Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 339, Section 338: The Hundred-Refined Divine Weapon
Princess Wen's extravagance and imagination obviously went beyond this.

The highlight of this auction has already been fully utilized, and bringing it up again will inevitably make people feel aesthetically numb.

Although she didn't understand the reasoning behind it, as a princess of the Great Qin Dynasty, she was entitled to use all the treasures of the world.

Therefore, after everyone was seated—yes, the chairs were brought by the Queen. Among them were well-informed individuals who had already learned about the chairs that were now popular throughout Xianyang from the merchants from Ba and Wu.

Those who are not well-informed...

There was no other way but to let people sit up straight and act coy, for fear of making a fool of themselves.

At this moment, the servants served tea, snacks, and fruit.

In today's world of extravagance, bear paws and deer antlers are not particularly rare.

These desserts, adorned with gold leaf, pearls, fresh flowers, and green leaves, are poetic, elaborate, and magnificent, each with its own unique characteristics.

One look is enough to tell that it must be a family secret recipe worth passing down from generation to generation.

拍！
The brown sugar must be photographed, and the dessert recipe must also be photographed!
Otherwise, if we host a banquet in the future and you have something that I don't, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face?
The tea and snacks were made with either the finest brown sugar or various desserts taught by the Queen. Now, the rich, sweet aroma slowly wafted out, making everyone feel dizzy and delighted; it was truly tempting.

But what was making them even more dizzy at this moment was not these things.

Not to mention the Nan family, even the wealthy Ren family was staring intently at the utensils casually offered by the servants, suppressing their breathing.

This tiny dessert, no bigger than the palm of your hand, was served with a small, gleaming fork, its handle inlaid with precious stones, and made of a material that looked like refined steel.

Even the short knives used for slicing desserts and cakes are adorned with gold and jade, sparkling with pearly luster.

Most importantly, the blade gleamed with a cold light, its patterns exquisite—

This was derived from the steel forging method of the Ming Dynasty, and was made by various craftsmen who summarized the steel casting, Suzhou steel and composite processes taught by the Queen.

They couldn't understand the craftsmanship represented by the patterns, but they could easily sense the sharpness within the cold light.

Even more extreme, some would pull out the copper hairpin from their hair and quietly use this ornate but impractical short blade to find the right angle and apply tremendous force!

"Clang!"

There was a strange metallic clanging sound, and another half of the copper hairpin fell to the ground with a clatter, landing on the carpet, and then there was silence.

The people around were terrified, feeling their hair stand on end, as if they could see the Qin cavalry suppressing the world.

Such divine weapons! Such divine weapons!

Such a divine weapon, capable of cutting through iron like mud, is it only fit to slice some pastries? What kind of secret treasure does the Qin King's palace possess? Is the Queen truly an immortal messenger from Kunlun?

Otherwise, how could such a divine weapon have descended upon the world?!
The person being tested held up the broken copper hairpin blankly, then looked at the short blade in his other hand, his expression even more bewildered.

Although this short knife looks exceptionally sharp, its blade is short, so it's only good for cutting desserts. Holding it as a weapon is actually quite difficult to apply force, and it's hard to find the right point of leverage.

Even so, it still easily cut the copper hairpin in half.

Looking at the blade again, it is still smooth and shiny, without any signs of chipping or curling.

hiss--

A soft gasp filled the air.

The servants, having already been instructed by Princess Wenqian, bowed and stepped forward upon hearing the noise. They casually picked up the broken copper hairpin, wiped it clean, and presented it to the servants, saying:
"The dessert is soft and sticky, and requires sharp knives and forks to cut it perfectly. Please be careful, esteemed guests. If you need anything, please feel free to ask the servants. Do not hurt yourselves."

I looked at the dagger again; due to improper force applied earlier, a piece of inlaid turquoise on it had cracked and broken off.

Ugh!
This is something that can't be helped.

The princess's demands were both demanding and urgent, and the craftsmen, rushing to finish the work, inevitably became a little lax when they heard that it didn't need to be very sturdy.

The servant said, "I will replace it with another one for you right away."

He was about to retreat, holding the dagger, when he was stopped:

"Wait! Although the gemstone on this dagger is broken, the blade is still quite sharp. Should we re-sharpen it after we remove it?" The other person looked at him tentatively.

The servant bowed slightly and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. Such cutlery is discarded when it is broken; there is no need to re-polish it."

Silence returned to the surroundings.

They knew that what they had seen on this trip was surely at the Queen's behest, meant to intimidate them.

But this is just too intimidating!
Such a unique meteorite iron, sharp and hard enough to be a national treasure, was so carelessly crafted into knives and forks...

Even the servants were completely indifferent to this divine weapon!
It is common knowledge that only those with iron or copper arrows at home would not take wooden arrows seriously.

If even small knives and forks are crafted to such an extent, then what pinnacle of craftsmanship must the Taiwei Tianshi Sword, mentioned in the legends of the Qin state, have represented for the King and Queen?!
What kind of dazzling divine weapon could it be?

With this divine weapon, the King of Qin unified the six kingdoms; was this not the mandate of heaven?
In an eerie silence, everyone gradually settled down.

The dessert was warm and fragrant, and tasted absolutely delicious. But no matter what, it couldn't calm their minds.

Then, the group exchanged glances, their hearts filled with renewed vigilance—

They are determined to win the treasures of Xianyang Palace at this auction, even if it costs them their entire fortune!

At this moment, a middle-aged man suddenly spoke up, then looked tentatively at the servant:

"These cutlery are exquisite; I adore them. I wonder if any of these are listed in the auction catalog?"

The servant was taken aback, then bowed and said:
"Does my lord wish to purchase these knives and forks for cutting pastries and fruits? That is certainly possible, but they are forged using the secret methods of Kunlun, and are quite expensive. One gold coin is required for a single set..."

This price is indeed quite high.

One gold tael is equivalent to one yi of gold, which is also equivalent to 5000 Qin Banliang coins.

However, compared to such divine weapons, this seems insignificant.

The other party secretly calculated how much it would cost to take these knives and forks back and reforge them into weapons, but ultimately needed to preserve his strength in order to make a profit at the auction.

Therefore, he probed:
"Then, is it alright to take a thousand sets for now?"

The servant smiled slightly: "Of course it's feasible—young master, please go here to sign the contract and pay the fees."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Prince Qian was frantic: "How can such a treasure be sold so casually? If the other party takes it back and reforges it, it will become a divine weapon that can cut through iron like mud!"

Princess Wen proudly raised her chin:
"Brother, rest assured, the Queen has given instructions that a divine weapon forged using such a secret Kunlun method cannot be reforged."

Only through repeated folding and forging can steel achieve a combination of sharpness, toughness, hardness, and durability.

Once it is recycled and remade, the original process is lost, and its unique characteristics are completely lost.

The finished product, forged with so many materials by the other party, will surely still be able to cut through iron like mud when tested.

After one or two uses, the blade will chip, break, or snap...

It is brittle but not tough, sharp but not strong.

Only in this way can we feel at ease allowing it to circulate among the people.

After all, this is incredibly profitable...

Even though there were still some minor hidden dangers, Qin Shi gritted his teeth and agreed, considering the benefits that the money could bring.

Listening to the noise from next door now, sure enough, there was another burst of commotion—

"I love them very much too! I'll order my servants to bring two thousand sets of gold ingots!"

"I want it too..."

　Coming!
　　(End of this chapter)