The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Leo's movements were so clean and efficient that the other two were not mentally prepared before white smoke spread out and a sizzling sound came from the seawater tank.

Aurelius fanned himself while anxiously asking, "How is it? How is it? How is it?"

Seawater quenching is a traditional technique along the Sicilian coast.

Take clean seawater and pour it into a large wooden barrel. Let it stand for more than three hours to allow suspended matter such as mud and sand to settle to the bottom. Only use the clear water from the top layer.

The salt in seawater increases the cooling intensity, making the fork tip harder. This is why Mediterranean blacksmiths insist on using seawater.

Greek mythology describes a sea race called the Telcanes, who were renowned for their superb metallurgical skills. The key to their legendary status as "divine craftsmen" was the use of Mediterranean seawater during quenching.

According to legend, the Cyclops's assistant who forged Poseidon's trident was Telcanes.

Rio was unfamiliar with this traditional Sicilian quenching technique; it was Aurelio who insisted on using it.

A harpoon meant to 'roam' the Mediterranean Sea should naturally be tempered using this sacred and ritualistic method!

Therefore, Aurelio was extremely nervous at this point, fearing that his persistence would cause all his previous efforts to be in vain.

A hissing sound in the seawater tank is good news; a crackling sound indicates excessive internal stress and a high probability of cracking.

But it's too early to draw conclusions...

Seawater quenching provides intense cooling, but doesn't require a long time.

Three or four seconds later, Leo, holding the pliers, removed the fork head and tapped it lightly. The crisp, hard metallic sound clearly reached the ears of the three people.

Leo then held the pliers up to Aurelio, where the bluish-black oxide layer on the fork tip was clearly visible.

Aurelio pressed his entire face against it, and although the white smoke hadn't completely dissipated, he could see fine, even 'watermark patterns'.

The unique surface marks formed after seawater quenching are a sign of perfect quenching.

Aurelio continued his inspection, confirming that the three forked teeth were in the correct shape, without any twisting or deformation. A delighted Bianchi exclaimed:

"Quickly take it and clean the surface!"

To prevent salt and impurities from adhering, some cleaning methods must be followed immediately after seawater quenching.

Bianchi quickly took the pliers from Leo and moved on to the next step.

They had practiced this step many times and were in perfect sync.

......

The successful quenching of the fork tip slightly changed the atmosphere in the workshop.

But not many....

It wasn't as oppressive, but I was still quite nervous.

The next step is still the crucial fork body quenching.

In addition to temperature control, you must always be careful not to let the already quenched fork tip get heated, otherwise the previous step will be wasted.

Aurelio and Bianchi kept their eyes glued to the fire, oblivious to the noise outside.

But Leo never stopped, patiently encouraging them again and again—

We are constantly improving, we will definitely succeed, everyone should have confidence in themselves... like an emotionless repeating machine.

"The cherries are red," Bianchi reminded Aurelio.

Based on the experience gained in the past two days, the quenching temperature of the fork body should be lower than that of the fork tip; turning orange-red is too late.

Aurelio squinted and observed carefully, hoping to find the optimal quenching point.

Whether it's a master forger or a mediocre cobbler, whether it's trash or a "divine artifact" depends on this one!

"That should be fine."

"Should I do it, or should you?"

"Shall I?"

A pair of pliers appeared lightly, and without saying a word, it clamped its teeth and took away the fork.

Bianchi and Aurelio's heads followed the pincers out of the furnace and jumped into the olive-colored oil tank.

At this moment, their ears finally "opened" and received Leo's voice; it turned out that this guy was still talking non-stop.

"Weapons are like people; they're alive. If you respect someone, that person will treat you well. We've been so good to this harpoon, with three of us taking turns caring for it. Who else gets such good treatment? So—"

The oil churned and bubbled violently, and fumes rose from the workshop. They could only hear Leo's voice, but couldn't see his face clearly.

Five or six seconds later, a harpoon with a uniform oil film on its surface was extended in front of the two men.

"It won't let us down either." Leo's face appeared, showing no worry, only confidence. "Don't believe me? Just wait and see."

This time, Aurelio didn't let Leo handle it; instead, he inspected it himself.

He gently tapped different parts of the fork—the sound was crisp and long, with a consistent tone from all places.

Then I carefully pressed down on the middle section of the fork – the elasticity and toughness were balanced.

Finally, when it was brought to my attention, the oil film was even, the surface was firm and smooth, with no peeling or tiny cracks.

After carefully checking it over, I finally breathed a sigh of relief:

"I knew it would succeed!"

"Thanks be to God!" Bianchi raised his arms, palms outstretched, looking very happy.

......

If a harpoon is only quenched but not tempered, it will most likely shatter like glass the moment it pierces a large fish.

Tempering involves reheating quenched steel to a lower temperature and then allowing it to cool slowly.

The process releases internal stress and adjusts the balance between hardness and toughness, achieving the important goal of "hardness with toughness".

Tempering is important, but the core operation is not complicated—it only requires patient temperature control and quiet waiting.

Once this step is completed, the forging progress of this harpoon will be about 80%.

After several hours of frantic activity, like fighting a battle, the three cobblers finally had time to slow down. They stood side by side in front of the furnace, chatting idly about their feelings at the moment.

"It went more smoothly than I expected." Aurelio's forehead was covered in sweat.

Bianchi touched the shark tooth pendant around his neck and said:

"It's simpler than I thought."

There were no fancy moves, no chaotic unexpected situations... Leo acted too calmly, as if it were something that couldn't be simpler, and his every move was full of confidence, as if he already knew the outcome.

"It's really that simple," Leo kept encouraging everyone. "We've done so much preparation, have we done it all for nothing? The success rate is clearly very high, but you're just scaring yourselves."

He suddenly put his arms around the shoulders of the two people on either side of him and patted them hard twice:

"The three of us are the epitome of courage and strategy! Don't doubt yourselves, friends! We've already completed the most crucial steps; everything else is just icing on the cake. Like right now, all we need to do is wait patiently—that's how we move towards success! It's that simple!"

Aurelio finally smiled:

"What's wrong with you today? Are you copying me? Your mouth never stops!"

Leo and Aurelio exchanged a few jokes, and the atmosphere in the workshop gradually relaxed.

But Bianchi, standing before the furnace, looked serious, as if deep in thought.