One-Eyed Monster

A Rang is a blacksmith next to the Yonder Travel Academy who came there at a young age. It was said that at the time, no apprentices at their smithy wanted to go to the Yonder Travel Academy to open this blacksmith’s forge, saying it wouldn’t make money. Only A Rang was honest and straightforward and went there alone according to the Lord Governor’s wish. As a result, the academy made A Rang famous. Many students at the academy were nobles, and they sought A Rang to forge weapons for them because there was no other smith available!

Igor and A Rang becoming friends was quite an unexpected event.

At that time, Igor was doing odd jobs in the kitchen, mostly delivering food everywhere. This was also due to the head chef’s care for Igor. The smithy was considered a part of the Distant Travel Academy, so Igor naturally went there every day.

It was due to this reason that Igor became familiar with the clanging sounds from the smithy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be standing here so calmly. He remembers the first time he went to A Rang’s place, he bombarded A Rang with questions, from the forge to the anvil, from the big hammer to the iron pliers, anything he found interesting, he asked about it.

A Rang was a young lad and very honest, naturally answering all the questions Igor had, and gradually they became friends. A Rang found Igor very kind, while Igor also thought A Rang was sincere, and gradually a kind of tacit understanding formed between them, like brothers. They might not speak much usually, but at critical moments, they would never hesitate to support each other.

Igor didn’t say farewell to A Rang before heading to Guru Mountain because he felt it wasn’t necessary. When he returned, he wanted to catch up with A Rang, but unfortunately, the academy was on holiday, and A Rang had stopped the forge to return home for the festival.

Now, Igor couldn’t believe that the scruffy old man in front of him actually knew A Rang!

”Master, how do you know A Rang? Are you and…” Igor felt the scruffy old man was much older than A Rang, so they shouldn’t be brothers or peers, but it was still uncertain. This hesitation made Igor swallow the rest of his sentence.

”A Rang, like me, is an honest person. But who says suffering isn’t a blessing? A Rang endured at the Distant Travel Academy, and I ended up here instead.”

”Are you A Rang’s master?” Igor finally blurted out the words he had been holding back for ages, intuitively sensing that this scruffy old man was A Rang’s master.

”Oh hahaha, not exactly a master. Back then, A Rang was an apprentice for a while at my smithy, which was smaller than it is now.”

”A Rang mentions you often,” Igor had never expected to encounter A Rang’s master here.

”That guy, A Rang, visits me often even in Luona, as if I elevated him to his current status. Actually, I didn’t do anything; he achieved everything on his own.”

”Now he’s addressed as the academy’s master blacksmith, A Rang! Haha!”

”Yes, almost on the verge of becoming the master of all Luona.” The scruffy old man chortled along.

”A Rang said it was you who enabled his success; he learned the essence of blacksmithing from you.”

”Don’t mention it; blacksmithing isn’t a professional occupation with a hidden essence. One just needs to work hard, and A Rang is very hardworking. Initially, when the Lord Governor summoned blacksmith apprentices to support the construction of the Yonder Travel Academy, nobody wanted to go, except A Rang who went without complaint, hammering away until he became a master.”

The scruffy old man, while wiping a piece of scrap forged from Red Iron, forgot about Igor’s affairs when talking about A Rang.

”Without the master’s guidance, A Rang wouldn’t have achieved what he has today.”

”Frankly, the smithy’s earnings are quite substantial. People often say the smoke from our smithy is worth their whole day’s toil, though it sounds exaggerated, the income from blacksmithing is quite good. Many people are willing to become apprentices.” Before realizing it, the scruffy old man sat down and started chatting with Igor.

Igor was already a curious person. He hadn’t heard these things from A Rang before, so he listened attentively.

”Actually, the requirements for blacksmith apprentices are not high; they just need to endure hardship, can swing a hammer, and withstand the heat, that’s enough.”

”A Rang is obviously strong; he can swing the hammer with one hand. He’s indeed a natural blacksmith!” Igor praised.

”After all, blacksmiths are just non-adventurers. Compared to Fighters or Hunters, our build and strength are nothing. But blacksmithing isn’t something doable solely with strength and build—it involves a certain understanding, and that entirely depends on the individual; no one can teach that.”

”Oh? Is that so?”

”You adventurers might not have heard the stories among us non-adventurers. From our perspective, aside from adventurers, there are three other difficult trades in the world.”

”Which three?” Igor looked forward eagerly, indeed interested in such matters.

”Blacksmithing, boating, and tofu grinding.” The scruffy old man said.

”Um…” Igor naturally had no clue.

”These three trades seem easy to start, just requiring strength. But none can be done well with just strength.”

”Every trade must have its difficulties,” Igor concluded.

”Take blacksmithing, for example. Swinging a big hammer can be taught quickly, but to reach the stage of forging and polishing, not everyone can produce quality work. Quenching Flame and Tempering Flame, how to heat them up cannot be taught lightly.”

”This requires insight then!” Igor said. ”It seems A Rang was someone with good insight!”

”Not really. A Rang was more focused; whether it was blowing the bellows or swinging the hammer, he was very attentive. Things that others understood at a glance, he had to see many times and experience thoroughly. His persistence allowed him to grow, so I say A Rang’s achievements are entirely his own efforts, not related to anyone else.”

”I see!” Igor seemed to understand a bit, appearing to realize that even if the master shows the way, one has to rely on oneself to stand out.

”Indeed, well, I didn’t expect talking about A Rang would make me so emotional, and I forgot about your matters.” The scruffy old man quickly stood up, once again vigorously wiping the Red Iron block in his hand.

Igor only just realized that chatting with the master led him to forget his own business; he’d been out for quite some time, and Kadi was probably getting impatient.