abel Harry," Master Bentham said, introducing Abel, who was standing to the side.

Master Bentham turned to Abel and said, "This is Master Thorin Oakenshield, my junior fellow disciple."

Master Thorin Oakenshield jumped up and retorted loudly, "Senior fellow disciple!"

"When we were studying together, I was a young man, and you were a child, so of course, I'm the senior fellow disciple," Master Bentham said, raising an eyebrow triumphantly at Master Thorin.

"Oh, I was older than you then, even though I was a child," Master Thorin shouted, waving his fist.

Abel, standing by, finally understood their dispute. Dwarves had long lifespans, generally reaching 500 years, while ordinary humans only lived to 100. This difference led to their argument.

Seeing that they couldn't settle the dispute for the moment, Master Thorin turned and examined Abel closely. "This is the disciple you're applying for Master evaluation? He's too young! You're using your one-time Master evaluation application opportunity on him?"

The series of questions showed Master Thorin's distrust due to Abel's extreme youth. Any blacksmithing skill required time to hone.

"I'm almost 60 years old, and my strength is fading. I have no ability to become a master in this lifetime. I thought I would never have the chance to use this application qualification again, but..." Master Bentham looked at Abel proudly. "Since Abel started learning from me, he has created miracles time and again and possesses the abilities of a master. That's why I'm here."

"Alright, you've decided, so let's begin," Master Thorin said, leading the two into an inner room. This room had three mirrors on the wall, a blacksmith's operating table in the center, fully equipped with tools, and a blazing furnace nearby.

Master Thorin took out six rubies and placed them in a recess on the wall. The mirror surfaces rippled, revealing three figures: one dwarf and two humans.

Master Bentham bowed to the three figures in the mirror. "Greetings, Masters. Thank you for your time."

Seeing Abel's astonished expression, Master Thorin explained the process of applying for a Master evaluation. A blacksmith master had five opportunities in their lifetime to apply for a Master-level evaluation, while a senior blacksmith had only one. After the application was approved, one master would be present, and three other masters would remotely monitor the evaluation process through a magic array.

This magic array could only transmit images, not sound, and was created by an elven array master.

"Begin," Master Thorin said to Abel after the explanation.

Abel remained silent. He first bowed to Master Thorin, then bowed to the three masters in the mirror.

The materials on the operating table were all top-quality. Abel picked up a piece of refined iron and threw it into the furnace. After a while, he took the refined iron out and began to forge it repeatedly. His skilled movements and rapid pace allowed him to reach 80 refinements in just over two hours. Then came the forging from 80 to 100 refinements.

As he used his spiritual power, the forging speed from 80 to 100 refinements was even faster than before. Master Thorin's gaze had changed somewhat from the beginning. The ability to skillfully use spiritual power for forging was not common even among these masters; most masters relied on experience for the 80 to 100 refinement stage.

The 100 refinements were completed quickly. After a short rest, Abel began to forge his signature greatsword. Time flew by, and the greatsword took shape. However, Abel didn't stop. He then used a chisel to create a groove on the guard.

This action made Master Thorin's eyes flicker, and he turned to Master Bentham with a questioning look. Master Bentham simply nodded at him, confirming his thoughts.

Master Thorin was aware of the project Master Bentham had been researching his entire life. Although Master Bentham himself couldn't possibly create it, it seemed his disciple had fulfilled his wish.

When Abel took out the Rune Brush, Master Thorin had already confirmed his thoughts. A magic weapon, a high-end master-level weapon, was a very precious item among master-level weapons.

Watching Abel completely engrossed in drawing runes, the three masters in the mirror also realized what kind of weapon he was crafting and paid even more attention.

The final steps of embedding the sapphire and guiding the spiritual power went smoothly. An Ice Magic Greatsword was completed. Although this greatsword was not decorated, to these masters, the Ice Magic Greatsword before them was already exceptionally outstanding, sufficient to pass the blacksmith master evaluation.

Master Thorin turned to look at the three figures in the mirror. As the three masters nodded one by one, indicating their approval, Master Thorin took out a medal from his chest. With a solemn expression, he said to Abel, "Congratulations, Master Abel Harry. Congratulations on becoming the 36th blacksmith master of the Blacksmith Guild."

After speaking, Master Thorin pinned the medal on Abel's chest and stepped forward to embrace him. Abel, following Master Bentham's earlier example, bowed and returned Master Thorin's embrace. This embrace signified that Master Thorin now treated Abel as an equal.

The three masters in the mirror also bowed to Abel. After Abel returned their bows, the images in the mirrors disappeared.