Tale of the Red Dragon Without Dragon’s Might
Chapter 101 - 101 101 Casting the Sword
101: Chapter 101 Casting the Sword 101: Chapter 101 Casting the Sword Cato did not go back on his word, especially after witnessing the Red Dragon effortlessly eliminate three Fires of Desolation.
Giants and the Dragon Clan indeed had enmities, but that was all in the past; everyone needed to look forward.
Moreover, he had pledged allegiance to Yimixi, the Prince of the Fire Element, even turning against his own kin, having long since forsaken his giant identity.
“This is the forge where I craft weapons.”
Cato and Leon, along with the Efreeti, returned to the empty fortress.
It was only now that Leon finally had the leisure to observe the fortress.
It was a massive fortress, which under normal circumstances, should house many Fire Giants.
Even if Cato submitted to Yimixi and betrayed his kin, a single person wouldn’t normally be able to kill so many Fire Giants.
If he could, there would be no need to fear the Fire of Desolation…
There must be some inside story.
Leon was curious, but not to the point of gossiping.
After letting his thoughts wander without result, he let it go.
Now, Leon began looking around, paying attention to the Iron Felt, bellows, and Quenching Tanks, thinking back to his sword forged by the Hobgoblins.
He had wanted the Salamanders to forge another, but had always been thwarted by lack of good materials, until today.
“Do you have any materials prepared if you want me to help forge a sword?” Cato walked to the large Iron Felt, laid down his sword, and removed his heavy armor.
He originally thought he had to take action himself, combined with the Efreeti and a Red Dragon, he could surely deal with those three troublesome Fires of Desolation.
Unexpectedly, a teenage dragon alone cleared them out.
It seems the gap between individuals is even greater than that between humans and dogs, and nearly the same among dragons.
Leon took out the materials he had prepared earlier, asking, “Are these enough?”
“Refined gold ore?” Cato’s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing the materials Leon brought out.
For a Fire Giant, refined gold was also a rare material.
Fire Giants favored refined gold and Mithril, far more than all the flashy but inessential gold and gemstones.
“I recognize everything else…” Cato picked up a piece of Whisper Tree Bark, “What is this?”
“You don’t recognize Whisper Tree Bark?” Leon said, surprised.
“Why should I recognize that stuff?” Cato asked, “Is it for burning?”
“Of course, it’s not for burning as fuel.” Leon didn’t know how to explain; he only knew that Whisper Tree Bark was useful, but not specifically how, “If you really don’t know how to use it, just burn it as ordinary coal powder when smelting metals.
Aren’t you supposed to add coal powder?”
Anyway, he already knew where the Whisper Tree was, and he could go and strip it whenever he had a chance, not worrying about wasting it.
Cato looked at Leon strangely and said, “You actually know about metal smelting?”
“Of course.” Leon grinned as if threatening, “So don’t think about cutting corners or doing shoddy work, I can tell all…
don’t blame my blunt words, I’m being distrustful first and respectful second.”
“I never cut corners in forging, no matter what I’m working on, I give my all,” Cato said.
“That’s best,” Leon responded, “I hope our collaboration is pleasant.”
Cato hummed noncommittally and asked, “What craftsmanship do you like?”
“Damascus.
I want a Great Sword forged from Damascus Steel,” Leon actually knew quite a bit about forging swords, having watched many sword-making competitions online.
Although he didn’t catch every episode, he often watched through an entire evening, “You know about Damascus Steel, right?”
Cato scratched his fiery red hair, rare for him, “Be more specific.”
Leon described everything he had learned from watching the sword-making competitions.
“So many fancy techniques,” Cato commented.
“Can you do it?” Leon asked.
“Fire Giants are the greatest craftsmen, of course I can do it, it’s just the folding forging method,” Cato pounded his chest.
“Then I’ll leave it to you,” said Leon, “How long will it take?”
“If you ask someone else, it wouldn’t be done even in a month, but if you ask me, I only need ten days…
no, twenty days,” Cato thought he spoke too confidently and decided to leave some margin.
“Then I’ll give you twenty days, even a month if needed,” Leon stared at the Evil Flame Fire Giant, his pupils slightly constricting, “My only request is, don’t try to slack off.
I’ve provided so much material, it should at least yield a very rare Magic Weapon…
Can you do it?”
Cato avoided Leon’s gaze and said, “If you stay and help me, I can do it.”
“I need Selim to help me control the flames.
He is an Efreeti, the Lord of Blazing Flames, unaffected by flames and can create them at will,” Cato took a deep breath, trying hard to look at Leon, “I also need your flames, I need your flames to help me forge the sword.”
“My flames?” Leon said, “My flames won’t work, my flames only destroy.”
“I don’t know how your fire came to be, but I trust my judgment, the judgment of the greatest craftsman among the Fire Giants,” Cato stated confidently.
He believed in his ability to discern the nature of flames; otherwise, how could he have noticed Yimixi, the Fire Element Prince, “I might not understand other things, but fire—no one understands it better than I do.”
Leon fell silent, recalling a plot from “Journey to the West” where Lord Lao Zi kept mentioning how Sun Wukong, having consumed peaches, Imperial Wine, and Immortal Pill, used the Sanmei Fire to forge himself into an indestructible Vajra Body.
“Alright, I can cooperate with you,” Leon looked at the Efreeti, his servant, “He can cooperate with you too.”
To forge the sword, Leon chose to stay for the time being, seeing as he had nothing else to do.
While Cato and the Efreeti were busy smelting refined gold ore, Leon pondered by the side about what style of sword he wanted—whether the Victory Oath Sword, Nasir’s Holy Sword, or Frost Woe…
To assist Cato, the Evil Flame Fire Giant, in forging the sword, Leon once thought about returning to the Molten Lava Lake, using his Sleeve of the Universe to bring the Salamanders over.
Salamanders are living forges capable of producing high heat, softening and shaping steel, and can even be constrained in forges and ovens as a heat source… Currently, this task was being carried out by the Efreeti.
After asking Cato, who said he didn’t need them, Leon dropped the idea.
Because of the Golden Finger, Leon could skillfully use the Samadhi True Fire, but how to apply it in forging, he was unsure—that clearly belonged to the realm of Artifact Refining Technique, which he might learn in the future.
Whatever Cato said, Leon did, making him think of a Red Dragon Blacksmith named Xiboqia, who was tasked with igniting furnaces throughout the city daily.
At the same time, it was Leon’s first realization that forging was truly not easy…
Smelting metal ores alone was complex with high demands on the flame, not to mention the complexities of mixing various metals, especially when crafting complex-pattern Damascus Steel blades, a process requiring repeated folding and hammering even with the addition of refined gold…
Ten days were hardly enough, twenty days barely sufficient; almost twenty-five days later, Leon finally received his new sword.
The Damascus steel blade was very beautiful, though the hilt was somewhat lacking, but it didn’t matter much since the blade and hilt were not formed as one piece and the hilt could be replaced later.
After invoking the Sword Control Technique and binding with the sword, Leon could not only wield it effortlessly but also fully understand the hidden attributes of the sword.
If it were in a game, it would surely be an extremely rare Magic Weapon, granting a +2 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls initiated with the weapon.
Also, as a refined gold weapon, it carried the characteristic of slicing through iron and gold; it always inflicted heavy strikes and possessed an indestructible trait, ignoring resistance to swinging cuts.
Additionally, due to the addition of Whisper Tree Bark, it had a chance to affect enemy spellcasting, silencing opponents.
Leon held the new sword and swung it around for a few minutes, chopping at the various swords, knives, hammers, and axes found around the fortress, effortlessly cutting those ordinary weapons into halves and pieces, then observing the blade edge without any notches.
“How about that?” Cato asked, seeking commendation, “This is the best weapon I’ve forged in a hundred years… alas, I’m not a smelter skilled in Rune Magic.”
“Not bad,” Leon gently stroked the blade, although he felt slightly unsatisfied, like the sword lacking artificial intelligence and a Sword Spirit.
“For forging this sword, I put in a great effort; just killing a few Fires of Desolation for me isn’t enough.” Cato spoke earnestly, “You owe me a favor.”
“No problem,” Leon was in a good mood, considering he might need Cato’s help in the future, and reciprocated, “If your brethren come for you and you’re not a match for them, you can seek refuge with me, and I guarantee your safety.”
This Red Dragon was too easy to negotiate with.
Cato nodded satisfiedly.
Leon held the sword, looking it over and over, never tiring of the sight.
He suddenly thought, with all the effort he put into acquiring this sword, it couldn’t remain nameless and needed a fitting name to stand out from common swords.
What name should he choose?
Leon truly struggled with naming, as this was one area where he lacked any talent.
Frost Woe, Fire Joy, Judgement, Ashes Messenger, Doomsday Battle… After much thought, Leon decided to call it Catastrophe Blade.
Holding the Catastrophe Blade, Leon cut through two more chains, still feeling somewhat uneasy, unsatisfied, then turned to the Efreeti, suggesting, “Let’s have a fight.”
The corner of Efreeti’s mouth twitched as he said, “We’ve signed a contract, and I’ve always adhered to it.
You can’t break the contract by harming me either directly or indirectly.”
“I won’t hurt you…” Leon said, “Just a sparring match.”
Efreeti simply held his massive curved blade and smirked.
Leon looked at the Evil Flame Fire Giant, curious about his combat strength and whether he had the power to fight.
“I’m a blacksmith, not a warrior.” Cato quickly shook his head, having reasons to believe that even the Fire Giant Brave couldn’t fare well against this Red Dragon.
With Catastrophe Blade in hand, Leon remained somewhat concerned.
He had just acquired a Divine Weapon, but—
He had the Dragon Slaying Skill, yet no dragons to slay.