Bab 110: New year (1)
Five days remained until the New Year, and I still hadn't managed to prepare the promised gifts. Though now, I could rely on the assistance of a skilled artisan from the empire, I couldn't burden them with all the work. In the end, we gathered at the blacksmith's shop of a familiar craftsman from Rimia: myself, Asura, Rumy, Aileen, and the shop's owner.
"Oh my, oh my, Krito!!! You're my best customer!! I'll give you a discount on any item, just because you brought me so many beauties!!" Of course, the shop owner was ecstatic, not only did his beloved warrior Asura come, but also a living golem made of precious metal that he tried to pinch every chance he got, and a foreign master who was also quite a beautiful young lady.
"We're here for business, would you like to work with me on a couple of special weapon replicas?" I said, giving the shop owner a sly smile.
"Something comparable to the previous masterpiece?" The blacksmith glanced at Asura's weapons. "For that, I'm willing to spend a week here!"
"We don't have a week, these will be gifts for the girls on New Year's, so we only have five days," I explained.
"You do realize we won't have time to select materials?" he asked.
"Don't worry about that, I have two splendid samples of pure mithril. We just need to decide on the design. And I would appreciate it if you could give me the last two days, um... for refining the construction," I suggested with a sly smirk.
"Using your unique street magic again? I wonder what you've come up with this time," the blacksmith grinned.
"Alright then, let's get started, ladies, I'll need your help," I said, placing several books on the table, each featuring illustrations and descriptions of various types of weapons.
First, there were books on polearm weapons: spears, pikes, halberds, glaives.
"Why do people strive to invent means to exterminate their own kind?" Aileen leaned over the images. "So, you want to make a weapon for that twin sister? I saw Kin shatter her spear to pieces."
"Yes, even before that, I wanted to make something for her, and now I have even more reason to do so. I've thought a lot about her fighting style; a spear is better suited for throwing or dealing with cavalry, but she often uses it more like a regular stick," I explained.
"Well, I told you her father gave it to her. He once took down a troll with a single strike of that spear," Asura pointed at an image in the book where a man was slaying a dragon with a thrust of his spear.
"That's the problem," Rumy chimed in. "Originally, it was designed for throwing, but during the war with dragons, it started to be used mainly for battling large enemies – the ones you couldn't reach with a regular sword. It was convenient to impale a large foe on the spear's tip by driving one end into the ground. However, the mortality rate among spearmen was quite high, so there were very few who could develop their spear proficiency into a respectable martial art. After the war, other types of weapons were developed, and that's when pikes, halberds, and glaives emerged. To be honest, Vivien's weapon is the most primitive of them all."
"Exactly. So, I've been thinking that maybe this weapon would suit her. Rumy, you said you know how to handle it," I said, opening the book with symbols resembling those on the scabbard. "Naginata, a polearm with a long, slender, curved blade and a handle instead of a long shaft. This weapon would be easy to use, and besides, we have enough metal to craft the entire handle from it. I can add some extra enchantments to it as well."
"Hmm, are you sure?" Asura pondered while scrutinizing the picture. "Mithril is very lightweight, and if the entire weapon is made from it, the balance will be quite poor. The weight will be evenly distributed, making it suitable for delivering slashing strikes, but you won't be able to perform thrusting or penetrating attacks with it."
Silence filled the room, and it was broken first by the female guard.
"Have you seen Kin's weapon? The one he used to defeat your friend. It always amazed me how heavy it was. I tried to lift it once, but I couldn't carry it for long; it was too heavy at the ends."
"Hmm, yes, it looked like a guandao, but with some differences," I began sketching the guard's weapon on paper – a long spear with a quite sturdy handle, a steel ball at one end, and a wide blade with a spike on the opposite side.
"Yes, exactly! He calls it a guandao and says one of his ancestors invented it. It's challenging to handle, but it's been a martial art in their family for generations, and he's a master at it," the guard explained.
"Do you think she will use the weapon of an enemy who defeated her so easily? Vivien has her pride too!" Asura doubted the success of such an idea.
"What if we make something different? Modify the design," I started erasing and altering the drawing. "First, the handle – for your guard, it's of normal size, but for a girl with small hands like hers, I'd make it slimmer. Then, the ball on the end – I understand it's convenient for him to finish off enemies with it, but it's too big. I'd replace it with a pointed tip, maybe add some heavier metal for weight. As for the blade, that spike seems unnecessary; I'd make it straight on one side with a slight widening at the tip. And a few embellishments, my personal touch."
"Hmm, you're quite good at drawing, but do you think it's a good idea? I feel the blade will end up heavier than the rest," Asura pondered.
"I believe it will help her deliver circular strikes, and the heavy tip will be suitable for powerful thrusts," I explained.
"I like this idea," Rumy evaluated the drawing. "I'll even help her develop her skills with this weapon. We can use techniques suitable for various types of weapons."
"Then it's settled; we'll make this weapon and hope it turns out well. We won't have time to fix it later," I said, taking out books on ranged weapons. "I've thought a lot about what Miriam lacks. She's an excellent sniper and managed to shoot the string of that guard's weapon with her first shot from a considerable distance, less than a millimeter thick. Her accuracy is truly remarkable."
"Yes, she's saved us countless times, and she can hit an apple on a tree from a kilometer away without even damaging the skin. But that's not all; she can fight with ranged weapons in close combat, which is even rarer," Asura said.
"That's the problem! Did you ever consider what would have happened if she didn't have a second bow with her?" I asked.
"I'm afraid she would have lost as soon as they entered the room," Asura lowered her head. "She can fight at any distance, but she needs to prepare in advance for that."
"What if she doesn't need to? What if we create a weapon for her that can accurately shoot at any distance?" I grinned mischievously.
"Do you think I'm going to invent it? Well, alright," Aileen raised an eyebrow in slight annoyance.
"Don't worry; I've already come up with a couple of ideas. I need your help in the technical execution. Can you tell me what the strings on your crossbows and that guard's weapon are made of? Are they made from the same material?"
"How could I know? Well, fine," Aileen removed a device from her gloves and opened its cover. "This is an extremely thin metal wire. With the right material and tension, it possesses a powerful return force, but you should consider that it heats up significantly upon firing, which is what ultimately led to Lady Camilla's defeat."
"Hmm, will it be difficult to obtain such metal?"
"I have no idea what you can find in your lands or whether you can obtain it at all."
"I have a small sample here; can you check if it's suitable?" I handed her a fragment of pearlescent metal with a bluish hue.
"Hmm, what's this?" Aileen took the metal in her hands. "Very lightweight, but sharp. Give me a couple of minutes."
Aileen called the blacksmith over and, after giving him a couple of tips, walked over to the furnace. She held a piece of metal in the furnace for just a few minutes and took it out before it started to melt. Then, with the blacksmith's help, she grasped the piece with tongs at opposite ends and began pulling it towards them. At first, it seemed like the fragment would crack, but instead, it started to stretch, gradually thinning the gap between the tongs.
"Amazing, truly incredible. At first, I thought it was just simple aluminum, but there's something about it that makes it more pliable and durable," Aileen remarked.
"They say mithril is a metal infused with pure mana, which might explain its color," I replied.
"Ha, your magic again. Well, it might come in handy," Aileen completed the process and displayed the resulting product before us. "This is an ultra-thin wire; it could be used as a bowstring, but don't you dare tell anyone about it!"
"Interesting. I think this is exactly what I need. Now, I'd like your advice on the design of the bow itself," I said, drawing the image of three identical straight bows of different sizes on paper. "Do you think it's possible to make a collapsible bow, so it can fold and reduce its size?"
"Hmm, it will be a challenging task, but I think it can be done by placing a couple of springs on the sides. However, it will have to be folded manually. And, of course, the question about the material remains," Aileen replied.
"What if we use the same metal as the bowstring?"
"How much of it do you have?" Aileen exclaimed in surprise. "Well, in principle, it could work, but what about the bowstring? It needs to be of varying length; otherwise, Miriam won't be able to stretch it on a long bow and will have extra slack on a short one."
"That's where I also need your help. That mechanism in your crossbow that releases the arrow and then re-tensions the string – how does it work?"
"Well, there's a spool with a return spring. Upon firing, it stretches and then re-tensions when it returns to its original position," Aileen explained, realizing something important. "You want me to make a bowstring with the same capabilities?"
"Yes, in your crossbow, it only has two positions – stretched and tensioned. Can you create a spool that will adjust the tension of the bowstring for three different positions?"
"Wow, you're challenging my skills, huh? It's a piece of cake for me! And as a bonus, I'll make a quiver for a hundred arrows."
"Hey, won't that take up too much space?"
"Not at all! I'll make it similar to the ones used by guards with compact rows for the arrows."
"You guys were throwing so many technical theories around that I barely understood anything," Rumy finally decided to intervene. "But at least you smiled for the first time since coming here."
"Huh?" Aileen realized she had fallen for the guy's provocation, revealing a couple of imperial secrets, and surprisingly, she didn't mind. "Mmm, well, maybe I did enjoy it a little, but just a tiny bit!"
"Let's consider it compensation for ruining the celebration," I joked.
"What celebration?" Aileen looked at me with confusion.
"The Night of Ascent. That's why you attacked us on that night," I explained.
"Ahh, that's why the day of the attack was chosen that way. By the way, what is it exactly?"
"On this day, according to legend, the first summoner ascended to the world of spirits and returned a month later in full power."
"I see, that's why we don't celebrate it. For us, the first summoner was a traitor who rebelled against his creator," Aileen said with a hint of annoyance, crossing her arms.
"Quiet! You don't know anything! How dragons oppressed humans – we were slaves to them or even just food!" Rumy was enraged and grabbed Aileen by the collar.
"Let me go. I don't know what's in your legends, but in our empire, dragons always treated everyone fairly, regardless of their race. And our great emperor has wisely ruled over us for six thousand years. I don't know what you think, but for us, a summoner will always be nothing more than the murderer of his father."
"Enough! You clearly don't understand anything! How much progress you've made since then. Now humans oppress other humans – progress, indeed!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone