Chapter 93
Impressing Them
The Four Treasure Shop. A prestigious shop made up of masters of various crafts that sells materials for inscriptions, alchemy, and forging. Then there is the section for Martial Artists where all of the finished products made by their craftsmen are sold.
Those who were geniuses in the paths that supported the martial way were highly valued by the shop. The reason for this was naturally profit. By finding and nurturing young geniuses, obviously they would have a loyal crafter later.
Chu Shen was not a stranger to the Four Treasures Shop. As a matter of fact, he bought materials from them when he lived back in the mercenary city. Of course, that was only a branch shop. By coincidence, the main branch was actually located here. It was of course because Wildent was the third largest city.
The master smith and Chu Shen walked into the store. Upon entering a beautiful female attendant immediately approached them, smiling. “h.e.l.lo honored customer. What may I do for you?”
The master smith took out an iron tablet with writing inscribed on it. “I, Huaga Osna, request for this young man to be tested as an artificer using my authority as an iron level smith of the Four Treasure Shop.”
The attendant was stunned for a second before adopting a serious look on her face. Glancing at Chu Shen for a moment, she then turned to face the master smith Huaga Osna.
“As an iron level smith, being above a copper and bronze members, you may request this. I will take the boy to the artificer exam area. Meanwhile, please remain here until the exam is done.”
Osna bowed his head in acknowledgment. Turning to Chu Shen he patted him on the back. “Good luck boy. Try your best on the exam, hold nothing back. The better your weapon, the better your treatment.”
Chu Shen nodded and followed the attendant. She lead him to the back and knocked on a door. “Come in.” They walked into the room. Facing them was a wrinkly old man behind a desk.
The attendant bowed to the old man.“Iron level smith Huaga Osna has request this boy be tested as an artificer. Please allow him to take the test.” The wrinkled old man looked at Chu Shen and nodded his head.
“For one so young requesting to be tested as an artificer, I wonder how far you will go. Come here young one.” Chu Shen approached the old man. When he did, the old man pulsed Qi through his body.
Hmm. Your bone does not lie. You are thirteen, very young to be testing as an artificer. If you pa.s.s it will show your potential and even if you don’t, to be a Martial Pract.i.tioner at such a young age means you are a once in a century genius. Go, take him to the practice arena.”
Bowing, the attendant left and took Chu Shen to another area. Here another attendant took over while the first one left for the shop area. Chu Shen was lead to a forge.
The attendant turned towards Chu Shen“If you have any materials you need to forge, ask me now. You must pay for any materials after the trial but if you can forge a good sword the Four Treasure Shop will buy it, allowing you to pay us back this way."
Chu Shen nodded. "Thank you. Can you get me the inscription ink for five tries of the [Channelling Inscription], [Hardening Inscription] and a [Burst Inscription] also get me a…..” Chu Shen started to immediately list different metals he need along with the amounts he needed. Finally Chu Shen needed some special wood for the fuel.
The attendant merely listened while Chu Shen listed these materials but inwardly he was shocked that such a young boy was so professional. Normally only experienced smiths could rattle materials off like that.
“Let me go get the materials for you.” The attendant left but within five minutes he was back. He had none of the materials in his hands. While Chu Shen was a bit confused as to where they were, the attendant took the materials out of a spatial ring he wore.
“I will stay here to a.s.sess your forging process and to a.s.sist you if need be. Please start forging.”
Chu Shen nodded and placed the wood under the forge. Lighting up the wood, he waited until it reached a good temperature. Placing the ores on it, Chu Shen started melting them down. As he waited, Chu Shen took out a crystal. It had a strangely cold aura to it.
The crystal was foggy and gave off a kind of mist around it. Using the hammer that came with the forge, Chu Shen smashed the crystal into dust. Ice formed on the edge of the hammer. Smashing the ice by pounding the hammer on the edge of the table, Chu Shen put the crystal dust into a jade box.
Continuing with the forging now that the materials were starting to soften, he pounded the metal, driving out the impurities. Chu Shen then brought out the crystal dust and poured it into the liquid metal. Mixing the materials together, Chu Shen ensured an even mixture. He had some problems since the materials started to cool from the dust but placing it back into the forge fixed that real quick.
Next, he poured the blended metal into a cast. He had to wait for it to cool but it did not take long because of the crystal dust. Taking it out of the container, Chu Shen sharpened the sword against a grindstone. Normally he didn’t do this but to ensure the highest quality sword it was a must.
Taking out the inscription bottles, Chu Shen started to inscribe. Normally such normal inscriptions would take less than ten minutes. But these were no ordinary inscriptions. Chu Shen had practiced this before but modifying inscriptions still took longer.
After thirty minutes, the sword was done. Unlike the normal silver look steel swords had, it looked like diamonds had been encrusted on the blade. It glittered with crystalline brilliance. It gave off a cold Qi and the edge flashed, making it seem deadly.
The attendant bowed. “That was a masterful performance. It seems you are no ordinary forger. Let us take the sword to the elder. He will be able to evaluate it.”
Soon they stood in front of the elder. The elder held the sword up. Channelling Qi into it and using his spiritual sense to inspect everything in detail. Placing the sword down, the elder looked at Chu Shen in shock.
“Son, may you explain exactly what the sword is and what it’s effects are. I wish to know how the maker would describe such a sword.”
Chu Shen nodded. “Well I used several different materials which I am sure you know from looking at it. But they most significant was using Frost Crystal to give it a slight ice attribute.
I gave it three inscriptions. I used a hardening, channelling, and burst inscription. All three are basic inscriptions but I modified the channelling and burst inscriptions.
The Frost Crystal has the ability to turn Martial Qi that is channelled through it into frost Qi. Granted the frost Qi is fairly weak but the longer you channel Qi through the Frost Crystal, the stronger the frost Qi becomes.
As you know the burst inscription stores Qi and then unleashes it in one blow. I modified it so that the stored Qi will continuously flow throughout the entire sword using the channeling inscription.
Upon martial Qi being channelled into the sword, the frost Qi will then be stored back inside the burst inscription allowing you to utilize a burst of intense frost Qi.
The longer it is since you used the burst inscription, the more terrifying the blow. Though it is a one use weapon and needs at least ten minutes to be truly effective.”
The elder nodded at the words Chu Shen said. “Truly a good sword. I see you did not forge a sheath for it though?”
Chu Shen looked at it, then nodded a bit sheepishly. “I kind of forget about that.”
The elder smiled at Chu Shen. “It seems like you still need some experience. In order to preserve the Frost Ore you need to have a sheath. It will also need nourishment of ice attribute treasures in order to keep its attributes.
Honestly all that is necessary is to dip the sword into liquid ice, a material readily available that we can line a sheath with. Besides that, I would say the sword is a masterpiece.
It can be considered as a Low-Tier Martial Weapon Grade 10. It could even be considered as a Grade 1 Mid-Tier weapon but the nourishing aspect of the sword brings it down slightly.”
The elder then pulled out a steel tablet. Inscribed on it was the characters for Artificer Five Star below that was the number 13 and Chu Shen’s name. Artificers were ranked upon the inscriptions they could place on artifacts and the inscriptions upon the effects they could bring.
A five star inscription was suitable for Mid-Rank artifacts. Chu Shen looked at the tablet before looking back up at the elder. “To be honest, you should have only gotten a Bronze tablet and a four star inscription based on your skills. However, you are young and your future limitless.
As a result I deem you worthy of a Steel rank tablet. The tablet is your identification for the Four Treasures Shop. It will give you a thirty percent off all of our merchandise, the ability to use our forges for free, and finally the ability to request and accept missions from us.
Be warned that you will need to provide a reward if you do request a mission. As for the downsides. All we request is that you forge one Low-Tier weapon at the 4th grade or better each month along with selling all weapons you forge to us. Don’t worry, we will give you a fair price. We will also provide a salary for you. How does ten gold sound per month?”
Chu Shen was slightly shocked. He had heard from the master smith they treated their crafters well but the treatment was truly great. Ten gold a month for exclusive selling rights and one sword a month? Truly, joining a big organization was a good idea.
With this, he should be able to make Lucas as good as new within a month! Chu Shen cupped his hands and bowed to the elder. “Thank you kind sir. I will not forget your magnanimity.”
The elder waved his hand. “No it is my pleasure to accept someone so talented into our Four Treasure Shop. With this, we should soon have a seven or even eight star artificer within ten years. You said it was Huaga Osna that recommended you? Well, tell him he will receive a hundred gold as payment for finding a genius like you.”
Chu Shen thanked them a couple more times before going out into the shop. There the master smith waited anxiously. Upon seeing Chu Shen he rushed up to him. “So how did it go? What kind of weapon did you forge?”
“I forged a Grade 10 Low-Tier Martial Weapon.” Chu Shen said proudly, puffing his chest up a little bit.
The master smith grinned. “Great news, great news. Show me your tablet, quickly!”
Chu Shen brought out the steel tablet. Immediately the master smith was shocked. “They gave you a steel one! I only have an Iron tablet, ranked one below yours. Ugh. If I was as young as you and forged as good as I do now I bet I could have gotten a silver tablet.Ah, to envy youth is a privilege of the old. It is only too bad I did not have your talent. Luckily I discovered you.”
Chu Shen then told the master smith that he would be receiving a hundred gold as payment for recommending Chu Shen to the Four Treasure Shop. Immediately Huaga Osna became overjoyed! His shop earned that much money in half a year. To receive that much now was a great blessing!
Chu Shen then quietly departed for their forge, intending to start making a sheath for the sword and then more swords to earn money for Lucas.