Chương 22: Industrial Inspection Squad

Clank! Clank! Clank! Arthur jolted awake from his sleep from some sudden sound. He looked around where he was, quickly coming to know he was in the rented shop. He squeezed his eyes to come fully awake. He slept the whole night without any issue. The previous day's anxiety, pressure, and everything had made his body go exhausted. However, when he came to his mind, he looked at his surroundings. He noticed two skeletons standing still. He quickly checked his wristwatch; it was around 7 in the morning.

So, he guessed his command about forging two swords was completed. Suddenly, he remembered the sound that woke him up. Clank! Clank! While he was in deep thought, the sound came again. It was not from the hammer of the forging. It was coming from the outside. Someone was tapping the shutter violently. Arthur guessed it must be his father or his brothers since he was eager to come last night. He quickly stood up, stretched his body, and walked towards the door. Bathory stood holding two pristine swords in its hand.

He gave a slight nod towards it. Before he could reach the shutter, the knock came again. However, the knock was violent. Arthur immediately felt something was amiss.

"Who is knocking?" Arthur called out. He doubted someone was standing outside; maybe a stranger got disturbed by the whole night's hammer noise. Arthur waited for an answer. After confirming it was not his family members, Arthur immediately walked back. He picked up the sword that lay on the tattered table, giving it to Coburn. With that, he dismissed both the skeletons. Stepping into the diagram, both of the skeletons disappeared.

If the neighbors were here to complain and saw a skeleton standing inside, they would definitely be horrified. So, he dismissed them first. Once everything settled, he went to the door and unlocked the latch. He pushed up the shutter, and instantly, his eyes laid on a pristine car standing in front of the shop. Two formally dressed men stood near the shutter, their faces full of grim. They must have been knocking on the door for a long time.

Near the car stood a man who looked to be in his late twenties, checking his digital pad.

"How can I help you?" Arthur asked. He was confused by this suit of people, but somehow, he was not surprised as much as he expected. Since he knew the circumstances at the Industrial Regulation Head office, he knew people would definitely visit his shop. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"We are from the [Industrial Regulation Inspection Squad]. We received an intel that there is an illegal business running in this location. We are here to check that," the person who knocked on the shutter spoke first.

"Are you the owner of this place?" the other man asked as he stepped into the shop.

"I am the owner of this place. I am renting it," Arthur answered as he stepped aside. He did not stop him from entering. The two people entered the shop, starting to check all the tools and the room without missing anything. Arthur was glad he had dismissed the skeletons with the forged swords. Otherwise, these people would definitely confiscate them.

"It seems blacksmith activity happened recently. Did you forge something?" one of the men asked, walking out of the shop after checking the furnace and tools.

"Yes, I forged," Arthur said without any lie. He did not want to lie and get stranded in something he was unaware of. Keeping to the truth would be safe for now. Even if the situation escalated, he might have to contact Mawman's old man.

"Where is the forged item?" the man asked again.

"Sorry, I am not sure what the purpose of your visit is. Could you explain that so I could cooperate with you more thoroughly?" Arthur was not ready to show the sword yet. That was only if the situation forced him.

"Show me your License to run the workshop." A voice came from the car. It was the man who was standing and checking his digital pad. Arthur entered the shop. He took out the Branch License from the bag and walked back outside. Last night, once he showed it to his father, he took it with him. It would definitely help him, since he planned to avoid visiting his house. He handed it over to the guy who was standing at the car. He took the document and read through it slowly.

Arthur closely noticed his face to see if he was showing any reaction. He did not show any. He simply read and finished.

"How many employees are currently working in your workshop?" the man asked.

"Currently none," Arthur said, since he did not hire anyone yet.

"You need to get a License to hire any employee," the man said as he handed over the License document.

"Thanks for the information," Arthur said as he took the document. Hearing about another license, Arthur was shocked to the core. How many licenses did he have to get? However, he did not care for that license, since he was not planning to hire anyone. With that, the man stepped into the car. The other two men followed suit, and the car went away quickly from the street. Arthur stood there for a long time, thinking about the visit of the people. They were sure fast to check the legitimacy.

Is it that strict to issue a license? Arthur wondered. However, in his heart, he felt something else was the reason for these people's visit this early in the morning, on the same day he got the contract from Mawman Corporation. With that thought in his mind, Arthur stepped into the shop and closed the shutter. Currently, his goal was to showcase the three sample swords to the old man, and he intended to do that. He might have to buy a few other materials to forge other swords as well.

He could see how those two swords come out with the appraisal amount, which he was very eager about.