Forging

Forging

The blacksmith had barely gone inside before he turned and came back out, followed by a broad, burly middle-aged man in coarse linen clothes. His skin, even his face, was a glossy dark brown—the look of an obvious blacksmith. Yet his clothes were quite respectable, making it clear that he had not personally forged iron in quite some time.

When Dole saw the man, he immediately rose from beside the furnace, lowered his head, and said, "Hello, Brother Ha. I'd like to apply for a helper's job."

Ha walked up to Dole and looked him over from head to toe. Then he suddenly raised a hand and slapped it down toward Dole's shoulder.

Dole knew what he was doing and did not dodge. He planted his feet and met Ha's large hand head-on.

Smack.

Dole's body jolted, and the blow forced him down by a few inches, but his back remained perfectly straight.

Ha squeezed Dole's shoulder and laughed. "Not bad, kid. Those two years working in the mines weren't for nothing. Fine, work under Verek. Whatever he tells you to do, you do it. Four copper coins a day. Sound good?"

An extra copper coin! Dole immediately thumped his chest. "Yes, yes, yes! Thank you, Brother Ha! Thank you, Brother Ha!"

Ha looked at Dole's youthful face, thought for a moment, and said, "If you don't want to stay a helper and want to become an apprentice instead, that'll depend on whether you know how to conduct yourself."

He could become an apprentice? Dole's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.

A blacksmith apprentice might not earn wages, but unlike a helper, he could learn the trade from a master. In the future, he could become a full-fledged blacksmith. Even a registered blacksmith of the Blacksmith Guild earned silver coins every month rather than copper coins. That would be a true rise to success. If he could become a blacksmith apprentice, he could put off the matter of the dictionary for now. There was no need to rush it.

Ha had only said it casually. He could tell that Dole did not want to waste an entire day just eating, which was why he had chosen to be a helper. Still, the smithy needed people. If Dole wanted to become a blacksmith in the future, his current build was suitable enough. Of course, build was just build. Whether he could make a living at it depended on talent and hard work; physique itself did not matter all that much. But it was still the foundation. Without a strong body, it would not work.

Verek was the blacksmith who had spoken to Dole earlier. Seeing Ha agree, he gave an equally simple, honest smile.

Verek was a level-two blacksmith capable of forging level-two ironware. He had been short a helper lately, so he was quite pleased.

After saying a few words, Ha left the forge and headed to the back, while Dole remained at Verek's side.

Verek looked at Dole and said in a deep, muffled voice, "This is your first time as a helper, so let me make this clear first. If you mess things up for me, I'll hit you."

Dole naturally nodded in a hurry, promising that he would do a good job.

Verek was a level-two blacksmith and managed a forge by himself. Beside it were mold patterns, an anvil, ice water for quenching, and everything else he needed. There had not been enough helpers these past two days, and they had all been assigned to the level-three blacksmiths, leaving Verek without anyone to assist him. He had been worried sick, so Dole's arrival was a great relief.

Verek had already lit the forge. He was merely waiting for the fire to burn hotter before beginning work. At the other forges, where the blacksmiths had helpers, they had already begun crafting. Verek was getting anxious as well.

Once everything was settled, Verek assigned Dole his work. His first task was tending the fire: adding charcoal to the forge, then working the bellows to make it burn hotter. Meanwhile, Verek went to prepare the molds and iron ingots.

As someone from Duomeng City, Dole knew a fair bit about processing iron ore. Freshly mined iron ore had to be sorted, then ground into sand. The iron sand was then processed in a furnace into pig iron. Next came refining the pig iron to remove more impurities and turn it into crude iron, followed by further processing to make usable steel. To obtain higher-grade steel required even more processing and special methods before it could finally become usable steel ingots. Fire played a huge role in all of this. In Duomeng City, aside from the charcoal fires used by commoners, the most formidable was the large-scale Magefire used by the authorities. It was a flame only wizards could wield, one that ordinary people could never come into contact with.

To ordinary people, wizards were sacred beings whom they would never normally encounter, much less Magefire. It was said to be a flame ten times more powerful than charcoal fire. Charcoal fire could already melt steel and iron—wouldn't Magefire be even more terrifying?

Dole tended the fire while letting his thoughts wander. Before long, he had the furnace blazing fiercely. Compared to working in the mines, pulling the bellows was easy work.

Verek, busy nearby, saw how diligently Dole had built up the fire and was secretly pleased. He had already brought over the iron ingots. Once he saw the flames roaring, he told Dole to fetch the crucible so they could melt the steel ingots.

The work was not difficult, only tedious. Verek wanted this one moment and that the next, while Dole also had to constantly watch the flames and make sure the fire did not weaken. Before long, the heat had roasted Dole's entire body red, steam rising from him.

Dole pulled the bellows with all his strength, making the fire glow bright red. The iron ingots in the crucible quickly melted, and by then Verek had already prepared the mold.

Dole was not merely tending the fire. He was also observing everything around him, deeply curious about every step of the blacksmith's craft.

The mold was a sandbox filled with fine, compacted sand. Once it was secured, a broad greatsword template was pressed into the sand, leaving an impression. The greatsword was then removed, and the sandbox was closed again, leaving only one end exposed before it was placed on the ground.

The next process was unremarkable. The ordinary iron ingots melted into liquid and were poured into the mold. Smoke rose in wisps. Once all the molten iron had been poured in, they waited a moment before opening the mold. A black greatsword blank emerged. Now it was time to hammer it into shape.

The two worked together: one tended the fire and added charcoal, while the other hammered the weapon blank. The morning passed quickly, and a nine-forged greatsword came fresh from the forge.

Next came the polishing.

Dole noticed that while forging, Verek did not simply hammer the greatsword at random. There was a pattern to it. He switched between large and small hammers, constantly checking the sword's appearance, balance, and other details. Everything had its own particular method.

After one sword was finished, Dole felt that he had learned a great deal.

Once they finished, they rested. Verek called Dole over to get something to eat. At that point, Verek had truly accepted Dole. The boy was strong and hardworking. Not bad, not bad.

It was mealtime. As they headed inside, they passed many people carrying food out. Dole saw what they were eating: fragrant rice and small pieces of meat. His eyes immediately went wide.

Seeing Dole's expression, Verek burst out laughing. "Work hard. If you do well, you can eat this every day."

Along the way, quite a few people greeted Verek. Many also noticed Dole, the young boy, and offered him friendly greetings.

That made Dole feel that blacksmiths were a rather warm and caring group.