Lord Kirk did not have to be a blacksmith to notice the quality of the sword in his hand. It was magnificent, a masterpiece if he had to describe it in one word.

The sword was a Mitsugah, a type that could be found in the south. A thin long curved blade that cut from one direction and offered a different style of swordsmanship. He himself has never held one before, but he knew about it from his father.

Now that he was holding one for the first time, it was hard to let it go. He had to have it.

The makings of this specific blade were supposed to be a secret. How did Richard know how to craft one? When even the blacksmiths here informed here that they lacked the knowledge of how to forge one? Even Bojack, the master smith of Evergreen could not create one.

After the first sword he received from Richard, Lord Kirk figured the young man was talented. But now, he was interested in more than Richard's smithing skills. He wanted to know where the young man hailed from because he had to be from the south.

"You want me to test this against my black blade?" Lord Kirk asked as he gazed at Richard.

Richard nodded his head.

"Given the quality of this blade, there's no need. The last ones you forged were comparable, so is there a need to do any further testing?"

Lord Kirk asked as he wasn't sure why Richard asked this of him. It made little to no sense given the minor history he had with Richard.

"We made a bet, and he wants to see if it can break the obsidian blade." Gregor responded.

"A bet? To break my sword?" Lord Kirk felt like laughing, but he didn't for appearance's sake. That sounded absurd, and Gregor had to know it.

He had to admit that the steel sword Richard forged was something special, but everyone knew that obsidian was the best metal out there. Making the blade blow for blow was already an accomplishment that Richard should be proud of. However, he wanted to create something that wasn't obsidian to break it?

The young man in front of him was living in a fantasy land.

Yet, the idea amused him. If this could satisfy the young blacksmith then that was fine. He had to keep him tied down to the city, and in these last few months, he already began coming up with ways. Although his daughter was engaged and would soon marry, his sister was a widow, so...

Lord Kirk smiled outwardly.

"Bring me my blade." Lord Kirk told Bojack who was with him.

The master smith was silent today, as he was told not to say a word. Bojack still felt like Richard was using some sort of sorcery to forge his weapons, but Lord Kirk wouldn't listen to him. The lord even told him to drop the matter because they had to keep Richard here in Evergreen.

The entire situation rubbed Bojack the wrong way. Dwarves were the kings of smithing, no one else could compare. But here Richard was a human creating pieces of equipment that was on par if not better than the ten master blacksmiths in the world. It was just not possible!

Bojack nodded and left to retrieve the sword.

"How much is it for this? Given the uniqueness of the sword, it is more valuable here." Lord Kirk started as he still marveled at the Mitsugah.

"I would like to wait before I give you a price for the sword." Richard stated.

He knew that this katana of his would sell for more than five thousand USD back home, but that was because the quality was subpar compared to what he was used to making. If it were with his own equipment and material, then it'd sell easily for over twenty thousand.

How much was a gold coin here worth compared to the prices in the United States? Richard did not know, nor did he seek to try and create an estimate. Because the pricing of food and such here was much cheaper than back in his original world. A loaf of bread cost one copper, which in his eyes was much less than one dollar. When back home it would be over three dollars.

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Home prices were hundreds of thousands, but here it was only a few gold coins. Yeah, the pricing system would never be on point if he tried to come up with an exchange rate. Thus, it was better to adapt to this world's system instead.

Lord Kirk felt that this was fine, at most he'd offer Richard a gold coin maybe two for the sword. Mostly because of how rare the sword was in this part of the world.

What he did not know was that the katana he was holding was vastly different from any iron sword. The intricate pattern and toughness of the sword put it leagues above anything else that blacksmiths could hope to reproduce. Damascus steel was better in every way, and extremely rare in this world. Richard was the only person to create steel and this kind of steel at that.

Meaning the katana in Lord Kirk's hand should be worth at least twenty gold tales, if not more.

But, Richard wasn't concerned with that at the moment, as he first wanted to see if his katana could live up to the stories passed down through text of damascus steel. If it did, then he wanted Lord Kirk to empty his pockets.

"Very well. How is the workshop? Does it suit your needs?" Lord Kirk decided to make small talk while they waited for Bojack to return.

"It's decent."

"Decent? It's by the gate, so you should get a lot of traffic and people opportunities."

"While that is nice, the workshop lacked tools, and from my understanding, there are not many people traveling here lately." Richard bluntly told Kirk.

"I see..." Lord Kirk wasn't sure how he should respond. The situation was bad, yes, but next year things would be better.

He just had to win the war against Thornhill, take their land and gold. Using that, he'd be able to fund a new campaign against the monsters in the surrounding area. The plan was as solid as it could be, and everyone would win. Well, everyone except the citizens of Thornhill and their leader.

However, he planned to keep this to himself for now. The council was set to meet two weeks from now, and when would be able to gather all the funds needed to start a war with Thornhill. Add to this the alliance that was set in stone with Delivin, and the future looked bright. All of this would be shared with the council at the meeting.

There was a moment of silence in the hall as no one spoke. It wasn't until Bojack returned a few minutes later with the black blade. Next to him was a young woman, with dark brown hair that cut off at her shoulder. She was wearing a green and white dress with earrings that matched.

Richard was more interested in the beads around her neck, they were black. He thought they were pearls, but pearls weren't black. Still, this world was different from his own so he figured it must be something special.

"Father."

"What are you doing here? Can't you see I have company?"

The young woman looked at Richard and Gregor, she honestly paid them no mind. They were far beneath her in looks and in status. Mere common folk that were best used to serve, nothing more.

"Yes, I can see that. But, I heard something that I feel must be shared."

Once more she glanced at Richard and Gregor before gazing at her father. Lord Kirk knew that look, she wanted to speak to him in private. He was in the middle of business, but his daughter wouldn't interrupt him if it was not important. He hoped this time was no different.

"Very well." Lord Kirk said as he stood up.

"Pass me the blade." Lord Kirk held out his hand and Bojack handed him the black blade. With both swords in his hand, he noticed the difference in size. One looked menacing, the other looked elegant.

Strike one, nothing.

Strike two, no change.

Strike three, Lord Kirk could see that the sword Richard forged was just as durable as he hoped. He was going to end the test here, but he struck once more simply because he liked the way the katana felt in his hand.

Hmm? There was something there, and even Bojack's ears perked up at the sound. When the two swords clashed against one another they made a sound, it was very distinctive. Lord Kirk having been to war many times knew how two swords should sound, but this one was a bit different.

Glancing down, he took a look.

Yes, there it was. A small dent on the edge of his black blade, minor but it would affect him nevertheless.

Bojack quickly took a glance and saw what he did.

"Impossible!"

Lord Kirk's daughter subtly rolled her eyes. She found the entire scene ridiculous and wished her father hurry up and dismiss himself. What was there to be excited about? Men, she didn't understand them.

Lord Kirk regained himself as he let out a small cough. He gazed over at Richard and nodded.

"I have a matter to attend to, but after I return we can finish discussing the payment."

"No need. I want fifteen gold tales worth of iron ore, and two golds worth of obsidian." Richard said, causing everyone to look at him in confusion.

"You want.... ore?" Lord Kirk had to ask to be certain he was not hearing Richard wrong.

"Yes, I want ore." Richard replied.

Lord Kirk glanced at Bojack. "Is there enough ore to give him?"

Bojack knew exactly how much ore they had, and how much they needed in order to maintain the needs of those in the estate. Given Richard's demand, they'd have five gold tales worth of iron ore remaining. As for obsidian, they only had two golds worth of it because no one was proficient in using it.

This demand, could not be met. Unless Lord Kirk wanted Bojack to forge nails for years to come unless they managed to secure a mine of their own.

However, the question Lord Kirk asked him was strange. He asked was there enough, not if they could. There was enough, but they should not do this. Bojack by all rights should say no, but if he did that and Lord Kirk went to check for himself then Bojack would be lucky to keep his head on his shoulders.

"Yes..." Bojack replied in the utmost reluctance.