Chapter 561: Chapter 284: Silver Ingots, Longsword, and Wooden Staff
This is the difference between a medieval fantasy world and a modern technological society.
There are no factories, machine tools, or assembly lines. No matter how skilled or at what level of forging master one is, the blacksmith must personally hammer each object on the anvil to make it, resulting in extremely limited production capacity.
Even for batch-produced standard equipment with fixed procedures, the forging speed can’t be considered fast, and shortages are more frequent.
Once an order deviates from the template, requiring custom crafting or even innovative design, the blacksmith must invest considerable personal time.
In myths and legends, master dwarf blacksmiths may spend years by the furnace for a divine artifact.
Barn’s skills certainly aren’t on that level, and River Valley Town’s nature made him accustomed to time allocation—mornings reserved for custom crafting and afternoons and evenings for forging ordinary equipment.
Even so, the limited manpower and energy combined with the relatively booming business keep him busy throughout the year, without much time for rest or family.
"Take me to see it."
Nodding in understanding, Xia Nan followed Barn back to the front room of the blacksmith shop.
Sure enough.
Just as Barn said, the quality of the Plate Chain Composite Armor on the shelf was half a step lower than the previous batch forged with Maran Pattern Steel.
Though both were "White (ordinary)" level, the attribute panel lacked entries like "+5% Flame Resistance" or "+3% Chopping Damage Resistance."
Just ordinary equipment.
Of course, compared to the commonly seen chain armor and scale armor among adventurers, its defensive performance was much stronger.
Without the extra material cost of Maran Pattern Steel, the price significantly dropped.
A brand-new set "only" required 198 gold, almost half of the original.
Only as a temporary measure, finding no other suitable options in the shop, Xia Nan tried it on, found it fitting, and possessing substantial financial power, didn’t take it off, decisively buying it.
Its appearance was roughly the same as before, with the chest, back, and both shoulders covered with a thick, sturdy iron plate, connected at the edges with rivets and iron clasps, while metal rings filled in the remaining gaps.
The color was slightly different, cooler and brighter, revealing its metallic sheen.
Possibly feeling guilty for not properly attending to an old customer like Xia Nan, Barn gifted a few sets of maintenance tools (though they might not be needed).
He also helped carefully inspect the armor’s details for flaws or omissions.
"If there’s a chance in the future, I suggest you customize a set of enchanted armor. Then you wouldn’t have to replace it every so often like now, saving quite a bit of money."
"But the material cost might be higher, as you know, armor is the largest piece of equipment in terms of area."
Xia Nan neither affirmed nor denied this suggestion, rather took the opportunity to shift the topic to another purpose for visiting the blacksmith shop.
He took out a silver ingot from his backpack, its surface reflecting a molten sheen and emitting a scorching heat, handing it to Barn.
"Speaking of materials, I happened to pick up a piece during this task. I’m not very knowledgeable in this area; take a look?"
Coming from Knight Captain Terry William of the Count of Glue Tree’s subordinate, formed after being washed by the Flame Crystal of the Ashen Staff, the [Melted Ash Silver Ingot], although it could display an attribute panel, contained little useful information except its potential use as forging material.
Xia Nan intended for professionals to identify its potential usage.
From the moment Xia Nan retrieved the silver ingot, Barn’s full attention focused on it.
Carefully receiving it with hands full of calluses, the blacksmith uncaring of the scorching surface, observed meticulously with a highly professional and serious manner.
"Is this Volcanic Red Copper? The color doesn’t quite match..."
"Perhaps mutated hot iron from Flame Vein Ore? No, the temperature couldn’t be this high, nor is there any special pattern on the surface."
"So..."
Recalling all known ores, affirming the ingot wasn’t any of them, Barn showed a contemplative, serious, and solemn expression, sincerely and frankly answering:
"I’ve never seen metal like this before. If you want to use it for forging, I might need a few days to determine its characteristics."
This reflects his professional craftsmanship as a blacksmith.
With unfamiliar materials, determining their characteristics before any operation is crucial.
Safety aspects: whether it releases toxic gases at high temperatures, is flammable or explosive, or produces harmful substances;
Forging aspects: the suitable temperature range for shaping, known as the "forging window," suitable heat treatment techniques, processing difficulty, and appropriate forging type...
Most of these can’t be assured solely based on so-called "experience."
Fortunately, "Rock Hammer" Barn possessed special techniques inherited from the Dwarf Clan, allowing detailed testing while maintaining material integrity.
But...
He glanced at Xia Nan’s Plate Chain Composite Armor, weighing the silver ingot in his hand:
"If you want it as the main material for armor, it might not be sufficient in quantity; if just an auxiliary component, we’d still need to consider..."
"No." Xia Nan interrupted, pulling out the Beheading Longsword with his right hand.
He pointed to the blade’s surface, where pits and holes formed from the corrosion of Snake Head Corpse Poison.
"I was thinking if we could use this silver ingot to repair my long sword."
Barn’s initial reaction was one of undisguised surprise.
He certainly recognized the unique iron-gray Beheading Longsword.
It should have been produced last year by the blacksmith shop, crafted with "Gray Steel" newly mined from Flame Cast Peak.
He remembered clearly that the sword had become a "defective product" due to his own oversight during forging, initially planned to be remelted and reforged.
Yet it was bought by Xia Nan, who had arrived in River Valley Town not long before.
Now, more than a year later, seeing his continued use until its recent deterioration was somewhat surprising given Xia Nan’s notorious armor replacement rate.
After the surprise, Barn’s expression turned serious again, contemplating the feasibility of the solution.
"If it’s just repair, the silver ingot’s quantity should be adequate."
"Concerning material compatibility, the silver ingot and the long sword’s ’Gray Steel’ should align towards the Fire Element, not causing major conflicts. Still, the details require further study."
Saying so, his brows furrowed deeper, examining the pitted surface of the Beheading Longsword.
"I won’t ask what enemy you faced, but the holes are exceedingly dense, some nearly piercing through."
"A simple repair wouldn’t just waste material; the sword’s toughness might also be compromised."
"Perhaps you could consider retaining the original materials while engaging in some level of recasting."
"But this way, the sword’s overall structure would inevitably change, with increased costs, perhaps requiring additional materials."
"Sure!" Xia Nan agreed decisively without hesitation.
The bond and emotional connection he had formed with the Beheading Longsword over hundreds of days was incomparable to anyone else in this world.
If given a chance to renew its life and accompany him in a different form, Xia Nan wouldn’t miss it.
Sensing the black-haired youth’s emphasis, Barn nodded heavily, carefully storing away the silver ingot and Beheading Longsword.
"Three days, give me three days first to test the metal ingot’s properties."
"If all’s fine, we’ll discuss the refurbishment plan for the Beheading Longsword."
As a professional’s primary weapon, Xia Nan had to deeply participate in the entire forging process to ensure no unnecessary omissions caused by communication issues.
It seemed he remembered something else, retrieving a gray-black wooden piece, arm-length, from his backpack.
——The remaining staff body from the [Ember Teaching Staff], after crushing the Flame Crystal at the top.
"This was found together with the silver ingot." Slightly omitting key details that might expose his secrets, Xia Nan supplemented, "Perhaps it might aid forging; you could try examining it together."
"Alright." Barn nodded, taking the wooden staff and placing it under the counter together.