Andera looked at the sword he was holding over and over again. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the thin sword out of the Warrior's Greatsword.
The thin softsword Lin Feng made was as shiny as it was before. Andera tested it with his hand, but when the blade touched his palm, it was as soft and supple as before. It was hard to imagine that it could pierce through the Grade-2 Warrior's Greatsword so easily.
"..."
After a long time, Andera opened his mouth and said,
"You… Exactly what grade are you as a blacksmith?
"This rapier is far beyond a regular Grade-2 weapon. A Grade-3… No, even a Grade-4 blacksmith couldn't possibly make something like this!"
Lin Feng shook his head.
"Master Andera, you put too much importance in these blacksmith grades.
"Our grade isn't everything. A high-grade blacksmith could lose focus when forging, only to fail in making a low-grade weapon. If a low-grade blacksmith has a will of steel, it's not impossible for them to create something that can match up to the work of their higher-rank counterparts."
After Lin Feng's statement, Andera frowned and mused over it for a long time. After a pause, he put the rapier down and averted his gaze from Lin Feng's, saying,
"I…
"I have a request to ask of you!"
Lin Feng blinked and then pulled up a chair, taking a seat in front of Andera.
"Go ahead, ask away."
Andera took a deep breath and then gradually closed his eyes, saying,
"I understand what you're saying, but my earlier beliefs are too deeply entrenched.
"If I can get the blue crystal ore now, I'll be able to create a Grade-4 weapon according to a weapon blueprint I've been designing for many years now.
"If I could use this chance to rise to Grade-4, I would like another match with you, as a Grade-4 blacksmith."
Andera's words were actually a bit of a challenge to Lin Feng.
If Lin Feng did not give him the blue crystal, that meant Lin Feng was not letting him break through to Grade-4, as though Lin Feng was afraid to take up his suggestion of another match.
As a result, Lin Feng frowned. After so many decades of experience, he could naturally see through Andera's little tricks.
If Andera had asked him sincerely, it was not as though there was no chance of Lin Feng giving him the ore.
However, Andera's little verbal taunt left Lin Feng feeling rather discomfited.
He met Andera's passionate gaze for a while, but eventually he shook his head.
Andera opened his mouth to say something, but Lin Feng spoke first.
"If all you want is to reach Grade-4, you don't necessarily need the blue crystal. Since you already have a blueprint, you could show it to me. I might be able to help you modify it.
"If we could change the blue crystal ore needed in the blueprint to something else similar, you might be able to forge it with some other material."
Lin Feng's suggestion gave Andera a new line of thought. He did not hesitate for long before taking out his blueprint.
Such blueprints were often the products of the blacksmiths' long years of hard work and effort.
As a result, they were usually top-secret and could not even be shared between friends or family.
Now, though, Andera just handed it over to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was quite surprised too.
He soon understood, though.
This proved that Andera knew Lin Feng's skills were far superior to his own. If he could really give Andera some advice, that advice itself would probably be worth more than the blueprint.
Lin Feng immediately took the blueprint and unfurled it, looking at it. His gaze focused, he ran his fingers across the paper. Not long later, he gave a soft sigh and placed the blueprint down in front of Andera.
Lin Feng had to admit that he was surprised a Grade-3 blacksmith like Andera could design such an intricate Magical Sword.
The blueprint's structure was almost flawless. He even wrote down the traits for each ore, how to temper them, and how many times to strike them.
Any other Grade-3 or even Grade-4 blacksmith would not be able to find a flaw in it.
However, Lin Feng had God-level forging.
He pointed at the notation that said 'blue crystal', adding,
"Master Andera, you wanted to embed a blue crystal onto your Magical Sword because you wanted to make use of the crystal's high magical potential, right?
"However, you don't need a blue crystal to achieve that effect."
Lin Feng then listed out several other Grade-1 and Grade-2 ores that could hold as much magical power as a blue crystal, before pointing out every area of possible improvement that he could find on the blueprint.
After a moment, Andera's expression had turned to one of ecstasy.
He suddenly threw the blueprint aside and grabbed Lin Feng's hands.
"Master Lin Feng! All my life, I never acknowledged anyone as my superior, but your advice today has truly opened my eyes!"
He then turned around and glanced at the cooling forging table, continuing,
"I have another small request…
"Could I forge the Grade-4 Magical Sword you personally modified right here?"
Lin Feng's changes to the blueprint meant that he had simplified everything aside from a few rarer materials. Andera looked around and actually managed to find everything he needed here in the smithy.
Lin Feng paused. He wanted to get to forging his blue crystal sword, but since Andera asked, he could not refuse for no reason.
When Lin Feng nodded, Andera's joy deepened further.
He immediately began working the forge blower. When he saw the flames in the forge rise, he wasted no time, pouring an ore into the forge.
Lin Feng stood next to him quietly, sometimes handing Andera more ore or helping him with the blower.
Both smiths were over half a decade old, but the atmosphere in the smithy was light and joyful now.
Perhaps they were communicating wordlessly in a way only fellow blacksmiths could.
The next day, when Brent walked through the door with a yawn, he was stunned to see that neither of the men had slept all night.
Lin Feng and Andera were both silently looking at a longsword lying before them, having just only cooled down but already glowing with a faint light. Both of their faces were filled with unbridled glee.
Grade-4!
This was a Grade-4 weapon, through and through!
Brent stared at the longsword the two old men were now holding as it glistened in the sunlight. The boy's mouth fell wide open.