Adventurer of Many Professions

In Pierre's Blacksmith Shop, Raymond carefully crafted the hilt for Dark Moon, using the finest ebony wood and wrapping it with a layer of non-slip animal skin he had forged himself.

The result was stunning: a sleek, 90-centimeter sword blade, with a 30-centimeter hilt, making the total length just under 1.2 meters. The entire weapon was a deep, obsidian black, perfectly matching its name.

"Now, it's time for enchantment," Raymond said to himself, holding the Dark Moon Sword in his hands.

With only the faint glow of the white stone illuminating the shop, Raymond began to swing the sword in the quiet of the night. As the blade moved through the air, no bright flashes of light followed. Instead, it seemed as though the very darkness around him deepened, a shadow following his every movement.

Yet, Raymond felt a unique energy flowing through the sword. The blade of Dark Moon sliced through the air with ease, its smooth surface reflecting the quiet stillness of the night. The sword felt light and agile in his hands, almost as though it were alive, dancing through the space with the grace of a night elf.

It wasn't the weight of the weapon that made the difference. Raymond, with the strength of a warrior, could wield a sword of any weight, but the magic-infused black iron gave the Dark Moon a fluidity that was unmatched by the heavy sword he used before.

"Perfect," Raymond muttered, satisfaction blooming in his chest. With the Dark Moon, his speed and precision were greatly enhanced.

Then, Raymond grabbed a block of black iron, about four fingers thick, and tossed it gently into the air. As it fell, he swung his sword.

Whoosh!

A dark blur flashed through the air, and the block of iron split in two mid-flight, landing with a thud on the ground. Raymond stood perfectly still, the entire process flowing smoothly, without a single misstep.

Picking up the two halves of the black iron, Raymond marveled at the perfectly smooth, mirror-like cross-sections. "Weapons made from black iron are incredibly sharp," he mused.

Black iron, a magical material, was already known for its top-tier qualities, but after being forged, it became even more potent. Raymond knew that if he had used the Dark Moon in his fight against the "crazy baboon," it would have cut through its tough bones, muscles, and hair with ease. The beast wouldn't have been able to stop him, let alone hinder his strike.

Raymond felt a surge of confidence. With Dark Moon, he was ready to face even stronger foes in the future.

Afterward, Raymond crafted a simple yet elegant ebony scabbard for Dark Moon. When sheathed, the sword fit perfectly, maintaining its flawless black finish.

With that, the night's work was complete. Dark Moon was ready.

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Raymond glanced out of the high window, but the night was too dark for him to tell the time. He sighed to himself.

"It looks like it's time to buy a pocket watch."

While pocket watches had been invented in this world, they were extremely expensive, costing several gold coins each. If Raymond had the materials and knew the process, as a craftsman, he could probably make one himself, but the method wasn't recorded in the temple book.

He checked his remaining magic power on the panel and did a quick mental calculation. "It's been almost eight hours since I came to Pierre's Blacksmith Shop last night. It's probably almost dawn now."@@novelbin@@

Raymond realized that Pierre would likely notice his visit once he showed up this morning. But this wasn't the first time he'd been to the shop late at night. Raymond had used the shop's materials before when he crafted arrows and made two weapons. He always paid Pierre for the materials afterward, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

With little time left, Raymond decided to make a dagger.

He grabbed one of the black iron pieces he had cut earlier and tossed it into the furnace. The sound of the forge filled the air once again in the shop.

Two hours later, the first rays of morning light began to peek through the sky. The door of Pierre's Blacksmith Shop creaked open.

Raymond stepped outside, Dark Moon in hand, ready for the new day.

As he walked out, a few blacksmiths from Smithing Street, arriving at work, noticed him. They couldn't help but stare, intrigued by the young "craftsman" who had been making waves at Pierre's shop. Word had spread quickly throughout the streetb this young craftsman was creating weapons for a fraction of the usual commission. In just under ten days, he had helped Pierre produce no less than twenty weapons, many of which had already sold, bringing Pierre more profits than he had seen in the last few months combined.

The other blacksmiths on Smithing Street were envious of Pierre's good fortune.

"What kind of luck does Pierre have?" one blacksmith whispered as he watched Raymond leave the shop.

"I heard a few days ago, the largest shop on the street, Rodo Blacksmith, sent people to try and poach one of his workers. They offered him 50% of the profits plus extra for each weapon forged, but he turned them down!"

The other blacksmith gasped. "Hiss, Pierre's never been one to turn down such offers. Why didn't he agree?"

Before they could continue, an abrupt dry cough interrupted their conversation.

The two blacksmiths quickly turned around to see Pierre standing behind them, listening to their entire discussion.

"Uh... haha, Pierre! Long time no see!" one of them stammered.

"Yeah, yeah, long time no see," the other added nervously.

Embarrassed, they quickly greeted Pierre, who simply smiled at their reaction.

Pierre's face grew stern as he saw the two blacksmiths gossiping. "You two," he said, "when you're here, focus on your own work! Go back to your shops and pay attention to whether your apprentices are getting tired from working at night. Stop wasting time chatting!"

"Right, right, of course!" The two blacksmiths quickly nodded and hurried off.

Once they were gone, Pierre's serious expression faded, and a smile spread across his face. He turned toward Raymond with concern. "Rose, did you really stay up all night again?"

Raymond grinned and nodded, glancing at the Dark Moon sword in his hand. "Yeah, an adventurer came by with materials, asking me to forge a long sword. I got started on it, but it takes a bit of time, so I only managed to make a dagger."

Pierre shook his head with a chuckle. "You don't have to push yourself like that. You've got plenty of weapons to work on. No need to rush. You should go home and rest soon."

He waved his hands in a concerned manner. "I'd hate for you to wear yourself out. After you finish with the adventurer's weapons at night, don't forge anything else. You'll ruin your health!"

"Yeah, I know," Raymond said, smiling. He then explained that he had used some of the ebony wood from the shop to make the hilt and scabbard for the sword. He asked Pierre to calculate the price, thanked him, and quickly left.

Pierre watched Raymond's departing figure, a satisfied smile creeping onto his face. He still couldn't quite understand why Raymond chose his little shop over better offers from places like the Rodo Blacksmith Shop. But whatever the reason, Raymond was still making and selling weapons at his shop, and that was enough for Pierre.

As he watched Raymond go, Pierre couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that I really saved his life at some point?" But he quickly dismissed the thought.

No matter the reason, Pierre was proud. Even if he had to face blacksmiths much older than him, he could now hold his head high and speak with confidence.