The next day.
The sun has risen, and everybody got up to their feet. This day is unusually so busy. There are people almost everywhere.
Levi was woken up by the noises outside. He stood up and stretched his muscles a little bit. Having his left arm severed, it wasn’t easy to adjust.
He got out of the house. He saw all people carrying things, doing chores, and cleaning kinds of stuff. But most notable of all was the noise in the training area. He turned his head to the location of the training area. There he saw elves and dwarves divided as to which weapon they use. On the side, they are swinging wooden swords. In another, they are thrusting their spears, and others are practicing their accuracy with a bow and arrow.
“I wonder what time is it now?” Levi said to himself. There is no clear and precise way of telling the time here, or at least he doesn’t see one.
As he pondered over something, Jeff and Garde were heading to him. They are tasked to take Levi on tour in the country of Natura7NaturaThe country which was founded by the Elven-Dwarves alliance..
“Valheimis9ValheimisIt is a form of greeting in the land of Ashenborn. It has multiple meanings depending on the context it was used. It can mean good morning, good afternoon, good evening, hi or hello., Mr. Levi!” Jeff greeted him.
“It’s you, Jeff and Garde. What’s our business today?” Levi asked.
“We are tasked by Master Jadis to tour you on Natura,” said Jeff
“You don’t need to,” Levi replied.
“Please let us. Master Jadis ordered us to do this,” said Garde.
Then they started walking. First, their party goes to the west side of Natura. This site is a commercial area. People buy and sell stuff—a massive market with vendors lining up both sides of the road. Fruits, vegetables, all kinds of meat, silk, weapons, and anything that can be essential and needed are mostly available here.
“This is a great opportunity to see the level of how advanced their technology is.” Levi talked to himself.
“Most things are made of wood. There is some made of iron. That sword is so crude, it’s full of impurities, looks like they don’t know how to remove them, they’ve just shaped it and sharpen.”
Seeing Levi staring at the sword, Garde asked him. “Do you want a sword? I can make one for you if you want.”
“Ah, N-no, I just looked at its quality.”
“Oh, they’re only medium grade. You know, it’s hard to make a high-grade sword.” Garde said.
“Why is that so? Because the metal is hard, it’s hard to beat it up. Plus, the equipment is expensive because they are difficult to make. An Iron hammer is worth 2 golds!”
“2 golds? Oh… 2 golds.” At first, Levi doesn’t know how the currency work here, then he remembered the former’s memories.
Currency is divided into 3. bronze, silver, and gold. 100 bronze coins are equal to 1 silver, and 10 silver is similar to 1 gold coin. Earning money here is a challenging task. If you work as an escort guard like Levi used to do, you will make 4 silver coins, which is somewhat higher pay than many jobs.
“I remember you are a famous smith and craftsman here. Do you have better equipment?” Levi asked Garde.
“I can do better than that sword. My works sold for a somehow higher price; that’s why I can save up.” Garde replied.
“May I go to your workshop?” Levi asked.
“Of course you can. Mine is just 100 meters away. We may go there and continue the tour later.” Garde said with excitement.
He took pride in his works, so it is his pleasure to see someone dropping their jaws looking at his beautiful creations.
They walked again, going to Garde’s workshop. Later, after they walked a hundred meters, they reached an area with fewer people, but most are dressed nicely. After a few steps, they are now in front of a building. It is a bit bigger than the average facilities here in this area, and there is a sign above that says ‘Garde’s Works.’
They entered the building and saw numerous weapons that are hanged on the walls. From swords and spears up to bow and daggers, you can see it all here.
“Follow me, I will lead you to the work area inside,” Garde said.
With Garde’s lead, he opened a door that leads to his working area. Upon entering the site, they saw his apprentices working left and right, pounding irons, cutting stones, hammering woods, etc.
“For you, Mr. Levi, I will make a good small sword,” Garde said. He then gets a small iron piece, about 6 inches long, 2 inches in width, and an inch thick. He put the iron on the fire furnace until it was at the point where it can be shaped and pounded. He beat it again and again and put it back to the furnace. He repeated the process three times until the sword is about half an inch thick. He then shaped the blade. He made it two edges small sword. Thinning both sides and sharpening it.
Garde knew what he was doing, and he finished after almost 2 hours. A small two-edged sword was done. He gave it to Levi.
He indeed does a better sword than the other one in the marketplace, but what he observed is that the blade still has impurities, and the process of making it is only a bit different. They just pre-cut the iron into the right sizes and then pound and shape it. That’s why the iron’s impurities are not removed thoroughly.
After examining the object for quite a while, Levi said, “I can make a better sword than this if you would help me.”
“No, you can’t! Seeing your body, I already knew that you haven’t made any of this before.”
“You bet? If I can make a better sword, you will promise to help me make and use your workshop.” Levi said his condition.
“Okay, that’s fine with me. I know I’ll win.”
Levi’s lips curled up. His eyes sharpened as he thought of winning. Garde will handle the work, and he would only say what’s next, for he cannot make it himself because he has no left arm.
The process is pretty much the same. The difference is that the iron will be folded then pounded repeatedly, and Garde will do it ten times before shaping and sharpening it. This will remove almost all the iron impurities, making it look aesthetically beautiful and more robust.
Almost three hours have passed, and the sword is now finished.
It is a long thin two-edged sword. It is shiny; you can see your own reflection in it. It is light but sturdier, and also it will increase your mobility and agility during the battle.
Jeff, Garde, and his apprentices looked at the sword and stared at it for a long time. They can’t believe such a sword will fall from heaven and let them look at it freely.
“Do I win?”
