The Baron kicked the door open and walked in. The two blacksmiths flinched at the sight of him.
George dropped the broken sword. His lips trembled to form words, thinking of what to tell this notorious Baron.
Finn pulled George behind his back then bowed at the Baron.
"How can I be of assistance, my lord?"
Jude strode past the two blacksmiths. He approached the sword stand and without hesitation, grabbed the steel bar.
"Oh? Quite heavier than I imagined. A formidable piece of steel. But it won’t do much in front of a witch." Jude admired the steel bar.
It was different from the usual steel. It was darker, more robust and heavy. The body was filled with tiny grains and noises that would never allow it to be sharpened enough. Its muted color represented that of a mossy charcoal.
"Here you go." Jude returned the bar to Finn. "Where did you get this?"
"I..." Fin turned over to George. That alone told Jude everything he needed to know.
"So you are the one who made this steel? Very impressive I must say." Jude smiled.
George scratched his head. "It is not my creation, my lord. I simply followed what was given to me."
"And who gave this to you?"
George didn’t respond. He looked over to Finn for help.
The blacksmith of Scalize was stunned. They really hadn’t talked it over about the nature of this steel and where it was coming from. Still, Finn understood that it was something George didn’t want to say.
Jude laughed out loud and patted George’s shoulder.
"Relax. You are George, right? The fugitive blacksmith."
"Fu... Fugitive? How did you know, my lord?"
"Nothing goes unnoticed in my town, George. I need to know about every person of interest. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be the Baron."
"So you can’t tell me who it is?"
George nodded. "Apologies, my lord. I have made a vow to not spill his name unless I was given permission."
Jude squinted his eyes. As the experienced witch as he was, he understood words held much more weight than people gave their credit for. He didn’t know about Light Aether or the strands of Fate like Siderius did, but he knew it was always there. Breaking a vow would be detrimental to anyone.
The world would make sure they knew it.
"I won’t make you break your vow, George. But I do find this person who gave you this ’technique’ very interesting. Will you be so dear and arrange a meeting with this mysterious man?"
"How do you know it was a man?"
Jude laughed again. "Well. Now I know."
George lowered his head. In front of these cunning figures, one simple word could reveal many things. This made him hesitant to speak any further on the subject.
"Relax, George. I won’t pry any further. But still, my offer is still there. Tell whoever he is that I want to meet him."
"May I ask what for, my lord?"
"It’s not something too secretive so you can tell that friend of yours. We’re having a murder running around. A murder that uses a blade that we cannot understand.
Your friend, Finn, helped me look at it but still, he didn’t quite get what it was. Perhaps, this friend of yours, with his knowledge of steelworks, can help me figure it out?"
George nodded. "Of course, my lord. I will spread the word."
"Good. And you can also tell him that he has nothing to worry about. As long as he does not threaten the existence of Scalize, he is welcome in my domain."
"I’m sure he will appreciate it, my lord."
Jude nodded and bidded goodbye to the blacksmiths.
The Baron left the workshop. He was surprised to find the particular steel. But the quality of that steel wasn’t that impressive. At least, it didn’t need much attention from the Baron.
Steelworks were everywhere and people always tried new methods. As long as it wasn’t something dangerous like Petrinium Steel, Jude could ignore it.
Being a Baron meant that you leave your subordinates with enough tension to listen to you, but not enough for you to be hated.
Jude’s family was not of highborn. But even he knew it was better to be feared, but not hated. Losing the approval of your subjects was a sure way to make you lose your status. Especially for someone without a long line of magic users like Jude Fisher.
"He is much more reserved than I thought." George said.
"The Baron is a wise leader but he is not reserved. That you must know. Do not be mistaken when dealing with these authorities. Or else, you will lose your head someday without knowing it." Finn said.
"So you got the recipe from a mysterious man, huh? Can you tell me more about him?"
George shook his head. "I’m afraid that would only lead us to more danger. Do you think the Baron will keep his word?"
"Jude Fisher is many things, my friend. A liar is not one of them."
Back in the Crossroads Inn, Siderius had spent the last few days finishing up the design for his new swords. He was rather satisfied with the result.
There were five steps needed to make the sword.
First, he needed to suppress the sulfur inside the pyrrhotite. This required a more powerful form of crystallization, Crystalline Suppression, that could only be achieved by using yellow salt. The new piece of iron was called Soul Iron, named by Siderius.
Yellow salt was a higher form of ordinary salt with much higher concentration of Fire element and a natural property of repelling evil forces.
Second, Siderius needed to forge this piece of special iron with normal iron and Iron Blood, creating a unique Dull Steel with the dormant force of Sulfur and Fire element. This type of Dull Steel was named Fire Steel by Siderius.
Siderius theorized that he could replicate this process for higher steel. So later down the line, once he acquired the necessary material, he could create Fire Steel with Strong Steel grade or even higher.
Third, a unique energy pocket to store Fire Element. The Sulfur itself wouldn’t be enough to manipulate the Fire element. Siderius needed something else. That was where the nature of the Firevein could help him.
The fourth and final step was to forge the sword out of the finished Fire Steel. Siderius also needed to make two unique scabbards to perfectly encapsulate the power of the new weapon. This step should be the easiest and he should have no problem in achieving it with help of George’s craftsmanship.
Once Siderius finished his design, a surge of True Aether built up inside him. He breathed out a cloud of golden dust, proving that his creation was approved by the world.
"It is a functional design. I know that at least."
Alchemists had an advantage over the usual scholars. They could immediately know if their path was correct thanks to the True Aether. There was a reason why they were called Truth Seekers.
"It’s time for me to meet up with George. I hope he has successfully forged the Dull Steel. If not, maybe I need to find me a better blacksmith."
Siderius went downstairs of the Crossroads Inn, intending to go inside Scalize. To his surprise, a nervous George was already sitting at one of the tables.
"You look anxious, my dear George?" Siderius said.
George looked around, making sure no one was eavesdropping. Then he whispered. Google seaʀᴄh novel·fire·net
"The Baron wants to meet you, Lord Watcher."