Another World Metal Factory

Chapter 56

While the iron pieces were heating in the forge, Oran explained about pattern welding.

“That talking sword hanging on the wall is made with the pattern welding method. Pattern welding is a method of creating patterns by layering steel and wrought iron, hammering and folding, hammering and folding.”

“Aha. I see. Is it better than just quenching or something? In old stories, the swords of heroes and warriors had patterns on the blade.”

Oran flipped the iron pieces in the forge and shook her head at Tehez’s question.

“It was a method used to make swords strong in the old days when it was difficult to obtain high-quality, high-purity iron. It’s unnecessary if you can refine high-purity iron consistently. If you can pour it without bubbles, a sword cast by pouring molten metal into a mold can be better than a sword made by a blacksmith hammering low-quality iron.”

“Refining high-purity steel is certainly difficult. You have to melt the iron at high temperatures and filter out impurities.”

“You know well. That’s why it was a method used in the old days when it was difficult to generate high temperatures. It’s the wisdom of blacksmiths who tried to make good swords using poor quality iron in the past.”

Oran took off the protective face shield next to her and tossed the headset-like earmuffs to Tehez.

As Tehez examined the earmuffs, Oran put them on her own ears and said,

“Use them. It’ll be noisy.”

“Ah. Earmuffs!”

Tehez quickly put on the earmuffs and wore the transparent face shield like Oran.

Oran grabbed the iron rod and took the iron pieces out of the forge. The red-hot iron was radiating heat.

After examining the pieces, Oran determined that the iron was sufficiently heated and quickly placed the piece under the power hammer and stepped on the switch with her foot.

With the sound of the motor running, a giant lump of iron began to strike the heated iron under the hammer. The thumping sound echoed through the factory.

Oran skillfully began to stretch the red-hot iron. The short piece of iron quickly began to lengthen.

Turning it this way and that, Oran stretched the iron and brushed off the impurities that rose to the surface with a brush.

Finally, Oran brought the almost cooled iron plate onto the anvil and finished shaping it by hammering it.

“Is it really the same as a blacksmith hammering?”

“Right? But this is done by a machine.”

Oran placed the cooled iron plate on the workbench and took off her earmuffs, and Tehez also took off hers and exclaimed in admiration.

“This is definitely convenient and good.”

“Definitely convenient. Blacksmith hammering is done by humans, so the force is not consistent. On the other hand, machines can hammer accurately and consistently.”

“That’s how Mr. Popper and Karutz hammer. They have a mechanical hammer, but it’s not automatic, so Kelper has to hold the handle and use his weight to pull it, so it’s less convenient than this.”

“A foreign craftsman? Seems like there’s a blacksmith who works in a very old-fashioned way. They should at least have an electric power hammer. I’m curious how they work.”

Oran sprinkled white powder on the iron plate and put it back in the forge.

“Now I’ll continue folding.”

“Folding is… folding the iron, right?”

“Yes. I’ll fold it over and over again. By doing so, you can remove impurities from the iron and make it stronger. Most swords in the past were made that way.”

Oran put her earmuffs back on, and Tehez quickly followed suit.

Oran handed Tehez a tool. It was a thin, narrow iron plate with a long handle. One side of the iron plate was sharp.

Tehez thought it looked like a giant razor.

“Now! Hold that, and when I put the iron in the power hammer, stab it vertically right in the middle! Got it?!”

“Yes!”

Tehez nodded at Oran’s shout.

She had figured out how Oran was going to work. This was probably a knife to cut the iron in half, and once it was cut, she would fold it.

As Tehez gripped the tool, Oran took out the heated iron and placed it on the power hammer.

“Tehez!”

“Yes!”

Tehez quickly inserted the iron in the middle and applied force, and Oran slowly lowered the iron lump of the power hammer.

Tehez felt the heavy iron lump pressing down on the iron plate with great force. It was a feeling she had never experienced when handling other machines. It was a kind of tactile feedback.

The iron plate entered and split the red-hot, softened iron in half.

When only the tip remained, Oran quickly lifted the power hammer, and Tehez quickly pulled out the iron plate.

Oran immediately took out the iron and placed it on the anvil, hammering it vigorously.

The cut part opened up, folding the iron in half, and it was put back in the power hammer to be hammered a few more times, and the impurities that rose were brushed off.

“Phew. Good, just a few more times.”

Oran sprinkled the white powder on the iron again and put it back in the forge.

“What is that powder you keep sprinkling?”

“This? Borax.”

“Borax? What kind of powder is it and what does it do?”

When Tehez asked with sparkling eyes again, Oran took off her glasses and wiped her face with a towel.

“You remind me of my younger self. So curious. Well, Borax, I don’t know the exact name, but it’s a white substance that’s excavated from the bottom of volcanic lakes or hot springs. It’s also used in making ceramics and glass. Anyway, if you apply this to iron, the impurities in the iron will clump together with the borax and come out.”

“Ah! So that’s what it was! Amazing.”

“Huh? Don’t you apply flux to the welding rod when you weld?”

“Flux? I do apply it.”

“That also contains borax. Well, the reason it’s used in welding is to prevent contact with oxygen, right? So it’s a little different from when it’s used for quenching.”

Tehez nodded and quickly continued taking notes in her notebook.

***

After folding the iron a few more times, it was evening, and Tehez and Oran cleaned up the tools.

“Make sure the fire is completely out. And turn off all the machine switches!”

“Yes! Master. I’ve checked everything.”

Oran listened to Tehez’s reply and checked the two pieces of iron. It was a procedure to check if there were any parts that were not properly attached or any defects.

The Factory Manager approached Oran, who was doing this, and took out a cigarette and lit it.

“It would have been finished by now if you had just processed the iron plate.”

“That’s if we were delivering ready-made products. A proper product requires the craftsman’s touch and time.”

The Factory Manager lit his cigarette and looked at the sketch.

“This looks similar to the old swords I saw in books.”

“Yes. It’s based on that design. Fancy, isn’t it? I’m going to make a sword that suits the young lady and is also practical.”

“Well, you’re good at making things like that. You’re like the old Factory Manager.”

Oran patted the Factory Manager’s shoulder and lightly poked his side with her fist.

“Well, you’re the Factory Manager now. We’re good at different things. You built a huge company with this small factory, and I’m just a wandering blacksmith who travels the world meeting other blacksmiths. That’s all.”

“Well, I ended up coming back here. In the end, this was the right place for me.”

The Factory Manager took a drag of his cigarette, and Oran patted his shoulder.

-Popper and Karutz are here.-

At that moment, the sword hanging on the back door shouted, and at the same time, the back door opened. Blacksmith Popper and butcher Karutz entered.

“Hey! Black Hair! Let’s go for a drink!”

“I heard Oscar’s Red Rooster has a new beer. We should drink it on a day like this…”

Popper and Karutz entered noisily, but then they paused when they saw the Factory Manager and Oran.

“Oh! They have a new beer at the Red Rooster? I should go too! Tehez! Want a drink?”

Channing, unaware of the adults’ silence, shouted thoughtlessly, and Tehez, sensing the atmosphere, shook her head.

“No. I promised to teach Illia how to read tonight. Drink on your own today.”

“Hmm… That’s a shame.”

While Channing expressed his regret, Oran stepped forward with a bright smile and greeted Popper and Karutz.

“You must be this friend’s acquaintances. I’m Seok Oran.”

“Ah… I’m Popper. This is Karutz. Nice to meet you.”

Popper replied with a hesitant expression, and Karutz looked at the Factory Manager and spoke with his expression.

The Factory Manager shrugged at Karutz, took off his work jacket, hung it on the hanger, and shouted.

“Alright. I’ll wash up and go, so you guys go ahead!”

“Go ahead. I’ll be there too!”

Oran shouted, and Popper and Karutz looked at her in surprise, then at the Factory Manager. The Factory Manager shrugged, and the two went out the back door with hesitant expressions.

“The shower room is shared, right?”

“Yes. Tehez and Illia are probably washing up.”

“Okay. Should I wash up too?”

Oran took a change of clothes from her carrier and went into the shower room, and the Factory Manager sighed.

“What’s wrong, Factory Manager? It’s a new beer. New beer! Kiya! How delicious it must be!”

Channing, who was quick-witted when it came to work but lacked social awareness, shouted cheerfully, and the Factory Manager smacked him on the head with his fist.

“You go and drink alone! Don’t interfere with the adults’ drinking!”

“Ah… Alright, alright. Geez, you think I don’t have any friends?”

Rubbing his head, Channing took off his work jacket and changed his shirt.

“Then I’ll go ahead.”

“Okay.”

The Factory Manager nodded at Channing’s words and sat alone, looking at the quiet factory where all the machines had stopped. Various thoughts came to his mind.

He took out another cigarette and lit it. White smoke rose to the factory ceiling.

After smoking for a while, the Factory Manager got up, took a towel, and went out the back door. He thought he should at least wash his face and back since it would take time to shower.

Taking off his top and tying the towel around his waist, the Factory Manager leaned over the sink and reached out to turn on the faucet. The cold water cooled his body that was hot from the machinery.

“Ugh. Refreshing!”

The Factory Manager rinsed himself with water while still leaning over and then took the soap next to him and lathered his body. The faint scent of soap washed away the smell of sweat, making him feel good.

Finally, he squeezed a bit of shampoo and rubbed it vigorously into his hair to create a lather. He moved his head towards the water to rinse off the shampoo suds, but he felt nothing on his head.

“Huh?! What?!”

The Factory Manager frantically waved his shampoo-covered hand over his head, but he felt nothing.

“Damn it! Is the water cut off?! What bad luck!”

The moment the Factory Manager slightly raised his body to turn on the water, a sudden downpour of water poured over his head.

“Whoa!”

The Factory Manager was truly startled and jumped up, looking around frantically. Shampoo suds got into his eyes because he had suddenly opened them, and it stung.

“Who is it!”

“Hahahaha!”

At that moment, laughter echoed in the backyard.

“You! Really!”

“Hahaha! You fell for it again, just like before!”

“You’re doing the same thing you did decades ago?”

“Decades? I’ve done it a few more times since then.”

Oran replied with a giggle at the Factory Manager’s roar. The Factory Manager grumbled, turned on the faucet, and washed off the shampoo suds that were all over his body and hair.

After washing himself, the Factory Manager stood up and dried himself with a towel.

“Damn it! My underwear is all wet!”

“So what? It’s hot out. It’ll dry quickly.”

“You said you were going to wash up.”

“I just splashed some water on myself. I’m going to wash up properly at the hotel later. Besides, if I didn’t come out quickly, you would have left without me.”

The Factory Manager swore and picked up the undershirt that was lying next to him and put it over his head.

Looking at the Factory Manager’s back, Oran spoke.

“So. Where is this place?”

The Factory Manager, who was putting his arms through the undershirt, looked back in surprise.

Behind them, the evening scenery of the otherworldly city of Polchis, which didn’t look like Korea, unfolded. There was no way Oran wouldn’t notice it.

The Factory Manager sighed and answered.

“When I came back to the factory and started the machines, the back connected to this place. I don’t know exactly where it is. But it’s definitely not Earth.”

Oran looked at the setting sun and said,

“It certainly seems that way. You didn’t even contact me when something this interesting happened?”

“How could I contact you if I didn’t know where you were!”

“Do you carry your phone around for show? These days, you can make calls overseas easily. So, that young man with big ears, the green-haired young lady, and the little girl with horns on her head, are they all from this place too?”

“They’re all from this place. As you can see, I’ve closed the Seoul gate and shut down the business there.”

The Factory Manager put on a new shirt.

“So. Are you really going for a drink? Well, the beer here isn’t bad, but it’s a bit lukewarm.”

“I’m used to that, so it’s okay. Let’s go together.”

Oran replied, and the Factory Manager shrugged and started walking ahead.