Chapter 136: I'm Actually Interested in Blacksmithing!

Chapter 136: I'm Actually Interested in Blacksmithing!



Although she knew that Rain had entered the extraordinary realm, Lagre did not witness the scene where Rain killed four Blackflame Adepts.

So, Lagre looked at Rain with doubt in her eyes and asked, "Rain, didn't you just start learning hammer techniques?"

"Yeah, I just started learning!" Rain rubbed his nose.

This should be the effect of the Hammer Mastery skill.

However, this was obviously not something Rain could reveal.

[Your skill, Tokkar Hammer Technique, has improved. Experience gained: +17]



[You have engaged in combat. Knight (Extraordinary) occupational experience gained: +0]



[Your skill, Tokkar Hammer Technique, has improved. Experience gained: +5]



[You have engaged in combat. Knight (Extraordinary) occupational experience gained: +1]



After a few minutes of sparring, Lagre's Tokkar Hammer Technique had improved significantly.

However, for Rain's Knight (Extraordinary) occupational level, the experience gained was almost negligible.

Of course, occasionally seeing a +1 increase in experience was better than nothing.

The sparring continued.

"Bang!"

Once again, Lagre was struck by Rain's ironwood hammer on her shield, causing her to stumble back several meters.

"That's enough!"

Lagre's ample chest heaved, and her beautiful eyes glared at Rain, whose forehead wasn't even glistening with sweat. She spoke with annoyance.

Wasn't this bullying? Not only had Rain entered the extraordinary realm, but he also had a solid foundation in hammer techniques. Lagre couldn't keep up with his powerful strikes, even with her shield, which she was most skilled at using.

Lagre thought to herself.

Additionally, although she was the barbarian, with strength and constitution surpassing that of an ordinary knight cadet, Lagre always felt that Rain was the real monster, even more so than herself.

"Alright then!" Rain could tell that Lagre had given it her all.

He had only used about sixty percent of his strength just now. If he had used less power, the experience gained for Tokkar Hammer Technique would have been too little, and if he had used more, Lagre wouldn't have been able to handle it.

It was indeed a headache!

As for fatigue?

Not at all! With an 18-point Constitution, Rain felt like he was just warming up when sparring with Lagre, just like when he used to go for a slow jog as a marathon runner in his past life.

At most, it was a warm-up!

Meanwhile, the Night Watchmen nearby kept glancing at Rain and Lagre.

Although the Shiny Gold Town had just been attacked by cultists, increasing the workload of the Night Watch, many of them, despite being busy, would still find time to come to the training ground to improve themselves after witnessing the cultists' formidable strength.

One of the Night Watchmen turned to the shorty Matteo and asked in a low voice, "Captain, the beautiful barbarian girl—doesn't the Deputy Sheriff know how to hold back?"

"You know nothing!"

"This is called 'passion'!" Matteo glanced at the Night Watchman.

"Passion?" The Night Watchman thought for a moment, seeming to understand something, and nodded repeatedly.

"So that's it. No wonder the Deputy Sheriff is so strong yet still wants to spar with her."

". . ."

Although their voices were soft, Rain and Lagre's strength allowed them to hear the conversation clearly.

This made Lagre's face, already flushed from the intense exercise, turn even redder.

"By the way, Lagre, do you know how to forge war hammers?" Rain waved the ironwood hammer in his hand.

"Mhm! But ordinary materials might not be suitable for you." Lagre looked at the ironwood hammer in Rain's hand.

Rain nodded, "That's right! I need a good war hammer."

As his strength increased, the importance of a good weapon became more and more evident.

Before Rain entered the extraordinary realm, even a high-quality greatsword made of fine steel could barely withstand his combat intensity, let alone now that Rain had the strength of a seasoned knight.

Additionally, when Rain activated his Giant Strength, his weapon requirements became even higher. Could the requirements be the same for a 20-point strength state and a 40-point strength state?

The answer was obviously no.

"As far as I know, if you want to make a war hammer that meets your strength requirements as a full knight, it's best to use bloodstain steel. This metal has excellent strength and toughness, making it very suitable for forging war hammers."

"Alternatively, you can use star iron, which you saw before, with adjusted proportions for hammer forging."

"Is that bloodstain steel also refined from a rare mineral?" Rain asked.

Naturally, he would choose better materials if available.

"Yes, it's also refined from a special mineral and is very rare." Lagre nodded.

This made Rain a bit worried. Obviously, a high-end material like this wouldn't be available at the town's blacksmith, Boris.

Previously, Rain had bought all the star iron Boris had, integrating it into the Radiant Greatsword.

Should he go to the quartermaster? After considering, Rain shook his head. Even if the quartermaster had a wide range of items for exchange, it was unlikely to have such rare raw materials.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration crossed Rain's mind, and he remembered something Boris had once told him:

"Rain, if you want to learn to identify other special minerals, you'll have to go to the large blacksmith shop in the county city, or you can definitely find some in the castle's blacksmith shop."

"Oh, of course! Why didn't I think of that myself?"

He could go to the blacksmith's shop at the Habsburg Manor.

Ryan snapped out of his thoughts, remembering the blacksmith's shop located on the first floor of the castle.

Times have changed since he was a lowly servant.

Yesterday, the Lloyd Knight and Instructor Perez from the manor had chatted with him for a while, and both had invited him to visit the Habsburg Manor if he had the time.

This was a perfect opportunity for Ryan to bring up the matter of Bloodstained Steel.

If he could confirm its availability, things should go smoothly. Additionally, Ryan had acquired over two hundred Imperial gold coins from his Blackflame Adept's loot, and with what he had saved previously, it should be enough to purchase the Bloodstained Steel.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Ryan couldn't help but smile, clearly in high spirits.

Lagra, on the other hand, looked at Ryan with confusion.

She wondered why Ryan, who had initially seemed slightly frowning, suddenly started smiling.

Just then, a man dressed as a servant entered the training ground. He scanned the area and quickly spotted Ryan in the center, talking to the barbarian girl, Lagra.

The man approached and said respectfully, "Lord Ryan, I'm a servant from the Habsburg Manor. Knight Lloyd wishes to invite you to dinner. I wonder if you have the time?"

"Of course, you can bring the beautiful young lady beside you." The man was adept at reading the room, and upon seeing the beautiful Lagra next to Ryan, he immediately added another sentence.

This made the usually cheerful Lagra a bit shy, but unlike Anna, she continued to stare at Ryan with burning eyes.

She was curious to see how Ryan would respond.

"Lagra, if you're free tonight, why don't you come with me?" Ryan was thinking that having Lagra with him would make it more convenient when selecting the ore.

After all, the blacksmith's shop in the manor might not have the Bloodstained Steel needed for forging the warhammer.

However, the manor's blacksmith shop was likely to have other special ores similar to Bloodstained Steel, which might also be suitable for crafting the warhammer.

But Ryan didn't know much about special ores, so having Lagra, a high-level blacksmith, with him would definitely save him a lot of trouble.

"Thank you, but no need. I'll accompany Anna instead." Lagra was delighted that Ryan wanted to take her along, but she immediately declined.

She wasn't particularly interested in dealing with imperial nobles.

Truthfully, she also wondered why she had taken a liking to Ryan.

Was it because he had saved her?

Perhaps it was in the barbarian's blood to admire the strong.

After all, in a place like the Windy Tundra, only the strongest could survive and thrive.

"I'll take my leave!" Lagra waved and left the training ground without hesitation.

Ryan watched Lagra's departing figure, slightly puzzled by her refusal, and shook his head. Then, he said to the male servant, "Tell Knight Lloyd that I'll be coming alone tonight."

"Very well, Lord Ryan. We look forward to your visit this evening." The servant bowed slightly and quickly left.

Apart from the warhammer, Ryan also needed a sturdy set of Knight Plate Armor.

Unfortunately, Lagra didn't know how to craft armor.

After some thought, Ryan headed to the Quartermaster of the Night Watch.

This was his first time visiting the Quartermaster.

Previously, former Captain Warren had taken care of such matters for him.

As soon as Ryan entered, the rotund Quartermaster stood up from his chair and greeted respectfully, "Deputy Sheriff!"

"Huh? You know me?" Ryan asked curiously.

"Of course, Deputy Sheriff Ryan. Your valiant display during yesterday's battle against the cultists left a lasting impression. I believe everyone present that day will forever remember you." Thomson flattered Ryan while reminiscing about the event.

Yesterday, he had been among the crowd shivering in the church during the service.

He had thought it was the end, but Ryan's appearance was like a divine intervention. Ryan had single-handedly eliminated three extraordinary cultists and rescued nearly half of the church's congregation.

After experiencing such an event, it was impossible for Thomson to forget Ryan.

"By the way, Deputy Sheriff, what brings you here today?"

"Do you have any ready-made Knight Plate Armor?"

"Yes, right over here." Thomson nodded immediately and swiftly turned, his plump body moving surprisingly fast. He led Ryan to an adjacent storage room and brought out two heavy sets of Knight Plate Armor.

Ryan was initially delighted, but upon inspecting the armor, he couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.

The two sets of Knight Plate Armor available in the Quartermaster's storage were of average quality and even inferior to the set Hamilton had given him before.

These were likely prepared for Knight Cadets.

Armor of this caliber would only burden Ryan with over a hundred pounds of weight without providing much defense.

"Do you have any warhammers here?"

"Rain asked again.

"Yes, Deputy, do you want a two-handed war hammer or a one-handed hammer?"

"A two-handed hammer."

Soon, Thomson brought a large two-handed hammer and handed it to Rain.

Rain took a look and was surprised. This two-handed hammer had an iron head, but the rest of it was made of wood.

This made Rain inwardly scoff; it wasn't much different from the Ironwood Hammer in the training room.

"The handle is wooden?"

"Yes, sir. The handle is made of oak, very resilient and durable."

Rain nodded.

Obviously, the quartermaster's storage room wouldn't have any suitable weapons for him.

After all, most of the equipment here was prepared for ordinary Night Watchmen and deputies.

Seeing the disappointment on Rain's face, Thomson cautiously asked, "Deputy, are you looking for better-quality weapons or armor?"

"Don't you know that for someone of your level, the equipment you need to exchange for can only be obtained from the County City's Quartermaster?"

"Hmm? Do I need to go to the County City?"

The correct version can be found at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+Book_Bar

"Isn't there a booklet?"

Rain gestured to Thomson, indicating the size of the booklet Hamilton had shown him earlier.

He still remembered the title on the cover of the booklet: 'Imperial Law and Order Force Merit Point Exchange Booklet (Non-Commissioned Officer)'.

Thomson suddenly understood!

"It's like this, even as a Deputy, your Merit Point Exchange Booklet is different from the previous ones. It's for the rank of Lieutenant, and only the Quartermaster in the County City can access it."

Rain nodded in understanding.

Indeed, the higher the rank, the more options for exchange, and many items might be restricted.

When Rain returned home, he intended to study Arcadian, but before he could sit down, a messenger arrived, saying that Lord Hamilton wanted to see him.

Soon, Rain arrived at Hamilton's office.

As soon as Rain entered, Hamilton smiled and said, "Rain, the merit evaluation for your previous mission of killing three Flame Black Adepts and one Black Flame Apostle is out. Combined with your previous merit points, you have a total of 1489 points."

Hamilton was a bit taken aback when he first saw this number.

He had initially expected Rain to reach 1000 merit points this time, but he never imagined that it would exceed that.

It seemed that the Black Flame Apostle alone had contributed over 500 merit points.

"So many?" Rain blurted out in surprise.

"You didn't expect that, did you? I didn't either."

Seeing Rain's wide-eyed expression of astonishment, Hamilton felt a sense of balance restored.

Rain had been giving him quite a few surprises lately!

Now, it was time for Hamilton to return the favor.

"Here, these are the documents for the knighthood assessment. You'll need to fill them out yourself." Hamilton handed Rain a thin stack of papers.

"Okay." Rain took the papers and carefully examined them.

The documents consisted of two pages, with brief content.

In essence, it was a liability waiver, stating that the assessment carried risks and participation should be approached with caution.

Before the assessment task was issued, one could withdraw at any time.

However, if one withdrew after the task was assigned, they would have to wait five years before being eligible again. Consecutive withdrawals would result in a permanent ban.

After quickly reading through the documents, Rain immediately picked up a quill and swiftly filled in his name.

"By the way, Rain, I heard you were practicing with the great hammer this morning?" Hamilton casually asked as he took the papers from Rain.

"Yes, sir."

Rain was still a bit surprised at how quickly the news had spread.

What happened in the morning had already reached Hamilton's ears by the afternoon.

Hamilton frowned slightly. "Although the great hammer's damage is impressive, if you practice for a short time, it's unlikely to yield substantial results."

"I suggest you focus on the Bear Sword Technique for now and practice the hammer later."

Rain nodded, not objecting. He knew Hamilton meant well.

But he had a different idea!

"By the way, regarding the knighthood assessment, I have two points to remind you of." Hamilton thought for a moment before continuing.

"First, if you encounter a group task or a team mission, you must be cautious about certain teammates, not just the noble heirs but also the commoners."

Hamilton's expression turned solemn as he spoke the last sentence, as if he had recalled something.

"Of course, it's best if you draw a solo mission. Although the task might be slightly more challenging, it's easier to control the situation."

"Given your current strength and age, as long as you complete the task, your score should be high. Becoming a Viscount is almost guaranteed."

"As for whether you can attain the title of Baron, I think there's no need to push for it. Safety should always come first."

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I'll be careful." Rain, seeing Hamilton's seriousness, nodded earnestly.

"Then you should start preparing. As per the usual procedure, someone from above will contact you within a month of your application."

"A month?" Rain's expression turned thoughtful.

In a month, he could further enhance his strength by another level!

In the evening, as the sun's rays painted the sky in hues of orange and pink, Rain, clad in his plate armor and carrying a sheepskin-wrapped radiant greatsword, arrived at the Habsburg Manor, a place he hadn't visited for nearly a month.

The setting sun bathed the manor in a golden glow, making it resemble a pure gold structure draped in a delicate veil, a sight to behold.

For the first time, Rain realized that the manor's scenery was truly breathtaking.

Perhaps it was because of his previous mindset that he had never truly appreciated it before.

It was like a five or six-year-old boy, oblivious to the allure of a voluptuous beauty, being captivated instead by a simple stick, his gaze unwavering.

Rain, familiar with the manor, made his way to the entrance.

There, a maid was already waiting, and upon seeing Rain, she approached respectfully and asked, "Are you Lord Rain?"

Rain nodded. "Yes."

"Please follow me."

"Sure," Rain replied, following the maid into the castle.

The maid led Rain to a lavishly decorated reception room and said, "Lord Rain, please have a seat. I'll inform the master right away."

As Rain leisurely admired the exquisite decor of the room, a familiar figure appeared at the doorway.

"Huh? Is that you, Rain?" Lady Sadia, the head maid, stood there, holding a silver teapot and looking at Rain with surprise, as if she couldn't quite believe her eyes.

Indeed, Rain's physique had changed significantly over the past month.

But when Rain lifted his head, Sadia confirmed that the young man sitting in the castle's reception room was indeed Rain.

"How did you end up here?" Sadia was still dressed in her black maid uniform, a symbol of a high-ranking servant.

Rain stood up and smiled at Sadia, about to say something, when footsteps approached from the doorway.

This made Sadia slightly tense.

She knew that Knight Lloyd was hosting an important guest that evening.

So, she had brought tea, intending to receive the guest personally.

But now, Rain was here for some unknown reason.

"Oh, Rain, are you here for the black tung oil?"

"But I thought I showed you the way before?"

"Rain, come with me quickly. This is the reception room, and an important guest will be arriving soon."

At that moment, Knight Lloyd entered, accompanied by Instructor Peres, the swordmaster.

The presence of these two extraordinary individuals caused Sadia's face to change color! Lloyd and Peres' gazes swept past Sadia and settled on Rain.

Sadia inwardly exclaimed, 'Oh no!' Although Knight Lloyd was a good man, he was also the estate's manager, known for his strict adherence to rules and traditions.

As for Lord Peres, she could sense a deep-rooted pride within him.

This pride wasn't derogatory; it was more of a knight's pride, a pride in their craft!

As Sadia's mind raced to find a suitable explanation for Rain, she heard Lloyd's hearty laughter, "Rain! You finally made it!"

Even the usually proud swordmaster, Lord Peres, smiled at Rain.

In his eyes, Rain's exceptional Bear Sword Technique had already earned his recognition.

Sadia's eyes widened, and her mouth hung slightly agape as she stared at the scene, bewildered.

What... what was going on? Could it be that the important guest was Rain?

"Knight Lloyd, Lord Peres, you..." Sadia glanced at Rain and then at the two extraordinary knights.

"Hmm? Sadia, do you know Rain?" Lloyd noticed Sadia's shocked expression and asked.

Before Sadia could respond, Rain laughed and said, "Haha, Knight Lloyd, you might not know this, but I once participated in the servant training here. During that time, Head Maid Sadia took good care of me."

"Oh?" Knight Lloyd smiled at Sadia.

"Yes, yes, that's right," Sadia replied, still a bit dazed.

"Rain, would you like me to give you a tour of the castle?" Knight Lloyd was considerate, refraining from asking too many questions or mentioning Rain's servant training.

After all, many people didn't like to be reminded of their less glorious pasts.

"Of course, it would be my honor," Rain said with a smile.

"This is the back garden, but unfortunately, it's Frost Month now, and most of the flowers have already bloomed." Knight Lloyd explained.

Rain nodded.

As they reached the castle's back garden, Rain couldn't help but recall his sparring session with Krya in this very place.

"And over here is the smithy," Knight Lloyd pointed down the corridor on the first floor of the castle.

"Oh? The smithy?" Rain asked, feigning curiosity.

"You can take a look. Actually, you two might not know this, but I'm very interested in smithing!"

Thank you to book friend 20191200065 for the 10-coin reward!

It's the end of the month, so I'm asking for your monthly votes. Thank you! ^_^

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end