Chapter 24: Customized War Hammer (Part I)

"I have heard that in the Land of the Dead south of the Mountain Kingdom, there is a saying—the waves behind the Daming River always push the waves in front, just as successors will always surpass their ancestors.

I originally thought that only applied to short-lived races like Humans, simply because they turn to dust before they can accumulate experience. But I don't think so anymore! At your age, I was still learning how to smelt meteoritic iron from my master!"

Upon hearing this, Sinuoli hurriedly offered a few humble words, pushing all the credit onto the Ancestor Gods, but the Master of the Anvil was noncommittal; in his view, Sinuoli must have had extraordinary qualities to have caught the eye of the Goddess.

"This is the Master of the Anvil, President of the Blacksmith Guild, the most skilled blacksmith in our Mountain Kingdom, and the best blacksmith you will find in this world!" Sonia introduced the old Dwarf to Sinuoli.

"Since he became a Master, he has forged no fewer than three weapons of Legendary Quality, and his exquisite weapons are too numerous to count!" Just as Sonia was about to continue detailing the old Dwarf's achievements, the Master of the Anvil spoke:

"Don't say that, little girl. The equipment that reaches exquisite or even Legendary Quality also owes much to the hard work of my colleagues in the Rune Smith Guild; how can the credit be laid solely on me? Let's get down to business! Master Sinuoli doesn't have time to chat with an old fellow who is about to report to the Ancestor Gods!"

Beyond his superb skills, the rare humility displayed by the Master of the Anvil made Sinuoli admire him greatly.

"State your requirements, child. Do you want a standard-issue weapon or a custom-made one?"

"I would like to have one custom-made, Master!" Sinuoli replied.

"That makes sense. If it weren't for the need for customization, you could just find that lad Fire-Brow. How could the Drazkrad Clan of the Everpeak not have a Master Blacksmith?"

Then, the Master of the Anvil shouted to the busy Dwarfs in the workshop: "Stop what you're doing! Lads, bring the measuring tape and the customization list!"

Soon, a Dwarf handed a form to the Master of the Anvil, and two other Dwarfs took measuring tapes and began to measure Sinuoli's body dimensions.

Sinuoli watched as the Dwarfs measured everything from his height to his waist, then his shoulder width, and so on, and couldn't help but ask: "Master, isn't measuring the arms and hands enough for a custom hammer? Why measure so much?"

"Hahaha!" The Master of the Anvil laughed happily. "At every fortress meeting, I suggest that besides Miner internships, the children should also come to the blacksmith workshop to observe and learn. Manufacturing equipment is not as simple as you think!"

He picked up his tobacco pouch and took a puff. "Think about it, you can't just use arm strength when swinging a hammer! That might suffice for driving a nail, but it's far from enough to smash a Greenskin!

You must unite your waist and stance, mobilizing the muscle groups of your body to participate in the strike. This requires the combined effort and coordinated cooperation of your feet, legs, hips, waist, and shoulders. A weapon is an extension of your arm; if you want it to be as nimble as your own fingers, it must have a weight distribution that matches your entire body!"

Listening to the Master of the Anvil's explanation, Sinuoli couldn't help but nod repeatedly; he was convinced by the Master's professional level.

The two Dwarfs responsible for measuring were quick, and within moments, they reported Sinuoli's various physical data to the Master of the Anvil. The Master took a monocle out of his desk drawer, put it on, and picked up a charcoal pencil to scribble on the form.

"Should the dimensions of the handle and the overall weight be based on my calculations?"

"That goes without saying, Master. I have no reason to doubt your experience!"

"What shape of hammerhead do you want? A Round Hammer, a Claw Hammer, a Cone Hammer, or an Octagonal Hammer?"

Sinuoli pondered for a moment. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"A Round Hammer has an even weight distribution and is less tiring to swing; a Claw Hammer can strike with the front, and the pointed back has better armor-piercing effects; many people use a Cone Hammer, and the rags worn by Greenskins and Skaven can't withstand a single blow from it; as for the Octagonal Hammer, it's the most traditional choice!"

"Let's go with the Octagonal Hammer!" Thinking of the Thor's hammer he saw in his past life, Sinuoli made his decision.

"Hmm, do you have any requirements for the quenching process?" the Master of the Anvil asked after recording a few notes.

"Can the heat treatment method be customized?" Sinuoli asked in surprise.

"Of course, that is a specialty of mine! Specific quenching media and methods help improve the hardness, strength, and even durability of the weapon, and can also add some special effects."

"May I ask what options are available?"

"Hmm, my memory isn't what it used to be, let me see," the old Dwarf said, twirling his charcoal pencil while taking another list out of the drawer.

"We generally categorize them into several types: first is the blood of various powerful races. Weapons quenched with these can cause extra damage to specific races. This process is very suitable for weapons forged to settle grudges against specific races.

We have the blood of Dark Elf Warlords, the green blood of Orc Warbosses, the tainted magic blood of Chaos Champions, and the blood of those filthy rat leaders. Basically, anything you can think of, I have here! By the way, if you can afford the price..."

At this point, the old Dwarf smirked. "In the deepest part of our guild's vault, we have a true treasure: the blood of the Phoenix King of the pointy-ears, Kaleduo Ershi! How about that? A weapon quenched with that stuff, I think calling it 'Elf Slayer' would be quite fitting!"

Sinuoli recalled the grudge between Dwarfs and Elves in his memory. Because he was not chosen as Phoenix King after his father's death, Malekith, the son of the first Phoenix King Aenarion, murdered the second Phoenix King Bel-Shanaar and split the Elf race, launching a civil war against the High Elves with his followers, who were known as Dark Elves.

The two Phoenix Kings after the second one both came from the Dragon Kingdom of Caledor; they were the grandson and great-grandson of the aforementioned High Elf Archmage, Caledor the Dragon Tamer. This father and son were skilled in battle, and more importantly, the Dragons had not yet fallen into slumber due to climate change at that time.

Therefore, the Dragon Prince cavalry of the High Elves at that time were not like the laughingstocks of later generations who rode Elf warhorses painted with dragon patterns; each of them was mounted on a real Dragon. Facing swarms of Dragons, no matter how bloodthirsty and battle-hardened Malekith and his subordinates were, they could only retreat steadily.

To turn the situation around, he sent small groups of troops disguised as High Elves to attack Dwarf caravans and plunder Dwarf supplies to sow discord.

Regarding such schemes, the fourth Phoenix King, Kaleduo Ershi, was too arrogant to communicate; he ordered the beard of the envoy sent by the Dwarf High King, Gaocuike-Suixingzhe, to be cut off when the envoy came to seek an explanation. This was a great insult to the Dwarfs, thus triggering the protracted war between Elves and Dwarfs.

Both races suffered huge losses in the war. Kaleduo Ershi killed the son of Gotrek, and the Dwarfs subsequently killed the son and brother of Kaleduo Ershi.

The war finally ended with Gaocuike-Suixingzhe killing Kaleduo Ershi in a duel. To this day, the Phoenix Crown, blessed by the Elf gods, is still kept in the treasury of Karaz-a-Karak.

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