“Even if you somehow manage to make something that looks like a Vanguard Greatsword with less than ten pounds of iron ore, it won’t be sturdy at all considering what little material you used.”
“A weapon like that is no better than a toy!”
The smiths that had left their workshops were clearly dissatisfied with the vice president’s remarks.
They were still extremely fired up, loudly demanding an explanation from the vice president on the Smiths’ Association’s behalf.
The vice president just scoffed again contemptuously, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the others. Finally, he said determinedly, with a pause after each word,
“Since you insist that the Association is being unreasonable… Very well!
“If anyone in those rooms actually manages to forge a Vanguard Greatsword that meets quality and grade standards, I want all of you to surrender your smith badges.
“From now on, you will cease to be a member of the Smiths’ Association. How about it, dare to make that wager with me?”
The vice president’s challenge left the smiths feeling rather uneasy. They could not understand why he was so confident.
The young man who had led the charge earlier was somewhat confused too. He frowned slightly, the gears turning in his head.
Nevertheless, he did not hesitate for long before he raised his head again.
“Everyone, don’t let him fool you!
“We are all Grade-2 or Grade-3 smiths. Although we’re not exactly master smiths yet, we definitely know our basics!
“What he’s saying defies all logic!”
As soon as the young man said that, everyone nodded in agreement. Some of the older smiths there were in their sixties, and their minds were set in what they knew. Nothing could sway them from what they saw as the truth.
As such, they took a step forth and told the vice president,
“Fine! It’s as you say, if anyone really manages to make a graded Vanguard Greatsword with just ten pounds of ore, we’ll surrender our badges. In fact, we’ll stop calling ourselves smiths from now on if you want!”
The vice president just nodded solemnly and wordlessly.
Finally, the scene calmed down. Everyone remained where they stood, all eyes fixed on the workshops nearby.
Four whole hours later, their gazes turned serious.
Suddenly, someone opened one of the tightly-shut workshop doors and walked out.
The others looked in the direction of the sound and saw the master smith who had come in third during the previous Smithing Tournament, Brook.
Brook was holding a slightly smaller greatsword as he approached them. He placed the weapon on the counter in front of the vice president, but then he sighed.
“Unfortunately, while I know how to make a Vanguard Greatsword, I admit that my skills are not up to it yet. I only managed to temper the blade slightly over seven hundred times instead of the thousand I wanted, and I couldn’t take it any further than that. If I could…”
When he put the sword on the counter, the previously-arrogant smiths were all stunned into silence.
They were looking at an actual peak Grade-1 weapon.
The vice president finally allowed himself a smile.
He reached out and gently touched the greatsword, nodding slightly as he said,
“Do not be too modest, Master Brook. The fact that you are capable of Milli-forging shows that you are already miles ahead of all these short-sighted fools here.”
When the vice president said that, Brook turned around to look at the shocked smiths. Perplexed, he asked,
“You… Why are all of you gathered here? Don’t tell me you gave up?”
Brook’s words and the greatsword on the counter left the crowd of smiths unable to speak.
Just then, however, that young man from before opened his mouth. He just could not help but ask,
“Master Brook… D-Did you really make that Vanguard Greatsword out of less than ten pounds of ore?”
Brook blinked and raised his eyebrows.
“Of course…”
That young man gulped, turning to look at the sword for a while before continuing,
“But… But how is it possible to make a greatsword out of ten pounds of ore? That’s just impossible…”
Brook’s gaze flickered. He took a long look at the young man and shook his head.
“Nothing is impossible to a smith of our level.
“I used four parts of black iron ore and six parts of Iron Jade, then I mused them with some Grade-1 Iron Sand.
“After that, I used ‘Milli-forging’ to maintain the equilibrium between these three materials. After I temper the materials a thousand times, the sword would have both the traits of ‘weight’ and ‘sharpness’.
“Forget ten pounds, a truly skilled master would be able to make a greatsword out of five pounds of iron ore.”
Upon hearing Brook’s explanation, the others had looks of disbelief in their eyes.
The vice president snorted coldly and wrapped Brook’s greatsword up in a dry beastskin hide before placing it on a rack.
The other members of the Association were no longer as feisty and indignant as before, but they did not leave immediately. They probably wanted to see if anyone else could succeed under these stringent conditions.
Another hour passed, and several other people emerged from their rooms.
Although the weapons they brought had different grades, all of them without exception had ‘weight’ incorporated into the final product. Their weapons were only supposed to be ten pounds, but they somehow felt at least ten more pounds heavier.
Not long later, there was the creaking of a few more doors, and the last few smiths walked out of their workshops as well.
Lin Feng was among them.
“Valentine junior and Master Goldwin are here too!
“They… The Vanguard Greatswords they’re holding feel like Grade-2 weapons! As expected of master smiths!”
Amidst the hullabaloo, the vice president took all of their weapons and placed them on the counter.
However, when Lin Feng brought his weapon to the counter, everyone’s gazes changed.
“That greatsword of his…”
“Gasp…”
Lin Feng put the intricate greatsword he was holding onto the counter.
The Vanguard Greatsword he forged had complicated carvings. The decorative aspect alone proved the extent of his smoothing skills.
While others could not even get over the lack of materials, he somehow found the time to carve the greatsword into a work of art.
Underneath the wisteria carvings, the greatsword seemed to brim with energy and a powerful force. Even the vice president was taken aback when he touched it.
“Grade-3…?”