Chapter 1167: The Legendary Blacksmith
“I am Mag. This is my daughter, Amy. We came from Chaos City. Our flying steed had some problems, and it dumped us before we reached Issen Castle, so we could only walk there,” Mag replied with a smile, mixing lies with the truth.
Mamy Restaurant was very famous now, and they could bump into someone they knew in Issen Castle. They would have caused more suspicions and concerns if they concealed the truth completely. It was better to be more truthful; anyway, he did come to make a good cleaver.
Godala looked at Mag, feeling rather surprised. That they could take a flying steed from Chaos City to Issen Castle implied that this pair of father and daughter were indeed not vagrants, and were rather well-to-do people. They simply had a stroke of bad luck. Smiling, he said, “In this case, you have rather bad luck. If you haven’t met me, you would’ve been walking for two, three hours in the cold weather. What did you guys come so far to Issen Castle to do?”
“I am a chef. I came here to find the best blacksmith to make me a handy cleaver. I wonder if Mr. Godala knows who is the best blacksmith in Issen Castle? Where can I find him?” Mag asked.
“I have been shuttling between Rodu and Issen Castle for the past 30 over years. I stay at Issen Castle for three months every year, so naturally I know it like the back of my hand,” Godala said confidently. Then, he puzzledly asked Mag, “Even though I have never been to Chaos City, I have heard many of my colleagues say that Chaos City has every species there. It shouldn’t be difficult to find a dwarf blacksmith to make you a cleaver there? Why did you come to Issen Castle specially for that? And you are even looking for the best blacksmith? Isn’t this too over the top?”
“The cleavers made by the blacksmiths in Chaos City couldn’t satisfy my requirements,” Mag replied to Godala, who was looking at him as if he was a moron, calmly.
“Couldn’t satisfy your requirements? Do you have to demand so much from a cleaver?” Godala still couldn’t understand as he tore out a chicken thigh and started eating it.
He always used a small knife that he brought along with him whenever he ate the wild game that he caught on his journey. He bought it at a roadside stall at Issen Castle with 3 copper coins. It was still perfectly functional after 10-odd years of use. Why was Mag being so particular?
“Some of the ingredients can’t be hacked apart with a normal cleaver. Hence, I have to come to look for the best blacksmith in Issen Castle to make the best cleaver,” Mag replied.
“A normal cleaver can’t hack it apart? Are you cooking with magic beasts?!” Godala was slightly taken aback. He had seen quite a number of magic beasts as a travelling merchant all these years. Because a caravan always had one or two knights travelling along with them, nothing ever happened when they met the low-tier magic beasts.
The magic beasts did have solid bones, and even the knights’ longswords couldn’t hack them apart.
“Yes.” Mag nodded before continuing, “Please tell me all about the formidable blacksmiths in Issen Castle, Mr. Godala. The motive of my trip is to bring back the best cleaver. I would be wasting time if I asked after we reached Issen Castle.”
“Alright, then. I will tell you about them.” Godala saw that Mag was very determined, so he didn’t ask anymore. “If you ask who is the most famous blacksmith in Issen Castle, that has to be the legendary blacksmith—Master Rom.
“Master Rom, who is already at the ripe old age of 400, has left his name on the Norland Continent for making uncountable famous weapons. The most famous among them was Lord Alex’s Tian Du sword.
“Over 300 years ago, Master Rom had custom-made the Tian Du sword for the ancestor of the Alex Family. That ancestor guarded the northwest of the empire, and rendered meritorious service. He extended the glory of the Alex Family at its peak.
“Many years later, the Alex Family’s castle was overrun by the demons and orcs’ coalition forces. The family was exterminated, and almost no one survived.
“300 years later, Master Alex appeared out of nowhere with the Tian Du sword, and became the strongest powerhouse of the Roth Empire without any dispute. He was like an archangel that descended from above and crushed all the powerhouses on the Norland Continent. He slaughtered dragons and demons, and was deemed the number one knight. Tian Du sword was again famous and considered as the number one sword in the world.”
Mag was rather surprised that the master who’d made the Tian Du sword was still alive.
“Mr. Godala likes Alex a lot?” he smilingly asked Godala, who was very excited when he talked about Alex.
“Of course! Is there anyone in the Roth Empire who doesn’t like Master Alex? He is the pride of our empire. He was the first knight in this world to be called a dragon killer, and because of him, we, the people of Roth Empire, never fear the giant dragons again,” Godala said with conviction. He glanced at Mag and then shook his head dejectedly. “Never mind. A chef like you wouldn’t understand. Anyway, you could never imagine the things that Master Alex had done.”
“Alright, please continue to talk about that Master Rom.” Mag nodded as he tried to hold back his laughter.
“Master Rom had made many other famous masterpieces besides the Tian Du sword. Only the most powerful powerhouses from each species are able to reserve a weapon from him. Normal people don’t even have the rights to line up for them,” Godala lamented.
“So, this means that this Master Rom represents the highest standards of the blacksmiths in Issen Castle?” Mag said thoughtfully.
“You can put it that way too. You can go ask around, nobody will say they are better than Master Rom.” Godala nodded before trying to talk Mag out of his idea. “Don’t even think about Master Rom. You can’t even get in the line. Furthermore, I have heard that Master Rom’s temper has gotten from bad to worse in the last few years. He has already changed many assistants in the shop, and customers who went in without an appointment were scolded and chased out straight away. You’d better not go and try your luck.”
“I want to have the best cleaver forged for me, so I am afraid that I have to go and try my luck,” Mag said with a smile. “I wonder if Mr. Godala knows the location of Master Rom’s workshop?”
“Sigh. I have already said you will not succeed at Master Rom’s. He only makes the best weapons in this world. Why would he make a cleaver for you? You will be beaten and thrown out by his disciples if you go to him. If you want to find a good blacksmith, I can introduce a few who are capable and easy to negotiate with. Why do you have to seek trouble for yourself?” Godala looked at Mag puzzledly.
Mag could see that Godala was being kind, but he still shook his head with a smile. “Since I have already come to Issen Castle, I have to give it a try. If I failed, Mr. Godala could introduce the other blacksmiths to me.”
“Alright. We will be passing by Master Rom’s workshop later, and I will let you alight there.” Godala gave up trying to talk Mag out of it after he saw that Mag was so stubborn. He would know what he said was true after he ran into the wall.
For the rest of their journey, Godala told Mag about the rules and things to note in Issen Castle. They had a good time chatting.
“That is Master Rom’s workshop, Mr. Mag.” The horse-drawn carriage stopped on a street in Issen Castle. Godala very seriously reminded Mag, “I am staying at the Tam Inn at the end of this street. You can come and look for me if you have any trouble. Remember, do not provoke Master Rom, or it will be very troublesome.”