Chapter 3: Gold Coins

Marcus took the blade and placed it in the furnace, as per Dominic's instructions. Once the blade was inside, he added coal and pumped the bellows with his feet, sending air into the fire. The heat from the furnace was intense, but Marcus didn't mind. The blade glowed red-hot, ready for shaping. Quickly, using metal tongs, Marcus pulled the blade out of the furnace.

He handed it to Elias, who was ready with his hammer to shape it properly. Elias placed the blade on the anvil and raised the hammer to strike.

Suddenly, Dominic shouted, "Wait!"

Elias stopped mid-swing and looked at Dominic, puzzled. "What happened?" he asked.

Dominic replied, "That's not the right place to hit."

Marcus, standing nearby, furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, Dom? Dad's been doing this for years."

Elias, a seasoned blacksmith, was taken aback. He had been working in the smithy since he was young, learning everything from his father and through experience. His pride was pricked by Dominic's words. With wide eyes, he asked, "Do you know what you're saying?"

Dominic met his father's gaze and said, "Please trust me, Father."

Elias looked deeply into Dominic's eyes. He saw something there—determination and certainty. After a moment, he nodded. "Alright. Where should I hit it?"

Using his new skill, Blacksmith's Eyes, Dominic pointed out the weak points on the blade. "Hammer it here," he said, indicating the spots.

Without hesitation, Elias began hammering where Dominic pointed. The sound of metal striking metal filled the smithy—clang, clang, clang.

Marcus watched, curiosity etched on his face. "How do you know where to hit, Dom?"

Dominic smiled, his eyes sparkling with newfound confidence. "I just know, Marcus. Trust me."

Each strike was precise, guided by Dominic's keen eyes. The blade began to take shape, becoming stronger and more refined with each blow.

Elias paused for a moment, wiping sweat from his brow. He glanced at Marcus and said, "Marcus, keep the furnace going. We need to maintain the heat."

Marcus nodded, quickly adding more coal and pumping the bellows. "Got it, Dad. The heat's steady."

Elias turned back to Dominic. "You're doing great, son. Keep guiding me."

Dominic nodded, his eyes never leaving the blade. "Almost there, Father. Just a few more strikes."

With a final, powerful strike, Elias completed the forging process. He lifted the blade, examining it closely. "This blade... it's different. Stronger. You did it, son."

Marcus, who had been watching intently, couldn't contain his amazement. "This is incredible. Dom, you really have a gift."

Dominic beamed, pride swelling in his chest. "Thank you. I couldn't have done it without you guys."

Elias said, "Alright. Let's finish this."

He took the blade and dunked it into a wooden bucket filled with water. A loud, sizzling sound erupted, accompanied by a plume of steam, as the hot blade met the cool water.

Once the blade had cooled and hardened, Elias moved to the whetstone. He poured water over the stone and began spinning the wheel. As the stone wheel spun, Elias carefully placed the blade against it, beginning the process of sharpening.

The sound of metal against stone filled the air—a rhythmic hiss that was almost hypnotic. Elias worked with precision, his hands steady and sure.

Dominic watched in awe, fascinated by the transformation of the blade. "It's amazing how you do that, Father."

Elias smiled without looking up. "It's all in the technique, Dominic. You have to feel the blade; understand it."

Marcus, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. "It's like the blade becomes an extension of your hand. You have to treat it with respect."

Elias continued sharpening, the blade slowly taking on a keen edge.

After a few more moments of sharpening, Elias lifted the blade, examining it closely. "There. It's done."

He handed the blade to Dominic, who took it reverently. The blade was sharp, strong, and perfectly balanced. It gleamed in the light, a testament to their hard work and skill.

Dominic held the blade up, admiring it. "It's perfect."

Elias and Marcus both smiled, pride evident in their faces. Elias clapped a hand on Dominic's shoulder. "You did well, son. We're all proud of you."

Dominic grinned. "Thank you, Father.”

While Dominic was basking in the moment, another surprise awaited him. The system interface popped up in front of him and announced, "Congratulations on creating a B-Rank blade. As a reward, you will receive 1 skill point and 1 strength potion."

"The blueprint for the blade will be stored in the blueprint section."

"You can directly create any object as long as you have the blueprint and the necessary materials."

Dominic's eyes widened in shock. He immediately clicked on the blueprint section and saw the blueprint for the small blade. When he clicked on it, a message appeared:

**********Required materials**********

Steel bar x1

Long Wood x 1

******************************************

Below that, he saw a button labeled "Craft."

Excitedly, he clicked on it, only for a message to pop up saying, "Insufficient materials."

Puzzled, he wondered how to gather the materials needed for crafting, so he closed the crafting screen. Then he remembered the rewards he had received: a skill point and a strength potion.

He checked his user info page and noticed an up arrow next to "Blacksmith's Eyes," which hadn't been there before.

Curious, he clicked on the skill and saw a "Level Up" button. Without hesitation, he clicked on the button, and "Blacksmith's Eyes" now had a level 1 next to its name.

Eager to see what had changed, he looked at the skill description. A new line had been added: "Can identify the rank of the target."

Excited to test this new ability, he activated the skill and looked at the blade. A pop-up message appeared saying, "Rank: B."

He then glanced at the hammer his father was holding, and another message popped up saying, "Rank: A+."

Amazed by this new ability, Dominic thought, "If I can see the ranks, then I can also figure out the actual value of objects."

While Dominic was thinking about this, there was a knock on the front door of the workshop. Elias and Marcus, hearing the knock, quickly removed their gloves, aprons, and goggles. They moved to the front of the workshop, leaving Dominic behind.

Elias opened the door and saw an old man with white hair, wearing a butler's outfit. He had a monocle that was golden. Elias welcomed the customer inside and asked, "May I know what you are looking for, sir?"

The customer replied, "I am looking for a present. It is the birthday of my young master next week."

Hearing this, Elias asked, "Since you have come to a blacksmith, I am guessing you are looking for a sword or a blade?"

The butler replied, "That is correct. I am looking for a blade to present to my young master. He is very interested in swordsmanship and wants to learn it."

Elias sighed and said, "I am sorry, but currently, we do not have any fancy blades."

The butler looked puzzled and asked, "Why is that? This is a blacksmith's workshop, and you should have a lot of collections."

Elias explained, "We did have a lot of collections, but they were confiscated by the Blackwood family's chief collector."

Elias stood in his dimly lit workshop, feeling the weight of defeat pressing heavily on his shoulders. He bowed slightly to the butler, who was standing before him with an air of impatience.

"I'm sorry for not being able to provide you with what you requested," Elias said, his voice tinged with regret.

The butler's face fell in disappointment. "It looks like I will not be able to provide a present for the young master. Alright, I will look somewhere else."

As the butler turned to leave, a small voice called out from the back of the workshop. "Please wait!"

The butler stopped in his tracks and turned around, surprised to see a little kid rushing out from the back.

"Is there a reason for stopping me, young one?" the butler asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sir, please do not misunderstand," Dominic said earnestly. "I am simply trying to help you."

"Help me? How?" the butler asked, his curiosity piqued.

Dominic raised the hand in which he was holding the blade and said, "Please take a look at this blade."

The butler's eyes widened in shock and admiration as he beheld the craftsmanship. "Kid, how did you get this blade?"

"My father and big brother made this," Dominic replied proudly.

The butler immediately turned to Elias, his expression incredulous. "Is what the kid said the truth?"

Elias nodded. "Yes."

"Then why did you say you did not have any blades? Are you trying to fool me?" Butler demanded, his voice rising.

Elias shook his head vigorously. "I never tried to fool you. I did make this blade, but it is not for sale. This blade was a gift that I gave to my youngest son."

The butler's demeanor softened, and he looked back at the blade, then at Elias with a newfound respect. He stepped closer, taking Elias's hands in his own. "Please sell this to me,” the butler said.

Elias was taken aback.

"I am sorry, sir, but I am not the owner of the blade. You have to ask my son."

Hearing this, the butler rushed to Dominic and asked him, "Kid, I would like to buy this blade. Would you be willing to sell it to me?"

Dominic replied, "As long as you have a proper price, I am willing to sell it."

The butler let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, young master. I will pay you 15,000 gold coins for this blade."

Elias and Marcus’s jaws dropped simultaneously.

Marcus blinks in disbelief. "I am sorry. It looks like my ears are not working properly. Could you please repeat that?"

"I will pay 15,000 gold coins. This should be a decent price for a B-Rank blade," the butler said firmly, his eyes gleaming with determination.

Elias shouted, "B-RANK!" His voice echoed through the workshop, filled with a mixture of shock and awe.

The butler looked at Elias and said, "Of course. You can't fool these eyes. I was an appraiser after all.”

“Anyways, do you agree to the deal, kid?"

Dominic, with a smile on his face, replied, "Yes."

The butler handed over a heavy sack filled with gold coins and asked them to check it. Marcus, Elias, and Dominic eagerly opened the sack and started counting the coins, their eyes widening with each handful. After verifying the amount, they handed over the blade to the butler.

"Pleasure doing business with you," said Elias, his voice steady but filled with excitement.

The butler took the blade, gave a courteous nod, and left the workshop.

As soon as the door closed behind him, everyone sighed in relief and sat down heavily.

Marcus looked at his father, his eyes still wide with disbelief. "Father! Am I dreaming?"

Elias, with a mischievous glint in his eye, replied, "Shall I slap you in the face to check?"

Marcus, grinning, said, "Yes, please do."

Elias slapped Marcus so hard that his fingerprints were visible on Marcus's cheeks.

Marcus shouted, "Father! We are rich!"

Elias laughed heartily. "Yes, my son. We are. HAHAHAHA!"

Dominic, rolling his eyes, said, "Will both of you stop it?"

Elias immediately looked at Dominic, his expression turning serious. "You do not know how serious this is, my son."

"Let me tell you. Our entire expense for a month to run the smithy, workshop, and family is 50 silver coins. One gold coin can be exchanged for 1000 silver coins, and one silver coin can be exchanged for 10,000 copper coins.”

“Do you understand now, my son? With this amount, we can not only clear all our debts, but we can also live our entire lives comfortably."

Dominic's eyes sparkled with determination. "Please do not be shocked with just this. It is only the beginning. We will be making a lot more."

Elias and Marcus exchanged a look, their expressions softening with pride. "Youth is blissful," they said in unison.

Dominic shouted, "Stop teasing me! Father, I will definitely bring glory to our family."

Looking deeply into Dominic's eyes, Elias said, "Hmm. I know you will, son." 

-------------- End of Chapter 3 -----------