Chương 20: The First Sword

By the time Arthur arrived there, the old man had already returned the document to the woman. The old man looked at Arthur and Geoffrey with a neutral expression. He did not comment on anything, a result that completely differed from Arthur's expectation.

"Esteemed sir, I have verified that there will be no future issues regarding the purchase. Please follow me; you can inspect the tools one more time before making the payment," the saleswoman said, handing the branch license over. Arthur nodded his head and followed the woman. Before leaving, he shot a final glance towards the fat old man. Currently, the old man was still looking at Arthur without the slightest hint of emotion.

After leaving the billing area, they quickly selected the tools and checked their quality. Within fifteen minutes, the transaction was successfully completed, complete with a proper bill. Since they could not carry such a heavy weight in a taxi, Arthur immediately called for a transport vehicle. Before they departed for Outer Sector B, they visited the Mawman Materials Shop to purchase the materials required to forge Iron Longswords.

A total of 20 kilograms of Iron Ore would be enough to make seven swords, even if failures occurred. To Arthur's surprise, the old man did not bill him for the Iron Ore, instead giving it to him as a gift. Such an action naturally saved Arthur a large amount of Credits. Following which, he quickly visited a few more shops to purchase some Charcoal, Leather Hilt Wraps, and a few necessary items that were not included in the toolkit. Once he was satisfied, Arthur and Geoffrey finally left Inner Sector B.

By the time they arrived at the rented shop, it was already 8 PM. They quickly shifted the tools into the shop. Following which, Arthur summoned Bathory and Coburn at the same time.

"Two skeletons?" Geoffrey, who stood nearby, was surprised by this sudden revelation.

"Yes, two skeletons. Let us start the work then," Arthur said.

"Bathory, these are the tools required for forging. Please prepare the tools over there," Arthur commanded.

"Bathory, you take the lead, and Coburn, you will help Bathory if anything heavy needs to be lifted, or with any minor tasks. Now, let us get to work. I want you to forge an Iron Longsword before sunrise," Arthur issued a deadline as well. The moment the command was issued, both skeletons took action. They started to unpack the tools, arranging them one after another. Meanwhile, Arthur stood by the side, watching how Bathory meticulously identified the tools and arranged everything neatly in a professional manner.

"You two take care of the work. Once you are done arranging the tools, wait for me," Arthur gave his final command. Then he closed the shutter from the outside and walked towards the house. They had left the house since the early morning; their mother would be worried if they delayed any further. By the time they arrived, their father had also returned from work with a similarly tired face.

"Sons, where have the two of you been? Your mother was worried because you did not return to the house for the entire day," his father asked before the duo could enter.

"We went to Sector A, Father. Afterward, we went to Inner Sector B and ate at a cookhouse," Geoffrey explained excitedly. Hearing her brother blabbering about a cookhouse, Suzie came running from the kitchen. However, she was disappointed when she saw they had brought nothing back with them. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

"What is it, Arthur? Were there any issues?" Richard asked.

"It is nothing, Father. We are required to obtain an Industrial License to start a shop of any kind, so we visited to apply for the license," Arthur casually said, avoiding the issues he had faced.

"So, did you obtain the license, or will it take time?"

"There is no problem; we have obtained the license. It will be enough to start the shop," Arthur said, handing over the branch license documents. Richard received the document and read through its contents. At the same time, his mother stepped out of the kitchen and saw the license.

"I have already purchased the tools, and currently, the skeletons are working to set them up. Before morning arrives, we will start our shop," Arthur explained.

"Arthur, do you need money to purchase materials and other tools? You can take from the money you have given us. Since we have started earning, we do not need that much money residing in our house," his mother advised. Arthur gave the matter some thought. Although he had obtained some materials for free, he would definitely need to purchase a large amount of materials from here on out. However, he was somewhat reluctant to spend the money that served as an anchor for his family.

If he were to spend that money and any issues arose afterward, it would place a massive amount of stress on him.

"No problem, Mother. If I need it, I will take it. For now, I have enough to spend on everything," Arthur reassured. Once the discussion had ended, they had their dinner. Arthur then told them he would stay at the shop for the night to see what the skeletons were capable of. Suzie and Geoffrey insisted on going with him. However, his father refused to let them. There would be plenty of time for them to see how the skeletons worked. Arthur left his house.

When he opened the shutter, the tools were already properly installed. Meanwhile, the two skeletons stood silently, side by side.

"Very good work, you two," Arthur said as he stepped inside. Everything seemed clear; even the hearth was properly installed.

"Now, Bathory, let us start forging the Iron Longsword. Take the iron from there and start forging," Arthur commanded. The moment the command was issued, Bathory moved towards the furnace and ignited the charcoal. Soon after, Coburn also moved, kindling the fire to prepare a perfect heat. Next, Bathory took exactly 2. 5 kilograms of unrefined Iron Ore, placed it into a reinforced crucible, and plunged it deep into the blistering heat of the furnace.

Arthur took a step backward as the heat scorched his skin, sweat forming on his forehead. Within the roaring hearth, the raw ore began to weep. The intense heat liquefied the solid rock and metal, turning it into a bubbling pool of bright orange liquid. Bathory moved at the right moment. It used a long iron skimmer to methodically filter the molten bath, scraping away the dark, crusty slag and impurities that floated to the top.

The skeleton separated the useless waste until nothing remained in the crucible but pure liquid iron. With the pure iron ready, Bathory lifted the crucible with a pair of heavy tongs, pouring the liquid metal into a rectangular mold. The glowing puddle hissed. Within a few minutes, the liquid had turned solid. Before it could fully cool, Bathory transferred the fresh iron ingot onto the anvil. Clang! Bathory did not use the hammer that came with the toolkit.

Instead, it utilized its own hammer, which appeared to be of a much higher quality when compared to the medium quality hammer. Clang… Clang… The hammer striking the hot iron continuously echoed throughout the shop. Although the shutters were tightly closed, Arthur hoped the sounds would not echo to the nearby houses. Coburn and Bathory worked together as if they were communicating, yet not a single word was spoken. They only took action when necessary.

Arthur felt it was truly strange how perfectly the two skeletons coordinated with each other to work. Since Coburn was also an expert in every job, it was easy for him to cooperate with Bathory. Slowly, the hammer struck the hot iron, and it began to take shape. Arthur watched the process with great interest as time slowly passed. Finally, three hours had passed since the process started, and the clanging sounds ceased. Hissss! Bathory finally plunged the hot sword into the water.

After retrieving it, it fixed the hilt with a leather wrap. Arthur could see the sword had finally taken shape. As its name suggested, it was long when compared to the other swords he had seen before. After applying the final finishing touches by sharpening both sides, Bathory stood up. Following which, it walked towards Arthur, extending the hilt over to him. Arthur received the sword, instinctively feeling it was a lightweight sword.

Although he did not possess any deep knowledge regarding swords, he still felt it was a fine sword in his hands. Just when Arthur was checking the sword's shape and sharpness close to the light, a sudden message appeared before his face.