CHAPTER 42: 042 THE STRONGEST FORGING MASTER

Labyrinth city, northeast street.

This is O’Lary’s proud nexus of magical stone product manufacturing, adjacent to the industrial manufacturing district.

Under Finn’s lead, Rieger walked into this place.

Unlike the northwest street, which is frequented by adventurers, the people here were mostly laborers in work clothes.

There were muscular middle-aged humans transporting equipment.

Orcs, walking side by side with merchants, were talking with them about something.

Sturdy dwarves were quarreling and cursing.

Forging Masters, carrying weapons, were shouting loudly, seemingly introducing their proud works to others.

The sound of metalworking was everywhere, and the scent of metal also permeated the air, creating an utterly industrial street where one could hardly see any buildings other than factories, workshops, and smithies, and not even a single woman or child in sight.

Walking on such a street, both Fin and Reiger, who were somewhat more fashionably dressed, seemed quite out of place.

Fortunately, both of them were people of strong heart, who did not care about such trivial matters, and thus, even bathed in the curious and scrutinizing gazes of others, they still appeared natural in demeanor and composed in conduct as they walked step by step toward the center of the street.

Soon, the two arrived in front of a workshop.

It was a flat structure.

The building, obviously seldom cleaned and covered with coal dust, resounded with a more intense and louder sound of metalworking than other places.

"We’re here,"

Finn stood in front of the workshop and said to Rieger.

"Right here?"

Even with some guesswork, Rieger couldn’t help but be surprised to know this was their destination.

It couldn’t be helped, the workshop really didn’t seem like a facility that an important figure of the Hephaestos Clan would use.

As a clan that specialized in selling weapons among commercial clans, the Hephaestos Clan’s reputation was fully on par with that of the Loki Clan, both in O’Lary and around the world.

The reason was simple.

If the Loki Clan was one of the strongest among adventuring clans then the Hephaestos Clan was the strongest among forging clans.

The patron deity of this clan was the god of forging—known as the "Fire God" in Heaven—Hephaestos.

This clan, organized by the god of forging, not only attracted a large number of Forging Masters but also had a complete talent cultivation system internally, and calling it a prestigious family of Forging Masters was by no means an overstatement.

And with so many Forging Masters gathered together, some of whom mastered the skill of "metalworking," one could imagine just how excellent the weapons and equipment forged by this clan must be.

Now, the Hephaestos Clan had become a high-end brand worldwide, and their creations held the highest honor among peers; any weapons stamped with the title "Produced by the Hephaestos Clan" would immediately be sought after by countless people, and their value would inflate several times over.

In such circumstances, the person Finn personally visited to commission an order must be a high-level member of the Hephaestos Clan.

But could a high-level member of the world-famous Hephaestos Clan really reside in such a place?

Rieger couldn’t help but feel surprised.

To this, Finn just chuckled for a while.

"Don’t mind it, the well-known Forging Masters all have this kind of temperament, preferring to toil in a dirty workshop over sitting in a luxurious office. The person we’re looking for is even more so," Finn said. "If the meeting were set elsewhere, who knows when that guy would be free, but if it’s set here, he’s guaranteed to be present."

With that, Finn stepped forward and pushed the door open.

"Let’s go, I’ve already notified them in advance. Since no one has come out to greet us, we’ll just go in ourselves."

Finn took the lead and Rieger followed.

Rieger immediately followed behind Finn, walking into the workshop that led to a spacious smithy.

The space, dimly lit by only a few magical stone lamps, was shrouded in darkness, with only a distant, hazy red forge fire glowing. The air was thick with the smell of iron, truly a place one would wish to avoid.

"Chun! Are you there?"

Finn, indifferent to the environment, shouted toward the smithy.

The next second, a voice responded.

"I’m here!"

With a robust reply, a figure emerged from within the forge, bathed in its fiery glow.

It turned out to be a woman.

The individual before them had a stunning face, long limbs, black hair, red eyes, and was clad in a Far East style work garment, with bright red hakama pants for the lower half of the body, while the upper half was simply wrapped in white cloth, which was somewhat eye-catching.

Her skin was a rich tan, a deeper hue than the wheatish complexion of Theona and Theone, the sisters; she also donned an eyepatch, which along with her attire and appearance, made her quite distinctive.

Such a beautiful woman greeted Finn with quite an enthusiastic attitude.

"Long time no see! Finn!" She smiled while openng her arms towards Finn, "You still look so youthful, but it’s quite cute, come over here and let me give you a hug!"

And indeed, she went in for a hug, completely disregarding the presence of another person nearby.

"I’ll pass." Finn elegantly sidestepped the hug, calmly asking, "Isn’t the Goddess Hephaestos with you?"

"Yeah, the main god isn’t here." The tan-skinned woman failed in her hug attempt and frowned, grumblingly, "She’s been in a bad mood lately. It seems it’s because the friend she’s been hosting at home has been too lazy and gluttonous, leading the main god to accumulate quite a bit of resentment towards her friend, who’s been living like a parasite. She probably won’t have time for us until that’s settled."

Finn didn’t react to these words, but on the side, Reiger imperceptibly raised an eyebrow.

Unfortunately, neither of the two conversing noticed this detail, only turning towards Reiger after a few exchanges.

"Let me introduce you,"

With a smile towards Reiger, Finn introduced the woman before them.

"Chun Kobrand, the leader of the Hephaestos Clan, the strongest blacksmith of Orlais who reigns over many Advanced Forgers and also a Level 5 first-tier adventurer. In terms of fame, she’s certainly not beneath me."

After speaking, Finn was about to introduce Reiger to Chun, but Chun interrupted him.

"Reiger Brillhaut, a rookie from the Loki Clan who rose from Level 1 to Level 4 in just over a month, a shooting star. How could I not know of you?" Chun stared at Reiger, seemingly pleased, "Orlais has been bustling because of this guy, especially the gods. I heard they’re all trying to find out more about him, even my clan leader has been paying attention. Finally, I get to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you," Reiger nodded to Chun, his demeanor calm, showing no signs of arrogance from the praise.

"Ah, seems we have a very composed one here." Chun scratched her head, as if speaking to herself, "I’m not quite sure how to handle someone like that."

"Don’t worry, Chun," Finn took the opportunity to tease, "Don’t be fooled by his looks, this kid can get so wild that even I get nervous. He’s not as steady as you think."

"Oh? Really?" Chun’s eyes brightened, laughing heartily, "That’s more like it. If you were as dull as these old timers, it would be so boring, right?"

With that, Chun, without any regard for decorum between men and women, threw an arm around Reiger’s neck.

"Rookies should act like rookies, spirited and a bit reckless, that’s what makes them adorable. How about you come stay with me for a few days?" Chun said with a grin, "I’ll take good care of you."

"Cut it out, Chun. You’re just looking for a free blacksmithing assistant, aren’t you?" Finn promptly shrugged off Chun’s hand, "Don’t corrupt the pillar of our Clan’s future. If anything happens to him, careful, Loki and Revilia might come after you."

"I’d rather not, then," Chun quickly sobered up, muttering, "If I get targeted by that god of mischief, whom even gods fear, and the renowned princess of the elf race, I’ll never live peacefully again."

Finn gave Chun a look that said ’you should know better’, prompting her to raise her hands in surrender, while Reiger, trying to keep up with the situation, touched his nose.

However, for a split second when he was tightly embraced, it felt rather nice, quite soft...

Unaware of what Reiger was thinking, Chun then put her hands on her hips, getting down to business.

"Alright, no more jokes, hand over the order." Chun extended her hand towards Finn, "You’re here to have our clan forge backup weapons and equipment for your expedition, right?"

Indeed, commissioning a batch of backup weaponry was the purpose of Finn’s visit.

While each member of the Loki Clan had their preferred weapons, wear and tear were inevitable. They also required different weapons for various situations, so when it came to expeditions, the most necessary items prepared aside from medicine were backup weapons.

This was especially true for group combat, where a variety of effective offensive and defensive weapons like bows and arrows needed to be readily available in large quantities.

With that in mind, every expedition, irrespective of the clan, would involve placing a large order for weapons as backup. A Clan planning an expedition as deep as the 50th floor and beyond like the Loki Clan would need even more.

Consequently, the Loki Clan always had a substantial order to place with a forging-related commercial clan like the Hephaestos Clan, which often took on these commissions.

It could be said that the Loki Clan was a regular client of the Hephaestos Clan, with Chun, as the clan leader, having frequent interactions with them.

So naturally, Chun was aware of Finn’s purpose.

But today was bound to be a little different.

"Here’s the order, please make them as quickly as you can." Finn handed over a parchment to Chun, adding, "Besides that, I also need you to forge a weapon for the supernova you mentioned."

"Oh?" Chun took the order, not looking at it, but instead turning her gaze to Reiger.

To be more precise, she was looking at the sword that Reiger carried at his waist.

"Decent craftsmanship, but it looks heavily worn, probably been repaired a few times, huh?"

The sharpest eyes of Orlais’ strongest blacksmith lit up with a smile.

"Seems this third-tier armament doesn’t quite match its user."

"You wish for me to craft a new one specifically for you?"

"Go on, tell me your requirements."