Chapter 44: The Blacksmith's Offer
Chapter 44: The Blacksmith's Offer
As Rain gazed at Anna's profile, he noticed that her complexion had improved significantly over the past few days. Her light yellow hair, which had previously looked dry, now had a subtle sheen to it.
Rain smiled and nodded at Anna, but then he suddenly remembered something.
"Wait, Anna."
Anna turned around, her large, deep brown eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Rain.
"Oh, right, Anna. Did anyone from the manor come by this morning to inform us when the Squire Training will resume?"
Anna shook her head. "No one else came by this morning."
"Okay, Anna. If anyone from the manor comes to notify us, please remind me."
"Alright, I will." Anna nodded.
Rain attributed this change in Anna's behavior to the time he had saved her. In Anna's heart, Rain was a trustworthy person, and she was likely to be more talkative because of this.
...
Rain was taken aback by Blacksmith Boris's invitation.
Why wasn't Rain practicing the Mammoth Breath Technique?
It was no wonder that Blacksmith Boris favored Rain. In Boris's eyes, Rain had completed the number of horseshoes that would typically take at least half a day in just over two hours.
"If I had enough money, I could eat Bear Meat every day. It's so rich in nutrients that my Mammoth Breath Technique would probably improve rapidly!"
Sure enough, good news doesn't travel far, but bad news spreads like wildfire.
"This kind of malicious incident hasn't happened in several years. Things are becoming less peaceful these days!" Boris sighed.
However, it was clear that Rain had no intention of joining Boris's blacksmith shop.
...
[You focused on forging horseshoes for half an hour. Blacksmith Career Experience +1]
Rain thought for a moment and decided to go to the town's blacksmith shop in the morning to find Blacksmith Boris and continue improving his Blacksmith Career Level.
"I heard that the werewolf was over two meters tall!"
"Yes, how could such a tall werewolf appear? Werewolves are usually about the same size as us, right?"
It was clear that news of the attack on the manor had spread throughout Shiny Gold Town.
By the time Rain snapped out of his thoughts, it was already noon.
In other words, you can eat this bowl of rice.
"Yes, Uncle Boris." Rain nodded, confirming Boris's words.
Being an apprentice meant that Rain had already acquired blacksmithing skills, reaching a level comparable to that of a full-fledged blacksmith in a specific forging technique or aspect of the craft.
"I need to find a way to earn more money. Otherwise, the few gold coins I have left won't be enough to buy myself any decent food."
After some casual conversation, Rain focused his attention and began forging horseshoes alongside Blacksmith Boris.
Before coming to Boris's blacksmith shop, Rain had inquired about it and learned that Boris only had one apprentice, while the others were blacksmith apprentices who paid tuition fees.
[Your Horseshoe Forging skill has improved. Experience +2]
The increase in strength allowed Rain to effortlessly wield the seven to eight-pound blacksmith's hammer without expending too much stamina.
This forging efficiency left him in awe! However, it wasn't that Rain's forging skills had surpassed those of Blacksmith Boris.
"Rain, I heard that several Squires died?"
However, when Rain left, he didn't head straight to the blacksmith shop. Instead, he made a detour to the meat pie shop and bought three large meat pies, each the size of a twelve-inch pizza from his previous life, and indulged in a hearty meal.
When the topic of food came up, Rain couldn't help but recall the delicious taste of Bear Meat, and he unconsciously licked his lips.
At that moment, Rain felt a scorching gaze upon him and followed the line of sight to find Boris staring intently at him.
However, after finishing three pieces, Rain felt just the right amount of fullness.
Rain looked around and noticed several other blacksmith apprentices glancing at him from time to time, seemingly anxious about Rain's agreement to take up the coveted spot they had long desired.
"Hamilton hasn't sent anyone to look for me, probably because he's injured and busy with treatment," Rain thought.
This was because Claire had once advised Rain not to force himself to practice the Mammoth Breath Technique when his body was extremely fatigued or in poor condition.
Normally, a blacksmith's shop like this one in Shiny Gold Town would require at least two to three apprentices.
"..."
Looking at the dozens of horseshoes stacked together, Rain felt a sense of accomplishment.
Currently, Rain's whole body ached from muscle soreness, and he was definitely not in good condition. Naturally, he couldn't force himself to practice the Mammoth Breath Technique.
"Rain, how about working as my apprentice? I'll pay you!" Boris offered.
Time flew by when one was focused on their work.
It was common knowledge that a twelve-inch meat pie like this was enough to feed a family of three for a meal.
Rain couldn't help but speculate.
When Anna spoke to Rain, she still kept her head down, shy and timid, unable to look him in the eye. She would lower her head and blush slightly on her fair face after speaking a few words.
It seemed that only when she was with Mint did Anna feel relaxed and smile naturally.
However, this time, Rain took the lead, with Boris as his assistant, in crafting the horseshoes.
"If I only eat white bread, the few coins I have will last a long time. But whether it's practicing the Mammoth Breath Technique or swordsmanship, they all consume a lot of energy. My body craves meat!"
Rain had no immediate solution to this, hoping that time would help Boris become more cheerful.
As Rain entered the blacksmith's shop, he felt a strange sense of familiarity with the 'ding-ding-dang-dang' sounds and the scorching atmosphere. Perhaps it was due to his promotion to the Blacksmith career.
When Rain held the blacksmith's hammer, he felt an extension of his own arm, as if the hammer was a natural part of his body, making it incredibly easy to wield.
"Rain, you're here! I heard there was a werewolf attack at the manor last night, and several servants were killed?" Boris greeted Rain and immediately asked about the incident.
The other blacksmith apprentices also chimed in, eagerly seeking details from Rain.
After his promotion to Blacksmith, crafting horseshoes provided much slower experience gain. Even with Rain leading the crafting, it would take at least half an hour to gain 1 experience point.
This was due to Rain's overall attribute improvements.
Especially the increase in his mental attribute, which allowed Rain to accurately perceive the subtle changes in the metal after each strike.
This was probably the influence of the Blacksmith core skill - Hammer Mastery.
"The Squire Training is still on hold, which means there might be some aftermath work at the manor or other matters to attend to."
Rain's purpose in learning blacksmithing was solely to raise his Blacksmith career level and earn more upgrade rewards.
"But now, even with just crafting horseshoes, the experience gain for the Blacksmith career is already very slow."
"I can take this opportunity to ask Boris about the fees for learning other forging skills," Rain thought to himself.
(End of Chapter)
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