Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 212 What is this?
Xiu Gu frowned deeply, the deep lines on his face almost merging together.

He looked down at the two iron bars and a pile of scrap iron on the chopping board, then looked up at the black-haired boy in front of him, then looked down again, lost in thought.

After a long while, Xiu Gu finally came to his senses.

He slowly raised his head, his eyes, somewhat cloudy from years of working with the stove fire, fixed on Lu Mingfei, and asked:
"what is this?"

“My sword,” Lu Mingfei said sincerely, “and my armor.”

Xiu Gu stretched out his rough, scaly hands, picked up one of the iron bars, examined it carefully, and then picked up a twisted piece of armor, looking at the huge, menacing cracks on it.

“No,” Xiu Gu shook his head, his tone resolute, “This is neither a sword nor armor.”

He gently placed the two pieces of "scrap metal" back onto the chopping board, making a crisp clinking sound, then raised his old eyes to look at Lu Mingfei, a hint of annoyance in his voice:
"This is just a pile of scrap metal that should be thrown into the furnace and melted down."

“Kid,” he emphasized, “you’re asking me to fix something like this…are you insulting my skills or mocking my judgment?”
Although I'm just a mixed-race slave locked up here, toiling away for the Round Table Hall, at least... I still retain the last vestige of dignity of a blacksmith!

"Yes! That's exactly right!"

Facing Xiu Gu's almost fiery gaze, Lu Mingfei not only didn't back down, but instead took a step forward, gave the angry mixed-race blacksmith a thumbs-up, plastered a fawning smile on his face, and said in a loud voice:
"In my eyes, you are the best blacksmith in this border region, the most skilled one without anyone else! So, you must have a way to do something that seems impossible to ordinary people, right? I believe in you!"

Xiu Gu was speechless for a moment by his unreasonable flattery and almost shameless trust. He opened his mouth, but didn't know whether to be angry or happy.

He looked at Lu Mingfei's face, then looked down at the pile of scrap metal on the chopping board that was pushing the limits of his professional career. In the end, all his emotions turned into a long, helpless sigh.

“I can try to repair these two swords, but you must find more and higher quality forging stones.”

"do not worry!"

Lu Mingfei gave a thumbs up again and took out a bag of "Forging Stones 3 and 4" that he had prepared beforehand. These were the results of his hard work all afternoon in the Gale Tunnel, where he, Natsuki Subaru, Emiya, and Kaneki had been wielding pickaxes.

Yes, those forging stones, hidden deep within the veins and containing enhancing power, are precious resources that the Faded Ones must personally mine with their pickaxes.

Otherwise, what do you think those miners scattered throughout the border areas are doing, day after day, tirelessly hammering at the rock walls?
In return, along with the previous loan, Lu Mingfei had to give the "Famous Sword Moon Shadow" to Emiya Shirou, the "Reverse Thorn" to Kaneki, and grit his teeth to pry out a [Golden Rune 7] from his mouth to give to Natsuki Subaru. Only then were the three satisfied and willingly worked as miners for Lu Mingfei for an afternoon.

Xiu Gu opened the bag, glanced at it briefly, then nodded in satisfaction and said:

"Indeed, these forging stones are of high quality and there are enough of them to elevate your two broken swords beyond the realm of ordinary weapons."

“But lad,” he added, “this is far from enough to slay gods with this sword. You’ll need to find more and better forging stones.”

Lu Mingfei nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice, and hurriedly asked:

"What about the armor?"

Under Lu Mingfei's expectant gaze, Xiu Gu turned his attention to the pile of twisted armor plates and shook his head mercilessly:

"It's impossible. The damage is too severe, the structure has completely collapsed, and more importantly, the 'laws' contained within the armor itself, the energies that maintain its properties, have been completely dissipated."

It's just a pile of solid scrap metal now, lifeless. Give up, kid, don't waste your time." "Is that so?"

Lu Mingfei looked at the pile of armor plates on the cutting board with slight disappointment; they had indeed become scrap metal.

That was his first suit of armor that could be called armor, the first gift the old knight gave him, and a good companion that had been with him ever since he left that island.

It has shielded him from countless sword strikes, spears, and arrows, and has followed him in slaughtering several dragons and even defeating two demigods.

Lu Mingfei had an extraordinary affection for this armor. Even after the great battle with Rataen, he made a special trip to that sea of ​​sand to collect the pieces one by one.

“Light armor for a knight from a lost homeland is not uncommon,” Xiu Gu said slowly. “Go find another set, and I will modify it for you.”

Lu Mingfei found a piece of burlap and used it to gather up the armor fragments on the anvil. He nodded, approving of Xiu Gu's plan.

This is the only option for now.

Just as Xiu Gu said, he could cobble together a set of light armor from the Lost Knights.

At this moment, Xiu Gu had already picked up two greatswords, lit the furnace fire, and begun to repair them.

He stroked the nick on the sword, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes:
"To think you could injure a reinforced sword like this... Kid, who is it this time?"

Lu Mingfei was taken aback before realizing that Xiu Gu was asking him about his opponent this time.

Anyway, such a big event as the Battle Festival would spread throughout the Round Table Hall very quickly, so there was no need to hide it.

“Ratan,” Lu Mingfei confessed, “is ‘General Shattered Star’ Ratan.”

Xiu Gu's hand, which was pulling the bellows, suddenly stopped, and the crackling sound of the flames became the only sound in the compartment.

His face, covered with scales and wrinkles, showed a clear moment of stunned silence, and a flicker of emotion, though not surprise, appeared in his cloudy eyes.

He didn't seem particularly shocked by Lu Mingfei's victory over Rataen; he simply had an expression that said, "This day has finally come."

Xiu Gu seemed to have anticipated this all along. Given this black-haired boy's character of always accomplishing great things quietly, killing that demigod was probably only a matter of time.

The silence lasted for several seconds before the fire was reignited, and Xiu Gu finally let out a slow sigh.

With the whooshing of the bellows, sparks danced in the furnace, and the mixed-race old man murmured with emotion:
"Really? It's a shattered star."

He shook his head, as if trying to shake off some heavy memories of the past, ultimately leaving only a brief sigh of admiration:

"You're really something, kid."

(End of this chapter)