Chapter 76: Blacksmith

Men Luo occasionally comes to the Blacksmith Shop to see Robin; each time he watches him diligently forge Sword Hilt Guards, he feels both admiration and a bit of puzzlement. He can't help saying to Robin, "Robin, you work so hard, it makes me feel inferior. If I had your perseverance, I would have become a Blacksmith long ago."

However, when Men Luo discovers that Robin is forging Sword Hilt Guards every day, he instantly becomes angry.

He assumes Lao Ba De Er is bullying Robin, deliberately giving him such dirty, laborious work, and immediately goes to Damus to argue.

"Damus, how can you let Robin do this work every day? He's a Knight, not here to run errands for you!" Men Luo said angrily.

Damus frowned, walked to Robin's forging table, and picked up a freshly forged Sword Hilt Guard to examine it carefully.

His gaze shifted from initial doubt to surprise, and finally even carried a hint of admiration.

"Robin, these were all forged by you?" Damus asked.

Robin nodded, his tone calm: "Yes, boss. I think these small components are simple, but they let me master Blacksmithing Technique more quickly."

Damus examined every detail of the Sword Hilt Guard and found that both the material selection and the craftsmanship were of extremely high standard. He couldn't help praising, "Robin, your skill is already superb. The quality of these Sword Hilt Guards even surpasses the work of some veteran Blacksmiths."

Men Luo, hearing Damus's assessment, was stunned: "What? Robin's skill is already that impressive?"

Damus nodded and said to Robin, "Robin, your rate of improvement exceeds my expectations. Now, I will give you an official test—try forging a Short Sword. If you pass this test, it will prove you have become a qualified Blacksmith."

A spark of excitement flashed in Robin's eyes, and he nodded: "Alright, boss, I will give it my all."

Damus patted Robin's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of expectation: "I believe you can do it. Once you pass the test, I will assign you more important tasks."

Robin, deeply calm, nodded, walked to the forging table, and began preparing materials and tools.

After two months of intensive experience, he has raised his forging to Third Tier, just right to test his level; of course, to avoid revealing his strength, he only selects the most ordinary Short Sword iron blank for practice.

Men Luo stood aside, watching Robin's focused silhouette, feeling both moved and envious.

Robin stood at the forging table, and the iron hammer in his hand struck like a sudden storm, sparks flying everywhere. His movements were clean and crisp, with no hint of sloppiness.

Selecting material, heating, hammering, quenching, each step was completed at top speed, as if he had already etched these motions into his muscle memory.

Lao Ba De Er stood nearby, watching Robin's motions, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He whispered to Damus, "The kid's movements are indeed fast, but I wonder how the finished product will turn out."

Damus said nothing, merely staring intently at each of Robin's actions.

His brows slightly furrowed, clearly displeased with Robin's "rush‑job" style of forging.

After all, forging is a craft that requires patience and delicacy; overemphasizing speed often sacrifices quality.

However, when Robin completed the final step—polishing—and handed the Short Sword to Damus, everyone was stunned.

Damus took the Short Sword and examined it carefully.

The blade's lines were smooth, the edge razor‑sharp, and the hilt's grip was very comfortable.

Although this Short Sword was forged to a common soldier's standard, its quality far exceeded expectations, even reaching a superior level among ordinary items.

"This… is this what you just forged?" Damus's voice carried a hint of disbelief.

Robin nodded, his tone steady: "Yes, boss. I just followed the standard procedure."

Damus took a deep breath and handed the Short Sword to Lao Ba De Er: "Take a look."

Lao Ba De Er took the Short Sword, inspected it carefully, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes: "Indeed impressive; although the speed was great, the quality didn't drop at all. Robin, you've got some talent!"

Damus was silent for a moment, then patted Robin's shoulder, his tone bearing a hint of praise: "Robin, your talent and efficiency surprised me. Although your forging method this time was a bit 'shortcut', the finished quality is flawless. This shows your understanding of forging is already very deep."

Robin smiled, his tone modest: "Thank you for the compliment, boss; I just wanted to finish the task quickly."

Damus nodded, his tone turning serious: "However, Robin, I must remind you, forging is not only for completing tasks; it is an art that requires careful polishing. Though your performance this time was excellent, I hope you will slow down in future forging and pay attention to details."

Robin solemnly nodded: "I understand, boss. I will remember your teachings."

Damus smiled satisfactorily, then announced: "Robin, congratulations on passing the test. From today onward, you are the official Blacksmith of the Iron Hammer and Flame Smithy. Next, I will assign you more important tasks."

Robin felt a surge of joy and quickly nodded: "Thank you, boss; I will definitely keep working hard."

Men Luo stood nearby, watching Robin's performance, and couldn't help laughing: "Robin, you kid really impress me! Looks like I'll have to ask you to forge a fine sword in the future."

Robin replied with a smile: "No problem; let me practice some more, and I'll definitely forge you the best sword."

Inside the Blacksmith Shop, the coals blazed, and the sound of iron hammers rose and fell.

Robin stood in a corner of the Blacksmith Shop, looking down at the System Panel's prompt:

Finished Short Sword: forging experience +10

A slight smile tugged his lips, but his heart felt a bit helpless.

This is why he is reluctant to spend too much time crafting finished weapons—only up to two can be forged per day, and the experience gain is simply too low.

In contrast, forging small components yields less experience per item, but the sheer quantity makes it more efficient.

"But now it's impossible; forging small components no longer grants experience," Robin muttered softly.

Early the next morning, as Robin entered the Blacksmith Shop, Damus walked over smiling, holding a task list in his hand.

"Robin, this is your mission target for the month," Damus handed the list to Robin, his tone carrying a hint of expectation, "Twenty Knight Short Swords. As for the caravan escort duties, I've already spoken with Meng Fei Si; unless the task is especially urgent, they generally won't call on you."

(End of Chapter)