Free Web NovelChapter 194: Chapter 180: A Bridge Between Elves and Dwarves
That was why Simon disliked the Holy Tree. If the Oli Crystal was truly the key to the future, why hadn’t it told his father how to use it?
It was as if some lofty being had played a tasteless joke, taking the vibrant life of a follower in the process.
Simon had to figure out how to use the Oli Crystal.
For his father, and to quell the anger in his heart.
"Time is up for the first round."
The announcer, having returned to the studio, struck a bell, shattering Simon’s reverie.
"All contestants, please stop what you are doing and submit your Blade Embryos to the judges’ table."
"Agh!" An unhappy shout came from behind him as an Elf slammed the file in his hand onto the table.
Even now, he still hadn’t managed to file away the tin can shell encasing the blade.
The Blade Embryo looked passable, but the outer and inner layers were made of different materials.
He could only hope the judges wouldn’t notice the problem.
The first round had no cutting test. If this "sandwich blade" were to be sharpened, it would definitely chip after a single strike.
However, his hopes were quickly dashed.
Xin 104 studied the blade for a moment before pulling a Magical Device from a desk drawer.
"This is the brand-new Strength Analyzer developed by the Zog Group! It analyzes material strength and can help you determine if the tools you purchase are up to standard. It’s available for sale at all major Zog Group stores, and we also offer single-use testing services!"
The old goblin, his voice hoarse, forced a creepy smile and completed the product placement task Zog had assigned him.
The entire show was filled with overt and covert advertisements for the Zog Group.
A staff member in the control room watched Xin 104’s expression and grimaced.
"Director, are we keeping this ad in post-production?" the executive director asked.
He felt it was less like an advertisement and more like a threat; that expression seemed to say, ’If you don’t buy one today, goblin raiders will be knocking on your door tonight.’
Zog was baffled. "What’s wrong? Isn’t the ad great? Look, isn’t that goblin’s smile just adorable?"
’Adorable?’ The executive director glanced at the monitor again. ’Is this the cultural gap between Humans and the Dragon Race?’
The analyzer scored the strength of all four Blade Embryos.
The "sandwich blade" "won" last place, while Simon’s blade was far ahead of the rest.
"Is that thing of yours reliable?" Bane asked doubtfully. "He quenched it six times—a full six times! I bet it looks fine now, but it’ll snap the moment it’s used for cutting in the next round."
"Do not question the professionalism of the program." Xin 104 dropped his insidious, sales-pitch smile—the kind that could make a normal child cry, and a crying child stop in terror.
He, after all, had led the development of the analyzer. Ever since they’d traded looting for literacy, the goblins’ self-confidence had been steadily rising.
Before, their low combat power meant their status within the Zog Group was lower than that of the animals kept by the Beastmen.
Now, the goblins’ average professional rank in the technical sequence was incredibly high.
Bane just pursed his lips noncommittally.
He no longer dared to make guarantees based on his centuries of blacksmithing experience; he had already been shown up by the paper-stuffing can-removal technique two hours ago.
Still, he had to say a thing or two.
He admired Simon as a fellow artisan but denied it verbally out of his pride as a Dwarf.
’If only the kid were a Dwarf,’ Bane thought.
’Or if he came to study under the Dwarves, that would be even better.’
’An Elf learning Dwarf techniques would prove that Dwarves are better than Elves. And with Simon around the other Dwarves, he could raise the bar for the younger generation. A win-win!’
But that was just wishful thinking. How could an Elf possibly come to study under a Dwarf?
The scoring for the first round concluded, and the results were just as everyone had expected.
The "sandwich blade" Elf contestant was eliminated. Simon and the other two Dwarves advanced to the second round.
Despite the numerical advantage, Bane wasn’t happy. The second round was a competition of grinding and Enchantment.
Both of those were Elven strengths.
Setting aside their innately superior talent for Magic, Bane felt the Elves were all a little obsessive.
They treated blade polishing as a spiritual practice to calm the mind, taking to it at the drop of a hat. Not only did they create a razor-sharp edge, but they’d polish the body of the blade until you could use it as a mirror.
’Was that useful?’
’Could reflecting the wielder’s big face on the blade possibly provide an advantage in a duel?’
But weapon buyers loved that sort of thing. It looked expensive.
’So annoying.’
Bane watched Simon’s work in the second round, which was even more skillful than the first, and he grew more and more frustrated.
He didn’t even feel like commentating anymore.
He couldn’t just tell bald-faced lies and say the Dwarves weren’t at a disadvantage, that it wasn’t a big deal.
A glance at Antinoya next to him only made him more irritated.
The smile on her face was about to break free as she gave a detailed commentary on Simon’s technique.
She praised him as she described his work, and not only that, she insisted on showing off how cultured she was.
She would occasionally interject with lines of poetry. Bane couldn’t understand them, but his intuition told him the words were probably quite elegant.
’Just to show off that you’re well-read, huh!’ he grumbled internally.
’What’s so great about being educated? Does she dare challenge me in auto-chess?’
After studying for the better part of a season, Bane could confidently say that his formulaic Blacksmith lineup had grasped eighty percent of Toto’s true teachings.
It had helped him successfully climb to the Silver Tier Realm in solo queue.
It was a peak he had never reached before.
Moreover, once you reached the Silver Realm, you couldn’t drop back down. A delightful, thick barrier now separated him from those clumsy Dwarves in Bronze and Black Iron.
’No, I have to find a way to get even.’
Bane pondered for a moment, his gaze falling upon the empty workstation left by the eliminated Elf contestant.
’Why don’t I go study the principle behind the paper-stuffing can-removal method? Once I figure it out, I can explain it to the audience and show them that we Dwarves are knowledgeable, too.’
After he sought the program team’s opinion, Zog readily agreed to Bane’s request.
He encouraged any and all attempts by the judges to liven things up.
A camera was assigned to film Bane exclusively as the Legendary Dwarf Artisan began his work.
Mimicking Simon, he lined the inside of the tin can with a circle of paper, then filled it with saw blades and iron scraps.
He wasn’t competing, just verifying the can-removal method, so he didn’t bother to de-rust the remaining broken saw blades. He just stuffed them all in and sealed the lid.
Magic-based welding was much simpler and easier to use than arc welding.
At least you didn’t need goggles; there were hardly any blinding sparks or light.
Bane slid the can into the Melting Furnace. Judging whether the temperature was right was already muscle memory for him.
His movements were fluid and graceful, making it hard to associate him with that gacha-addicted drunkard. Working seriously really did make one more attractive.
It was just that the other two Dwarf contestants were in an awkward position. They already looked pathetic compared to Simon, and now Master Bane himself was taking the stage.
It felt like having a proctor patrol over to your desk, constantly glancing at your test paper, and what’s worse, smacking their lips, shaking their head, and sighing after looking at it.
It was enough to make their composure shatter on the spot.
"Sigh..."
Bane let out a long sigh.
The good news was that the paper-stuffing method wasn’t universally applicable; the release agent still had its practical value.
The basic principle was that the paper burned into carbon, forming a layer of carbon powder and a hollow space that acted as a barrier.
The bad news was, Bane hadn’t managed a clean removal either.
First, the carbon powder from the burned paper could fuse with the iron, resulting in a very high carbon content, which increased hardness but reduced plasticity.
Second, the hollow space created by the paper wasn’t sufficient. The separating effect wasn’t that strong, making it heavily dependent on precise temperature control and timing.
And he had failed.
It wasn’t that Bane’s skill level was lower than Simon’s, but when it came to proficiency in this specific can-removal technique...
Bane had choked.
The old Dwarf glanced furtively in Simon’s direction and found the boy staring right at him.
The kid had already finished his work for the second round ahead of schedule. Judging by the results, if that analyzer was accurate, he could have been declared the winner already.
’Why is he watching me?’
Bane felt immense pressure. He couldn’t lose face in front of a junior—and a junior Elf, at that.
’How could I ever claim the Melting Furnace title then?’
Steeling himself, he decided to use a Dwarf Secret Technique.
A forging Skill passed down from the deceased God of Craftsmanship, it involved applying a Magic Slash with each strike of the hammer.
Bane pretended to be performing an ordinary forging, but in reality, he used the Secret Technique.
With a few strikes, he forcefully sliced the tin can right off.
From a visual standpoint, the end result was just as successful as Simon’s can removal.
Bane wiped the sweat from his brow and fanned himself, pretending it was just the heat.
Just then, Simon strode over.
"That forging method just now."
’He saw it?’ Bane was stunned.
"Can you teach me?"
"Huh?" Both Bane and Antinoya were stunned.
"I heard it," Simon said, his expression utterly serious. "The Oli Crystal resonated with that forging method."
He didn’t look like he was joking.
