章節 33: Chapter 33: Blacksmith's Shop

Extra Chapter~

"System sign-in!"

Rynar began his daily ritual of cheerful sign-ins upon waking up in the early morning. Although the current rewards from the system were limited, they were better than nothing.

"Sign-in successful. Congratulations, host, you have received a Lava Forge (Small) *1."

"A Lava Forge? What use is this for my adventures?

I currently lack the ability to forge magical equipment... wait a minute, forge!" Rynar, initially complaining about the system, suddenly had a bright idea.

In the next moment, Rynar dashed out of the tent, rushing toward old Radir's residence.

At that moment, Radir was busy tending to five Griffin eggs, as no one else could incubate them; they had entrusted the eggs to the wise mage for care.

Upon seeing Rynar approach, the jovial Radir's face turned pale with fright.

He coldly remarked, "Your Majesty, please let me finish my meal! It's not even dawn, and you're here urging me to work?" His displeasure was evident.

Feeling embarrassed, Rynar scratched his head and hurriedly explained, "Radir, you misunderstood! I just happened to acquire a small Lava Forge…"

"My lord, please don't aim too high… with our current resources, we can't possibly afford magical equipment…" Radir interrupted Rynar, his expression filled with alarm.

In his eyes, it seemed the King had gone mad!

How could he still be thinking about magical equipment when the nation had fallen into such disarray, as if it were the empire's most prosperous era?

"No, what I mean is, can we build a blacksmith shop centered around the Lava Forge?" Rynar smiled awkwardly.

"Your Majesty… have you lost your mind? Do you know what the Lava Forge is for?" Radir asked, thinking Rynar was unaware of its purpose.

"I do! It's a furnace used to create various magical equipment, right? If it can forge magical gear, it should be able to handle ordinary equipment too, don't you think?" Rynar replied nonchalantly.

"Do you realize that starting up the forge requires magic crystals or the power of a wizard?"

Radir felt that Rynar was simply dreaming. How could such a high-end forge be used for common equipment? Was this the royal family's 'money power'?

"The main thing is, I just remembered that many of our warriors' equipment is worn out. While we can't replace their gear right now, we can at least repair it, right?" Rynar insisted.

"Is it really suitable to use such a treasure as the Lava Forge for blacksmithing?"

Radir looked at Rynar with a strange expression, thinking this was akin to selling one's inheritance without any remorse.

"But we can't let our soldiers go into battle with dull weapons and damaged armor, can we? We can't always rely on the dwarves… it's better to keep the lifeblood of equipment in our own hands," Rynar said, disregarding the costs associated with the Lava Forge.

He was a man who had fought through the Old Forest Road and had gathered nearly a thousand magic crystals from the shadow spiders.

The consumption of the small Lava Forge wasn't significant; one magic crystal could last quite a while.

"Sigh…" Radir, after listening to Rynar, ceased to object, merely sighing.

He understood that Rynar was right; sending soldiers into battle with those kinds of weapons was tantamount to a crime.

"Well, since Your Majesty has already decided, why are you still here asking me?" Radir looked at Rynar with confusion.

"I just wanted you to help set up a professional blacksmith shop…" Rynar said, feeling a bit awkward.

"…" Radir's eye twitched, struggling to suppress the urge to strike Rynar with his staff.

Goodness, was an earth-type mage really reduced to being a construction worker? Has the great mage's status fallen so low?

Still Radir was completely loyal to Rynar and Zaltarion Empire, even if it meant doing odd construction jobs. So, after agreeing, he went out to scout for a location.

"Next comes a series of supporting facilities… we can manage with tools, but getting this iron sheet is a bit tricky… should we borrow some from the dwarves?" Rynar pondered.

"Caslow! Go ask the dwarves in Erebor for some iron sheets. Also, buy back some steel." Rynar ultimately decided to ask the dwarves for a few, as they had plenty of such materials, and they wouldn't cost much.

He casually handed Caslow a storage ring that could hold 100 cubic meters of dead matter; this was also a reward from the system sign-in.

While space rings were hard to come by for others, for Rynar, it was just a mediocre item—wasn't the space in a magic ring more useful?

As the sun rose, people began to emerge from their homes.

The 50 Battanian archers hastily consumed some dark bread before heading out with fishing nets to catch fish.

The fish in the River Running had become the lifeblood of Riverguard.

The remaining archers were on guard duty, while the knights of the Order of Dawn and the guards of Zaltarion prepared for a new day of construction.

The less than a hundred residents were busy making food at home, and soon the town was filled with the aroma of cooking, bringing life to the small community.

"Your Majesty, the blacksmith shop is completed; it can be used normally as long as you provide the necessary tools," Radir suddenly appeared beside Rynar, startling him.

"Oh! Thank you very much," Rynar replied gratefully.

"Reynard, go investigate among the residents to see if anyone knows how to forge. We need a blacksmith," Rynar instructed, glancing at Reynard.

The newly arrived guards of Zaltarion were fine, but the knights who had initially followed Rynar had varying degrees of wear on their long swords and lances.

The Battanian archers' arrows, though replenished a few times, still had significant shortages, and the star-silver steel piercing arrows they initially had… were dwindling in number.

The Battle of Smaug had wiped out their stock, and in the end, Rynar had sent people to recover some, but they had only retrieved a few, whereas the 400 arrows still embedded in Smaug's corpse had been preserved.

"Your Majesty, this man used to be a blacksmith," Reynard returned shortly with someone following behind him.

"What's your name?" Rynar asked, looking at the timid man in ragged clothing before him.

"Your Majesty… my name is Edmund…" the man trembled, his teeth chattering.

"Don't be afraid; you know how to forge, right?" Rynar comforted him.

"Yes…"

"Can you repair and forge weapons?" Rynar asked, focusing on what concerned him the most. If he could create weapons, then the Rapid Infantry would have a solution.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Edmund nodded rapidly like a head-nodding insect.

"Alright, good. When Caslow comes back, take him to the blacksmith shop to help the knights repair their gear," Rynar instructed Reynard.

He turned toward the blacksmith shop, intending to place the precious Lava Forge inside.

The benefit of this forge was that it didn't require any fuel; the hellfire contained within would automatically release when stimulated by magic, and its high temperature was enough to forge most materials.

While Rynar was busy setting up the forge, the archers who had been fishing hurriedly returned.