NOVEL NEXT Chapter 161: Soul Steel
The material of which you chose to forge your weapon would greatly affect the final product.
A good sword needed three things.
It must be forged from good materials.
It must be designed by a brilliant mind.
It must be forged by skilled craftsmanship.
The workshop had been closed and all the windows were shut tight. The only one who could see what was happening inside was Jude. But Siderius didn't worry about him.
Jude might not see eye to eye with Siderius but he had respect for the hunter. That alone ensured that whatever Siderius did in Scalize would not face any obstacle.
He took out the big piece of Soul Iron ingot and placed it on the table. George immediately touched it, he could feel the warmth it emanated on the surface.
"How particular! A piece of Iron as warm as coal!" George said.
"Let me see." Finn stepped forward and examined the Soul Iron also. "It really is warm… How can this be?"
While the two blacksmiths were admiring the piece of metal, Siderius put on the blacksmith's protective gear and started the forge.
"Oh? Are you also a blacksmith, Lord Watcher?" Finn's eyes lit up when he saw the professional gestures Siderius had. It was something one could only achieve after years of experience.
"Not a blacksmith but I did practice the craft."
Alchemist and Blacksmith were very close in Siderius' old world. The majority of the blacksmith was also an alchemist on the side. The use of Alchemy was just too advantageous to ignore.
"Let's get to work, boys." Siderius said.
Finn and George nodded in agreement.
Siderius put coal and heat up the forge while the two blacksmiths prepared the crucible and pure iron dust.
They followed the instructions of the schematics and put the iron dust and Soul Iron in the crucible.
"I had brought the Iron Blood with me." Siderius put down the jug. "Instead of using animal blood and bones, use the Iron Blood. The Dull Steel will have much better quality."
George and Finn took a deep breath. They could see the fire in the eyes, the passion for their profession that had disappeared for a long time.
George took care of the heavy work and started burning the piece of Soup Iron and Iron Dust. Finn was still recovering so he had the role of adding the material and watching the flame.
The process was very similar to how George made Dull Steel the last time. However, instead of Animal Blood, they used Iron Blood this time.
When the Soul Iron melted together with normal iron and created an alloy, George took out the crucible for Finn to add the Iron Blood.
They worked through the day relentlessly.
In the evening, a rough piece of Dull Steel was born. It was much more durable than the Dull Steel that George had made.
Finn admired the piece of Dull Steel and ran his hand on it.
"It is truly a difference of night and day when using Iron Blood."
"With this kind of durability, there is no reason we can't sharpen it. We can have a sharp AND indestructible sword!" George said.
Siderius shook his head. "Not possible. Dull Steel is durable because of its structure and grainy surface. No amount of sharpening can change this reality."
"So we can only create a dull blade?" Finn asked.
Siderius smiled. "That's right. Dull steel is for heavy tools like pickaxe, axe or shovel. Tools that don't require much sharpness. But still, it can be forged into a usable sword with the right design.
As for how we actually fix the dullness, we simply need to elevate it to Strong Steel instead of Dull Steel.
Strong Steel retains the durability of Dull Steel but can be sharpened like any other steel. It also has much higher strength and flexibility."
"Can we... Can we learn about Strong Steel?" George blinked his eyes rapidly.
"Of course. When your contribution to the guild is good enough, you can learn anything. But now, we must focus on making the weapon."
"Yes, Lord Watcher!" Finn and George answered in unison.
After making the piece of Dull Steel. It was time for the two blacksmiths to hammer it into a blade.
Finn and George smacked the piece of Dull Steel with the iron hammer. They slammed it repeatedly, again and again.
Finn used the tongs to hold the sword in place while George summoned all his strength to move the hammer. Fire sparks filled the air of the workshop. The sound of metalworks echoed throughout the space.
Slowly and surely, the Dull Steel took shape. It became a thick long blade of gray.
The Blazing Soul had reached its embryo state.
George swiped the sweats off his face and showed Siderius the blade.
"What do you think?"
"It is perfect." Siderius nodded. "You really are brilliant, George. You have mastered the process of making Dull Steel."
"We. We have mastered it." George pulled Finn to his side and patted his shoulder.
The blacksmith of Scalize shared a tired but happy smile.
The blacksmiths had fulfilled their duty. Now it was Siderius' turn.
For this step, Siderius needed to create channels within the blade. These channels would connect all the dormant Sulfur, allowing Fire-element to be stored within the blade.
Siderius took out the body of the Firevein plant. This plant would help him achieve this task. By using the nature of its veins, Siderius would infuse into the blade artificial channels, in other words veins, and let it connect the sulfur inside.
Siderius drew the necessary Seal. His hands started the sign sequence.
The body of the plant took roots. Its roots shone an orange color and they pierced into the hard surface of the blade.
"I can't believe it. There is such a technique to use the strength of a plant to reinforce the steel." Finn's mouth opened wide. He murmured like a mindless zombie. He still couldn't comprehend the Alchemical reaction in front of him.
For him, it was a whole new world.
George was no different than him. He observed the process attentively.
Once the roots reached inside the steel, its body slowly dissolved into nothingness. Then the roots disappeared completely.
On the surface of the blade now had thin tiny orange veins that illuminated gently. They looked like actual human veins with the orange color pulsed like heartbeats.