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墨書 Inktalez
The four-day competition has concluded, with each side winning one match and drawing two, resulting in a tie. Throughout these four days, various families and the Merchant Guild have begun to reassess the emerging Chinese Chamber of Commerce. Although the Merchant Guild has only recently been established, it has not shown any weakness in facing the challenges posed by the long-established Merchant Guild and New Home Chamber of Commerce. Despite the matches ending in a tie, it is important to note that the New Home Chamber of Commerce is an unbeatable weapon-selling Merchant Guild on Luo Heng Island, boasting nearly all of the island's best blacksmiths. It can be said that the New Home Chamber of Commerce is the second strongest Merchant Guild after the Blacksmith Guild.
The Chinese Chamber of Commerce managing to tie with such a formidable Merchant Guild has left the observing Merchant Guilds and families unsure if they could field blacksmiths of similar caliber for competition.
Today marks the fifth day of challenges, and everyone knows that the real contest is just beginning. The competitors from both sides have already demonstrated their impressive strength on the fourth day, so today’s performances are expected to be even better.
As anticipated by the spectators, the randomly selected referee stepped into the center of the arena and excitedly invited both competitors to take the stage. Representing the Chinese Chamber of Commerce is Huang Tie, who is regarded as the strongest blacksmith within their ranks. This reputation stems from Huang Tie's participation in multiple Blacksmith Guild Campus Competitions, where he has consistently improved his forging skills. Notably, in the last two competitions, he was placed under the supervision of the Blacksmith Guild Director, leading many to recognize his exceptional forging abilities.
Upon seeing Huang Tie take the stage, Xu Shi from New Home Chamber of Commerce smiled slightly and remarked to Stone Lei, Vice President of the Blacksmith Guild, “Vice President, it seems that the Chinese Chamber of Commerce has run out of tricks; they’ve even sent out Huang Tie. It looks like this match can come to an end.”
Stone Lei glanced at Xu Shi and asked, “Are you planning to step in?”
Xu Shi nodded with a smile. “I believe there are no strong opponents left on their side. Let me take care of this kid who has been repeatedly blocked at the doors of the Blacksmith Guild; then we can secure our victory.”
Stone Lei replied seriously, “You’ve seen how strong Huang Tie is in previous matches; don’t underestimate him. He might have had some recent fortuitous encounters. Be careful not to trip over your own feet.”
Xu Shi respectfully clasped his fist towards Stone Lei. “Vice President, don’t worry; I will be cautious. As long as I bring my best strength, that kid won’t stand a chance against me.”
“Alright, then go ahead.”
“Vice President, wait for my good news.”
Guo Yunhua, seated among the audience, stood up upon seeing Xu Shi preparing to compete. “Director Xu, it all depends on you now.”
“Rest assured, President; I won’t let you down.” With that, Xu Shi strode confidently into the open space.
The referee’s eyes lit up upon recognizing Xu Shi from New Home Chamber of Commerce stepping forward. In Winter City, there isn’t a knight who doesn’t know Xu Shi; aside from Vice President Stone Lei, he is known for having exceptional forging skills. Every day, countless people seek Xu Shi’s help to forge weapons; however, whether they succeed depends on Xu Shi’s mood.
The referee had initially approached Xu Shi with great enthusiasm to request equipment, but he was met with a closed door at that time. Seeing Xu Shi today, how could he not be excited? The referee's reward was a weapon forged by the victor. He gazed at Xu Shi with fiery eyes as Xu Shi walked over from the New Home Chamber of Commerce.
Noticing the referee staring blankly at him, Xu Shi cleared his throat to bring the referee back to reality.
The referee bowed to Xu Shi and asked, "Director Xu, can we begin?"
Xu Shi looked up at the sky and nodded lightly, responding with a soft "Mm."
After calming his emotions, the referee said, "Please have both parties draw the competition topics."
"Wait." Huang Tie interrupted the referee. Hearing Huang Tie's call, Xu Shi turned his gaze toward his opponent, finally looking directly at Huang Tie for the first time since stepping down.
The referee wanted to get angry but refrained due to being on the territory of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce. He asked, "Huang Tie, do you have anything else to say?"
Huang Tie nodded and then looked at Xu Shi. "Director Xu, how about we change today's competition topic?"
"What kind of change?"
"Let's tailor today's competition topic to forge a weapon specifically for this referee."
Upon hearing Huang Tie's words, the referee nearly choked on his excitement. Looking at Huang Tie's face, he thought it was the most adorable face in the world; how had he not realized this before?
Xu Shi glanced at Huang Tie and then at the nearby referee. "Is this referee your relative?"
Huang Tie shook his head. "I don't know him at all." The nearby referee also nodded in confusion, indicating that Huang Tie was correct.
Xu Shi then said, "Regardless of whether he's your relative or not, it doesn't matter what kind of weapon you forge. Referee, what kind of weapon do you need the most?"
The referee was taken aback by the sudden happiness that struck him. When Huang Tie made his request, he was so excited that he feared Xu Shi would disagree, but to his surprise, Xu Shi agreed just like that. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Seeing that the referee did not respond, Xu Shi asked again, "What kind of weapon do you need?"
At this moment, the blacksmith suddenly realized that this was not the time to be dreaming. "My preferred weapon is a pair of dual blades." After saying this, he went to the Merchant Guild and retrieved two Steel Blades from his companion.
After looking at the Steel Blades in the referee's hands, Xu Shi and Huang Tie nodded. "Weight?" Huang Tie continued to ask.
"The current weight of the Steel Blades is twenty pounds. I think they are a bit light; I believe twenty-five pounds would be more suitable," the referee quickly explained his thoughts to the two blacksmiths. Such a rare opportunity could not be missed.
After understanding the referee's needs, Huang Tie and Xu Shi returned to their respective Furnaces. The guards responsible for operating the Bellows on both sides were also giving their all to assist the blacksmiths.
In this competition, both sides sent out two blacksmiths, and each side also dispatched five people to operate the Bellows.
In order to finish before dark, Huang Tie and Xu Shi brought out their best skills. Blocks of ore quickly transformed into pieces of Refined Iron of varying sizes. By noon, both had completed their quantities of Refined Iron. Next, they needed to fuse the Refined Iron into two equally sized blocks. Huang Tie recalled the scene when Liu Guanfeng forged the Water Vein and swiftly placed the Refined Iron blocks into the Furnace. He generously poured Kerosene over them and repeatedly hammered and heated them. The Refined Iron blocks gradually melded together as they turned red and black.
As Huang Tie wiped the sweat from his forehead, the two blocks of Refined Iron announced their completion of fusion. Looking at them, Huang Tie nodded in satisfaction.
The next steps were much simpler; he just needed to carefully forge the two blocks of Refined Iron into Steel Blades. However, in order to highlight the uniqueness of the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Huang Tie glanced at the sample blade placed in front of him by the referee and recalled various innovative weapon designs Liu Guanfeng had shown him during his training. Following his memory, Huang Tie carefully wielded his Hammer.
Due to his unfamiliarity with forging this new type of weapon, Huang Tie was particularly cautious during the process. On the other hand, Xu Shi, as a blacksmith with decades of experience, found it very easy to create a pair of dual blades. Soon enough, Xu Shi's two Steel Blades appeared before everyone while Huang Tie's first blade had just been completed. The crowd looked curiously at what seemed like a knife crafted by Huang Tie.
What emerged from Huang Tie's forge resembled a crescent shape, with a blade narrower than usual but with a much larger curve.
With the first curved blade as experience, crafting the second blade became much easier. Huang Tie continuously swung his heavy hammer, producing a melodious clanging sound that resonated in everyone's ears.
As white mist rose up, it announced that Huang Tie's second Steel Blade had been completed.
Huang Tie held his crafted curved blade in one hand and glanced at Liu Guanfeng sitting nearby. He saw Liu Guanfeng smile and nod at him, which made Huang Tie feel relieved.
Xu Shi, upon seeing Huang Tie's curved blade, asked, "Huang Tie, is this the pair of blades you forged?"
Huang Tie nodded, "Indeed, this pair of blades is called Round Moon Curved Blade. Just now, while observing the referee's Steel Blades, I noticed that the tips of his blades were quite worn down. From this, I can deduce that this referee usually employs his dual blades primarily for slashing attacks. Therefore, the blades need to have sufficient curvature to ensure smoother movements."
The referee nodded in agreement with Huang Tie's assessment. Meanwhile, Xu Shi had already suffered a defeat in their contest without even competing yet. For a blacksmith, it is crucial to understand the user's requirements; only then can one forge weapons that truly meet their needs.
Huang Tie's words left Xu Shi speechless. It wasn't that he hadn't thought of this; rather, years of being a Director had changed his mindset. Other management members of the Blacksmith Guild had also undergone similar transformations. Huang Tie's remarks seemed to open a door for Xu Shi. However, he still remembered his purpose and thought to himself: starting today, should I also seek to regain some of my past joy? It has been a long time since I found pleasure in blacksmithing. But today, I must defeat Huang Tie; I will deal with future matters later.
After steadying his thoughts, Xu Shi said to Huang Tie, "You are right; I admit that on this point, I have lost to you. However, blacksmithing cannot be proven through words alone; let’s see who is better with our hands."
Both of their creations were masterpieces, rare even on the entire Luo Heng Island. The two guards picked up their Merchant Guild weapons and moved to the center of the arena, displaying their dual blades. A fierce clash erupted instantly; after twenty brief exchanges, calm returned to the arena as both guards stood quietly waiting for the referee's inspection.
The referee first examined Xu Shi's dual blades. After a careful inspection, he discovered several small nicks on Xu Shi's blades and signs of dullness on both. The referee felt a chill; if Xu Shi's blades were already dulled, Huang Tie's would likely show cracks without needing further examination.
Even if the Chinese Chamber of Commerce agreed to repair them, was there a blacksmith there who matched Xu Shi's skill? The referee shook his head inwardly, surprised by how this match had turned out. Although he hoped for Huang Tie's victory—after all, he felt that Huang Tie's blades seemed more suited for him—Xu Shi was still the Director of the Blacksmith Guild; his qualifications as a blacksmith were not something Huang Tie could compare with.
Feeling somewhat dejected, the referee approached the Chinese Chamber of Commerce side and casually glanced around before his gaze fixated on the dual blades held by one guard. The blades gleamed brightly without any signs of dullness. Doubting his eyes, the referee rubbed them and took the blades from the guard’s hands for another careful inspection from top to bottom and side to side. Finally convinced that Huang Tie's blades showed no signs of dullness at all, he looked at Huang Tie in confusion. Huang Tie softly remarked, "It's not only the Blacksmith Guild that has good blacksmiths."
The referee wore an apologetic expression and straightened up to announce: "After my careful inspection, I declare that the winner of this match is Huang Tie from the Chinese Chamber of Commerce."
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