Chapter 368: Chapter 267 - Our Blacksmith
As the summer season was approaching, the idle folks in the small town found themselves with plenty of free time. They would gather in groups and chit-chat about inconsequential topics that those in high society would barely spare a thought for. The significantly large Bajie, landed near the town. Though the giant flying dragon did not intentionally cause havoc, the not-so-large town was instantly buzzing with chatter. Then, suddenly, someone cried out.
"It’s a Black Dragon!"
In an instant, the town’s alarm bell rang. However, there was no pandemonium, people hid women and children inside their homes, fetched whatever they could use as weapons from their homes, and lined up in the streets prepared to take on the enemy.
Meanwhile, Long Yi, boasting about himself, was walking toward the small town with Ai Lin, "Look, I’m so popular. They are ringing the bell to welcome me. I’m telling you, this is not bragging, in this small town, I, Long Yi, am somewhat of a VIP. Name a kid in this town who I haven’t fought with!"
Just then, they saw a horde of people rushing towards them from afar.
"Halt! Minions of the Black Dragon Empire! This is the territory of the glorious White Dragon Empire! If you dare move an inch further, I’ll make sure you’re buried here!"
A young man, who looked around seventeen or eighteen, screamed from afar. Next to him stood a group of young men of around the same age, all brimming with fervor.
"Exactly! You dimwit probably have no idea, this town is where Long Yi was born! If you’re scared, you better scram!"
These young men immediately started hooting and shouting.
Long Yi was still bragging about how he had thrashed those kids when suddenly this man appeared, making his face go dark. From afar, when Long Yi recognised the young man who was shouting, he broke into a laugh.
"Little Loach, it’s been just a year, and you’ve grown some guts, haven’t you?" Long Yi yelled from afar.
"Damn it! That voice! That size! Everyone, run! Long Yi is back!" The youth known as Little Loach turned around and fled.
"Trying to run?"
Laughing uproariously, Long Yi charged forward, and catching up within a few strides, he grabbed the collar of Little Loach’s shirt, picking him up.
"So, Little Loach, seeing your Brother Long return, and you run off?" asked Long Yi while laughing, bringing Little Loach near his own face.
"Heh...hehehe, Brother Long, I was just so excited that I rushed home to tell my parents to prepare some food for you! It’s been a while since you had my mom’s baked cookies, remember the taste?"
Little Loach said, grinning cheerfully.
"I do remember!" Long Yi also chuckled, "Not only do I remember your mom’s cookies, I fondly remember the feeling of beating you up too!" Saying that, Long Yi lifted his hand.
"Ahh!"
Little Loach shrieked, it was a chilling cry.
"Hey, I haven’t even touched you yet, why the hell are you screaming?" Long Yi, laughing, shook his still-raised hand.
"Hehe, it’s a habit, warming up my vocal cords in advance, so I don’t strain my voice later," Little Loach replied, grinning foolishly.
At this moment, Ai Lin slowly walked over. Initially, when she was farther away, no one noticed her. Upon closer look, she was clearly a Fairy Dragon!
At first, after everyone discovered that the newcomer was Long Yi, their faces were filled with laughter. When Ai Lin appeared, the people’s expressions shifted more towards respect. The townsfolk had always been interested in Long Yi, and by extension, knew about Ai Lin. Hailing from a prominent family and a Fairy Dragon at that, there was a certain distance they maintained from her.
"The beautiful and noble Miss Ailin, please save me! Brother Long is going to murder me!" Little Loach, seeing his savior, shouted to Ai Lin for help.
"If I save you, what’s in it for me?" Ai Lin laughed.
"I’m Brother Long’s best friend! We grew up together! I can tell you all about Brother Long’s life, both past and present!" Little Loach quickly grasped Ai Lin’s specialty.
"Alright!" Ai Lin readily accepted without hesitation.
Ai Lin walked towards Long Yi without hesitation, her large round eyes looking longingly at him. Unable to withstand her gaze, Long Yi dropped Little Loach.
"Haha! Thanks, Sister-in-law!" Little Loach immediately followed suit with flattery!
"Sister-in-law!" Little Loach’s statement made Ai Lin blush. She stole a glance at Long Yi, but instead of rebuffing, he chuckled, making Ai Lin’s heart flutter.
Long Yi is back!
This news spread rapidly throughout the small town.
In this small town, Long Yi was a household name. His name was often associated with two things.
The best blacksmith in town and the Empire’s savior.
Long Yi inherited the blacksmith shop at a young age. Relying on his innate divine strength and modern smelting knowledge, Long Yi’s iron products were even popular beyond the town. At that time, no one could have guessed that this blacksmith would one day become a Flying Dragon Knight.
Long Yi had a Black Ground Dragon since he was very young, every townsfolk knew that. Using his divine power and fighting Aura, Long Yi had fought every child his age in the town, even some irritable parents were thrashed by him. However, that he would become the Empire’s most famous Dragon Knight was something that the townsfolk found unbelievable.
From the day Long Yi started school, all sorts of news kept trickling back to the small town. Stories about him beating up the emperor’s third son, about his rapid advancement, about how he represented the White Dragon Empire in the seven nations competition, and even about him ending a war.
Especially when they heard that Long Yi had actually helped the White Dragon Empire achieve a comeback victory, driving the Black Dragon Empire back home, the whole town was ecstatic, as if it was a new year celebration.
"Our Long Yi!"
That was the common phrase by the town’s elders.
"Our Brother Long!"
These, on the other hand, were the usual terms from the children who used to get beaten up by him.
Regardless of the past or the present, Long Yi’s reputation in the town has never diminished. Every single person knew what happened to him over the past year.
Surrounded by the crowd, Long Yi unlocked the heavy doors of the smithy. As the wooden door opened, the unmistakable aromas of rust and coal smoke wafted over. Although no one had been living there for over a year, because it had remained undisturbed, the odors had not dissipated.
"There are five rooms in total. The one on the left is my parents’ room, the one in the middle is mine, on the right is the kitchen. This one is the living room, and that biggest one over there is the room where the forge is," Long Yi explained to Ai Lin.
Ai Lin was looking around the room curiously, finding everything completely new and fresh.
Long Yi arrived at the forge, where all the tools were still arranged in their original places, still half-filled with charcoal in the forge. Though occasionally Long Yi would have Bajie add heat to the forge, most of the time, charcoal was a blacksmith’s ideal tool for heating. Of course, with the help of Dragon Breath, the iron wares that Long Yi created were far more durable than others crafted by ordinary blacksmiths.
Familiar feelings surged as Long Yi picked up the heavy hammer, its handle marked with a series of grooves worn in by his fingers over many years of use.
This hammer was his creation when he was a child; all black, with some rust spotting the smooth hammerface, aged from years of use.
"Shall I make something for you?" Long Yi asked Ai Lin.
"Yes!" Ai Lin responded, her eyes full of anticipation. The room was packed with steel, and as a Magic Fighter, Ai Lin couldn’t use much of what Long Yi could create. But that didn’t stop her from looking forward to what he would make because, after all, it would be something made by Long Yi!
Bajie scurried over to tend to the fire - he was thoroughly practiced at that task.
Long Yi carefully selected some raw materials from the piles in the room, then opened a cabinet at the back, neatly filled with stacks of steel plates.
These were all pieces Long Yi had originally used to test out a series of machines. Each gleaming steel plate contained different added materials.
After some careful selection, Long Yi selected two different types of steel plates. He meticulously sawed each into eight pieces, stacking them together.
"Bajie, let’s get some molten iron," Long Yi said.
As Bajie sprayed the molten iron, Long Yi immediately used it to join the edges of the steel plates together, also attaching a steel bar.
The furnace began to heat up as Long Yi rhythmically pumped the bellow, slowly turning the iron to crimson, then a bright white.
Long Yi immediately pulled the glowing iron from the forge and placed it on the anvil, hoisting the hammer high in one hand. He repeatedly struck the heated iron, folding it over and hammering it until it eventually took the shape of a square rod.
The rod, now a dark red, was carefully shaped and reinserted into the furnace by Long Yi, concealed within the white-hot charcoal. In no time at all, the rod was white-hot again. Long Yi fixed one end, then forcefully twisted the other end of the square rod into a spiral. After a few moments to adjust the position, he began hammering the spiral flat, further refining the shape. Gradually, a short, curved knife emerged.
Still, the knife was pitch black.
With a hiss!
The curved knife emitted sparks as it was quenched in the hot water.
By this time, quite a few people had gathered around the forge, apart from Ai Lin. The townsfolk were neighbors of Long Yi, and most of the ironware in their homes were made by him. When they had nothing else to do, they would come to watch him work at the smithy. Although Long Yi was young, he had a knack for crafting not only durable but also uniquely ornate iron pieces.
He was used to the stares, in fact, he even enjoyed them.
He was never shy of an audience!
In the corner, Long Yi had his own modified grinding wheel machine which used foot power to rotate an enormous wheel. Seated before the machine, he used it to remove all of the black fire scale of the blade, revealing the underlying silver structure. Then he swapped to a finer grinding wheel, then a hardwood wheel, and finally, a heavy cloth wheel to polish it.
With his powerful tools and surprising strength, Long Yi was quick. The rough, ugly curved knife was now shining silver.
After careful inspection, he took one more look, picked up a barrel filled with water.
"Bajie, add some corrosive Dragon Breath," Long Yi commanded.
Bajie hastily came over and sprayed the black Dragon Breath into the water. The surface of the water immediately turned black. Long Yi tested the corrosiveness with a rod of iron, waited a moment, and then plunged the gleaming curved knife into it. (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please consider giving a vote of recommendation or a monthly ticket at qidian.com. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
