292: Chapter 42: Gathering Wishes Sacrifice (3) 292: Chapter 42: Gathering Wishes Sacrifice (3) About ten minutes later, the two found Ta Bei the old blacksmith, as referred to by the hungry street kids, on the southern side of the street.
The so-called “Ta Bei” refers to the bellows set next to the earth furnace used for iron slting in ancient tis on Zero Island.
Over ti, the term evolved to denote the entire steelmaking technology.
This iron forging technique, due to its low efficiency, had been phased out in modern tis, making it a rare craft.
During the festival of the enigmatic creatures, there sat an artisan who seed to have traveled through ti from hundreds of years ago.
To onlookers, he appeared as an old man with a white beard tied in a headscarf, feet in wooden clogs, sitting stoically in front of the slting furnace.
With one arm, he wielded the hamr, striking the tal billets and producing a clear, long-lasting sound.
To Gongsun Ce’s eyes, the appearance of Ta Bei was particularly frightening: the craftsman had only one arm and one leg, donned in filthy iron armor, his head covered with a burnt iron mask.
The gaze that flowed from the slits of the mask was as hot as fire, resembling an alchemical product from a comic book.
Gongsun Ce stepped forward to inquire, “Excuse , sir, do you take orders here?
I’m not looking for handouts; I’d like to do business with you.”
“Ah, the foreign Calamity God’s child,” Ta Bei the old blacksmith replied with white steam puffing under his mask, “your connection is still gold-colored.
Don’t you want to accept a gift from the gods?”
“How could I have the nerve to accept gifts when I haven’t done any real work?” Gongsun Ce laughed, “I’m always unlucky, but fortune has finally co my way tonight, and I want to keep it a little longer.”
The one-ard blacksmith kept his focus on the iron forging, hamring away without lifting his head and ignoring further conversation.
The Superpower User gave his companion a look, and Shiyu Ling, without much hope, took out a black arrow, “Sir, do you think you could strengthen this arrow for ?”
Ta Bei put down his hamr, took the black arrow, and inspected it closely in front of his mask.
He pricked his finger on the arrowhead, and blood appeared imdiately on his fingertip.
“Fine craftsmanship,” his voice resounded like the bellows at work, “The shaft made from the core of black walnut, Mithril arrowhead affixed to ward off demons, and then coated with the blood of a shadow creature compatible with your temperant.
This is tailor-made for you.”
The old blacksmith wiped his finger and changed the subject, “But the feather of the Pegasus added to this is neither here nor there, fixing a not-so-fast launch after such great effort.
A craftsman of this caliber could not have made such a foolish mistake.
I suspect this was your own dubious idea.”
An agitated Shiyu Ling retorted, “I’m just a weak girl with no training in karate, why is adding a launch chanism so strange?!”
Ta Bei tossed the arrow back, a burst of steam spewing from beneath the iron mask, “You could further solidify another intent, depending on what materials you can offer; any surplus will be my processing fee.”
The Superpower User quickly interjected to stop his frustrated partner from arguing, “Sir, may I ask how much it would cost to craft an entire piece of ard gear directly?”
“It’s hard to say without a figure; it depends on what intent you want to affix.”
Intent…
was that his term for a concept?
“I’d like it to protect against spiritual attacks and other unconventional thods…
in other words, defense for the mind.”
He had his reasons for saying this.
Ever since arriving at Zero Island, a variety of unconventional attacks had been paraded before him: Wildfire’s wild fire, Shiyu Shiqi’s mirror control, a ninja this morning who used poison as a dium for a spiritual assault, and omnipresent curses from a sludge…
Gongsun Ce was confident in his own strength, but no matter how resilient, he would eventually succumb under the could face a major catastrophe, and he feared he would not hold up.
Hearing this, the old blacksmith struck the billet with his iron hamr forcefully.
“You want to be at peace?
That’s a tough item to make!”
Scratching his head, Gongsun Ce said, “It’s that difficult?”
“Extrely difficult!
To protect the head, you make a helm, to protect the body, you fashion a soft armor, but what can give you peace of mind?
Look at the millions of people in this world.
How many can say they live with peace of mind?” the old blacksmith huffed and puffed.
“…So, it’s expensive?”
“It’s not about the cost; you won’t find the material!”
Once the old blacksmith got onto his professional topic, he beca very voluble, thumping his thigh and beginning to lecture.
“To affix intent on the armor, you need materials with intent.
Intent can either be given by a person or innate to an object.
The northerners use Mithril weapons to expel evil, and they all believe in its divine power to vanquish demons, so it embodies that specific intent; Pegasus from the west launch their feathers to hunt, which naturally possess the intent of propulsion.
You want to shield your mind from threats, what you need is a sense of peace.
I ask you, what thing can truly represent peace of mind?”
Gongsun Ce pondered for a while and suggested, “A happy family?”
A sound of understanding ca from Ta Bei, “Kid, would you sacrifice your whole family for material?
Would that give you peace of mind?”
Bursting out in laughter, Shiyu Ling watched as Gongsun Ce coughed awkwardly, “Ahem, ahem.
Then, is there a creature like the Pegasus that naturally harbors a sense of peace?”
“There is!
In over a thousand years of forging iron, I know of only one,” the old blacksmith actually nodded, “Across the sea to the east, you find the Eternal Light Imperial City, where there’s an ancient Qin Clan.
The people of this clan naturally live with peace of mind, unafraid of demons and specters.
For two thousand years, all kinds of cunning sches and trickery have failed to turn a cartwheel in front of the Qin Clan!”
Coughing uncontrollably, Gongsun Ce started thinking aloud.
Really, Miss, I’ve known you for three years, and this is the first ti I’ve learned that you’re resistant to spiritual attacks.
You never showed this in a fight…
well, it’s true we haven’t faced a spiritual opponent together…
He imagined soone with a blank but self-satisfied face, as if she didn’t wish to brag about her family’s inherited Superpower.
Just thinking about her saying this made him irrationally angry!
What kind of lineage did the old Qin family have, being not only average warriors but also possessing such magical powers?!
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