The Tiange Academy in Xinyue Continent contains the oldest records in this country and even on this continent.
Old characters written using bamboo and bone fragments in the era before paper became common are no longer commonly used, and even their pronunciation has changed over thousands of years. Even rarer and ancient knowledge is recorded on a kind of crystal-like slate. They are smooth and mirror-like. They are made with techniques unknown to people today. No traces of carvings or writing can be directly seen with the naked eye.
This stone slab, known as the Ouija Board, is a sacred object of the Great Academy and is forbidden to ordinary scholars. Only doctors and above can view it. It is said that until thousands of years ago, people could still trigger the knowledge of the Gods through a series of special blessing rituals, and display the knowledge of the Gods in front of everyone in a mysterious form, not only in words but also in vivid images.
However, after the feudal king's rebellion and various disasters, the New Moon Continent's witches and divine masters were passed down through generations. They forgot the way to hold the ceremony in the turbulence of the years, and only a few scholars who were lucky enough to see it could tell what they saw. What he heard was transcribed on turtle backs and animal bones, and then transcribed into paper books.
If the "Founding Myth" tells the story of the birth of today's Moon Kingdom, then this story is only passed down within the Tiange Academy, and is a story that every doctor needs to copy and interpret as part of their training regardless of genre. It can be called "Myth of the Earth".
During the thousands of years of inheritance, much information has been lost, and the meaning of language words has changed with the times. As a result, many meanings can only be translated by means of 50% verification and 50% guesswork when interpreted by future generations.
But despite this, when Miss Doctor, who was familiar with this mythical story that she had to learn in her studies, watched the metal materials that Henry took out were processed by the blacksmiths of the Hayato tribe, she didn't know why, but she felt that everything was connected. Together, and it’s not a legend but something that actually happened.
This touched object seems to have traveled through thousands of years or even more ancient history, suddenly returning to the years when gods were still walking in the world.
The story process is very straightforward, just like any folk myth:
——That was the story before the old gods built their first city.
The story of the silver ship that came from far, far away stars, and the old gods on board.
The gods use their amazing power to shape this land, whether it is wind, earth, water, fire or air, they all use it.
They built giant silver towers that reached the sky, and those towers could harvest even the power of the sun. They even have the ability to send a brand new moon into the sky to light up the night.
In the ancient times, there were only two moons on this land. Now, the distant moons shining in the night sky are proof that they once existed here?
she does not know.
The story continues.
The age of the Old Gods turned from prosperity to decline, and their power tore the land apart as civil war broke out between the gods.
The mountains were flattened with a force far beyond the imagination of ordinary people, the earth was torn apart, and the ocean was created where there was no ocean.
The shattered coasts and islands were the result of the furious fists of the gods, and even the moons they rose in the sky were not spared.
The huge silver tower collapsed, and the sky fell into darkness and coldness that lasted for hundreds of years. Only the bright red flames that burned across the sky when the moon fell were still shining. And when they finally hit the ground, the force created lakes and gaps in the mountains.
No one knows the final outcome of the civil war. The tablets only record the process of the war and the past prosperity.
People only know that the old gods have disappeared since then, and even the holy continent where they lived has never been able to go. The ancestors in distress sailed north from Yi Di in the dark, but they could only enter a land full of reefs and wind. Rapid waves and ferocious sea beasts roam the nightmarish waters.
The record on the sacred stone tablet ends here, and what follows is an ancient follow-up carved on the bones of turtles and beasts thousands of years before the founding of the Moon Kingdom.
The absence of the gods and the dark clouds that had shrouded the sky for hundreds of years were filled with suffering and torture. When the dark clouds finally dissipated, it was the Great Moon God who led the people who reunited the desolate ancestors who had been exiled in the barren land. A new born god.
Under the guidance of the gods, the ancestors found extremely precious materials from the location where the moon fell.
It is known as moon iron. It will not rust, is almost unaffected by cold and heat, and is so hard that it will not wear out. It is an extremely valuable material.
But the ancestors looked at such a precious material with eager eyes, but they had no way to deal with it because of its precious characteristics.
It wasn't until the loving Dragon God offered his precious spiritual bones that the material that was originally as hard to shake as a mountain, no matter whether it was heavy hammers or fire, seemed to come alive in an instant and could accept changes in temperature.
These memories that she originally regarded as myths and legends became more meaningful after witnessing the process of how it all happened.
There are no longer dragons in New Moon Continent, but these Yi craftsmen, whose bloodline is inherited from ancient foreign races, still remember it from generation to generation, and deeply look forward to one day being able to operate these materials again.
It was already evening when they arrived, but the time was just right.
Even for a stove made by dwarves, it still takes time to heat up.
The temperature required for a special material like lunar iron requires various preparations in advance.
So they spent a whole night making arrangements: the charcoal was piled as high as a hill and three apprentice workers were nearby with shovels ready to fill it at any time, and the stove was connected to the other end of a thick pipe like a heart vessel. Attached are the fan blades connected to the waterwheel through gears.
When the fan blades enclosed in the huge clay shell start to rotate driven by the waterwheel, they will repeatedly supply air to the stove. If cooling is needed, they lower the wooden gates on the pipes to block the airflow.
For today's work, they even replaced brand new fan blades and continuously checked the water flow of the man-made waterfall. They were even worried that something might still go wrong, and installed a large leather drum for manual air blowing next to it.
The bamboo curtains used for sun protection have been lowered so that the temperature of the materials and furnace can be accurately observed. The craftsmen donned aprons and thick, heat-resistant gloves.
The fiery red furnace shines through the door stop, and just getting close to the furnace is enough to make people sweat all over their bodies.
But what is brighter than that are the eyes of these craftsmen who know that they have arrived at a precious moment that may only happen once in a lifetime and will never be seen again if they miss it.
The sweat that volatilized under the high temperature formed a thin halo in the firelight leaking from the furnace, as if these people themselves were glowing. Everyone tried to participate. Those who were unable to participate had white hair and beat their chests in anger like young children. , if it wasn't too wasteful, they would even want to steal the apprentice's shovel to do the lowest-level hard work of shoveling charcoal.
As the instructor, the contemporary boss came out in person for the first time in a long time, holding a small hammer, ready to shape it with his own hands.
The furnace that has been passed down for thousands of years has been heated to the highest temperature it can reach today, but this temperature is still not enough.
The final gift from an old friend, the white giant dragon with a proud appearance that once sat in the permafrost of Suomir as the northernmost corner of the Grand Magic.
The power of the heaven-destroying breath that could illuminate even darkness and abyss was condensed on that inconspicuous looking piece of spiritual bone, which seemed to be the same as the fossil sold in the medicine shop.
The dragon flame, which can force even evil itself to retreat, is contained in this inconspicuous piece of material that Henry has always carried with him.
When the sage explained this matter to several other people, they - especially Mira - looked at him with mixed feelings of surprise but also felt that this man's words were natural.
Everyone became quiet and said nothing.
The workshop owner carefully placed the spiritual bones and moon iron on the shovel, and then pushed them into the furnace. Then he closed the fireproof ceramic tile furnace door again.
The flames slowly changed color.
From the original gold, it gradually turned into blue, then a little bit into purple, and finally turned into an astonishing pure white.
For a moment, the craftsmen even forgot about the fact that staring at the sun would burn their eyes. It was not until they quickly remembered that they quickly pulled on the perforated eye masks for eye protection.
Time passed by minute by second, and under the catalysis of intense high temperature, the spiritual bone released the amazing power it still contained after a long time. Turning the flames of the world into dragon's breath that can melt even steel - only this furnace made by dwarves can withstand its high temperature without melting. I'm afraid it would have been like this if it were replaced by other furnaces made of mortal bricks. It scatters like a torrent, and even releases deadly flames to the surroundings, allowing those ignorant people who lack the proper tools and dare to touch such materials to experience the power of the blazing sun.
Everyone is nervous.
They have no time or opportunity to try and make mistakes. For these master craftsmen, using this material is just a matter of listening to the legends of their ancestors. It is true that they long for such an opportunity, but most people do not feel that they can really do it. There is such an opportunity.
So when it did come, none of them were prepared.
But it is this feeling, this feeling of being exposed to new things, that makes the eyes of these masters who are in their prime or have reached the state of enlightenment shine brightly.
It's like the feeling of hammering the first piece of iron. You vaguely know what to do, but you always feel that you will do it wrong.
The days when stable output has been achieved are boring. This is why many of them rarely do it themselves, and it is difficult to find a sword.
It is said that Kazuto swordsmen often long for an opportunity to prove themselves, to verify whether their swordsmanship is correct and powerful.
The same is true for craftsmen.
There will be no cost of trial and error, no second time. If they fail, the frustration of wasting precious materials may make them die with resentment.
Should I use all the skills and knowledge accumulated in this life to create the greatest achievement in this life in one fell swoop, or should I miss or destroy such an opportunity in vain and regret it for the rest of my life?
tomato
They don't have a second option.
Nothing is "okay".
Swords made of mortal steel were allowed to fail to a certain extent, and those that did not perform well enough could be sold as low-end "ordinary" swords.
But if a weapon made of moon iron and dragon bone only shows the performance of a mortal weapon, it would be a complete failure.
They have to do it right every step of the way and do their best every step of the way.
This is a process that is no less than a life-and-death struggle between swordsmen. If they fail, these craftsmen, even if they are not Kazuto noble samurai, may be ashamed to the point of committing suicide.
The white light was still flashing, and there was no need to rush. The ancient internal secret method taught them to wait patiently until all the spiritual power in the bones evaporated into the furnace.
The moment the white flame turns to platinum, it is the moment when the material reaches the optimal shaping temperature.
Subtle changes must be noticed, and enough patience is required to avoid opening the furnace door prematurely and causing the temperature to escape.
The workshop owner took out a tongue of fire made of mithril, which was an heirloom of this workshop. The flame tongue made of mortal steel will be quickly softened when it is inserted into the furnace. When you try to pick up the material and take it out, it may be so soft that it will deform itself if you try to clamp it.
Only mithril, which can also withstand high temperatures, can enter and leave without being affected by such high temperatures.
Even the steel anvil used for forging was specially moved to a completely different one.
These are the tools that have been used to create Kramer in the hands of sages in the past, and even some of the long-lost magical weapons even longer ago.
They are carefully preserved like treasures, waiting for the opportunity to use them only once in hundreds or thousands of years.
Only in a country that has been stable for a long time like Crescent Continent can such items and the craftsmen who know how to use them have the opportunity to be passed down from generation to generation.
This is something that has taken thousands of years and countless generations of luck and hard work to come into possession of. It is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter for both the maker and the user.
The time has come.
Before Mira and others who were watching could react, the workshop owner and the craftsmen who were behind the furnace opened the furnace door and took out the spiritual bones that had already radiated power and the moon iron that was glowing red under the high temperature.
After the power has evaporated, the spiritual bone is still not something that can be discarded casually. It can even be said that it is the key to promoting the higher performance of the moon iron.
Creativity thrives where materials are scarce rather than plentiful.
Steel can be divided into soft and hard. The sharpness of a sword made of hard steel will not be much lost after cutting many targets, but it is brittle and easy to break; while softer steel is easier to bend than break, but has The disadvantage of easy blade curling.
Xinyuezhou, where materials are scarce, has a unique forging method, which is to fold and beat different steel materials together until they merge into one. This method can create weapons that have high hardness but good toughness and are difficult to break. And because of the differences in different materials and colors, unique textures like the earth and mountains appear.
Kazuto calls it ground steel, and among the few Lamanites who are lucky enough to have been exposed to the production process of this kind of high-quality swords, it is also popularly called "folded steel" or "patterned steel" because of the production process and the finished appearance.
The masters in the workshop naturally know this technique well.
The spirit bone that had dissipated the power of the dragon flame changed its nature, and it softened like steel. The fire tongues of mithril fixed the two tightly. When the sledgehammer made of fine gold with a phoenix pattern on it fell, they were flattened and stretched bit by bit like ordinary iron.
There was just enough material that could not tolerate any difference. They stretched the moon iron and wrapped it around the spiritual bones. Folded again and again, the precious metal material was constantly folded and kneaded like dough in the hands of the craftsmen, and once the temperature was insufficient, they would put it into the furnace again.
This is a tug-of-war, and even with the support of so many special tools, it is just as difficult to process as ordinary steel. This is still a long job, long, but every detail requires full attention and control.
Be careful and move quickly. The work must be completed before the high-temperature white flames brought by the spirit bones cool down, but at the same time, the body must be preserved to avoid making mistakes due to shaking hands.
The onlookers unconsciously controlled their breathing, as if their slightly louder sounds might disturb the concentration of the craftsmen and cause problems.
Even water-driven hammers were not allowed to be used, because even this workshop did not have the luxury of fitting a waterwheel hammer with a suitable hammer head.
Everything can only be done manually. When a master becomes tired, another person next to him immediately takes over and continues.
The master with a big hammer performs the overall shaping, while the workshop owner with a small hammer trims the fine parts to ensure correctness.
"Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang!" The sound of the big hammer continued, separated by the occasional "ding-ding-ding" sound of the small hammer.
Before you know it, the materials have been mixed in thousands of layers.
They put it into the furnace again, then stretched the material and clamped it with a thick knife, and then used a sledgehammer to separate the parts needed for the handguard and counterweight. The person on standby immediately took over the material and went to another anvil to shape it.
The simple-shaped handguards and counterweights require fewer processes but are still not sloppy, and the most critical blade continues to be personally controlled by the workshop owner.
The power of the dragon flame continues, and the high temperature even flows back along the air supply pipe, causing warm currents to appear near the fan blades. These warm currents caused a thin layer of steam dew to appear near man-made waterfalls and waterwheels, and the skin of people near furnace doors was dried out by the steam, leaving a layer of sweat on their bodies that became sticky and annoying after evaporating.
But they were all too preoccupied to ignore the discomfort.
The shape of the blade began to be drawn out, and the workshop master tilted the rough blade to shape both sides simultaneously with every moment of the sledgehammer's fall.
Then gradually the sledgehammer is used less and less time.
The loud "dang-dang" sound was gradually replaced by the more frequent "ding-ding" sound of the small hammer, and more detailed correction work replaced the process of drawing and shaping. The blade has gradually taken on the appearance of Klemmer's two sides. Symmetrical yet wide and uniform shape.
"How can you achieve this after just checking for a few hours?" Mira couldn't help but whisper.
These craftsmen of the Hayato clan have probably never made Rigar-style weapons before, and all they made along the way to the realm of transformation were Kazuto's swords. But a profession is a profession after all, and the commonality of technology and principles allowed them to understand the production method after spending time studying the Sage's Great Sword.
The final hammer sound echoed in the bustling workshop.
The length of the sword's blade after the overall shaping has been completed is comparable to that of the Klemmer. The tapering process is not obvious, but it becomes thinner as it gets closer to the tip of the sword through exquisite hammering techniques to maintain it at such a length. Reasonable focus. The stem of the sword is also made thin at the front, thick at the back, so that when the sword hits the target, the reaction force can be transmitted from the blade all the way to the weight ball at the end, instead of staying in the hilt and making the tiger's mouth numb. .
Top materials combined with top technology.
When it was all over, the fire gradually turned from white gold to purple.
It was at this time that the sword blade was pushed back into the fire and the furnace door was closed.
Although the material composed of keel and moon iron looks like steel, it is not steel. It has extremely high hardness after cooling and can be achieved without quenching. So what they need is to put it into a furnace where the temperature gradually recedes, keep it warm, and let it eliminate any defects that may have occurred during the manual forging and folding process in the slowly lowering high temperature.
This process is called tempering, and it eliminates brittleness and increases toughness even when applied to ordinary steel.
The great work has been accomplished. Even though it has not been completely processed, there have been no mistakes in the process. There is no suspense now.
The workshop owner breathed a sigh of relief and laughed out loud with the other craftsmen. Although there are still assembly and grinding problems that need to be done later, the most error-prone part has been overcome now.
"Excellent skills, thank you very much." The sage stepped forward and said to them.
"This is where I want to thank you for this very rare experience." The workshop owner replied.
"It will take half a month to grind it. For such a difficult material, I'm afraid it will consume several high-quality whetstones. But it has this value."
“In the meantime, please enjoy the scenery and food of Fuso!”
The craftsmen of the Hayato clan, who had just experienced heavy physical labor but seemed more energetic, spoke to them with great interest.
