Arriving in front of the blacksmith shop, before even stepping inside, Cheng Xiao could already hear the rhythmic clanging from within.
"So, this is a blacksmith shop?" Xiao Wu curiously stared at the hammer sign hanging above the shop, her bright eyes gleaming with interest.
Cheng Xiao nodded lightly and led Xiao Wu straight inside.
The moment they entered, a wave of heat hit them. It was the high temperature from the blazing furnace used for forging.
"Kids, it's dangerous in here, stop right there!" Seeing the two children walk into the shop, a shirtless man who had been hammering a piece of iron quickly came over to them and asked, "Where are your parents? Didn't they tell you that blacksmith shops are dangerous?"
The shop was filled with metal tools and various items, not to mention the extremely hot forge. To prevent accidents caused by children being playful, blacksmiths typically didn't allow kids inside. Purchases were usually handled by adults.
"Hello, sir. I'd like to have two short swords forged. Is that possible?" Cheng Xiao asked.
"Short swords?" The man glanced at Xiao Wu, who stood beside Cheng Xiao a bit shyly, and laughed. "Forging isn't a problem, but you'll need an adult to come by with the design, materials, and specifications for the swords. They'll also need to pay for it."
Hearing that an adult was needed, Cheng Xiao frowned slightly and asked, "If I'm the only one here, is it still not possible?"
The man paused, then explained with a smile, "Not necessarily. You two look like students, right? Forging weapons is something better left to your parents."
"I understand, sir," Cheng Xiao said, pulling out a gold spirit coin and a spirit master badge from his pocket. "But I'm already a spirit master. I receive a monthly allowance of one gold spirit coin from the Spirit Hall. This badge can prove my identity."
"A spirit master? This young?" The man thought to himself, carefully taking the badge that Cheng Xiao had handed over.
The spirit master badge was a palm-sized metal piece, a unique material only Spirit Hall could use, and it served as the official proof of one's status as a spirit master.
The man examined the cool metal plate for a moment before handing it back to Cheng Xiao. As for the gold spirit coin, he kept it.
"Alright, kid, I'll take your job," the man agreed readily and then asked, "Do you have the design for the short swords and know what materials you'll need?"
"Different materials will cost more, but don't worry. Once the design is set, I'll finish it as quickly as possible."
Hearing this, Cheng Xiao felt a bit troubled. While he had a mental image of the short swords, he wasn't sure what materials would be best for forging them. After all, he wasn't familiar with that aspect—he only needed the short swords to complement his throwing skills.
Noticing Cheng Xiao's hesitation, the man smiled kindly and said, "Tell you what, kid. I'll hold off on taking your money for now. Once you've got the design and the materials sorted, come back. How does that sound?"
Cheng Xiao scratched the back of his head instinctively and replied, "No need, sir. Do you have any paper here?"
"Are you planning to design the swords right here?" the man asked, surprised.
"Yes. It's too much of a hassle to go back, and I already know what kind of swords I want. I can also ask you about the materials as I go," Cheng Xiao responded.
"Alright, I'll have one of the workers fetch some paper and a pen. You can wait here for a bit," the man nodded and sent one of his workers out to buy the supplies.
After a while, the worker returned with the paper and pen, and Cheng Xiao began drawing the short sword designs from memory.
Xiao Wu watched Cheng Xiao as he focused on drawing, her big eyes filled with curiosity. She hadn't expected that even though they were both working students, Cheng Xiao would be so outstanding. Even the way he concentrated on drawing was different from others.
...
Time passed, and Cheng Xiao's drawing speed increased as he became more immersed in the process. By the time he finished the final detail, the sky outside had already darkened. "Phew, finally done." Cheng Xiao let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.
"Let me take a look." The man took the design and was visibly impressed. "What a beautiful short sword design! But if we want to replicate it perfectly, it will take some time."
"That's fine. As long as you can make it," Cheng Xiao replied.
"Alright, we'll follow your design," the man said. "As for the materials, we'll use black iron. But using that will add some time to the process."
"No problem, sir. A good weapon takes time to forge," Cheng Xiao shook his head and asked, "How much will it cost?"
"For two short swords, I'll charge you five gold spirit coins each. How does that sound?" the man offered.
"Alright. I'll give you one coin now and the rest over the next nine months," Cheng Xiao said.
"Cheng Xiao, use my gold spirit coin too," Xiao Wu suddenly said. "I'm a spirit master now as well and can get an allowance of one coin each month. If I help you, we can pay it off in four months. Besides, I don't eat much, and my daily cleaning job covers my other expenses."
Cheng Xiao was momentarily stunned, touched by Xiao Wu's generosity, but he replied, "Alright, I'll consider it a loan."
With that, he handed another gold coin to the blacksmith.
After paying two gold coins, Cheng Xiao and Xiao Wu left the blacksmith shop, accompanied by the blacksmith. For some reason, perhaps because of Xiao Wu's presence, the man reduced the price from ten coins to nine before they left.
Cheng Xiao was puzzled, but the blacksmith refused to explain, simply muttering something about treating the girl well and how one gold coin wasn't a small amount.
Naturally, Cheng Xiao confirmed the delivery time with the blacksmith. The swords would take about a month to forge, as the design was complex and the use of expensive black iron made the task particularly challenging for them.
"Thank you, Xiao Wu."
Walking down the dimly lit street, Cheng Xiao hesitated before thanking the girl walking beside him with her hands behind her back.
"I helped you this much, and all I get is a thank you?" Xiao Wu's voice was filled with mock displeasure. Nuoding City was small, and now that it was night, the dim streetlights only made it darker.
Though Cheng Xiao couldn't see her expression clearly, he could sense the annoyance in her tone. He asked softly, "Then how do you want me to thank you? Should I treat you to something delicious?"
"Delicious food?" Xiao Wu perked up at the suggestion but quickly pouted at the thought of her lost gold coin. "One meal isn't enough."
"If one meal isn't enough, how about two?" Cheng Xiao chuckled.
"Just two?" Xiao Wu stopped in her tracks, her tone rising.
"Um… how about a month?" Cheng Xiao suggested after thinking for a moment.
"A month, huh? That's not too bad," Xiao Wu suddenly stepped closer to Cheng Xiao. In the dim light, she reached out and pinched his cheek, muttering, "What's this? How come your skin is better than mine, even though you're a boy?"
Hearing her mumbling and feeling her pinch his cheek, Cheng Xiao instinctively reached out and pinched Xiao Wu's cheek in return, mimicking her tone. "What's this? You're a girl, but your skin's worse than mine."
"Ah! Cheng Xiao, you're so mean! How dare you copy me!"