Chapter 292: If I was giving it to your mother... Part1

The next day Tang Yue and Charlotte, along with the two beast cubs, came to the smithy early in the morning.

Tang Yue had already explained to Charlotte in detail about what happened the previous day, well omitting certain parts of course.

Even Charlotte was immensely surprised.

To find such a powerful ally at such a time was indeed truly a blessing!

She could tell that Tang Yue was not giving her the full story, but she knew how to be tactful enough to ignore it.

She would never betray Tang Yue but in the end, trust was something that had to be slowly and steadily earned.

After the two chatted for a bit, Tang Yue and Charlotte got ready and walked over to the smithy.

Even though things had progressed at an exponentially fast pace and Tang Yue now had an actual chance to learn something as profound as spirit smithing, the duo still felt very anxious.

Previously, they had spent several weeks with the damned drunkard. So, they were not too sure that he would be of any help.

But in the worst-case scenario, Tang Yue could always request the elder who brought her here and learn spirit smithing from him.

So she wasn't too worried about it.

In all honesty, she decided to pay a visit to the drunkard this morning, mainly to learn more about her mother.

At least that's what she thought.

Because when the duo finally reached the smithy, they almost couldn't recognize the place at all.

"Erm… Is this the wrong address?" Charlotte knitted her eyebrows and pondered out loud.

"I don't think so." Tang Yue shook her head, but her eyes were filled with disbelief.

The rusty run-down makeshift building which was there just yesterday night was no longer present.

Instead, a strong, and sturdy two-story building with a polished and clean metallic exterior was standing proudly in front of them.

What the hell happened overnight?

How could an entire building be remodeled in the span of a single night?

While the duo stood on the doorstep completely dumbfounded, the thick metallic door creaked open and a dwarf stepped outside.

Ah! Both the women simultaneously let out a loud involuntarily gasp!

What the heck???

Standing in front of them was a strong and sturdy dwarf emanating a powerful profound aura.

He had his hair neatly pulled back and tied together forming a small ponytail.

His clothes were clean and crisp. The man's pot belly was no longer present.

Instead, one could see his defined muscles straining under the robe.

Since these were muscles developed from a lifelong training of smithing hard and powerful weapons, every single strand of the muscle was bulging with power and energy.

Even though dwarves had a slightly short stature compared to the normal height of the higher beings, the man standing in front of them for some reason seemed extremely lofty and exalted.

How could this powerful expert be the same drunken fool?

If not for the hideous scar running through his face, Tang Yue wouldn't even have recognized him in the first place.

While the two ladies continued staring at the dwarf with their mouths wide agape, the man coldly snorted.

"I thought you wanted to train in blacksmithing? Is this the interest and effort you intend to show towards it?"

Huh? Tang Yue was confused.

"If this is your attitude, you might as well forget about it. Pretty girls like you don't need to work so hard."

Tang Yue's mouth twitched. 

The sun had only just risen and the streets were also pretty much empty. 

They had walked over here very early in anticipation of hearing more about her mother.

But still, that was tardy in the eyes of this bastard? 

Wasn't he just recently in a 24-7 drunken stupor all day and every day? 

He is now commenting on my work ethic?!

Tang Yue was livid, but she didn't say anything. 

She wanted to see just where this was going and she wanted to know more about her mother.

So she gritted her teeth and apologized. "I am sorry, my lord. I will arrive earlier tomorrow."

"Hmph. Whatever. Use your actions and not your words."

"Come inside now." Miller coldly snorted and went back in and the two women silently followed him.

Apparently, the inside of the smithy also received a complete overhaul and things were very neatly arranged now.

The furnace was already roaring. Metal ore chunks were appropriately separated and stacked together. Various practice stations were set up.

All in all, the building now looked like a proper smithy.

These changes were not really too drastic, but all of this to happen in a single night?

This man had indeed put some effort. Tang Yue sighed.

And as soon as she did, Miller barked at her immediately, having caught her standing in a daze.

"What are you sighing for like an old person? Stand erect and pay your respects. Do you know how to pay respects to a Master?"

Tang Yue nodded. She quickly knelt on the floor and kowtowed three times. 

She was not sure if their culture was similar to dwarven culture, so she just did what she knew.

Miller didn't mind it and simply nodded. "You are officially my disciple now."

"I don't know how much you slacked before, but now onward you need to work hard."

"I am not in the habit of wasting my time, so if you fail to meet my expectations, you will be immediately thrown out."

Tang Yue's face slightly darkened. 

Not in the habit of wasting time? You! Just what were you doing yesterday? Isn't this going a bit too far?

She was fuming inwardly at this hypocrisy, but she still bore with it and nodded obediently.

After all, he was just telling her things that any other Master would have told.

"Ok. Let's not dwell too much on formalities and waste time." 

"Why don't you start from the basics and show me what you have learned until now?"

Tang Yue nodded and walked towards a stack of purple molium ore chunks. 

This mid-grade metal had an inborn luster that shined even in its unrefined state.

Naturally, it caught Tang Yue's eye and she decided to use that first.

She was also eager to try the Hundred Bangs Refinement again because previously she was able to gain some insights and she wanted to memorize the feeling into her bones.

However, when she walked over to the stack of ores, a cold snort sounded behind her.

"Why don't you first learn to walk before you run? Start with the iron ore chunks." Miller sternly reprimanded her.

Tang Yue wanted to tell him that she had already mastered it, but she doubted that the dwarf would accept such an answer.

But as if he could read her mind, the man again loudly remarked. 

"I will be the judge of whether you have mastered it or not."

"Hai. Hai." Tang Yue nodded and started throwing the ore chunks inside the furnace to melt them down.

Since these were lower-tier materials, they did not require the refinement step.

After melting the ores, Tang Yue poured them into three molds, one armor, and two long swords.

She then removed the raw weapons and placed one of the swords on the anvil.

Before beginning the main forging step, she quickly looked up to make sure the dwarf was examining her.

Otherwise, this would only be a waste of time and she might even be asked to do it again.

However, as soon as she looked up, Tang Yue felt a pair of stern cold eyes gazing at her with full attention.

Not only that, but the man also immediately reprimanded her. "Your concentration is too weak!"

Tang Yue gulped nervously and quickly bent her head down again. She still fully didn't believe this man's act, but he sure was scary!

She didn't want to be over-confident and make a trivial mistake, giving the hypocrite more ammunition to scold her.

So she calmly took a few deep breaths first. 

She then used the hammer, lying near the anvil, and banged on the metallic weapon with full concentration.

She adjusted the power, mana, and elemental essences mixed in her blow according to the level that a common-grade ore could withstand.

Tang Yue no longer needed to use her special skill 'One with the Earth' for forging common-grade weapons, but this time she still used it to ensure absolute perfection.

Once she activated the skill, it was almost as if that long sword was a part of her own arm and she could feel every inch of the metal.

After that, the rest of the process didn't take long and Tang Yue smoothly finished forging the long-sword, giving it a small boost in attack power and a minor fire attribute.

Overall, she was extremely satisfied with her work and she smugly looked up at the dwarf.

I told you that I have already mastered this! Her eyes twinkled.