131 5.20 Let Me Show You The Proper Way To Blacksmithing (1/2)

”Hey... Hey... Hey... Sam, my old buddy. How are things at your end? Seems you are working hard right now, eh buddy?” A rather familiar voice sounded in the living room and I peered out from the kitchenette. Upon hearing my name called out as Sam, I knew it was Max that had appeared after a long absence of nearly 19 chapters long.

I walked out from the kitchenette and found Max all dressed up in a samurai outfit with 2 sheathed katana on both sides of the obi.

”About time you showed up Max! First, I nearly died being half buried in the snow, and I don't even know how long I was lying down there. Secondly, I don't even have a single coin on me to survive and luckily someone by the name of Hiko found me in the snow and brought me to this village. Thirdly, in order to survive and save for the future, I had to find work through Hiko's group of friends. Fourthly, I am known as a Battousai living under a Swordsman master by the name Hiko Seijuro and had been freeloading him off with food and basic necessities. Fifth, I would soon be a disciple under him as he would intend to teach me some sword moves that he inherited. Sixth, where have you gone and why now that you chanced to appear? ”

”Oh, Sam... That's really a mouthful of updated information that I had received from you. Well, you know me. I won't appear unless it's absolutelynecessary and j was just laying back in my trailer waiting for a chance to appear before you.”

”It's pretty difficult to appear especially when Hiko would always peek into your bedroom either to join him for sake or be at the terrace and wait for the sellers of that yatai to come by so both of you would be able to eat together.”

”Since there was no imminent danger for the past few days, I didn't appear and since there's no phone here in this era, it is nearly impossible for you to contact me unless you go offscreen and knock on my trailer which I don't think Mr Director would approve any of the actions. I'm just a side character that appears once in a while in this series.”

”Yeah, Max...Thanks for the update. So you are once correct in your dressing this time. But don't you think you are overdressed in this samurai outfit?”

”Well, Sam... I find it truly befitting for me ** this outfit and in this era. By the way, you looked kinda cute too for an 11-year-old-kid with a rather feminine look.”

”Damn you, Max. It is not the time for you to talk on how my face looks like right now. So far, I don't think you would come here to update me with the next Leap right?”

”Not really, Sam. There's no update on the next Leap as you would be here longer than the 3rd series. Furthermore, the author was mentioning this would be the last series for the volume and it would be on volume two in the 6th series onwards. He intends to flow 5 series per volume.”

”Oh okie, so it does not implicate any of the Leaps in the future, right?”

”Nope, nothing of that sort... Just the addition of this novel's volume and heard that this novel would be kept free with no payment of unlocking it whatsoever.”

”Right, I know where this novel is heading. Keeping it free would be a great idea. At least with several grammatical errors and misuse of certain context would hurt much as long it's free... People would start condemning this novel if it requires to be unlocked by Spirit Stones.”

”Oh yes, Sam, before I forget... I wish to update before I go that after a few days you would make it BIG in this series and you don't need to perform menial jobs like this.”

”I can't just leave my job right now, Max. I'm obligated to complete it till the end of this month since I had ready been paid to complete this month's end. It won't be courteous to leave since its being paid in full with extras along with it.”

”Ah, alright... I'm just here to send you a spoiler alert that's all. There won't be anything else, so toodle do Sam, be seeing you in the next round.” as Max bade farewell and slowly dissipated and vanished.

”Great... He comes and goes as he wished. So what does he mean I would make it BIG in this series. I won't be able to give you readers anymore spoiler alert so we just move on with the rest of the story then.” I sighed aloud thinking that Max would just pop in and out anytime he wished and since there is no life-threatening event at this moment, there's no such need for Max to reappear as regularly.

I continued my work in the kitchenette and apart from dirty dishes, there was no other pots or pans that need scrubbing. At the meantime, since the kitchenette's work was almost done, I cleared away the ashes from the charcoal stove as well as the furnace.

After doing so, I closed up the house and went back to Hiko-sama's to break for lunch. When I got there, Hiko-sama was waiting for me with a bento box at his side.

”Here's your lunch. I was thinking of having lunch with you so I'd wait a while.”

”Thank you, Sensei... You need not wait for me to have lunch together though. You are the host though, you should eat first rather than wait for a lowly me to return.”

”Haa...Haa...finish up your lunch, I'd want to show you something.”

”Yes, Sensei.” I opened up my bento box and discovered that the bento box was filled with 2 onigiris, 1 stick of yakiniku, 1 stick of yakitori, a portion of green vegetables and miso soup. I slowly ate lunch as there was no rush at all. I was thinking of what Hiko-sama wanted to show me after this.

Once I am done, I cleared both of the bento boxes and placed it outside for the delivery guy to picked it back and return it to the innkeeper.

”So, Sensei... What do you want to show me?”

He smiled and he told me to wait at the terrace as he entered the house. A while later he emerged and handed me a sheathed Odachi. I held it in my hands and asked, ”Is this for me, Sensei? Such fine craftsmanship! There are even snowflakes on it. When did you go and make this?”

I held the sheathed Odachi and pulled the blade out. It came out smoothly and there was not a single restriction of movement nor friction at all. After that, I inserted the Odachi back in the sheath and it clicked when it reached the oval handguard.

I shook the Odachi and there was no rattling movement means the sheath was a perfect fit. It is perfect in any manner and was lacquered to give out a sheen in the sunlight.

”How much did you pay for it, Sensei?”

”I went to the Blacksmith to have the sheath made earlier. He told me there was something with this Odachi when he held in his hands. He will pay you 200 gold coins when you come and see him later in the evening. He wanted to buy this Odachi but I told him I wanted to gift it to someone. It had already had an owner so it's based on trust.”

”Sorry, Himura, I took the Odachi out without your knowledge. He told me that this Odachi was forged using [Refined Iron] which was a grade higher than [Ordinary Iron]. He wanted to buy this Odachi for 100 gold coins but I refuse and instead raised the stake to have you meet him for 200 gold coins. Those gold coins are yours to keep.”

”Wow, 100 gold coins for this Odachi that I had forged. And 200 gold coins just to have me meet him at his place? Omagai...! This is something BIG.”

”By the way, the Blacksmith tested your Odachi against another weapon and it sliced through it effortlessly. He need not swing so hard and merely brought it down on a katana and it slices it into two.”

”I was shocked beyond words. So if someone parried your attack, this Odachi would cut the opponent's blade and cut the person wielding it as well, right? It's a one hit attack for every single opponent in this way!”

”Hmm, I haven't done anything on this Odachi and yet the Blacksmith had seen its prowess.” I thought to myself. If any other Blacksmith knows about this then I am sure they would be wanting me to be their apprentice. Surely people would be clamouring to upgrade their weapons and armour for sure.

” Sensei, what else did you tell about me?”

”I just said that I wanted to gift this Odachi to someone else and the person whom I would introduce to the Blacksmith would be a totally different person. Don't worry, you don't have to bring this Odachi with you but you can bring the Kodachi instead or just walk around empty-handed. This should be the way I think. Just think yourself as a Blacksmith, that's all.”

”Ok, Sensei... I understand. I'd be off now. I still had to sweep and clean Miroku-sama's house since I had washed his laundry and the dirty dishes. Just let me touch up and I'd get back to you soon.”

”Sure, run along for now. Make sure you finish your tasks at hand before returning. I have trust in you doing a fairly good job at Miroku-sama's, so go ahead first. I keep this Odachi back in your room and I would get for you a katana stand so you need not hang it on the wall anymore. Do you need anything else before you go?

”Sensei, if you could help me get a few weapon parts then I'd be happy to forge something that would be useful to us. I wanted to make everyday items like metal hangars and a hook that you can mount on the wall instead of those hideous nails.”

”Haa... Haa...Ok, I go and fetch some weapon parts and bring them back here. Its still daytime so no one would dare interfere with any business outside the northern gate. I'd be off as well then.”

”Alright, Sensei... Be careful. If you happen to run into Hiten or Manten, return back to the northern gate as soon as possible. You understand, Sensei?”

”Yes, Himura. I can't go against those demons let alone a horde of samurai that failed to even land a single attack on them. I'd be careful. Alright, off we go then...”

I soon departed and head to Miroku-sama's place while Hiko-sama went towards the northern gate to gather some metal parts.

I quickly settled the kitchenette and once I am satisfied, I swept the whole floor of the house and then I run the flow with a rag to mop it clean. There was no such thing as a mop here in Japan during this time, and using a rag to clean the house like before does the trick well. However, it was quite a back-breaking task so I had to sort of use a running motion to wipe the floor one section at a time.

It was somewhere mid-afternoon when I had completed the task. I checked the laundry that I had hung in the morning and it had been totally sun and wind dried by now.

I took them down and folded the clothes before placing them neatly on the corner of the bedroom. The house was the same setup as the rest. The storage room was meant to store a suit of samurai armour and some weapons. The other small room was kept as a guest room in case someone drops by unexpectedly.