Fein sat cross-legged on the grass outside his home, deep in thought. His mind was consumed with the principles of blacksmithing he had learned over the past few weeks. He had always been fascinated by the craft, but he never had the chance to pursue it until now. His sister Fey walked up to him, carrying a tray of freshly baked bread.
"You're awfully quiet today, Fein," she remarked as she handed him a piece of bread.
Fein took the bread and took a small bite before replying, "Just thinking about blacksmithing. There's so much to learn."
Fey nodded in understanding. "It's a complex craft, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Have you made anything yet?"
Fein shook his head. "Not yet. I want to make sure I understand the principles behind it first."
As they talked, Voli, Fein's golden bear tamed beast, approached them. He nuzzled his head against Fein's shoulder, causing him to smile.
"You know, Voli," Fein said as he scratched the bear's head, "blacksmithing is all about manipulating metal. You can use heat and force to shape it into anything you want."
"Master, isn't that a waste of time?"
"No... I'll let you see how overgeared a blacksmith can be in the future." Fein grinned.
Suddenly, he stood up and headed to his makeshift workshop. Brick Norty, Fein's scientist partner, had set up a small forge and anvil for him to use. Fein spent hours working the bellows, heating the metal until it glowed red-hot. He carefully pounded the metal into shape with his hammer, using precise and controlled movements.
As the sun began to set, Fein stepped back to admire his work. He had created a simple but sturdy horseshoe. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. He felt a sense of accomplishment, knowing that he had applied the principles he had learned.
Fein took off his leather apron and hung it up before stretching his arms. He was tired, but satisfied. As he walked back to his home, he couldn't help but think about the science behind blacksmithing.
"Metal is amazing," he mused to himself. "It's malleable yet strong. With heat and force, it can be shaped into anything. It's like manipulating the elements themselves."
...
Fein had spent the past months ensuring the safety of the refugees in the South with his Shadow Lords and soldiers. As the region began to recover and people started to rebuild their lives, Fein found himself seeking new knowledge.
Fein was sitting in his private study, surrounded by books on various topics. He had spent countless hours pouring over them, searching for something that would pique his interest. Finally, he came across a book on blacksmithing. The cover was tattered and worn, but the pages inside were full of knowledge that he had never seen before.
He began to read the book, fascinated by the descriptions of metalworking techniques and the intricate designs that could be created. As he read, he imagined what he could create with his own hands. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door.
"Come in," he said, and one of his Shadow Lords entered the room.
"My Lord, I bring news from the North. The refugees have made great progress in their efforts to rebuild their homes and lives. The Shadow Emperors have been helping them in any way they can."
Fein nodded, pleased to hear the good news. "And what of the East?"
"The people there are also making progress, my Lord. They are working hard to rebuild their cities and towns."
Fein smiled, glad that his efforts to protect the refugees were paying off. He turned his attention back to the book on blacksmithing, eager to learn more.
Days turned into weeks, and Fein became completely absorbed in his studies. He spent hours each day practicing his new skills, hammering away at the forge with the help of his S-rank talent. He had never felt so alive, so fulfilled.
...
As he sat in his workshop, he looked at the tools and materials he had gathered, contemplating his next move. "Alright, let's see... I need to heat up the metal first," he muttered to himself, picking up a piece of iron from his workbench. "But I can't just stick it in the fire and hope for the best. There's a whole process to this."
Fein's mind raced with technical details about the process of blacksmithing. "I need to control the temperature of the fire carefully," he thought to himself. "If it's too hot, the metal will become brittle and weak. If it's too cold, it won't be malleable enough to shape."
He stoked the fire in his forge, feeding it bits of coal to raise the temperature. As he waited for the flames to reach the desired heat, he continued his internal monologue. "Once the metal is heated, I need to get it out of the fire quickly and work on it before it cools down too much. That's called 'striking while the iron is hot.'"
Fein took the glowing piece of iron out of the fire with a pair of tongs and placed it on his anvil. He picked up his hammer and began to pound on the metal, shaping it into a long, thin rod. "This is the tricky part," he said to himself. "I need to strike the metal in just the right spots, at just the right angles, to get the shape I want."
He continued to work the metal, shaping it into a blade. "Now comes the hardening and tempering," he said, taking the blade and plunging it into a container of water. "This cools the metal quickly and hardens it, but it also makes it brittle. So, I need to temper it by heating it up again to a specific temperature and then letting it cool slowly. That will make it stronger and more flexible."
Fein continued to work on his blade, going through each step of the process with care and precision. He was so focused that he didn't notice the passing of time until Voli, his golden bear, walked into the workshop.
"Hey, Fein. What are you making?" Voli asked, peering over his shoulder.
Fein looked up and smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow. "A sword," he said, holding up the finished blade. "I'm still learning, but I think it turned out pretty well."
Voli examined the blade, nodding in approval. "Not bad for a beginner," he said. "You'll have to show me how to make one sometime."
Fein chuckled. "Sure thing. But first, let me finish a few more practice pieces."
Fein emerged from his study with a gleaming sword in his hand. The blade was unlike any generic sword, with intricate patterns etched into the metal. Fein held the sword up to the light, admiring the way it glinted in the sunlight.
"Well, this is my second creation, and it already reached the quality of D-rank artifact. Not bad..." Fein stored the sword in his storage space. 'This is my first step of my path to Godsmith and become overgeared!'
This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om