Chapter 112: Bogus Master
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
A dignified level-19 Archmage was actually hiding in his room, forging iron…
It felt absurd—it was like seeing a millionaire kneeling down on the street, begging for food.
Before Lin Li came over, he had never thought that the old man with a goat-like beard had mysteriously called him over to help him with the forging!
“Mr Macklin…” Lin Li stood at the door with some confusion on his face.
“Let’s go in first.” The expression of the old fellow was as if one of a thief’s; he walked to the door and took a look at the surroundings; then, after confirming that no one had discovered them, he lightly pushed open the door that was left unlocked.
“…” Lin Li was confounded. This old fellow really had nothing to; he could get anything he wanted as an Archmage, so was it necessary to be this secretive…?
“Hurry… close the door!” Lin Li had just entered the room when he heard someone speaking from the furnace.
And then, Lin Li had gone crazy…
The old man by the fire was short and thin, and was wearing a large black mage robe; from a distance, he looked slightly hunched. Amidst the clear banging sounds, the old man struggled as he wielded the hammer, and dazzling sparks were formed as he smashed down on the anvil.
“Damn…” The moment Lin Li saw the hunchback old man, Lin Li felt that he had really gone mad.
He really wanted to ask the two old fellows: is the world really so difficult now? Even they had fallen to the point of working as blacksmiths… Let alone Macklin, now, even Aldwin, the level-21 legendary mage, was actually standing beside the furnace!
But to be honest, the President’s workmanship was too crude to be true.
A piece of bright red iron embryo was knocked into a hideous mess by him. His strength was inconsistent, and the hammer often came down on the wrong spot—there were at least five times out of ten that the hammer had landed on the anvil. Watching the President forge iron was a fast trigger for a heart attack. Occasionally, Lin Li was worried that the hammer in the President’s hand would suddenly fly out and smash someone…
“Take a rest, I’ll do it.” As soon as Macklin entered the room, he took the hammer from the President.
Aldwin was utterly exhausted as well. Seeing that someone was here to take over, he immediately handed over the hammer. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead as he gasped for breath. After a while, he seemed to abruptly notice Lin Li, who was standing in the doorway.
“Eh, little fellow, it’s you?” Aldwin was rather surprised.
“Ah?” Lin Li’s face revealed some astonishment. He was sure that he had never seen Aldwin before today, but the legendary mage’s tone sounded like he’d known him since long ago.
“Andoine didn’t tell you?” Aldwin chuckled, and there was some helplessness in his expression. “The old fellow had boasted to me several times, saying that he had picked up a genius in the Sunset Mountains.”
“You know Andoine?”
“More than that. We are old friends.”
“No wonder…” Lin Li finally understood the situation. No wonder the old fellow had smiled at him for no reason at all this morning in the guild hall. So it turned out that he knew who he was all along.
“Oh, right, I have a grandson; you know him for sure.”
“Your grandson?” Lin Li was baffled again. He might know Andoine, but how would he come to know his grandson?
“He’s called Bathrilor.”
“What!?” Lin Li almost lost his soul from the scare. He had never imagined that this, this… this old fellow was actually Bathrilor’s grandfather!
Aldwin chortled upon seeing how big Lin Li’s reaction was. “Relax, young man. I won’t do anything to you. My grandson is a good-for-nothing. The whole Alanna knows that you’ve broken two of his fingers and taught him a lesson. It’s a good thing. I’ve lived many years and I’m not unreasonable. Besides, you’re Andoine’s disciple. That old man… I’ve to give him some face. I’ve heard that he’s very close to Grimm Burnside from the Pharmacist’s Guild. I have a lot to ask him in the future…”
“Ah… Haha…” The smile on Lin Li’s face was stiff; he still remembered vividly that it wasn’t just about breaking two of his fingers. If it hadn’t been for Old Grimm’s intervention, he would have killed Bathrilor. Now that he was standing in front of Aldwin, even if he was thick-skinned, he couldn’t help feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Young man, what are you doing, still standing there? Come and help me quickly, I can’t hold out any longer!” The workmanship of these two old guys could be said to be half a catty and half a tael. Macklin was slightly better physically, and could manage hammering for a bit longer—but it was only a few more times. In only a short time, that old fellow was unable to hold out; he was pressing Lin Li for help while muttering under his breath, “Damn, the blacksmith is really not a job for humans…”
“Okay…” The call was just what Lin Li wanted. He felt awkward standing in front of Aldwin, so he pulled up his sleeves and walked over.
“Mr Macklin, may I ask, what… exactly is this?” Lin Li looked at the bent iron embryo, and his heart couldn’t help mourning for it. These two old fellas were really some talents. A good piece of fine iron was beaten into such state by them. Look at what the iron embryo was wrecked into—was that a steamed bun or twisted roll?
“This… is called forging!” Macklin did not care about it at all, and boasted vigorously. “You know, blacksmith? A very impressive profession!”
“…” Lin Li really wanted to kick him in the face. Blacksmith… And “a very impressive profession”? Is he trying to bully me, seeing I’m from Jarrosus?
“Of course, you don’t have to be nervous.” Seeing that Lin Li was silent, Macklin twisted his goat-like beard satisfactorily, and bragged shamelessly. “With the two Masters of Forging with you, I guarantee you’ll soon become a decent blacksmith yourself. Come, come, take a look at how I use the hammer… This is a highly technical matter.”
And then Lin Li saw this old fellow actually lifting the hammer with both hands…
“Ddang!”
A crisp sound rang out, and the hammer landed firmly on the anvil. As for the cooled iron embryo, it fell to the ground with a sound upon contact with the hammer.
“…” Even Macklin, whose face was as thick as a wall, could not help but blush at that moment. He picked up the iron embryo in a hurry, and placed it back on the anvil. Then, without shame, he once more said to Lin Li, “See that? What I demonstrated just now was a failed forging. You must not do it like that in the future. You have not the skills of a master like me. If you make a mistake, you might hurt others easily.”
Lin Li rolled his eyes, and thought to himself, Isn’t that nonsense? This is iron forging, not stone forging. Is there someone like you who hammers with both your hands?
“Alright, your turn.” Fortunately, although Macklin was thick-skinned, he still had some shame. Even he himself knew that he might cause some accident if he went on demonstrating. After dismissing it with a few words, he handed the hammer to Lin Li.
“Mr Macklin, may I ask again, what are you trying to forge?” Lin Li shook his head, and took the hammer from Macklin. He picked up the cooled iron embryo, and threw it into the furnace to smelt it again. These two old fellas were really some geniuses. The iron embryo had become so cold, yet they were still hitting away happily…
After the iron embryo was thrown into the furnace, Lin Li began to pull the bellows. Amid the sound of puffing and blowing, the flame in the furnace became more and more vigorous. When the vigorous flame had burned the iron embryo red, Lin Li used an iron plier to clamp it out, and with a fling, the burning-red iron embryo fell lightly on the anvil.
Macklin was flabbergasted by the fluent display of skills. This, this… this kid is not a blacksmith, is he?
“I’m actually in luck…” the old fellow muttered in a low voice; his mood was greatly lifted in that instant. When he first called the young man over, he had just wanted to look for a free coolie to help them with the tough work. In Macklin’s mind, the young man’s physical strength was better than that of both Aldwin and himself. This rough forging job could be left to him, and he and Aldwin could do something that required a higher technical skill.
He had no idea that he had found a treasure this time.
Look at what he had done—it was so much better than a half-baked man like himself.
Macklin was full of excitement. “We need a sword!”
“Ah?” Lin Li stood blankly for a moment. The two old fellows had hidden in the room mysteriously just to forge a sword? Were they too free? They were an Archmage and a legendary Mage, why did they need to forge a sword for no apparent reason at all? Were they planning to use it for suicide…?
“I’ll tell you the use of it at a later time. You just focus on hitting the iron well. Anyway… If you manage to forge a formidable sword, I guarantee you some great advantage!”
“What advantage do I get?”
“I…” Macklin hesitated for a moment. At last, he made up his mind, and said with clenched teeth, “I’ll gift you a lost level-15 spell!”