Chapter 105: Ironhaven

Ethan left the room, and the others followed him.

The station had already moved the Academy Skyship to another docking platform. After reaching it, the group entered the vessel and returned to their seats.

Ethan sat down and looked towards Goldie.

The little creature was still sleeping on his seat, completely unaware of everything that had happened. It seemed like Goldie had slept through the entire incident, from the moment Ethan was taken hostage to the destruction of the small skyship.

Ethan looked at him for a while before shaking his head.

This little guy really can sleep anywhere.

He didn’t bother waking Goldie and simply let him continue sleeping.

After everyone had settled down, the Academy Skyship finally left Westwatch Station and continued its journey towards Ironhaven.

However, because of the unexpected stop and the assassination incident, they had lost quite a bit of time. After leaving the station, they still had another two days of travelling before reaching Ironhaven.

By the time Ironhaven finally came into view, the team had spent much longer travelling than they had originally expected.

The city was much bigger than some of the students had imagined. Its walls stretched far into the distance, and many of the buildings inside were made of dark stone. Tall chimneys could be seen everywhere, with smoke rising from them.

Even from that distance, they could hear the sound of metal being struck.

Ironhaven was famous for its blacksmiths, and the city certainly looked the part.

As the Academy Skyship got closer, Lydia noticed a large harbour outside the city walls.

"Is that where we’re supposed to land?" she asked.

"Yes. That’s Ironhaven’s Skyship Harbour," Kael explained. "Most skyships land there before their passengers enter the city."

As the young leader of the Silvercrest Guild, Kael was already familiar with the place. The guild had a small base in Ironhaven, and he had visited the city several times before.

"The harbour is usually busy," he continued. "Many merchants come here to buy and sell weapons and armour. Some of the best blacksmiths in the western territories also have their shops here."

Gareth looked towards the city.

"So the whole city is famous for blacksmithing?"

"Pretty much," Kael replied. "There are other professions here too, but blacksmithing is what Ironhaven is known for. People come from different parts of the empire just to buy equipment made here."

"That explains all the smoke," Lydia said.

The Academy Skyship slowly descended towards one of the larger platforms. After a few moments, it landed, and the crew began preparing for the passengers to leave.

Ethan and the others soon made their way outside.

There were many people moving around the harbour. Some were carrying large boxes, while others were talking to the station personnel. A few blacksmiths could also be seen walking around in their leather aprons, carrying tools and weapons.

The harbour was quite busy.

"Let’s go," Ethan said.

The others followed him towards the harbour exit. They still needed to enter the city and report to the authorities before they could begin their assignment.

After leaving the harbour, they headed towards the main city gate. There were several other people going in and out, and a line of carriages was waiting nearby.

Ethan had visited Ironhaven before in his previous life, so the city wasn’t completely unfamiliar to him. Although it had been many years since then, he still remembered some of its streets and important places.

Once they passed through the gate, Kael spoke up.

"I know this city quite well, so I’ll take you guys to the Silvercrest Guild’s base first."

He looked towards the others before continuing.

"It’s not far from here, and we can rest there for a while. I’ll also contact the people in charge and let them know we’ve arrived. They should be able to help us with the assignment."

Ethan nodded.

"Alright. We’ll go there first."

Kael took the lead, and the others followed him. Since he was familiar with the city, there was no need for them to waste time looking for directions.

As they walked along the street, they could see many shops and buildings on both sides. Some were selling weapons and armour, while others displayed different kinds of metal equipment.

There were also several blacksmiths walking around with large hammers and bags of tools. Most wore thick leather aprons, and some had their sleeves rolled up.

It was clear that blacksmithing was a big part of life in Ironhaven.

Kael continued leading the group through the streets. He was very familiar with the area and didn’t need to stop to ask anyone for directions.

After walking for a while, they finally arrived at the Silvercrest Guild’s base.

It was a two-storey stone building with a large sign above the entrance. The Silvercrest Guild’s emblem was displayed on it, showing a silver mountain inside a shield.

There were a few people standing near the entrance, and several others could be seen moving in and out of the building. Most of them wore simple clothes, but they all had a small silver crest attached to the left side of their chests.

As Kael approached, one of the men near the entrance suddenly recognized him.

"Young Guild Leader!"

The man quickly walked over, looking surprised and happy to see him.

"You’re back! When did you arrive?"

Kael gave him a small nod.

"We just got here. I’m here with some people from the academy. We’ve been given an assignment in Ironhaven."

The man glanced at the people behind Kael before smiling again.

"Welcome! You must be tired from the journey. Should I arrange something for you to eat? We can also prepare some rooms if you need to rest."

"There’s no need for that right now," Kael replied. "By the way, where’s Uncle Garrick?"

The man seemed a little surprised by the question.

"Uncle Garrick? He’s not here at the moment. He went to meet a Blacksmith Grandmaster who recently arrived in the city. I heard he’s there to discuss the guild’s next batch of equipment."

Kael raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Which Blacksmith Grandmaster?"

"Grandmaster Doran Steelheart."

Kael nodded. He had heard of the man before. Doran was a famous blacksmith, and his equipment was highly sought after by many guilds.

"Alright. Do you know where they are meeting?"

"Yes. I can take you there."

Kael then turned towards Ethan and the others.

"Uncle Garrick is the one in charge of this base. He’s also the person who handles the guild’s equipment purchases here. Since our guild has a base in Ironhaven, he often deals with the local blacksmiths and arranges equipment for our members."

He briefly paused before continuing.

"He’s probably discussing our next batch of equipment with Grandmaster Doran right now."

Kael looked at Ethan.

"By the way, Ethan, you’ve met Uncle Garrick before, haven’t you? It was during the Verdant Secret Realm."

Ethan nodded. He remembered Garrick well. They had crossed paths during the incident in the secret realm, so this wouldn’t be their first meeting.

Kael turned back towards the guild member.

"Lead the way. Take us to Uncle Garrick."

"Understood, Young Guild Leader."

The man nodded and started walking. Kael followed him, while Ethan and the others walked behind them.

They left the Silvercrest Guild’s base and returned to the main street. The man led them through several busy streets before they finally arrived at a large building.

There were so many people gathered outside that they had to slow down as they approached. The area in front of the building was almost filled with people. Some were standing near the entrance, while others had gathered along the sides, trying to find a place where they could see inside.

Gareth looked at the crowd in surprise.

"What’s going on here? Why are there so many people?"

The guild member turned towards them.

"They’re all here because of Grandmaster Doran. He’s been working here since he arrived in Ironhaven."

Kael looked at the people again.

"Are they all here to watch him forge?"

"Not just that," the man replied. "Grandmaster Doran has a very high success rate when it comes to forging equipment. Even when he works with rare materials, he hardly ever fails. But that’s not the only reason people are interested in seeing him work."

He paused before continuing.

"Whenever Grandmaster Doran successfully finishes forging something, several Production Spheres appear around him. This has happened many times, so it’s no longer a secret. Some of the blacksmiths here are hoping to get one for themselves."

"Production Spheres?" Lydia asked. She seemed interested in the name.

"Yes. They’re very useful for people with lifestyle professions. A blacksmith can absorb one to improve their future work, or give it to someone else. That’s why so many blacksmiths have come here. Even getting one would be worth the trip."

Gareth looked at the crowd again.

"So they’re all waiting for a chance to get one?"

"That’s right," the man replied. "Of course, Grandmaster Doran can’t give one to everyone. There are usually several people waiting whenever he works, but only a few will be lucky enough to receive one."

The others seemed to understand why the place was so crowded now.

"Production Orbs," Ethan muttered.

He was already familiar with them from his previous life. Just like Essence Orbs were useful to combat professions and also during combat, Production Orbs were valuable to people with lifestyle professions. They could improve the quality of their work and increase their chances of successfully producing something.

Ethan had seen plenty of them before, so the concept wasn’t new to him. However, seeing so many people gathered just to obtain a few Production Spheres reminded him of how much blacksmiths valued them.

"Let’s go in, then," Ethan said.

The man from the Silvercrest Guild nodded and started moving towards the entrance.

However, the crowd was so large that they couldn’t simply walk through. They had to push their way past several people before they could finally get closer to the entrance.

Some people turned around to look at them, clearly annoyed by their behavior. But Ethan and the others continued moving forward.

They had come here to meet Garrick, and they weren’t going to spend the whole day standing outside.