"Are you here to take the Blacksmith Exam, Young Master?" The girl at the counter of Blacksmith Association asked with a red hue on her face. Ezio wasn't anything like the boy who arrived in the capital three months ago. The clothes Buddhist Monks wore were all simple and crude, but as soon as Ezio earned some pocket money from his crafts, he purchased high-quality clothes. With his looks and strong body, he looked like a refined hunk.
"I sure am, sweetheart," Ezio said with a smile. The girl averted his gaze in embarrassment and passed out a token.
"The entrance fee is 100 gold, Young Master." The girl said. Ezio pulled out two pouches with 100 gold in one and 10 gold in the other and passed them to the girl.
"Buy yourself something nice with it." He said as he leaned on the desk, "Can you inform me about the exam?"
"Thank you, Young Master." The girl gulped as she saw the tip and looked around before leaning forward as well. "The Invigilator is Master Dong Dong. He is Rank III Blacksmith and the Vice-President of the Organization.
Whenever he is the invigilator, the passing rate drops to 10%. Please be careful, Young Master."
"I see. How is his relationship with Aodhfionn?" Ezio asked with a whisper.
"Master Dong Dong hates Master Aodhfionn!" The girl said in surprise. "I heard there was some sort of feud between them."
"That is not good." Ezio sighed, "Do I have to state my name or master for the exam?"
"No, but if the invigilator is impressed by you, he may ask you to be his disciple." The girl said with a wink.
"Hehe, thanks." Ezio blew a kiss and walked inside with the token. The interior was already filled with aspiring teens who had the confidence to carve their paths on the difficult road of smithing. There were some girls as well but mostly men chose this occupation because of the difficult working conditions. Ezio looked around and tried to gauge the level of people around him.
While he was wasting his time with that, three people were looking down from a balcony. All three pairs of eyes were locked on a blonde teen, sitting with his eyes closed.
"So that is the Blacksmith prodigy?" Dong Dong said with a curious gaze.
"Yes, Vice-President." The one on the right said. She was a slim woman with tanned skin. It was uncertain if the tan was natural or because of working with fire for long hours. Her brunette hair was cut short and her brown eyes were sharp. "There is a rumor that the King will give him Knighthood. If you can make him your disciple before that, it would be very helpful for our cause."
"Knighthood based on what, Rona?" The one on the left asked with a squint. He was a brawny man with a shaved head. His black eyes were looking at the woman in suspicion. "This Blacksmith prodigy has only one Signium and it is about forging."
"Ding Hai, although his Signium is helpful in forging, it is not only that." Rona smiled as she pointed at the teen. "After all, his first is from the 4th Curtain."
"4th Curtain?" Dong Dong asked with greed.
"Yes, Vice-President." Rona grinned as she answered.
"Good, good. I will test his abilities and depending on his talent, I will make him my disciple."
"Vice-President is wise."
Unaware of what was going on, Ezio was still looking around when three people walked in. He looked at the slim woman and started to check her clothes. Although she was wearing a robe to indicate she was the invigilator, Ezio could tell she had a nice body. He ignored the other two and started to follow her each step. And when all of them were in the center, she started to talk.
"Welcome, Young Blacksmiths. Since you are confident enough to take this exam, it means you completed your apprenticeship." She said as she flashed a blinding smile towards the younglings. Ignoring the blinded fools, she pointed at the old man in the center.
"Vice-President of the Blacksmith Association, Dong Dong himself will be the main invigilator and I, Rona Garden and my colleague Ding Hai will be helping him."
"Now, follow us to the forging room where you will be assessed." Ding Hei took the conversation and led the kids to the adjacent room.
Ezio walked with others and couldn't help but marvel when he first saw the room. It was enormous! There were hundreds of furnaces placed in certain intervals. Although they weren't far from each other, no two blacksmiths could disturb each other while working. There were also metals of all kinds lying all around the forges. Ezio could hardly keep his drool from dripping.
"Before we start, let us remind you that this room is just an illusion," Rona said with a mocking smile. "Forging is a serious occupation and one misstep can lead to an explosion of the furnace and the valuable materials would be lost. We cannot allow that."
"But don't be afraid. This illusion is as real as it can be. It was built by the Association and every means you have will be reflected in this reality." Deng Hai added with his arms around his chest.
"Now, pick a furnace and get used to the tools in the forge. We will start in 15 minutes."
Ezio started to walk with others and looked at the forges. All of them were the same so he just chose one and sat near the furnace. He looked at the Qi Stones and let a bit of his Force out. The stone responded immediately and flared before returning to its slumber.
"So real!" He muttered excitedly. Then he grabbed the tools one by one to test them. He tested the hammer even longer to make sure it was comfortable in his hand. After making sure it was all good, he placed them down and waited.
"It is time to start the test," Rona said as she raised one arm.