Douro Continent

Chapter 160 The Blacksmith's Shop (Part 1)

When Tang San was in the Tang Sect, he was specifically in charge of manufacturing hidden weapons. Before he jumped off the cliff, he had already reached the level of an outer sect supervisor and was extremely familiar with the Tang Sect's hidden weapon manufacturing process. The Tang Sect's entire economic source relied almost entirely on the poisons and hidden weapons manufactured by its outer sect members. After careful consideration, Tang San decided to bring this method to the Douluo Continent. Although there were some difficulties, a simple trial run was feasible.

Therefore, Tang San decided to take advantage of today's holiday to find a blacksmith shop to cooperate with.

Upon reaching the Soul Master realm, Tang San would only need to undergo another level test when collecting his subsidy from the Spirit Hall next month. He would then have an income of one hundred gold soul coins per month. Blacksmithing was a low-level profession with extremely low wages, so he believed he could manage. Moreover, the manufacturing cost of all the hidden weapons was shared by everyone. Money wasn't an issue.

The reason Tang San decided to collaborate with a blacksmith to manufacture mechanical hidden weapons was because he wanted to create several more powerful ones. This world was different from his previous one; he had to collect all the materials himself. Creating more powerful hidden weapons would naturally require more time and effort.

Of course, Tang San would never reveal the craftsmanship of making Tang Sect hidden weapons. He only needed to outsource the production of the weapon parts to a blacksmith shop, and he would handle the final assembly himself, which would be enough to keep the secret. Not only would the blacksmith shop be unable to replicate it, they wouldn't even be able to know what the final product Tang San was going to make would be.

After asking several passersby, Tang San finally found his destination: the largest blacksmith shop in Soto City. The shop's name was simple—just "Blacksmith Shop"—without any embellishments.

Even before entering the blacksmith's shop, one could already hear the rapid, crisp sounds of hammering. Clearly, many blacksmiths were at work.

Judging from its appearance, this blacksmith shop was much larger than the one Tang San had worked at in Notting City. It was five or six times larger than Shi San's blacksmith shop. The spacious reception hall was filled with various finished products arranged by category. These were divided into three main areas: daily utensils, weapons, and armor.

Daily necessities occupied about half of the shop's area, with weapons and armor occupying the remainder. A long black curtain separated the front hall from the back workshop, with a white iron character, one meter in diameter, displayed every three meters along the curtain. It looked quite imposing.

There were six or seven staff members in the shop's living room responsible for greeting customers. Their roles were clearly defined: some were responsible for receiving customers and taking orders, while others were responsible for handing over the finished products. There was also a middle-aged man who looked burly sitting behind the counter, specifically in charge of collecting money.

Tang San strode into the shop and headed straight for the counter.

A shop assistant quickly came forward and blocked Tang San's path, "Young sir, is there anything you need?"

Tang San found it amusing. "Teacher" is fine, but why add "little" to it? Although he was almost an adult in height, his childish face made him look like a young boy.

"I'd like to discuss a business deal with you," Tang San said with a smile.

The waiter sized Tang San up and down. Tang San's clothes were very simple, just plain clothes, nothing special. He had an ordinary appearance and a well-proportioned figure. He looked like an ordinary person.

"Just tell me what you want to create."

Tang San said, "I'm afraid you can't make that decision. This is a long-term business deal for me. If possible, I'd like to continue cooperating." As he spoke, Tang San pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "Can you understand this?"

That was a design drawing for a hidden weapon component. When Tang San himself made hidden weapons, he also needed to draw the design first, and then carefully measure and calculate before he could actually make them. Not everything can be memorized.

The man took the blueprints and was dumbfounded after just one glance. The blueprints were filled with many complex patterns; he couldn't even tell what they were, let alone understand them.

"This..." The waiter glanced at Tang San again before saying, "Please wait a moment, let me ask the manager. See if we can make it." With that, he immediately ran towards the counter.

The burly middle-aged man behind the counter quickly received the blueprints handed to him by the shop assistant. In a short while, his face was filled with surprise. After exchanging a few words with the shop assistant, he came out from behind the counter and, led by the shop assistant, came to Tang San.

"Young man, are these the blueprints you brought? I can't figure out what you're trying to make. Could you explain them to me?"

Tang San said, "You don't need to know what these are. I just want to ask if you can do it. It needs to be made with top-quality refined iron, preferably iron spirit."

The middle-aged man frowned. "I'm the owner of this blacksmith shop. My name is Tie Xin. Young man, do you know the price of refined iron? Add in the manufacturing costs, and it's no small sum. You'd better ask your elders to come and negotiate."

Tang San's heart suddenly stirred. He sensed the aura of soul power emanating from the middle-aged man in front of him. Was the blacksmith shop owner actually a Soul Master?

"Of course I know the price of iron essence. To be honest, I'm also a blacksmith. It's just that I'm outnumbered and can't make this much by myself, so I came to you. The price of iron essence is based on weight; one kilogram of iron essence costs ten gold soul coins, right? With the scale of your place, I think you should be able to refine iron essence."

The middle-aged man nodded and said, "You're right about the price. But you should also know that the toughness of iron essence far exceeds that of ordinary refined iron, making it naturally much more difficult to forge. The processing fee for forging any item with it is equal to the price of the iron essence itself. In other words, we charge ten gold soul coins for forging anything with one kilogram of iron essence. And since the item in your blueprint is so complex, we'll charge an additional fifty percent."

If an ordinary person were here and heard the blacksmith say that the price for forging things was measured in gold soul coins, they would be greatly surprised. But Tang San knew that the price quoted by the blacksmith named Tie Xin was already very fair. His goodwill towards him immediately increased.

"Uncle, the price you quoted is fine. But if I request a larger quantity, could you offer some discounts?" Although Tang San wasn't very good at bargaining, he still wanted to negotiate for the necessary discounts.

Tie Xin pondered for a moment and said, "That's for sure. If you really insist on using iron ore to manufacture these things, then you'll be one of our major clients. The material costs can't be reduced; I can't afford to lose money. I can give you a 10% discount on the labor costs. If you use more than ten kilograms of iron ore, then I can give you a 20% discount. The lowest I can offer is a 20% discount."

Tang San readily nodded and said, "Then it's settled. Please make ten copies according to the blueprints I gave you. I've calculated it in detail. Each copy will require about two kilograms of iron essence. That'll be twenty kilograms in total."

Tie Xin looked at Tang San in surprise, "You're going to make so much? That's twenty kilograms of iron essence. Including labor costs, that's five hundred gold soul coins. Even if I give you a 20% discount on the labor costs, it'll still be four hundred and forty gold soul coins."

Seeing Tie Xin's expression, Tang San understood that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to come up with that much money.

"Uncle, you're a Soul Master too, right?" Tang San suddenly said.

Tie Xin felt a chill run down his spine and frowned as he looked at Tang San.

Tang San said, "I'd like to speak with you alone, is that alright?"

A deal worth over four hundred gold soul coins is a huge sum, even for the largest blacksmith shop in Soto City. Keep in mind that their annual turnover is only around three thousand gold soul coins.

Tie Xin nodded and said, "Then please come with me to the back." He then led Tang San to the back.

Passing through the barrier, Tang San was immediately struck by a surprising scene. The reception hall in front of the blacksmith shop was already quite large, but the workshop at the back was even larger, ablaze with the glow of furnaces. At least fifty blacksmiths were working simultaneously.

Tang San's Purple Demon Eyes were incredibly sharp; his gaze swept over the blacksmiths, and he silently nodded in approval. While not every blacksmith here was exceptionally strong, their eyes and hands were remarkably steady. Clearly, they were all seasoned blacksmiths. To support such a large blacksmith shop, there must be many skilled blacksmiths.

Suddenly, Tang San let out a soft exclamation and muttered to himself, "What are they doing here too?"

Tie Xin stopped and looked at Tang San with suspicion. "Young man, is there a problem?" Deep down, Tie Xin didn't really trust Tang San, after all, he looked too young. But the blueprints Tang San had shown him didn't seem like a joke. Moreover, this was a big deal worth over four hundred gold soul coins, and Tie Xin didn't want to let it slip away because of his momentary suspicion. Although they were the largest blacksmith shop in Soto City, they were by no means the only one.

Following Tang San's gaze, he noticed two young blacksmiths at work. They looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, both with leopard-like heads and piercing eyes, remarkably similar in appearance, and with robust physiques. Their dark muscles were bulging like small mountains. The forging hammers in their hands were also much larger than those of other blacksmiths, yet their forging process was extremely steady, even more efficient than some of the middle-aged blacksmiths around them.

(End of this chapter)