Chapter 62: The Barbarian and the Shield Maiden
Chapter 62: The Barbarian and the Shield Maiden
The county city was the stronghold of the Habsburg Earl Family, and all of Klaya's brothers were likely there.
Going to the county city to find a high-level blacksmith shop now was obviously not a good idea.
Ren immediately dismissed the idea of going to the county city and decided that it was more important to focus on improving his blacksmithing profession level.
"Uncle Boris, today I want to learn weapon polishing," Ren said, turning to Boris.
"Sure, let's go!" Boris agreed without hesitation. After all, Ren had paid the tuition, and it didn't matter whether he learned tempering or polishing first.
Ever since obtaining this steel longsword, Ren had planned to learn weapon polishing first and leave tempering for later.
To maintain a weapon in good condition, proper maintenance was crucial, and polishing was an essential part of that process.
Soon, Boris led Ren to the open-air space behind the blacksmith shop.
There, several whetstones of different sizes were casually placed.
"These are whetstones used for sharpening blades. Now, can you guess why they're called oilstones?" Boris smiled and pointed to a stone as tall as an adult's thigh.
The stone's surface was slightly concave due to repeated polishing.
"Could it be related to oil?" Ren pondered for a moment and replied.
Boris picked up a one-handed sword nearby that needed polishing and sat on a wooden bench in front of the whetstone, seemingly ready to demonstrate for Ren.
"You're partially correct. Before using this type of whetstone, you need to apply a small amount of oil to its surface, hence the name 'oilstone,'" Boris revealed the answer.
He then picked up a palm-sized iron pot and poured a little oil onto the whetstone's surface, using the sword blade to scrape and spread the oil evenly.
"The primary purpose of applying oil is to reduce friction."
"Hoho!"
Boris held the sword hilt with his right hand and placed his other hand on the spine of the blade, starting to polish it.
"After polishing, the metal shavings from the blade will remain on the oil, and you can easily wipe them off with a rag," Boris explained as he demonstrated.
The entire process wasn't complicated.
Ren observed closely, and as soon as Boris finished his demonstration, he immediately tried his hand at it.
In no time, Ren grasped the technique, and a system notification appeared:
[You have performed weapon polishing, and your related comprehension has improved!]
[You have comprehended a new skill – Weapon Polishing]
[Your skill Weapon Polishing has improved, gaining 1 experience point.]
[You focused on weapon polishing for ten minutes, gaining 1 blacksmith profession experience point.]
Below the blacksmith panel, in addition to the existing icons like hoof trimming, shoeing, and bellows operation, there was now a new icon.
This new icon, located above the other icons, depicted a whetstone with a short sword on top, vividly illustrating the act of polishing a weapon.
Another important aspect was that the blacksmith profession experience gained from weapon polishing was higher than Ren away.
Moreover, the experience gained from weapon polishing for the blacksmith profession was higher than that from 'Mineral Identification.'
An hour of polishing could provide Ren with approximately five profession experience points, leaving him overjoyed?
This was likely because weapon polishing required keen eyesight, strong hand strength, and constant concentration.
Fortunately, Ren's recent improvements in constitution, spirit energy, and other attributes made it possible for him to endure the demanding task for an extended period.
One...
Two...
Determined to improve his blacksmithing skills, Ren hardly took any breaks and spent the entire morning polishing weapons.
He cleared almost half of the weapons placed in the open area, not even sparing the kitchen knives!
As noon approached, Ren wiped away the beads of sweat on his forehead and finally took a break.
Looking at the panel, Rain's Blacksmithing Level had successfully reached Level 1 (76/100).
This gave Rain a sense of accomplishment, knowing that hard work paid off.
Boris, the blacksmith, couldn't help but grin widely at Rain's impressive work efficiency.
"Rain, why not consider working for me as an assistant? I'll pay you more!"
". . ."
Declining Boris' offer once again, Rain got up and headed home.
Just as Rain was leaving the blacksmith's shop, a slightly heavy sound of horse hooves echoed from the town's main road behind him.
The sound caught the attention of the town's residents on the road, and they all turned to look.
Rain, too, turned to see a group of five people riding tall warhorses, approaching from the north.
As they entered the town, their speed noticeably slowed, allowing Rain to get a clear look at their faces.
Leading the group was a bearded giant, sitting atop an unusually tall black warhorse. However, his feet were barely twenty to thirty centimeters off the ground, giving the impression of an adult riding a small pony.
Rain knew that this was due to the man's extraordinary height, creating an optical illusion.
Rain couldn't help but be amazed at the man's height, which seemed to exceed two meters and thirty centimeters. The man wore a horned helmet and a sturdy leather armor, studded with sharp spikes on the surface.
Except for the shoulders and torso, which were covered, his arms and legs were mostly exposed, likely to maintain agility in combat.
His biceps bulged, and the muscles on his thighs were even more intimidating, resembling protruding rocks. At a glance, he was clearly a formidable warrior with brute strength.
The most eye-catching feature, however, was the massive single-bladed axes hanging on both sides of the horse, one on each side.
As the group approached, the town's residents made way, their expressions filled with a hint of reverence as they observed the group.
Rain, too, was able to get a closer look at their details.
The crescent-shaped axe blades were nearly as wide as a door at their widest point, narrowing towards the front and back. The axe head alone was about a meter long, and the circular metal axe handle was also nearly half a meter in length.
These were heavy and sharp weapons known as 'Crescent Blade Battleaxes.'
Encountering such an oversized giant and his heavy double axes, even a strong black warhorse struggled to carry the load.
The black horse's nostrils flared, and in the slightly chilly autumn air, two columns of breath rose intermittently.
The rest of the group also wore similar wild-style attire, each with robust, towering, and rugged physiques.
Wait! Something was amiss with the last one; it was a girl, around eighteen or nineteen years old.
Although dressed similarly, her figure was noticeably more petite.
Riding on the horse, Rain estimated that she stood between one meter seventy and one meter eighty in height.
She was indeed much 'smaller.'
Behind her was an extremely exaggerated circular shield, over a meter in diameter, making the 'petite' girl appear even tinier.
The shield seemed to be made from some kind of thick wood, with a palm-sized raised iron plate in the center, and a narrow iron band around the edges, like a tight hoop.
On one side of the horse was a long-handled battleaxe, clearly two sizes smaller than the giant's axes. Moreover, the axe blade wasn't crescent-shaped but resembled a typical woodcutting axe.
This was a rare female shield maiden! Rain was surprised and couldn't help but take a few more glances at her.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
