Jayce put down two large mugs for Siderius and George. Both mugs were ale.
The people of this world didn’t have access to a reliable purification system. They knew how to boil it and the most basic purifying processes. But that wouldn’t be enough to deal with all the physical threats like bacteria and viruses.
And also the non-physical threats like bleeding magic or curses.
Ale was something reliable. The nature of the yeast kept the harmful physical threats away. It was also extra sensitive toward magic and any amount, even a tiny little bit, would cause the yeast to react in a visible way, alarming the drinker of its possible harmful content.
George took the mug and chugged down half of it in one go.
The blacksmith rode to the Crossroads Inn since morning. He was tired from the journey and anxious about what was going to happen next. He didn’t know Snow that well and he couldn’t anticipate what Siderius would react once he knew the Baron had learned about Dull Steel.
"Tell me, George the blacksmith. Have you succeeded in creating the Dull Steel?"
George’s eyes were filled with the light of enthusiasm and curiosity. He was a child again. After all those years of stagnant.
"I did. With the help of my friend, Finn. I hope you won’t be mad about it."
"Why would I be mad about it, George? I did allow you to share whatever knowledge you have." Siderius smiled gently. He caressed the brim of his mug gently. It was as if he wasn’t even concentrated.
"About the Baron..." George lowered his head.
Siderius raised an eyebrow. "Go on."
The blacksmith told the hunter about what happened. The Baron had found out about the Dull Steel. He wasn’t that impress about the metal. But he wanted to meet Siderius.
"The Baron wants my expertise, huh..." Siderius leaned back. His eyes lingered on the ceiling, carefully thinking about what he should do.
"My apologies, Lord Watcher. I should have be more careful." George was ashamed and his expression showed it clearly.
"It’s alright, my dear George. But I do suggest you to be more on guard in the future."
George nodded repeatedly.
"As for Jude Fisher... Tell him I will meet him. I will take a look at the dead body. And if I can deal with it, I will help him."
George smiled from ear to ear. He let out a huge relief breath. He had been thinking continuously about what would happen. Would Snow be furious and punish him? Would the guild chase them down? But the reality was much less grave than he would have imagined. Still he made a mental note to never let this happen again.
Siderius took out a few pieces of schematics and slid it over to George.
"This is what I want you to make. Look at it and tell me if you have any questions."
George picked up the parchments and hunched his back deeply. His eyes stuck onto the pieces of paper like a bee on a flower.
"These?!" George had to rub his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. "Such brilliance! Such delicacy! The master who drew this must be a one of a kind craftsman."
"I appreciate your compliment, Master of the Forge."
George stared at Siderius with his eyes wide open. "You drew this, Lord Watcher?"
"Are you also a craftsman?" Fresh chapters posted on ɴovelfire.net
"I am... in a way. But my expertise does not lay in the forge or smithing. I have the knowledge about it but my skill lies elsewhere."
"Of course. I should have known that Lord Watcher is a genius."
George dived back to the schematics and carefully examined each of them. There were detailed formula and instructions about all the processes on the papers, of which he recognized some.
"This steel creation process seems to be similar to Dull Steel Production. But what is Iron Blood?" George said.
"It is complicated. But you can think Iron Blood as the true blood use to enhance iron. When use Iron Blood instead of the usual Animal Blood, you can achieve a purer and more powerful Dull Steel. Once that has much less grains on its body.
You have succeeded in creating Dull Steel. You must have examined its properties, yes?"
George nodded. "I did, Lord Watcher. Dull Steel is heavier, much more durable than normal steel but its surface is hard to smooth and sharpen. I tried many ways but the best I could do was to make a barely acceptable kitchen knife."
"Take the parchments and study it. Once you are ready, we will begin. I will handle the cost for material and your payment. Your friend, Finn, can join too but he must not know about the existence of the guild or our true identities."
"I understand, Lord Watcher. And what about the Baron?"
"I will come to meet him tonight."
Later that day, George had returned to Scalize and quickly invited Finn to study the design of the new weapon together. Siderius spent his free time hunting in the forest, trying to find a good game to eat. He also trained Red some more while they were on the road.
Red was very obedient and had understood most of the commands Siderius had trained. Siderius only taught it more about movement and traversing in the woods.
After that, the horse needed to be desensitized.
Siderius would only face more and more danger from now on. Sometimes Red would need to face it with him. Siderius couldn’t let Red be a cowardly horse all the time. He needed it to be brave for the survival of both of them.
The beginning of this next training section was to get Red familiar with loud and chaotic noises. Only when it learned to stay calm that Siderius could move on to the next training.
Siderius rode into the market of Scalize and let Red hang out in the busy market place where everyone was screaming at each other and all types of noises were booming.
A guard even approached and questioned Siderius about Red. He had no reason to lie and just told him that he trained the horse to get used to the noises. Merchants did this all the time so Siderius’ action was nothing too suspicious.
Once the sun went down, Siderius led Red to a nearby stable then he went into the Baron’s estate.
This time, Siderius didn’t cover his head with the black scarf. Instead, he let it hang around his neck, revealing his face and the pure white hair.
It was a strategic move from Siderius. He didn’t want to raise suspicion of the Baron by trying to hide his face. After all, Siderius came to his estate as a guest and the Baron needed his help.
Siderius stood outside the Baron’s estate and immediately, a group of soldiers cornered him.
"Who are you? Why are you coming here?"