Chapter 36: Sam the Swordsmith
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.
In this process the blade is made by folding the metal layer by layer and hammering it as it get heated again and again.
Sam right now, is applying heat with one hand and hammered it with the other hand and he folded it in the middle. The layers are no where to be seen as he hammered it with brute force and technique. In the wide room of the mansion at the quite riverside only the sounds of metal hitting metal can be heard as the floor tremored.
Jack just saw as Sam using all his strength to beat the metal into shape, with a new found respect in his eyes. He understood why Sam is proud of himself. He also understood why Sam got an edge over others, his techniques are unconventional, his way of doing things are different. Generally, many Artisans will handover the overly physical labour to other apprentices or assistance when they make weapons for others. Even if they did do it, they will think of the easiest and efficient way to do it. After all, with their status who will question that their method is wrong other than the higher rank artisan who can but chose to stay silent as they felt that it is beneath them to interact with the lower rank ones.
But Sam is not behaving like that. His seriousness made him think of the request he made. 'I want you make the best sword you can.' And judging from the scenario, Sam is indeed doing it. Jack looked at Sam thinking that his intuition was right.
Jack was right. Sam is trying to make the best sword he can as he made the final two folds and the blade finally took the shape. Sam hammered the unevenness as he made the blade endure the beating of its life. After an hour of hammering the blade in various frequencies. Sam lifted the blade. He took out a big glass bottle which is full of beast blood he collected in the testing grounds and then poured all over the blade evenly. The Blood evaporated with a bloody smell and red vapours as soon as it hit the blade. Sam is using the blood in order to maintain reduce the heat slowly instead of doing it directly with water because he was afraid it might crack and that is why he used the blood which also contains a certain amount of spiritual energy. After the vapour is gone, Jack finally got to take a clear look at the blade. The sword has a straight edge one side and the other edge is also parallel to it except that when it reached the end, it converged into a curve as it created a point of the sword.
The Black colour was giving of slight glint under the illuminating device in the room. Sam looked at the blood with a satisfied smile. He then placed the blade carefully on the anvil and went back to the mould he made earlier at the start of the process. He collapsed the mould and took out a black metallic object. This is the handle. He cleared the dirt off of the handle and went to the grind stone as he started. The handle is circular cross section which gradually decreased from the bottom. At the junction there is a complex shape Sam came up in random to make it look better on one side and on the other side there is the double S symbol.
Sam finished grinding the handle and then heated the slit. He took the blade into his hands and then heated the pointed protrusion on the bottom of the blade which should go into the handle. He heated the protrusion into the red-hot condition where the fusion of the metals is possible.
After joining the handle, he started grinding the blade slowly and smoothly, with a faint smile on his face. Jack observed the scene and he felt dazed. Sam didn't look like he is grinding a sword instead he was like a parent grooming a child. He sharpened the blade with utmost precision and care as the blade slowly became sharper while leaving behind the metal powder.
Slowly, the night became deeper and deeper and Sam didn't seem to notice at all. If any other Artisan of same rank was in his place, he would have already fainted. But Sam didn't seem to know the fatigue at all as he worked on the sword. When he was finally done, the dawn is only an hour away.
Jack looked at the blade which is giving of a sharp aura, just as he was about to reach out Sam gestured him to stop. Under his puzzled gaze, Sam took the sword and picked up the threads he left to cool down. Then only Jack remembered the threads which are dipped inside the molten metal. The threads are now in complete black colour and just as Jack thought that they became solid wires, he saw them falling like an actual thread when Sam picked them up. Jack was puzzled but Sam was not.
Because, he used a technique that was widely used in the Indian traditional textiles. In India, particularly in Kancheepuram of Tamilnadu of south India is quite famous for the traditional Indian saree. They use a technique in which gold is used along with the traditional silk to make gold threads from which they make sarees which are valuable and they generally make them for custom orders or for the offering for the goddess.
Sam used the same technique to make these threads and of course he is not going to explain it to Jack. He took the threads and then sat down as he placed the sword in his lap. Then he took one thread and then started rolling it over the handle and by the time the whole handle was done, there is only small amount of thread. Sam stood up as he felt the sword all over with a satisfied smile. He then infused his spiritual energy and then swung the sword over the anvil. The sword keened as it tore through the air and directly passed through the anvil. After a few seconds of silence, the upper part of the anvil slid over and fell down. The sword gleamed as the sun rose and a ray of light hit the blade. The blade shone as if showing its magnificence as he lifted the sword high in the air.
Sam smiled and slowly fainted on the spot. Jack quickly reacted as he caught him and took the sword from his hand. He felt a weird sensation as he held the sword. The sword looked like it was a ruler that was above all the other weapons. When he tried to move it, he felt a faint resistance from it.
He looked at Sam with a deep admiration and only saw a satisfied smile on his face as he fell asleep.