NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38: Chapter 38
Chapter 38: The Blacksmith Apprentice
Lan stroked his chin thoughtfully. He had little knowledge about high-end blacksmith shops, but the thorough process described seemed sound. The dwarf before him emphasized his title as "chief apprentice" with pride, which hinted that Master Tor was indeed a skilled blacksmith.
With that in mind, Lan placed his damaged witcher armor onto the counter with a loud thud. The wooden counter trembled slightly under the weight.
Fergus confidently crossed his arms and nodded. "Oh, you need repair services? That's work I can handle. No need to trouble the master for this."
Before he could finish, the blonde girl with braided hair interrupted him. "Don't be so cocky, Fergus. Open your eyes and take a good look; this is a witcher's armor!"
Her tone was filled with surprise, making Lan turn his attention to her. For the first time in a long while, someone had recognized his armor for what it was.
"An expert, huh?"
Lan's cat-like eyes darted between the two. Both wore aprons, but the difference was that Fergus sported a leather apron common among blacksmiths, protecting him from the sparks of forging. In contrast, the girl named Yoana wore a cloth apron, suggesting her role in the shop was limited to cleaning.
The aprons clearly reflected their statuses: apprentice and help.
However, Lan found it interesting that a mere "help" would speak to the apprentice in such a way. Was it really possible for a human woman to have better skills than a dwarf apprentice?
Amidst Lan's subtle amusement, Yoana expertly arranged the various pieces of armor on the counter, examining them closely. "The puncture on the abdomen—was that caused by a halberd? It's quite deep. And look at these chain links; I bet they're made of something better than ordinary steel!"
As she examined the armor like a treasured item, her face nearly touched the surface. Lan crossed his arms, allowing her to inspect while he revealed some details about the armor.
"Witcher armor incorporates monster materials, which is why its performance differs from that of ordinary steel."
"Ah, that makes sense! Incorporating monster materials is a technique only a master could achieve. You've come to the right place!" Yoana looked up from the armor, smiling shyly at Lan.
She then turned back to Fergus, instructing, "Go call the master down; we can't handle this ourselves."
Fergus shot Yoana an annoyed glance but, after she gestured toward the scattered playing cards, he sulked off upstairs.
Before long, Fergus returned, followed by a bald dwarf with a powerful build. His robust frame resembled a stout iron post, with a thick, neatly groomed beard that was already turning gray. He was much older than Fergus, likely well over a hundred and thirty years old.
Upon descending, he headed straight to the counter, surveying the neatly arranged armor pieces with satisfaction.
"Good work, Fergus. I see you've remembered how to categorize armor components. Better than those dwarves in Mahakam who only know how to swing a hammer," he praised. As Fergus showered him with compliments for his teaching, the master dwarf turned his attention to Lan.
"This armor is nice, but it shows signs of poor maintenance. I can fix it up for 220 Orens, including fitting adjustments and a maintenance service. What do you say?"
The master was indeed perceptive; even though the chainmail was not laid out perfectly, he could tell at a glance that it was a size larger than Lan. Lan had no objections to the price. He would have agreed even if the quote had been 300 Orens.
The higher the price, the better he felt. After all, he had a "free voucher."
"I completely agree with your price; your skills are surely worth it. But before we proceed…" Lan pulled out the parchment from his pocket and placed it on the counter with a smile.
"Take a look at this first."
The master's demeanor shifted from self-satisfaction to a more serious tone as he read the parchment, his expression turning blank.
"Fucking Vserad," he muttered under his breath, suddenly stopping to look at Lan's cat-like eyes. "You're not planning to snitch, are you?"
Lan shook his head, raising his hands in a gesture of harmlessness. "Master, any merchant who's been given a free voucher certainly has the right to vent in private."
"Very well, I'm starting to like you, young man. Damn Vserad! He's asking me for favors again. Just like last time. I worked an entire day and made not a single coin! Just enough to cover costs. And now he's back for more."
The dwarf's voice boomed, filled with anger. Yoana and Fergus appeared accustomed to this, while Lan found himself slightly taken aback.
"Should we not proceed?" Fergus cautiously asked his mentor.
The master's fury seemed to dissipate suddenly as he looked at his apprentice, his expression shifting to one of incredulity. "My livelihood is tied to this shop. This shop operates in Gors Velen, Gors Velen is in Velen, and the lord of Velen is Vserad, appointed by Foltest. Fergus, can't you use your head? Don't say foolish things again!"
Having scolded his apprentice, Master Tor turned back to Lan.
"I apologize for the outburst." His tone had lost some of its earlier heat but was still serious. "You can come back tomorrow to collect your armor, no need for measuring. My eyes are good enough; if I make a mistake, I'll fix it for free."
The young witcher found no objection to this and turned to leave. As he stepped outside and untied Popeye, he caught snippets of conversation from inside the smithy. It seemed Tor was carrying the armor to the work area.
Yoana and Fergus were whispering to each other.
"Can you be more careful? That witcher is going to figure us out! I told you the master's knowledge and it is on you to maintain my apprenticeship; this was our agreement."
"That witcher doesn't know us at all; what reason would he have to tell the master our secret? Besides, when that witcher's armor was in front of me, I couldn't control myself."
"You can't just blurt out secrets, either! Do I have to repeat master's words? 'I will never take a human as an apprentice; it's not discrimination, but I know that if one day their forging skills match ours, they'll eliminate us all.' I know you're not a bad person and you wouldn't wish harm on us dwarves, Yoana. But apart from me, no other dwarf would do that!"
"Alright, Fergus. I'll be more careful in the future."
"Ah-ha, now we're back to square one. Come on, help me with some items to satisfy the master. A long sword and two sets of iron gloves."
"It's not over yet, Fergus."
"What?"
"The earth elemental; you still owe me an earth elemental."
As Lan pondered outside, he chuckled lightly, leading his horse away.
***
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