Heat waves rolled through the smithy as Caius gazed at the glowing hot metal before him, then raised the warhammer in his hand.

  Most ordinary smithies lacked proper equipment and efficiency, unable even to heat the Astralite in his hands to a glowing red.

  But the forge in Oern's Smithy was enhanced with magical runes, capable of reaching temperatures exceeding three thousand degrees Celsius, successfully heating the Astralite. Caius then lifted his Angel warhammer and began pounding away.

  Each strike carried a special rhythm, to the point that the sound of hammering seemed to form a melodic tune, incredibly harmonious.

  Refining Astralite was no simple task—Caius needed to hammer it at least 36,000 times continuously.

  In the past, maintaining an average speed of two strikes per second, he would have needed at least five hours.

  However, after his advancement, his strength and endurance had significantly improved, reducing the required time to only two hours.

  For most, such a monotonous and high-intensity forging process would be unbearable, but for Caius, it was no problem.

  The only one who couldn't endure it was the little Catgirl. With the smithy's average temperature soaring to thirty to forty degrees, she quickly became drenched in sweat. Seeing this, Caius sent her outside to wait.

  After two hours, Caius looked at the now-cooled metal block, which had developed beautiful astral patterns, and nodded in satisfaction.

  The Astralite had successfully been refined into Ethereal Steel. During the process, he had also added small amounts of other mineral powders to enhance its properties.

  He planned to use this Ethereal Steel to forge Little Swan’s exclusive weapon.

  The design was already taking shape in his mind; he just needed to sketch it later.

  Of course, he still needed to meet with Little Swan to understand her needs and make necessary modifications.

  He was a professional, after all. When he had told Hilda that he wanted to spar with her to understand her fighting style, it wasn't just an excuse to ask her out.

  With the blade’s material settled, he now needed an even sturdier material for the hilt—which he already had on hand and didn’t need further refining.

  So, he prepared to greet the dwarf and then leave.

  However, when he turned around, he found the dwarf already standing behind him in silence.

  “How long have you been standing there?” Caius asked.

  “A while now.” The dwarf replied, then waved his hand dismissively. “Just call me Oern, kid. You don’t seem like the polite type.”

  “That’s because Tobias isn’t either.”

  “Gotta put on an act sometimes.” Caius chuckled.

  Oern didn’t laugh. Instead, he pointed at the Ethereal Steel on the anvil and asked, “Did he leave that for you?”

  “Yeah. I couldn’t get my hands on such high-quality material myself.” Caius admitted without hesitation.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Astralite was incredibly valuable, sold by the gram, with a single gram costing 500 gold. Usually, it was integrated into other weapons to enhance their properties.

  Yet the chunk in Caius’ hands weighed a full pound, and he planned to forge an entire rapier from it.

  Just the materials alone made this sword worth over 200,000 gold.

  But Caius didn’t care. His old man had left him ten whole chunks of Astralite, the heaviest of which weighed three pounds.

  This was why Caius could afford to be so extravagant.

  If he really wanted to sell them, the massive stash of materials left behind by his old man would be enough for him to live a life of luxury until the end of his days.

  But Caius clearly wasn’t someone who pursued a life of comfort and ease.

  Oern stared at the Ethereal Steel in silence for a moment before saying, “What do you plan to make with it?”

  “A rapier.”

  “The properties of Ethereal Steel do suit rapiers… A gift for a woman?”

  “You could tell?” Caius widened his eyes in surprise.

  Oern waved a hand. “You, a big guy, always use Angel to smash people. There’s no way you’d wield a rapier.”

  “You really have sharp eyes.”

  “The one outside? The Catfolk?”

  “No, a Swan.”

  Oern: “?”

  His gaze turned strange. Seeing this, Caius laughed. “Not a beastkin. Just a nickname.”

  “Oh. I thought you had a thing for those birdfolk with tempers worse than dragons.” Oern nodded.

  Then he added, “If you ever want to forge anything, come here. You can use whatever you want.”

  “No more one million gold fee?” Caius grinned.

  “If I dared take a million from you, the day I die, Tobias would hammer me back to life.” Oern said.

  Caius laughed. To his surprise, Oern chuckled twice as well, though he quickly returned to his usual stern demeanor.

  “You and my old man were close?” Caius asked, smiling.

  “No. We were sworn enemies.” Oern shook his head.

  “Huh?” Caius was stunned.

  The next moment, Oern said in a deep voice, “But we were also the best of comrades.”

  “Then—” Caius wanted to ask more but was cut off by Oern’s blunt words.

  “Don’t ask. If you’re done, get lost. I have work to do.” Oern picked up his hammer, signaling for him to leave.

  Caius smiled bitterly. This old dwarf and his old man really did have the same stubborn temperament.

  “Alright, I’ll be off then. See you next time.” Caius said.

  Oern didn’t turn around, just waved his hammer, signaling for Caius to close the door on his way out.

  For a brief moment, Caius had the sudden urge to carry the whole door away. He wasn’t sure why.

  Stepping out of Oern’s Smithy, Caius’ expression turned slightly serious.

  Judging by Oern’s attitude, his old man’s death might not have been as simple as it seemed.

  Though it was officially recorded as dying of old age, something must have happened before that. Caius felt he needed to uncover the truth.

  But not now.

  Right now, he needed to find Iron Fist Raymond and, along the way, complete that gold-ranked debt collection task.

  “Big guy, you finally came out, meow!” The moment Caius stepped out of the smithy, Kiki immediately jumped onto his shoulder, pouting.

  “I was so bored, meow…”

  After all, she had waited two whole hours—almost dying of boredom.

  Caius chuckled and ruffled her little head. “Then let’s go find some fun.”

  “Fun?” Kiki’s eyes sparkled, and she eagerly nodded. “Okay, meow!”

  Soon, following Sean’s directions, Caius found himself at the Iron Tavern.

  And he had to admit, this place was hardcore. Its sign was made from a solid slab of steel, suspended by steel cables from a hoist above the tavern. Across its surface were numerous fist imprints, forming the words Iron Tavern.

  Caius burst into laughter. He liked this place’s style.

  Then, he strode into the tavern.

  The moment he entered, the lively atmosphere instantly quieted.

  Normally, when someone new entered, most people would just glance over.

  But Caius’ towering frame was too eye-catching.

  The tavern had its fair share of big guys—even one over 2.3 meters tall with muscles even bigger than Caius'.

  But to have Caius' massive size while still maintaining such aesthetic proportions—that was rare.

  His build was broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, and massive yet balanced. For that moment, Caius was the center of attention.

  Sensing the sharp gazes around her, Kiki shrank behind Caius, feeling nervous.

  This was different from the outer city. Everyone here was at least a gold-ranked mercenary, with some even reaching platinum rank. Their presence alone was intimidating.

  Yet Caius remained unfazed, striding casually to the bar as if he were a regular. Looking at the mustached bartender, he asked—

  “What do you need, sir?” the bartender asked politely.

  “I’m looking for someone.” Caius replied.

  “Who?” The bartender glanced at the surrounding mercenaries.

  “Raymond.”

  In an instant, half the tavern stood up. The sound of chairs toppling filled the air, and the atmosphere grew tense.