Chapter 36：Sam the Swordsmith (1/2)
Sam carved the wood until the installation is done. Jack just watched with interest. Both of them didn't utter a single word at all. Finally, after all the staff was gone Sam went to the forging room as Jack followed him.
”Would you mind, if I leave my signature?” Sam asked Jack as both of them walked.
”Okay.” Jack replied seemingly not minding at all. Soon they entered the room.
The room was full of equipment needed for forging and there is a lot of space left even after the equipment was fully installed. Sam went through all the equipment as he examined them closely. Then he took out some formation flags and proceeded to lay a formation and took out some fire element spirit stones and laid them at the formation nodes. Soon the room was filled with fire elemental spiritual energy. Jack just watched the whole process without interrupting. He really wanted to see what gave Sam, the edge above others to become a rank 2 weapon artisan with such cultivation level.
After the formation is done, Sam took out the soil which he used at the Artisan examination and started preparing a soil mould for a pattern he made. It looked rectangular and it got a small vertical slit in it. After he finished making the mould, he walked back to the cauldron and then took the Black Meteorite sand. He poured a little amount in it and started melting it with the golden flames. Jack frowned as he looked at the small amount of the ore but didn't comment on it. He just continued to observe as Sam just continued on working with it.
After more than an hour the Black meteorite sand started melting and soon turned in to a liquid. Sam poured the liquid in the mould and put the cauldron back into its place. He then took a deep breath and took out some threads out of his storage. These are threads made by the silk of the Heaven Spirit silk moth. This is of neutral spiritual energy property. He took out them and started picking out some of the same length which is around two metres. He placed all the threads he picked to the side and stored the remaining away.
He moved to the cauldron again and poured another small amount of Black meteorite sand. This time the amount is even lesser than the previous time. He started melting it and after the ore turned into complete liquid, he picked up one thread from the side and dipped it completely inside the pool of molten metal. After the thread completely soaked inside the molten metal pool. He reached out his fingers which are currently under Elemental fusion and picked up the thread by holding the tip carefully and with other hand he squeezed the thread and went through the whole length squeezing the dripping liquid metal.
*Gasp* Jack took a deep breath as he steadies himself looking at the scene. After all, it is not easy even for the fire elemental mages to touch the molten metal, but Sam did it without even a change of his expression. He was completely surprised. Of course, he would be because he didn't know that Sam is using elemental fusion.
Sam didn't seem to care about what thoughts are going through Jack's mind, he is completely concentrated on the process as dipped each thread and squeezed them out. He left all the threads to the side and let them cool down.
Sam then pored the soil which he used to make a mould all over the empty ground and flattened it Now the floor is like it was made of the soil itself. He built the boundaries all around the soil.
He took out the bag of Black Meteorite sand again and this time he poured one-third of the bag. Even that amount is a lot as the bag seemed to carry at least thirty kilograms of Sand. He poured sand and started melting it. This time he is not directly using the spirtual energy in his body, rather he is manipulating the fire spiritual energy around which is due to the formation he laid earlier.
He did so because he didn't have sufficient energy to melt all the metal as the Black meteorite is harder to process the Golden Blood tiger bones. Time passed as Sam kept on increasing the temperature of the big lump of metal sand and the sun set by the time it started showing signs of melting. Soon, it turned dark and the metal started melting and by the time it is on verge completely turning into fine liquid Sam started increasing the heat. By this time, Sam already turned pale as his vest was soaked in sweat. He cursed himself for not taking it off earlier. After the metal finally turned into a pool of liquid, he finally stopped the flame. By this time the spiritual energy obtained from the formation completely depleted and Sam is also on his last legs. He quickly moved and poured the molten metal on the soil floor evenly all over like a thin film.
After pouring it he put the cauldron back in its place took out some fire spirit stones and started absorbing spiritual energy. After an hour or so, Sam opened his eyes and walked towards the thin liquid film which by now almost solidified but is still very hot.
His hands glowed in golden light as elemental fusion took place, he then folded the metal sheet by exactly half and took a hammer as he started hammering it as he put the sheet on the huge anvil.
Sam right now is using an old technique used by Japanese swordsmith on the modern earth. He doesn't know if there are people who knew this technique in this world as there are some mythologies that are popular in the world are real here. But he learnt this technique with great difficulty as he was curious about this process. He went to great lengths in his previous life to get a hold on the last remaining old swordsmith who know the process. Generally, this method is used to make Japanese blades like katana and wakizashi, tsurugi etc. But after learning this technique he tried and implemented with normal swords and it worked with some skill. So, he is using the same technique which he improved on.