Custom-Made

Custom-Made

Observing a weapon's user was the first essential for a blacksmith crafting a weapon for a customer. Height, arm length, and the proportions of the waist, shoulders, and hips determined the weapon's characteristics. Custom-making weapons was something every blacksmith had to learn.

Verek carefully sized up the newcomer. He wore tight black clothes that revealed his entire build, making his physique easy to assess. Long legs, long arms, sharp eyes... Verek muttered to himself. Could this man be an assassin? With that build, only a slender rapier or dueling sword could bring out his greatest strength.

Long legs favored agility and swift movements. Long arms were good for thrusting. Keen eyes could spot an opponent's weaknesses and strike with certainty. This man was either an assassin or a duelist who had spent a long time living in the dueling arena.

After examining him, Verek came to that conclusion. The man's face was also utterly ordinary, which likewise matched one of the three key traits of an assassin.

He smiled with simple honesty. "Sir, what kind of sword do you need? Please describe it in detail."

The man in black nodded without changing expression. His gaze lingered casually over the two of them before he said, "Are you better at dueling swords or rapiers here? I'd like to see both."

"We're better at dueling swords. I have some finished styles here for you to look over first, then you can decide."

The man in black nodded. "All right."

Verek gave Dole a look, then touched his own eye, signaling him to watch carefully. He then led the man in black outside to look over the sword styles.

Dole nodded lightly and watched closely from the side, observing how Verek worked and noting every detail. He had only been at it for a few days, but he had already become quite skilled at reading people.

He quickly sensed that this man in black was probably no ordinary person. His body, arms, and legs were all exceptionally long and lean. Dole had only seen such a build among the men who passed by alongside nobles on the streets. They were dueling swordsmen raised by nobles, specifically for duels and entertainment. Such people were generally very powerful. They lived with blood on their blades every day; they could not survive without strength. They were far stronger than the guards and overseers at the mines.

Dole's eyes grew a little hot with envy.

The design of a dueling sword was simple: a round iron rod with a sharp point at the front, ideal for thrusting but with no other function. This kind of sword had only one purpose—to thrust. The blade itself was mainly used to parry. It was meant for duels between nobles, where lives were rarely taken lightly.

After looking through many dueling swords, the man in black finally selected the style of a long-handled two-handed dueling sword. It would then be custom-made according to his height, arm length, and other measurements. For a blacksmith, this was not difficult at all. It was one of their core skills.

Once the style, appearance, and primary function had been settled, the man in black stepped aside to wait while Dole and Verek got to work.

One tended the fire while the other went to the back to fetch materials, and they quickly began. This time, Verek did not forge alone. As he worked, he explained to Dole how each part of the process should be done.

Since they did not know the customer's level of strength, and he looked very powerful, Verek could only make a level-two dueling sword at most. So he had to bring out every bit of his skill. Verek worked with great care, ensuring every detail was perfect. Advanced Warrior Apprentices had already begun to come into contact with battle qi and needed their weapons reinforced with it, so they had strict requirements for the weapon's material. As he worked, Verek discussed this with Dole and explained in detail, especially the relationships between the various professions.

"Warrior Apprentices are those who can skillfully use a martial technique. Once they cultivate flexibility and their stamina reaches a certain level, they become Junior Warrior Apprentices. Junior Warriors mainly strengthen their bones, tendons, membranes, and internal organs. At the Intermediate Warrior Apprentice stage, they further strengthen their bones and internal organs. Once they reach Advanced Warrior Apprentice, they begin learning battle qi cultivation methods, introduce a Battle Qi Seed, and strengthen their bodies. The main focus here is the tendons, bones, muscles, and power. An Advanced Warrior Apprentice has roughly three times the strength of an ordinary person, so when forging weapons, make them as sturdy as possible. Otherwise, if they break while someone is using them, it'll ruin our reputation."

Dole nodded. He knew how formidable Advanced Warrior Apprentices were. The captains guarding the city gates were all Intermediate Warrior Apprentices, while the battalion commanders were Advanced Warrior Apprentices—extremely powerful people.

When blacksmiths forged weapons, they tried to fold and forge them as many times as possible, using the number of folds to make up for tiny flaws created during the forging process. Weapons forged repeatedly also gained much greater flexibility and strength. This forging method itself was an advanced smithing technique.

One to nine folds made a level-one blacksmith. Nine to eighteen folds made a level-two blacksmith. Eighteen to twenty-seven folds made a level-three blacksmith. Beyond twenty-seven folds were level-four blacksmiths and above. However, in a small city like theirs, there were basically no level-four blacksmiths. Level three was the limit. Any true level-four blacksmith would have left long ago.

Dole had now learned hammer techniques, which counted as mastering a martial technique. In terms of status, he had already risen from a commoner to an Apprentice Warrior and an Apprentice Blacksmith.

Using the best materials, Verek hammered away with a clanging chorus and soon shaped the outer form of a dueling sword. The man in black was not in a hurry. As he watched the two forge the sword, he also looked around idly. Verek's technique was undoubtedly good, but he was forging while teaching that child how to do it, which made the man curious.

So he turned his attention to Dole. After watching for a while, he found that the boy had quite a good build. His legs and arms were long, and it was clear that he exercised often. His strength was sufficient as well. He was good material for learning the dueling sword.

But that was all he thought. A child who had gone out to work at such an early age came from a family that could never afford the cost of learning martial techniques. Even if someone taught him, without anyone to provide battle qi cultivation methods in the future, he would not amount to much. Learning martial techniques consumed enormous amounts of money. Even what one ate and drank differed from that of ordinary people.

These thoughts flashed through his mind and vanished.

After more than three hours, a freshly forged, still-hot dueling sword emerged from the furnace. After testing it, the man in black nodded in satisfaction, paid, and left. He even gave Verek an extra tip: one silver coin.

That silver coin naturally went into Verek's pocket.

This was also one of their main sources of income as blacksmiths.

The sight made Dole's eyes burn with envy. That was a silver coin. He had never even touched one before.

Seeing Dole's gaze, Verek found it amusing. He took the silver coin from his pocket and said, "Here, have a feel."

Dole gave an embarrassed smile. Rather than replying, he went off to the furnace by himself.

Verek laughed loudly, put the silver coin away, and looked at Dole's back. "Kid, train hard. Once you can forge a few small things, you won't be short of money."

Dole nodded hard.

As an apprentice, aside from helping the blacksmith teaching him, he could also use scraps to practice. But whatever he made, good or bad, could not be considered his own. It belonged to the blacksmith shop. After all, keeping the fire going required coal, and the forge could only be used for a limited time each day. It was impossible to use it without restriction.