“The [Fake Forging Technique] originated from a low, lazy, and slimy blacksmith apprentice.” Lucas said as a disdainful look appeared on his face. “He wasn’t able to become a true blacksmith, so he created that technique to make money. All the [Refined Iron] that was forged using this method looked like they were high level materials, but the weapons and armor that were made from these [Refined Irons] were not firm at all. Many great warriors died on the battlefield because they used these low-quality items.”
Wildfred frowned, and the [Level 5 Refined Iron] in Lucas’ hand looked more suspicious to him. If this [Refined Iron] was made by elder blacksmiths who had a ton of experience, then he wouldn’t doubt the quality of it. But since it was made by a young student from Oakland Academy, he was very suspicious of it.
All of the people from the Fire Adventure Team were somewhat unsettled by what Lucas said. If wasn’t because they were dumb and couldn’t tell a high level [Refined Iron] from a low level one; it was just that Qian Jin’s age made them uncertain. Even if he was a student of a Forging Master, he should have been living with the Forging Master to learn new skills. Even if he wanted to attend a warrior academy, he shouldn’t have been attending such a low tier academy like Oakland Academy.
Lucas felt he was very close to succeeding. From Qian Jin’s age to the academy he was attending, Lucas could tell that although Qian Jin had a lot of talent, he didn’t have a great teacher to teach him.
“Any blacksmith that learns the [Fake Forging Technique] is scum in our industry!” Lucas said with a disgusted expression on his face. “It doesn’t matter what the truth is; I have to turn things around. After this, I can either hire someone to kill him or kick him out of the city; I shouldn’t allow him to stay in Oakland anymore. The number one blacksmith shop in Oakland should only be Lucas’ Blacksmith Shop!” Lucas thought to himself.
“The [Refined Iron] produced by the [Fake Forging Technique] are usually not even a [Level 1 Refined Iron]. But from the appearance, it can look like [Level 3] or even [Level 9 Refined Iron].” Lucas weighed the [Level 5 Refined Iron] in his hand as he said, “Like this [Level 1 Refined Iron], only experienced blacksmiths can tell the difference. Some Level 1 Blacksmiths can only forge [Level 1 Refined Iron]. Do you guys think that they can identify and tell the difference between [Level 1 Refined Iron] and higher level [Refined Iron]?”
Franklin held onto his fists tightly, and his body shivered as he became really angry. When faced with a Level 2 Blacksmith, he couldn’t get much credibility. After all, he was only a Level 1 Blacksmith.
Qian Jin laughed as he watched Lucas’ ‘performance’. Dirty bastards like Lucas were everywhere! It didn’t matter if it was in the powerful Qian Family or in the blacksmithing industry at Oakland! “Are you so sure that I am so exhausted that I can't forge out enough [Refined Irons] in a short time to make it into a blade? If this is the case, I will forge out enough [Refined Iron] and let Franklin forge them into a blade. I will use this blade to cut through the weapon that your [Level 2 Refined Irons] make and show the crowd who is the real clown here!” Qian Jin thought.
No matter what the industry was, strength and power equaled credibility and authority! A victory smile already appeared on Lucas’ face. “I was almost fooled by this [Refined Iron], and thought it was really a [Level 5 Refined Iron]...” he announced to the crowd again.
“[Level 5 Refined Iron]? Let me see…”
A deep voice suddenly sounded at the entrance of the workshop from the front store. Lucas’ yellow mustache twitched as he thought, “Who dares to challenge me, the number one blacksmith in the city?”
As soon as Lucas saw the mid-aged man who voiced his question, the joy and pride immediately froze on his face, and his right hand that was holding onto the [Refined Iron] trembled.
Qian Jin stared at the man and didn’t know who he was. The man was wearing a light green robe. He had short dark blue hair and a pair of ocean-like blue eyes. His facial features were distinct, yet handsome. “Who is he? Why did Lucas react so violently after seeing him? It looks like I don't have to teach Lucas a lesson myself.”
“Fa… Fa…” Franklin stuttered as he looked up at the man who walked in. “Fabreidis…”
Qian Jin saw that most of the crowd didn’t know what was going on as well when the man named Fabreidis walked. It looked like everyone except for Franklin and Lucas didn’t know the man’s identity.
“Wh… what brings you here today?” Franklin walked up to the man with a big smile on his face as he greeted. He also turned around and stared at Lucas gloatingly. Lucas on the other hand looked depressed, and even a little desperate.
Although Qian Jin and other people had never heard of the name Fabreidis, Lucas and Franklin knew who he was. He was the number one warrior in Oakland!
The only people who heard of his name were the top people in every industry in Oakland. They were the only ones who were qualified to know of the existence of this warrior.
At first, both Lucas and Franklin didn’t qualify to know who Fabreidis was, but since Fabreidis was a warrior and had some passion towards weapons and armor, they were both introduced to Fabreidis by the mayor of Oakland. He was the number one warrior of Oakland and had anenormous amount of warrior energy. On top of being a great warrior, Fabreidis was also a Level 4 Blacksmith.
“Eh…” Lucas gripped onto the [Refined Iron] in his hand tightly. He was like a shy girl who saw her crush; he didn’t move his feet at all as he didn’t know what to do. However, under the stare of Fabreidis, he had to walk up to him and pass the [Refined Iron] to Fabreidis.
Lucas had no choice. Most blacksmiths had a high status, even if they were in front of powerful warriors. Normally, warriors didn’t dare to offend a blacksmith, even if the blacksmith was only Level 1. The reason was that after a blacksmith apprentice advanced to a Level 1 Blacksmith, they would have a huge powerhouse backing them—the Blacksmith Union!
The Blacksmith Union included almost every blacksmith on the continent. They were not only in charge of running the advancement exam, but also for many other things, one of which was protecting all of its union members! If one of its members was bullied, then the whole union would come and seek justice for the member.
Powerful warriors could ignore Level 1 or 2 Blacksmiths, but they couldn’t ignore the huge Blacksmith Union that stood behind these blacksmiths unless these warriors weren’t planning to fight another battle in their lifetime.
Even the best weapon would experience regular wear and tear during battles, so warriors would need highly skilled blacksmiths to help with repairs. The higher quality and tier of the weapon, the higher the skill of blacksmiths were required.
Therefore, even the most powerful warriors would not offend a blacksmith.
“But this guy…” Lucas felt like he was having a headache. He heard from the mayor that this guy didn’t mind offending the Blacksmith Union; in fact, he heard that Fabreidis had some conflict with the Blacksmith Union. The mayor advised him not to mess with Fabreidis, since there was the possibility of Fabreidis drawing this weapon and killing him if Fabreidis became mad.