Chapter 164 - War (8)

Billy didn't know if just watching a blacksmith working would be enough to let him learn the skill, but if anything, it certainly would be enough to make the skill appear in the shop. It shouldn't be expensive… even if that fails, Billy could always pay someone to teach him the practical skills.

"That would take a few days. Do you have that much free time in your hands?" John asked. "To be honest, I don't like being bothered while I am working."

"I would just watch, though," Billy said.

"Being watched is one of the things I consider bothersome," John said. "Well, I suppose this once will be fine. I heard that you know the guild master of the place that collects similar materials, so I want to borrow your assistance in getting those."

"That is easy. I will write Marie a letter," Billy said. "That being said, her receptionist is the one who will do the work."

John told him to come in three days to watch the process. He usually takes three days to finish forging things with those rare materials, and he takes one day to rest to recover his vigor and focus. Just out of curiosity, Billy decided to check John's status and see at which level he would be to forge things better than him.

Billy - Lv 36

HP: 80/ 80

MP: 40/ 40

SP: 280/ 280

Strength: 70

Speed: 20

Magic: 15

Endurance: 75

Dexterity: 115

Status Points: 40

Skills:

Spells:

Passive: Blacksmith Lv 63, Haggler Lv 22, Fire Resistance Lv 42, Heat Resistance Lv 51

Skill Points: 00

John had very few skills, which wasn't surprising given his usual behavior. Nevertheless, he frowned when he saw the skill haggler… it was weird since it was more like a social skill. In any case, as promised, Billy went to see his throwing knives being forged.

The first step was forging. Forging a weapon required several important steps. The first is the extraction of metals. In ancient days, sword makers were required to collect metals in amounts that could be used for practical purposes. This included separating iron from other minerals in great amounts. Once the metals were separated, they were heated and mixed. In a forge, the collected metals were heated to a point where they became liquid and were poured into a mold. These were rough templates that mirrored the final form of a sword. The point of forging metals into a mold is mixing the metal elements together, so they evenly produce a final piece. However, John already had the purified material, so that step was skilled.

The next step is tempering. Once a forged piece of iron is formed, it is subject to many cycles of heating and cooling. These cycles bind the molecules of metal to make them stronger. The metal is tamped by hammer into the desired form with every cooling and heating cycle. This process represents the bulk of the weapon-making process and can be quite laborious. With every tempering cycle, a rough sword form becomes stronger.

Folding is an advanced sword construction process that was used by armory technicians. When a heated piece of iron is folded, its molecules bind together to create added strength properties. Folding can be performed with a singular piece of iron or with differing metals. The result of folding is a tempered alloy that is exponentially stronger with enhanced construction and honing potential.

"It is basically the same process I saw in many videos in my past life… there are different methods, but that is the most common one in the west," Billy thought.

The skill Blacksmithing is now available in the skill shop.

As expected, it was too much to hope for that he would learn just by watching. Still, Billy wondered why that skill wasn't on the shop already. He watched some shows about blacksmithing in his previous life, after all. Maybe it was because those shows didn't show the whole process… In any case, it was a really slow process wince John relied on too many tools, but Billy could avoid those with magic.

"The cost of blacksmithing is twenty-five skill points… that is fine, I guess, since it is a passive skill," Billy thought.

In any case, the five throwing knives were ready, so Billy got them and noticed that they had some sockets in the handle.

"I put those in case you find suitable gems," John explained.

"I see… with those, I can change the gems equipped on those weapons whenever I want," Billy said. "Anyway, thanks for the help."

Billy had already sent a letter to Marie, so his part of the deal was over. While he already bought the skill, even though he might not need some things like a furnace, he still will need a place to try that. He had some gold coins left, but the town wasn't big enough to have places on sale. Billy decided to make his own place outside the town and hidden underground as well. Underground and below a grove or q forest will probably do. Given that he will create it with magic, few people will be able to access it.

"Hehehe, why am I getting excited over making my own hideout at my age?" Billy asked himself while smiling.

In the end, Billy spent a week looking for a suitable place to make his hideout. The guards in the entrances of the town frowned since he left every day and returned every day as well. As for his family, they knew that he was up to something, but they didn't know what since Billy was being secretive about it.

After finding the place, Billy began to dig using magic, and that had been rather easy after all the magical training he had done. It took him only three days to create an underground hideout that was fifty meters long and wide.. However, around the time he found the perfect moment to seal and unseal the place, his trees finally arrived.