Chapter 286 Silver Ingot, Longsword, and Wooden Cane

"Ding!"

The metal axe blade whistled as it carved a fierce arc through the air. A sharp glint of silver flashed, slamming into the patch of pitch-black before it.

The dark serpent scale—seemingly thin and fragile, as smooth and pristine as glass—took the cleaving blow without a single reaction, save for a fleeting spark and a crisp clatter.

Backed by the immense strength of arms forged through countless swings of a blacksmith's hammer, the two-handed axe could have split a tree stump right down the middle.

Yet it failed to leave even the slightest scratch on the Arm Shield's surface.

Even its kinetic impact had been largely bled away by the threefold buffer of serpent scale, Bone-Eroded Patterned Steel, and premium leather.

Holding the shield horizontally in front of him with his left arm, Xia Nan felt only a mild vibration as he effortlessly blocked the incoming strike.

"Hahaha, how about it? Not bad, right?"

A hearty laugh reached his ears.

His braided beard swinging, Barn laughed and pulled back the two-handed axe that had struck the Arm Shield. A clear sense of accomplishment marked his face.

"The quality of the scale you provided was excellent to begin with. It didn't need much modification—just a simple polish, and its defensive performance is already outstanding."

"Even in the Class Holder circles of the entire Cloudclimb Province, the grade of this Arm Shield is considered quite good."

Knowing the other man was just being modest, Xia Nan smiled and didn't reply.

The scale's quality was high, of course.

From the fragmented descriptions of the Arm Shield on his Attribute Panel, he knew the origin of this scale. The giant serpent—the one that had left him unable to pry off a single piece of material despite all his efforts after its death—had been a Legendary Rank Tier creature when alive.

That was an existence even more powerful than an ordinary adult dragon.

He had no idea how the original owner of the wooden sword on his back, [Azure Pine], had managed to kill it.

After all, considering the wooden sword's own "blue Rare" quality, its wielder's power level shouldn't have been too high.

Perhaps they relied on a powerful secret technique from their sect, the "Bamboo Spring Temple" mentioned in the notes? Or some trump card given by an elder before they descended the mountain? Or maybe a third-party faction was involved?

Without enough evidence to verify his thoughts, all his information came from a few dozen words on the Attribute Panel. Xia Nan was merely making wild guesses.

Regardless, without sufficient processing, raw materials were ultimately just raw materials. They could never be called equipment.

He wouldn't genuinely think a blacksmith was unimportant just because "Rockhammer" Barn was acting modest.

Xia Nan had already received the bill for 1,000 gold coins, and he knew exactly where every single copper of that massive sum had gone.

There were various auxiliary materials he couldn't even name—though any professional would surely vouch for them—along with necessary processing fees and other miscellaneous forging expenses...

High-quality materials could only unleash their maximum efficacy and become usable "equipment" when paired with a truly excellent artisan.

Whether it was the blacksmith "Barn" or the finished equipment, [Darkscale Coiled Guard], Xia Nan was highly satisfied.

"Aside from its inherent physical defense, this Arm Shield also offers certain bonuses in corrosion resistance."

Barn looked at the diamond-shaped black shield on Xia Nan's left forearm, elaborating on the equipment's added effects.

"If you want, I can go ask Lady Edwina for some corrosive potions to run a comprehensive test."

"No need," Xia Nan waved his hand. "I trust you."

That was what he said, of course. If he didn't trust the man, how could he have handed over the precious serpent scale brought out from the Secret Realm for Barn to forge? But on the other hand, and most importantly, Xia Nan trusted his Attribute Panel even more.

Since it already listed the Arm Shield's effect of "Immunity to corrosion/acid damage below the Legendary rank," there was no need to spend his goodwill with Barn on a test.

Come to think of it, the attributes of the former [Snake-Scale Arm Shield (Temporary)] had merely been "Greater Toughness" and "+300% Corrosion Resistance." Now, the defensive strength had jumped straight from "Greater" to "Superior," and corrosion damage below the Legendary rank was completely nullified. The upgrade was massive.

It even gained two extra effects that Barn the blacksmith hadn't mentioned.

"Toxin Resistance" was easy enough to understand and didn't need any explanation.

The Charisma bonus (Intimidation/Persuasion) against serpentine creatures, however, was quite interesting. It might come in handy in the future.

Though given Xia Nan's personality, he much preferred resolving conflicts with a blade rather than his lips.

"Yeah, I'm very satisfied with the Arm Shield's final quality. I'll take it."

"But aside from that, I also need a set of Fine-quality armor. I can sacrifice a bit of weight advantage in exchange for better defense."

"Do you have any in stock at the shop?"

At Xia Nan's inquiry, Barn's expression showed a rare hint of hesitation.

"Well, there's plenty of light leather armor in the warehouse, and the shop still has two sets of full plate armor."

"The former doesn't meet my defensive needs, and the latter is too heavy and would interfere with combat." Xia Nan frowned slightly as he replied, "Do you have any Plate-Chain Composite Armor like the one from last time? I feel like that's just right for me at the moment."

Hearing this, Barn's expression instantly turned somewhat embarrassed.

"Plate-Chain Composite Armor... I do have some, but the batch made from Iris Patterned Steel is completely sold out. Now I only have a few pieces forged from regular steel..."

"But don't worry, there's absolutely no problem with the quality! I hammered them out strike by strike myself, so their defense is definitely far superior to ordinary armor!"

This was the gap between a medieval fantasy world and modern technological society. Without factories, machine tools, or assembly lines, it didn't matter how outstanding a person's skills were or what rank of grandmaster blacksmith they had achieved. They still had to personally strike the anvil hammer by hammer to forge an item, rendering production capacity extremely limited.

Even with fixed processes for mass-producing certain standard equipment, the forging speed couldn't be called fast. Shortages were a common occurrence.

And once they received an order that broke away from the templates—requiring custom tailoring or even pioneering design—the blacksmith had to invest a massive amount of time.

In myths and legends, those master-tier Dwarven Clan blacksmiths might spend years toiling by the forge just to create a single divine artifact.

Barn's skills obviously weren't at that level, and the nature of Rivervale Town had accustomed him to a set schedule: mornings were dedicated to crafting custom items, while afternoons and evenings were for forging ordinary gear.

Even so, limited stamina coupled with relatively booming business kept him rushed off his feet all year round, leaving him no time to rest or spend with his family.

"Take me to have a look."

Nodding in understanding, Xia Nan followed the man back to the blacksmith shop in the front building.

Sure enough.

Just as Barn had said, the quality of the Plate-Chain Composite Armor on the rack was half a tier worse than the previous batch forged with Iris Patterned Steel.

While they both shared the "White (Common)" grade, the Attribute Panel showed no additional modifiers like "+5% Fire Resistance" or "+3% Slashing Damage Resistance."

It was just ordinary equipment.

Of course, compared to the chainmail and Scale Armor common among Adventurers, its defensive capabilities were much stronger.

Price-wise, without the extra material cost of the Iris Patterned Steel, it had dropped significantly.

A brand-new set "only" cost 198 gold coins, nearly half the original price.

Using it strictly as a transitional piece and seeing no other suitable options in the shop, Xia Nan tried it on and found it fit well. Flush with funds, he decisively bought it, simply wearing it without taking it off.

Its appearance was largely the same as the previous one. A layer of thick, solid iron plates covered his chest, back, and shoulders, connected at the edges by rivets and iron buckles. Metal chain links filled the remaining gaps.

Only the color was slightly different, a bit colder and brighter, revealing its metallic luster.

Perhaps out of guilt for not properly serving a regular customer like Xia Nan, Barn threw in a few sets of maintenance tools for free (though he might not necessarily use them).

At the same time, the blacksmith helped carefully inspect the armor's details to check for any flaws or omissions.

"If you get the chance in the future, I suggest you custom-order a set of enchanted armor. That way, you wouldn't have to swap it out every so often like you do now, which would save a lot of money."

"It's just that the material costs might be a bit higher. After all, you know that armor covers the largest area of all your equipment."

Xia Nan remained noncommittal about this, instead taking the chance to change the subject to his other purpose for visiting the shop.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out a silver ingot that refracted a molten hue and radiated a scorching heat, handing it over to Barn.

"Speaking of materials, I actually happened to pick up a piece during this mission. I don't know much about this sort of thing, so take a look and tell me what you think."

Originating from Trevelyan, Knight Commander under the Count of Sticky-Tree Territory, it was a [Molten Ash Silver Ingot] formed after being scoured by the Flame Crystal of the ash cane. Although it displayed on the Attribute Panel, there wasn't much useful information, only that it could be used as a forging material.

Xia Nan figured he would hand it over to a professional for another appraisal to see where it might prove useful.

Before him, Barn's complete attention focused on the ingot the moment Xia Nan pulled it out of his backpack.

He carefully accepted it with both hands. His thick, calloused palms completely ignored the scorching heat on the ingot's surface as the blacksmith leaned in to examine it with extreme professionalism and focus.

"Is it Volcanic Red Copper? The color doesn't look quite right..."

"Or is it Mutated Hot Iron produced from the Flame Vein Mines? No, the temperature wouldn't be this high, and there are no special patterns on the surface."

"So..."

Having mentally reviewed every type of ore he knew and confirming the silver ingot in his hands matched none of them, Barn looked thoughtful. With a solemn, dignified expression, he answered honestly and candidly:

"I've never seen the material type of this metal ingot. If you want to use it for forging, I might need a few days to determine its properties."

This was a reflection of his professional competence as a master blacksmith.

When facing unfamiliar materials, determining their properties before attempting any operations was incredibly important and crucial.

On a safety level: whether it would release toxic gases in high-temperature environments, whether it was flammable or explosive, or whether it produced harmful substances;

On a forging level: the most suitable temperature range for shaping, known as the "forging window," applicable heat-treatment processes, processing difficulty, and the suitable types of items to forge...

The vast majority of these couldn't be determined by so-called "experience" alone.

Fortunately, "Rockhammer" Barn possessed special techniques inherited from the Dwarven Clan, allowing him to conduct detailed tests while ensuring the material's integrity.

But his gaze shifted to the Plate-Chain Composite Armor on Xia Nan's body, and he slightly weighed the silver ingot in his hand:

"If you want to use this as the primary material for armor, the volume probably isn't quite enough. If it's just mixed in as an auxiliary material, we still need to consider..."

"No," Xia Nan interrupted. Reaching his right hand backward, he slowly drew out the Decapitating Longsword.

He pointed to the small, pitted holes corroded into the blade's surface by the dried snake head's venom.

"I was wondering if I could use this silver ingot to repair my longsword."

Barn's first reaction was undisguised surprise.

He obviously recognized the Decapitating Longsword with its unique iron-gray hue before him.

It should have been a product of his shop from last year, utilizing Gray Steel from the new pits of Flameforge Peak.

He remembered it very clearly. Due to his own negligence during forging, this longsword had become a "defective product," and he had originally intended to toss it back into the furnace to melt down.

Yet it had been bought by Xia Nan, who had just arrived in Rivervale Town at the time.

More than a year had passed since then. Looking at him, it seemed he had been using it all this time until it was finally ruined recently.

Considering the young man's absurd rate of replacing armor, the fact that this longsword had lasted until now was genuinely quite unbelievable.

Following his surprise, Barn's expression turned serious once again as he began carefully considering the feasibility of the plan.

"If it's just a repair, the volume of this silver ingot is completely sufficient."

"Regarding material compatibility, the silver ingot itself and the Gray Steel used in the longsword should both lean toward the Fire Elemental affinity. There won't be much conflict, but the details might require further study."

As he spoke, his frown deepened, carefully examining the densely pitted blade of the Decapitating Longsword.

"I won't ask what kind of enemy you faced, but the holes on the longsword's surface are too dense. Some are so deep they almost pierce straight through."

"If it's just a simple patch job, not only will it waste materials, but the longsword's toughness might also be compromised after the repairs are done."

"Perhaps you could consider a certain degree of reforging while preserving the original materials."

"It's just that doing this will definitely alter the overall structure of the longsword. The costs will increase as well, and we might even need to add more materials."

"That works!" Xia Nan agreed with a decisive nod, without any hesitation.

Through hundreds of days of companionship, the emotional bond forged between him and the Decapitating Longsword was unmatched by anyone else in this world.

If there was a chance to give it a new lease on life, letting it stay by his side in another form, how could Xia Nan possibly pass it up?

Sensing the black-haired youth's earnestness, Barn gave a heavy nod and carefully stored away the silver ingot and the Decapitating Longsword.

"Three days. Give me three days first to test the properties of this metal ingot."

"If everything checks out, we'll discuss the remodeling plan for the Decapitating Longsword."

As a Class Holder's primary weapon, Xia Nan naturally had to be deeply involved in the entire forging process to ensure no unnecessary oversights occurred due to miscommunication.

As if remembering something else, he retrieved an arm-length, grayish-black piece of wood from his backpack.

—

—From the [Ember Training Cane], the shaft that remained after the Flame Crystal at its tip was crushed.

"This thing was found together with the silver ingot." Omitting key details that might expose his secrets, Xia Nan added, "It might be helpful for the forging process. You can try testing it along with the rest."

"Alright." Barn nodded, reaching out to take the wooden cane and placing it under the counter with the rest.