Number 25, Red Rose Street.
"What! You... you awakened the archer profession?"
Arya's jaw nearly dropped as she stared at Raymond across the dining table, unable to believe the news he had just casually shared. She had been chewing her food but completely stopped as soon as the words left his mouth.
Despite Raymond already having awakened seven professions in less than two months and giving her so warning, hearing about the eighth profession took her by surprise.
"Yeah, when I was using a bow and arrow to shoot the mutant rats, sothing just clicked, and I awakened," Raymond explained, nonchalantly swallowing his steak.
"Just like that?" Arya's eyes widened, unable to believe it.
"Yep," Raymond smiled.
Arya shook her head in disbelief, though part of her was starting to accept that this was, of course, sothing only Raymond could pull off. If it were anyone else, the entire world would be filled with dual-professionals and multi-professionals.
Still, hearing Raymond's simple explanation made her realize just how different he was. She had read about dual-professionals and multi-professionals in books, but none of them ntioned how later professions were awakened, leaving her unsure whether Raymond's thod was considered... extraordinary.
Raymond didn't ntion anything about the panel, just smiling as he always did.
Then, he paused for a mont, then said quietly, "By the way, I'm planning to go to the blacksmith shop tonight to forge the 'black iron ore' into weapons."
Arya snapped her head up at him. Seeing his serious nod, she gave him a firm look and said, "Then, be careful and don't let anyone find out."
Raymond nodded slightly in acknowledgnt.
He had already figured out Pierre's schedule and wasn't worried about being discovered. Besides, with the recent interference from the bandits, Raymond had fewer potions to refine, which ant more magic power stored up. He planned to use this opportunity to forge the weapons from the black iron ore.
---
At 8 p.m.
After finishing his potion refining, Raymond applied his makeup, grabbed the backpack containing the black iron ore, slipped his keys into his pocket, and set out alone for Pierre's Blacksmith Shop.
Hongtie Street was still brightly lit, bustling with activity. Many blacksmith shops had their doors wide open, with the rhythmic clang of hamrs hitting tal filling the night air. It was the ti when apprentices practiced their craft.
But Pierre's shop was quiet and locked up for the night, with no apprentices around.
Raymond took out the key, unlocked the door, and stepped inside. He quickly closed the door behind him, ensuring no one saw him entering.
Once inside, he pulled out the White stone, illuminating the entire shop, ready to begin.
"Call!"
Raymond let out a long breath, ready for the next step. "Let's get started!"
He was already well-practiced in the process.
First, he needed to slt the black iron from the black iron ore, which ant gathering several materials to make it work. Luckily, he had already asked Pierre to get everything he needed.
As the furnace heated up, Raymond opened his backpack and retrieved a large chunk of black iron ore, about the size of a human head. The coolness of it in his hands made him pause for a mont.
"I hope you won't let down," he muttered quietly, before placing the ore into a special tal dish and putting it into the furnace.
As the heat increased, the ore slowly began to change color. From deep black, it shifted to red, then purple, and finally a shimring purple-blue. As the ore lted, it transford into a pool of clear black liquid.
Raymond's eyes lit up. This was the critical mont.
He quickly began adding the prepared materials into the molten iron, following the exact steps from his research and the advice of the dwarf craftsman.
His hunter's keen observation skills kicked in, allowing him to notice even the smallest changes. With intense focus, he carefully followed each step without making a mistake.
The molten black water gradually dimd as the materials combined, sinking slowly into the liquid. Raymond watched with growing excitent as the process unfolded perfectly.
After stirring the final material into the mixture, he paused. The liquid in the dish began to settle, becoming darker and quieter.
Raymond grinned. The hardest part was over.
After waiting a while, he finally took the tal dish out of the furnace with tongs, and now ca the anxious part: the waiting.
Minutes ticked by before the liquid cooled. The once-clear black iron water had solidified into a dull, lifeless mass. The deep shine it had before was gone.
But Raymond wasn't discouraged; in fact, he was thrilled. This was the mont he'd been waiting for. He eagerly took the round block of black iron from the dish and flipped it over.
The top layer of the block glead with a cold tallic shine, dark and smooth like a black mirror. It was perfect. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire
"Finally, it was refined," Raymond muttered in satisfaction.
The materials he'd added had worked exactly as planned, extracting the black iron from the ore, allowing it to settle at the bottom of the dish.
Now, Raymond placed the round block on the forging table, grabbed a hamr, and began to shape the refined black iron. The work was just beginning.
Not long after, Raymond held in his hands a piece of black iron weighing around three or four pounds, its surface faintly glowing with a mysterious light.
"Now, this is what they call black iron. Even without being 'forged,' it's already impressive!"
He ran his fingers over the surface. The black iron was smooth and refined, much finer than the original ore. A cold, chilling sensation seeped deep into his bones, causing him to shiver slightly.
He weighed the piece on a scale, 3.6 pounds.
"According to the rule that one pound of magic-conducting material can store 1,000 points of magic power... if I use this black iron to make a weapon, it could hold up to 3,600 points of magic power!"
Raymond's eyes brightened with excitent. That was a massive amount of magic storage! Even though his own magic power limit had already surpassed this, he knew it would still take a long ti before his magic power reached such a level.
However, he quickly realized a problem. "But if I use this black iron to craft a weapon, people will imdiately recognize it because of the material's distinct appearance..."
The deep, almost mystical aura of black iron made it hard to hide. Its unique quality would make it easy to spot.
"Thankfully, I learned a thod from the dwarf craftsman to conceal the special properties of black iron without affecting the weapon's performance," Raymond thought to himself, feeling reassured.
With everything prepared, Raymond was ready to begin.
The furnace heated up again, and soon, the familiar rhythm of forging echoed through Pierre's Blacksmith Shop.
Raymond gripped his hamr tightly, striking the red-hot black iron with precision, his palm and the hamr glowing a fiery red in the heat.
Under the influence of his "Forging" skill, the black iron started to change.
Ding! Ding! Ding! The rhythmic sounds of hamr striking tal filled the air.
Ti seed to blur as Raymond continued his work.
Finally, he dipped the weapon into a special quenching liquid, counting the seconds in his head. "Sixty!"
With a sharp motion, Raymond pulled the freshly forged black long sword from the liquid.
The blade was a dark, even black, with none of the usual depth and shine black iron usually held. While it still looked formidable, it lacked the imdiate striking presence of the raw material.
In fact, to any observer, it would appear to be a high-quality sword, but nothing extraordinary.
"Just as I hoped," Raymond smiled, pleased with the results. "After the special treatnt, it's not so conspicuous."
He ran his fingers lightly over the blade, feeling its coldness, just like the black iron from which it was made. Despite its simple appearance, the sword still held the sa sharp, powerful essence.
Thinking back to what the dwarf craftsman had once said, how every craftsman nas their creations; Raymond's eyes lingered on the sword, considering its future potential.
"Although you're dull now, I know you'll shine when my strength grows. From now on, I'll call you Dark Moon."
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