Chapter 44: Blacksmith Boris' Invitation
Chapter 44: Blacksmith Boris' Invitation
As Rayn glanced at Anna's profile, he noticed that over the past few days, her complexion seemed to have improved significantly. Her light yellow hair, which had previously appeared dry, now held a subtle sheen.
Rayn smiled at Anna and nodded, but then he suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, Anna."
Anna turned around, her large, deep brown eyes looking at Rayn in confusion.
"Oh, right, Anna. Did anyone from the manor come by this morning to inform us when the apprentice training would resume?"
Anna shook her head. "No one else came by this morning."
"Alright, Anna. If anyone from the manor comes to notify us, please remind me."
"Okay, I will." Anna nodded.
When Anna spoke to Rayn, she still maintained her usual demeanor, keeping her head down, appearing shy and timid. She was hesitant to look directly at Rayn's face while speaking, and after saying a few words, she would lower her head, a blush appearing on her pale face.
This was likely because Rayn had saved her once, and in Anna's heart, he was a trustworthy person. Otherwise, she would probably have spoken even less.
It seemed that only when she was with Mint did Anna relax and smile naturally.
Rayn didn't have an immediate solution to this, but he hoped that time would help her become more cheerful.
"The apprentice training is still suspended. It seems there might be some aftermath to deal with at the manor, or perhaps some other matter."
"Hamilton hasn't sent anyone to look for me either. He's probably busy with his own injuries and treatment."
After some thought, Rayn decided to head to the blacksmith's shop in town first thing in the morning to find Blacksmith Boris and continue improving his blacksmithing profession level.
As for why he wasn't practicing the Mammoth Breath Technique?
It was because Kylie had once instructed Rayn that when his body was extremely fatigued or in poor condition, he should refrain from forcibly practicing breathing techniques.
Currently, Rayn's muscles were aching all over, and he was far from being in good condition. Naturally, he couldn't force the practice of the Mammoth Breath Technique.
However, after leaving, Rayn didn't head straight to the blacksmith's shop. Instead, he made a detour to the pie shop and bought three meat pies, each the size of a twelve-inch pizza from his previous life. He began to devour them with gusto.
These twelve-inch meat pies were enough to feed a family of three for a meal.
But after eating three of them, Rayn felt just the right amount of fullness.
"I need to find a way to earn more money. Otherwise, the remaining gold coins I have won't be enough to sustain my appetite," Rayn thought. "Whether it's practicing the Mammoth Breath Technique or sword techniques, they all consume a lot of energy. My body craves meat!"
As he thought about eating meat, Rayn couldn't help but recall the delicious taste of bear meat, and he unconsciously licked the corner of his mouth.
"If I had enough money, I could eat bear meat every day. It's so rich in nutrients that my progress in the Mammoth Breath Technique would probably advance rapidly!" Rayn couldn't help but speculate.
As soon as he stepped into the blacksmith's shop, Rayn felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with the 'ding-ding-dang' sounds of hammering and the hot, stifling breath. Perhaps it was because he had advanced in the blacksmith profession.
"Rayn, you're here! I heard that last night, there was a werewolf attack at the manor, and several apprentices were killed," Blacksmith Boris greeted Rayn and immediately asked about the incident.
"Yes, Uncle Boris," Rayn nodded, confirming Boris' words.
"Such malicious incidents haven't occurred in several years. It seems like peace is becoming more elusive day by day," Boris sighed.
Sure enough, good news stays within the doors, while bad news travels fast.
It seemed that the news of the attack on the manor had spread throughout Glintstone Town.
The other blacksmith apprentices gathered around Leon, eagerly questioning him about the details.
"Leon, I heard several servants died?"
"Is it true that the werewolf was over two meters tall?"
"Yeah, how could there be such a huge werewolf? Aren't they usually around the same size as us?"
After some casual conversation, Leon focused and began forging horse shoes alongside Blacksmith Boris.
This time, Leon took the lead, with Boris assisting him.
As Leon gripped the blacksmith's hammer, he felt an extension of his own arm, wielding it with ease and precision.
This was likely the influence of the blacksmith's core skill—Hammer Mastery—on him.
[You have forged horse shoes, and your understanding has improved!]
[Your skill in forging horse shoes has improved. Experience gained: +2]
[You focused on forging horse shoes for half an hour. Blacksmithing experience gained: +1]
After advancing to the rank of blacksmith, the experience gained from forging horse shoes slowed down significantly. Even with Leon taking the lead, it would typically take at least half an hour to gain a single experience point.
Time flew by when one was deeply focused on a task.
Before Leon knew it, it was already noon.
Looking at the pile of several dozen horse shoes, Leon felt a sense of accomplishment.
At that moment, Leon noticed a scorching gaze upon him. Following the line of sight, he saw Boris staring intently.
"Leon, would you consider becoming my apprentice? I'll pay you a wage!"
It was no wonder that Blacksmith Boris was so keen on Leon. In his eyes, the number of horse shoes that would usually take at least half a day to complete had been finished by Leon almost two hours ahead of schedule.
Such forging efficiency left him in awe! However, this didn't mean that Leon's forging skills had surpassed those of Blacksmith Boris.
Instead, it was due to Leon's overall attribute improvements.
Especially with the growth in his mental strength, Leon could accurately perceive the subtle changes in the forge material after each strike.
And with his increased strength, he could effortlessly wield the seven-to-eight-pound blacksmith's hammer without expending too much energy.
Leon was taken aback by Blacksmith Boris's invitation.
Before coming to Boris's blacksmith shop, Leon had inquired thoroughly and learned that Boris only had one apprentice, while the others were blacksmith apprentices who paid tuition fees.
Normally, a blacksmith shop like this in Glintstone Town would require at least two to three apprentices.
Being an apprentice meant that one already possessed the skills of a blacksmith and had reached a level comparable to a full-fledged blacksmith in a specific forging technique or process.
In other words, you were ready to become a blacksmith.
Leon glanced around and noticed the other blacksmith apprentices occasionally stealing glances at him, seemingly anxious for Leon to accept the offer and claim the position they had long desired.
However, it was clear that Leon would not choose to join Boris's blacksmith shop.
His purpose for learning forging was solely to improve his blacksmithing rank and earn more upgrade rewards.
"But now, even with forging horse shoes, the rate of gaining blacksmithing experience has slowed down significantly."
"I might as well take this opportunity to ask Boris about the fees for learning other forging skills." Leon thought to himself.
(End of Chapter)
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