The first stage was testing the precision of the participants, and whether they could work with simple as well as their artistic abilities. These were the basics of a jeweller. The key point was that even the smallest of mistakes would be detrimental. Many participants focused intensely on the instructions and followed it bit to bit, making sure that there wasn't any mistake. Still, there were participants who thought it was an easy work and finished fast, only to feel better about their skill when they saw they were the firsts to finish, thinking the others were just too bad and it was a sure win.
That was of course not the case, and after the hour, they were the first ones to be send out. Naturally, the judges were the five elders of the Rong Clan. They were working fast and many other guards and dwarfs were behind them, ensuring nothing happens when people were rejected.
The elders moved quickly and rejected one after the other, some were just shocked, some sad and some tried to argue, but the last would just be removed by the guards. There was no need for consideration, still the elders asked some ppl questions they were given. Sometimes it was random, while sometimes it was serious.
After some time, all those that succeed were allowed to leave for the time being, as the competition wasn't really anything special and no one would be rewarded for anything just yet. The next competition would only be announced some time later and the competitors would also need to regain their energy, no matter how miniscule it is.
…
After five minutes, several servants went all around the tents of the competitors and invited them to come towards the main tent, while inside said tent, Ji Li was already conversing with Rong Xi, who gave him an account of everything "Lord, it went as you had thought. Over two thirds failed, and the next ones will also be disqualified soon. I have inspected the names you gave me and asked them some questions to test them, and as a result 7 out of the 23 were eligible. The others…" Rong Xi was about to explain when Qianyu waved his hands and talked instead of Ji Li.
"There is no need for you to explain everything, senior brother didn't expect all of them to be eligible. Since you found out which ones are, just show them and we will judge them."
Shixuan nodded at that and pointed out "There are already six outside, when the seventh is here, I will bring them in. Rong XI, just stand next to senior brother and don't say anything, brother Qianyu and I will be talking, and you only need to say something if we ask you." The way Shixuan and Qianyu were talking to Xi didn't seem respectful at all, sometimes they even seemed to be commanding him around. But strictly speaking, they were the assistants of his master and there was nothing wrong with that. It just left Xi smiling wryly.
Shortly after, Shixuan went out of the tent and brought only the seven young talented jewellers in, letting out any guards or partners that came with them. He ignored the seven and just brought them in, before he positioned himself towards the right of Ji Li.
Once inside, the seven were astonished of the view. The tent was very large and luxuriously decorated, in the middle was a small platform just slightly higher than the ground. There was a wooden chair with beautiful design. On it sat the cold looking young person from before, which surprised the seven because they were told that the town chief wanted to see them, and assumed the tent was owned by him, but apparently, they were wrong! Still, seeing the town chief next to Ji Li, only a few metres behind Shixuan, they just assumed that the person on the seat was of higher rank.
Qianyu was the first to talk, as he asked "The seven of you have worked remarkably and were noticed by the town chief, because of that, we wish to recruit you into the Ferrarius town. What are your thoughts on this?" Like their big brother, neither Qianyu nor Shixuan liked talking around bushes and never coming to a point, so they just said out why they invited the young jewellers. That was also a test to see which one would retain their composure the most, and how they would react.
All seven were shocked, some more than the others, but no one shrieked or was too surprised, apparently having thought of that possibility when they received the invitation. They thought further when one of them stepped forward and asked "Lord, may we know why we were selected? Although we are talented, to be honest, none of us is a genius that went over clouds and skies. We all also have families behind us and don't truly lack anything."
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The person was testing waters, as they wouldn't truly say that they weren't geniuses. Sure, they weren't experts yet, but they all had their unique experience and were surely skilled. Mentioning their families served the purpose of trying to find the benefits they would be getting. The moment the young man asked about benefits, he was already out of the list they wanted to recruit.
There were many benefits, but someone that asked like this usually would greed over every bit they get and envy what others needed. He also talked about material benefits in this case. It wasn't wrong to want benefits, but the way it was conveyed and said, suggested that the person wasn't truly in love with his jewelling and only did it for profit, which wasn't wrong but just not what they were searching for. They wanted a person passionate about their craftsmanship.
No one answered, so the young man wanted to ask again, when another came forward and asked "If we join the town, will we be able to learn the smithing techniques of the dwarfs? Will we be able to find a master that would teach us?" The desires of this young man were much purer, and the five others joined in, asking whether they could improve their skills and find a master that would teach them. It seemed that Rong Xi was meticulous about the people he searched for, and only the first young man was a spoiled apple that waited for the opportunity to show its spots.
The young man was left in the asking sessions of the young smiths, as he wanted to ask his question again, he was stopped once again by Shixuan, who said "Yes, all of you have the chance to find a master and learn about techniques here, how much you learn or whether you get a master depends on your ability. You may now go back first and discuss it with the guardians that followed you here. There is no need to stay any further, the formal invitations will be sent now" with that, they were sent out just as quickly as they came in.
Outside, the guardians of said young masters were curious but went back first to ensure privacy. They were eager to know what was discussed. Those invited weren't at all the same, and one of the young masters was alone and didn't have a guardian at all, his partner being a friend apparently. The only commodity was that they were all around fifteen to eighteen.
…
Shortly after six formal invitations into the city were sent, only one of the seven not receiving one. The young men all discussed the situation with their guardians, who were more than happy. It wasn't easy to get access to a smithing legacy, no matter how hard one tried on their own, they were still alone and couldn't compare to smiths that were part of a workshop. Ignoring the last place servants in the workshop, everyone else had at least resources and the chance to learn from experts, while those alone would never even be allowed into a workshop.
Now, they had the opportunity to join a town that was reigned by the highest smiths, dwarfs. Not only were they joining the town as a normal resident, but they would get the chance to gain a master and learn under them. Even without that, as long as they formally joined, they would still learn from lectures of experts and read about techniques.
For lone smiths, this might be the biggest but also only chance for them to advance in their career. Even if they had families behind them, how could a family compare to a whole clan of smiths that operated in all three major directions?
The only person that was angry was the one that didn't get the invitation, he had already gone to the main tent when he still didn't receive anything shortly before the second stage would begin, but he was sent away without explanation. He understood the undertone and swore to win the competition and make them regret turning him away.
…
Inside the tent, Ji Li talked again "You did well, Xi. Also, you need to weed out the spoiled apple, or they will spoil the whole basket. The winner will be among the six, and I guess that the one that looked like he was alone would be the most promising. I remember that the 'Iron Gem' doesn't have an inheritor, right? You should tell Rong Hu to pay special attention, he might take him as his personal disciple, at most he would just take another and make that the inheritor. But as a jeweller, he should know best that diamonds have to be polished to shine, even if the diamond is to be given away and not kept. It doesn't matter if one of them eventually leaves, as long as they remember the kindness and think of the Ferrarius City as their home, that would be enough.
Make sure it truly feels like home to them, you should not neglect those outside your clan. A clan can only do so much, if you truly favour those of yours over others, then your clan would never become more than a medium sized city. Even that would be difficult, as they are normally reigned by two or more clans, at least giving a larger variety of experts."