Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 285 Silver Ingots, Longsword, and Wooden Staff
"Ding!"

The metal axe blade whistled through the air in a sharp arc, its sharp silver light flashing for a fleeting moment before striking the darkness in front of it.

The seemingly thin and fragile, dark snake scales, as clear and smooth as glass, showed no reaction whatsoever to the axe blade's strike, except for a fleeting spark and a crisp sound.

With the added strength honed from countless swings and strikes with a forging hammer, the two-handed giant axe could split a tree stump in two.

Not even a trace could be left on the surface of the arm shield.

Even its own impact force was largely absorbed by the triple cushioning of snake scales, etched steel, and high-grade leather.

Holding the shield horizontally in front of him with his left hand, Xia Nan felt a slight tremor in his forearm before easily blocking the attack from the front.

"Haha, how is it? Not bad, right?"

A hearty laugh reached my ears.

With his braid swaying, Barn laughed as he retrieved his two-handed axe from his shield, a clear sense of accomplishment on his face.

"The scale you provided is of very good quality. It doesn't need much modification. A simple polishing will make its defensive performance excellent."

"This arm shield is considered to be of very good quality even among professionals in the entire Panyun Province."

Knowing that the other party was just being modest, Xia Nan smiled but did not reply.

The scales are of high quality, of course.

Through the fragmented description of the arm shield on the attribute panel, he learned the origin of this scale. The giant snake, which he had tried his best to pry off even though it was dead, was a legendary creature in life.

That is a being far more powerful than an ordinary adult dragon.

It's unknown how the original owner of the wooden sword "Green Pine" on the back killed the other party.

After all, considering the "blue rare" quality of the wooden sword itself, its wielder's strength level is probably not very high.

Perhaps it was due to the powerful secret techniques of his sect, "Zhuquan Temple," which he noted in his notes, or some kind of trump card given to him by his elders before he went down the mountain, or perhaps there was a third-party force involved.

Without enough evidence to confirm his suspicions, and with all the information coming from a few dozen words on the attribute panel, Xia Nan was just making wild guesses.

However, without sufficient processing, raw materials are ultimately just raw materials and can never be considered equipment.

He wouldn't really think the forgers are unimportant just because "The Rockhammer" Barn is modest.

Xia Nan had received the bill for the 1000 gold coins, and thus he knew the whereabouts of every single copper coin in this huge sum of money.

He had never even heard of the names of these various materials, but if asked by a professional, they would certainly be able to give a definite answer regarding the auxiliary materials, necessary processing fees, and other miscellaneous expenses required for forging...

High-quality materials can only reach their full potential and become "equipment" for people to use when paired with sufficiently skilled craftsmen.

Xia Nan was very satisfied with both the blacksmith "Barn" and the finished equipment [Netherscale Guardian].

"In addition to its physical defense capabilities, this arm shield also offers some protection against corrosion."

Barn looked at the diamond-shaped black shield on Xia Nan's left forearm, adding to the equipment's additional effects.

"If you wish, I can ask Ms. Edwina for some corrosive liquid to conduct a comprehensive verification test."

"No need," Xia Nan waved his hand. "I trust you."

That's what he said, of course. If he didn't trust the other party, how could he have entrusted Barn with the precious snake scales he brought from the secret realm for forging?

But on the other hand, and most importantly, Xia Nan has more faith in his attribute panel.

Now that the Arm Shield's effect of "immunity to legendary corrosion/acid damage" has been listed above, he no longer needs to expend the trust he has with Barn for it.

Speaking of which, I remember that the previous attributes of the [Serpent Scale Arm Shield (Temporary)] were only "Strong Toughness" and "+300% Corrosion Resistance". Now, the defensive strength has been directly upgraded from "Strong" to "High", and it is now completely immune to corrosion damage below Legendary level. The improvement is quite significant.

There are even two additional effects that even the blacksmith Barn had not mentioned.

"Toxin resistance" is easy to understand and needs no further explanation.

This charm (intimidation/persuasion) bonus against snakes is quite interesting; it might come in very handy in the future.

Although, given Xia Nan's personality, he prefers to resolve conflicts with a sword rather than with words.

"Yes, I'm very satisfied with the quality of the finished arm shield. I'll accept it."

"But in addition to that, I also need a set of high-quality armor, which is willing to sacrifice a little weight advantage in exchange for defensive performance."

Do you have any stock in your shop?

When Xia Nan asked him a question, Barn's expression showed a rare hesitation.

"Uh... there are plenty of light armor like leather armor in the warehouse, and there are also two sets of full plate armor in the shop."

“The former’s defensive performance doesn’t meet my expectations, and the latter is too heavy, which affects combat.” Xia Nan frowned slightly and replied, “Do you have plate and chain composite armor like the one last time? I think that would be perfect for me right now.”

Upon hearing this, Barn's expression immediately became somewhat embarrassed.

"We do have plate chainmail armor, but the batch made of Marant steel is all sold out. Now we only have a few pieces made of ordinary steel..."

"But don't worry, there will definitely be no problem with the quality. I hammered it out myself, and its defensive performance is definitely much better than ordinary armor!"

This illustrates the gap between the medieval fantasy world and modern technological society.

Without factories, machine tools, and assembly lines, no matter how skilled a forging master is, they still have to personally hammer away at the anvil to create objects, resulting in extremely limited production capacity.

Even though there are fixed processes for some mass-produced standard equipment, the forging speed is not fast, and shortages are common.

Once an order is received that deviates from the template and requires custom-made or even groundbreaking designs, the blacksmith himself must invest a great deal of time.

In legends and myths, master dwarven blacksmiths might spend years by the furnace working on a single artifact.

Barn's skills were certainly not up to that level, and the nature of River Valley had also made him accustomed to allocating his time: mornings were dedicated to crafting custom items, while afternoons and evenings were forging ordinary equipment.

Even so, his limited manpower and energy, coupled with his relatively booming business, kept him busy all year round, leaving him no time to rest or spend with his family.

"Take me to see it."

Nodding in understanding, Xia Nan followed the other person back to the blacksmith's shop in the front room.

as predicted.

As Barn said, the plate chain composite armor on the shelf was of a slightly lower quality than the previous batch forged from Maranh steel.

While both are "white (normal)" grade, the attribute panel no longer has additional affixes such as "+5% fire resistance" or "+3% slash damage resistance".

It's just ordinary equipment.

Of course, compared to the chainmail and scale armor commonly found among adventurers, its defensive capabilities are far superior. The price is also significantly lower, as it eliminates the extra material cost of Marantz steel.

A completely new set of "only" only costs 198 gold, almost half the original price.

He intended to use it as a temporary measure. Seeing that there were no other suitable options in the shop, he tried it on and felt that it fit well. Since he had plenty of money, Xia Nan didn't take it off and just wore it on, so he decisively bought it.

In terms of appearance, it is largely the same as before. The front chest, back and both shoulders are covered with a thick and sturdy iron plate, and the edges are connected with rivets and iron buckles, with metal lock rings filling the remaining gaps.

The only slight change is in the color, which is cooler and brighter, revealing its metallic luster.

Perhaps feeling guilty for not treating Xia Nan, a regular customer, well, Barn gave him a few extra sets of maintenance tools (though he might not necessarily need them).

At the same time, help carefully check the details of the nail guards to see if there are any flaws or omissions.

"If you have the chance in the future, I suggest you get a set of enchanted armor custom-made. That way you won't have to change it every now and then, and you can save a lot of money."

"The cost of materials might be a bit higher, since, as you know, armor covers the largest area of ​​all the equipment you wear."

Xia Nan remained noncommittal about this, but instead changed the subject, leading the conversation to another reason why he had come to the blacksmith's shop.

He took out a silver ingot from his backpack, its surface reflecting a molten color and radiating a scorching heat, and handed it to Barn.

"Speaking of materials, I happened to find one on this mission. I don't know much about this, what do you think?"

The [Molten Ash Silver Ingot], formed from the flaming crystals of the Ash Staff by Knight Commander Terry William, who was under the command of Earl of Sticky Tree Territory, can display an attribute panel, but it doesn't have much useful information. It is only known that it can be used as a forging material.

Xia Nan then thought of having the item appraised by professionals to see in what way it could be of any use.

Barn, standing in front of him, focused all his attention on Xia Nan the instant he took the silver ingot out of his backpack.

The blacksmith carefully took the silver ingot with both hands, his calloused, thick palms seemingly oblivious to the scorching heat on the surface. He approached it with utmost professionalism and seriousness, examining it closely.

"Is it volcanic copper? The color doesn't quite look like it..."

"Or is it mutated hot iron produced from the Flame Vein Mine? No, the temperature couldn't be that high, and there are no special patterns on the surface."

"so……"

After recalling all the minerals he knew, and confirming that the silver ingot in his hand was not any of them, Barn pondered for a moment, his expression serious and solemn, and answered honestly and frankly:
“I’ve never seen this metal ingot before. If I want to forge it, it may take me a few days to determine its properties.”

This reflects his professional competence as a blacksmith.

When dealing with unfamiliar materials, it is very important and crucial to determine their characteristics before any operation.

Safety considerations: Will it release toxic gases in high-temperature environments, is it flammable or explosive, or produce harmful substances?
Forging aspects: the optimal temperature range for shaping, i.e., the "forging window," applicable heat treatment processes, processing difficulty, suitable forging types of objects...

Most of these things cannot be determined solely by so-called "experience".

Fortunately, "Rockhammer" Barn possesses special skills inherited from the dwarven clan, enabling him to conduct detailed inspections while ensuring the integrity of the materials.

but……

His gaze fell on Xia Nan's plate and chainmail armor, and he briefly weighed the silver ingot in his hand:

"If you want to use it as the main material for armor, the quantity might not be enough. If you're just mixing it in as a secondary material, you'll need to consider..."

"No." Xia Nan interrupted, slowly drawing the decapitation sword from behind with his right hand.

He pointed to the small, pitted holes on the surface of the sword, caused by the venom of the dried snake head.

"I was wondering if I could use this silver ingot to repair my longsword."

Barn's first reaction was undisguised surprise.

He certainly recognized the decapitation sword in front of him, with its unique iron-gray hue.

It should have been produced by the blacksmith shop last year, using "gray steel" from the new mine of Yanzhufeng.

He remembered very clearly that the longsword had become a "defective product" due to his negligence during forging, and he had originally planned to have it melted down and remade.

However, it was bought by Xia Nan, who had just arrived in Hegu Town at the time.

Now, more than a year has passed, and judging from its appearance, it seems to have been used until recently when it finally broke down.

Considering the young man's absurdly high rate of armor replacement, it's truly unbelievable that this longsword has survived until now.

After his initial surprise, Barn's expression turned serious again, and he began to carefully consider the feasibility of the plan.

"If it's just for repairs, this silver ingot is more than enough."

"In terms of material properties, the silver ingot itself and the 'gray steel' used in the longsword should both be biased towards the fire element, so there shouldn't be too much conflict. However, we may need to study the details further."

As he spoke, his brows furrowed deeper as he carefully examined the blade of the decapitation sword, which was riddled with holes.

“I won’t ask what kind of enemy you encountered, but the holes on the surface of the longsword are too dense, some of them so deep they’re almost penetrating.”

“If we just do a simple repair, not only will we waste materials, but the longsword’s toughness may also be affected after the repair is completed.”

"Perhaps you could consider recasting to some extent while retaining the original materials."

"However, this will definitely change the overall structure of the longsword, and the cost will also increase, and it may even require additional materials."

"Okay!" Xia Nan nodded decisively without hesitation.

The bond and affection he forged with the decapitation sword over hundreds of days is unparalleled by anyone else in the world.

If given the chance to give it a new lease on life and have it by his side in another way, how could Xia Nan possibly miss it?

Sensing the importance placed on him by the black-haired youth before him, Barn nodded emphatically and carefully put away the silver ingot and the decapitation sword.

"Three days. Give me three days to test the properties of this metal ingot."

"If there are no problems, we can then discuss the modification plan for the decapitation sword."

As a professional's primary weapon, Xia Nan naturally had to be deeply involved in the entire forging process to ensure that no unnecessary oversights would occur due to communication problems.

As if he had thought of something else, he took out a piece of grayish-black wood, about the length of an arm, from his backpack.

—From the [Ember Instructor's Staff], the remaining staff after the top fire crystal was crushed.

“This thing was found along with the silver ingot.” Slightly omitting crucial information that might reveal his secrets, Xia Nan added, “It might be helpful for forging; you can try testing it together.”

“Okay.” Barn nodded, took the wooden cane, and placed it under the counter.

(End of this chapter)