After finishing the experiment and successfully identifying the ores, Orion returned to the workshop. The dwarf disciple approached Orion, curiosity evident on his face. "So, Mr. Orion, did you learn something about the ores?"
Orion nodded, "This ores is called wolframite in my place."
"Wolf...wolframite?" The disciple raised an eyebrow, pondering the word. Wolframite? Does it have something to do with wolves? he wondered internally.
Orion continued, "Yes, this ores contains a metal called tungsten." It then proceeded to provide a brief introduction to tungsten.
"Tungsten, wow, that's a unique name. What kind of things can this metal be used for? Can it be used to make weapons and armor?" The disciple's eyes lit up with interest and curiosity.
"Tungsten is a very dense and heavy metal, but it is also relatively brittle, making it an excellent choice for certain applications, but it may not be the best choice for weapons and armor," Orion explained.
The disciple appeared disappointed, "Oh, is that so..."
Orion continued, offering a solution, "However, you can experiment and use it together with other metals to overcome the brittleness."
The disciple's enthusiasm reignited, "That's right! And the weight is not a problem either. Some cultivators prefer their weapons to be heavy."
Ah, that's right. It's a cultivation world after all, Orion thought internally, remembering how on Earth tungsten was processed to tungsten alloy and used as armor-piercing ammunition. But perhaps in this world, it can be used for other types of weapons.
"Where did your master obtain it?" Orion inquired.
"It's from an itinerant cultivator who visited this city a while ago. Apparently, he stumbled upon some good fortune and discovered an old, abandoned cave abode during an expedition. It was there that he found the ores, and my master bought it all," the disciple explained.
"Oh, I see," Orion replied, feeling somewhat disappointed by the lack of further information. After exchanging pleasantries and expressing gratitude, Orion excused itself and departed.
As Orion left, the blacksmiths expressed their thanks and asked if Orion would visit again and provide mores guidance. In a short time, Orion had established a good relationship with the blacksmiths. They waved to Orion's departing figure and called out, "Please come again next time!"
Leaving the workshop, it wasn't hard to find Liu Jian and Wang Lingxin. Using the multi-band phased array antenna, Orion quickly picked up a unique radio signal emitted by Liu Jian.
After walking for a while, Orion found Liu Jian and Wang Lingxin sitting on a bench under a tree. Liu Jian looked rather tired, while Wang Lingxin still appeared energetic and was enjoying some colorful stick candy.
Noticing Orion's arrival, Liu Jian stood up and then asked if they should continue touring the city. Observing Liu Jian's exhaustion and the setting sun, Orion decided that they should return.
As they rode the luxurious carriage back to the Liu family estate, Orion inquired, "Did you have fun with Young Master Liu?"
Wang Lingxin enthusiastically replied, "Yes! We visited many shops, and I got to eat lots of delicious food."
Orion then expressed, "It seems that I may have caused you much trouble, Young Master Liu."
Liu Jian quickly reassured Orion, "No, not at all," smiling, although still looking tired.
Orion thought to itself, it seems that even a cultivator can't keep up with an energetic kid. Orion pondered whether Wang Lingxin's love for eating so much was to sustain her energetic behavior, providing the necessary energy, or if her energetic nature stemmed from her having abundant energy due to her love for indulging in food.
"Mores importantly, Mr. Orion, I know a good place we can visit. We can go there tonight, just the two of us," Liu Jian whispered close to Orion.
A good place? Orion thought internally. "Hmmm... yeah, sure," Orion replied.
In Luo Fengwei's workshop, disciples were busy with their tasks. Encouraged by the success of one disciple who had applied the new knowledge from Orion, others grew eager to try. One disciple, with a burning piece of metal and a hammer, approached an anvil. Placing the hot, glowing metal on it, he prepared to strike with the hammer.
To the disciple's surprise, as he put the hot metal on the anvil, the top half of the anvil unexpectedly slid down slowly and crashed to the ground. The surface where the anvil parted was remarkably smooth.
"What the..." the disciple exclaimed, astonished. "Damn it, which one of you guys damaged this anvil?" he angrily inquired, causing a small ruckus. Fortunately, this minor incident didn't result in any injuries. Meanwhile, the real culprit was blissfully enjoying a luxurious carriage ride toward the Liu family estate.
It's already night, and in a small house behind the workshop, Luo Fengwei sits, clutching his head. He's grappling with problems related to mysterious ores, having obtained the ores from an itinerant cultivator visiting the city. After conducting experiments, Luo Fengwei considered the possibility of using the ores to make weapons and armor. From the experiment, the ores, dense and strong, has sparked Luo Fengwei's keen interest and ambition.
Unfortunately, the ores are hard to work with. Despite trying many techniques, Luo Fengwei can't find a way to utilize them. He has spent a lot of time researching the ores, reading many books and scrolls in search of clues. Unfortunately, he found nothing useful after reading many books and scrolls. The constant failures have affected his mood, making him easily angered. Despite investing so much time and effort, he's still unable to find a lead and make any progress. This continuous setback has given him a headache. Such interesting ores, and he can't use them.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
"Sigh..." Luo Fengwei mutters, dejected. "Maybe I need to take some fresh air and change my surroundings to calm down." He leaves his house, stretching his stiff body, and heads towards the workshop.
Having ignored his disciples for a few days, he intends to check on them. If they were slacking around, Luo Fengwei will teach them a lesson.
To his surprise, when Luo Fengwei arrives at the workshop, he finds his disciples diligently at work. The usually quiet night is bustling with activity, and they seem to be working even harder than usual. Typically, only a few disciples remain in the workshop during the night, with others having returned to their own dwellings. Luo Fengwei, puzzled, wonders, "Huh? What happened with them?"
He observed how some of his disciples were measuring and weighing metals, planning to melt them to create an alloy. What the hell are they trying to do? Have they become stupid after just a few days? Luo Fengwei was baffled by the disciples' unusual approach. The metals being used and their ratios were out of the ordinary and unheard of. He couldn't wait to approach the disciples, intending to give them a stern lecture and perhaps a smack on the head.
However, as he continued to observe, he noticed other disciples using a liquid significantly different from the usual quenching process. Another group was doing something with a freshly forged sword, placing it in what seemed to be an acidic liquid. And now what are they even attempting? Luo Fengwei wondered inwardly.
And not just that, many of his disciples were engaged in entirely new and foresign practices that Luo Fengwei couldn't comprehend. Initially, frustration and anger welled up within him, and he contemplated berating and shouting at them for deviating from the traditional norms of blacksmithing.
However, as he observed nearly all of his disciples experimenting with unconventional methods, he sighed deeply, recognizing his own fault in the matter. "Sigh... it's my fault. After neglecting them for a few days, they have become astray. I am really a bad master," he admitted to himself.
Realizing that he was too obsessed with the new ores and had neglected his disciples, Luo Fengwei was thinking that maybe he needs to change and not be too hard on his disciples, treating them better. Reflecting on the past few days, he regretted the constant yelling and anger directed at his disciples.
He approached one of his disciples who was dipping his newly finished sword in some liquid and asked while smiling, "Little Wei, what are you doing?"
"Huh?" Little Wei turned his head and saw Luo Fengwei, "Master? Is there something I can do for you?" Rather worried if his master's mood flared in anger again, but then realized that his master... seems to be smiling?
"Well, nothing. How's your blacksmithing skill progressing, and what are you doing?" Luo Fengwei asked.
"Master, look at this. This technique is called etching and acid treatment. It can reveal intricate patterns and enhance the aesthetics of weapons. See?" Little Wei explained, showcasing the already finished sword from the previous one.
Luo Fengwei took the sword and scrutinized it, examining it closely from different angles.
"Not bad! Ha ha ha! I knew you were a genius in blacksmithing; that's why I accepted you as my disciple. To think that you would be able to develop such a technique at such a young age—your future in the blacksmith path is limitless! Haha," Luo Fengwei exclaimed, feeling happy. He kept patting Little Wei's shoulder. He had previously thought that his favorite disciple had gone astray, but it turned out he had made a significant discovery. Luo Fengwei was very satisfied and happy; all of his stress built up over the past days had melted away. He was thinking of giving some Grade-2 or even Grade-3 weapon or armor as a gift to celebrate the discovery of this technique.
Then Luo Fengwei looked around the workshop. Don't tell me they are not doing something weird, but they also discovered some kind of new technique? His eyes glowed with interest. Did they all get some kind of epiphany and gain enlightenment at the same time? Luo Fengwei was puzzled by this.
"Uhmm... master, I didn't develop this technique. It was taught by Mr. Orion. And not just this technique, he also taught us many other things, and the other disciples are proving it, which really worked and has been proven," Little Wei tried to explain.
"Huh? Orion? Orion who?" Luo Fengwei asked.
"Mr. Orion who came today. Didn't you also meet him? The one with the metal helmet that came with Young Master Liu," Little Wei explained.
"Him?" Luo Fengwei was surprised. Was he a blacksmith? And how come he seemed to know about blacksmithing knowledge that I didn't even know? Luo Fengwei wondered internally. "What did he teach you about? Quick, tell me in detail," Luo Fengwei urged.
Little Wei then recounted everything, explaining to his master about the techniques, knowledge, tips, and pointers about blacksmithing and metallurgy that Orion had shared.
"That's truly impressive, groundbreaking even. The theories, knowledge, and techniques are profoundly advanced; he must be a master, perhaps even a grandmaster blacksmith," Luo Fengwei expressed awe. After listening to his disciple's explanation, he regretted not participating in Orion's discussion and wanted to ask some questions.
"Moresover, he's knowledgeable about the ores you recently acquired, Master," Little Wei added.
Upon hearing this, Luo Fengwei immediately grabbed Little Wei's shoulders with both hands and asked with wide eyes, "You say what??? Is that true? Does he really know about the ores? Now tell me what he said about the ores!" Luo Fengwei's agitated voice attracted the attention of the other disciples.
"Ye...yes, Master, it's true. Mr. Orion said that he is familiar with the ores," Little Wei replied, rather scared. "He said that the ores are called wolframite, and tungsten metal can be obtained from it. Tungsten is a strong and dense metal."
"WOLFRAMITE!!! TUNGSTEN!!! Finally, finally some information! HA HA HA!" Luo Fengwei laughed like a maniac. Now, not only Little Wei but the other disciples were also rather scared and worried. Had their master become a madman?
"Indeed, it's strong and dense... ha ha ha! So, I was right after all. Now, with this, perhaps I can make a new kind of weapon and armor!" Luo Fengwei was fired up.
"Uhmm... master, Mr. Orion said that even though tungsten is strong, it's rather brittle and heavy, not really suitable for forging weapons and armor," Little Wei explained.
"WHAT??? What did you say?" Luo Fengwei's loud voice and piercing gaze frightened Little Wei.
"But Master, Mr. Orion also said that we can try to use it with other metals and make an alloy to overcome this problem, so I think it's still possible," Little Wei explained carefully.
"That's right, we can do that... Hmmmm..." Luo Fengwei mumbled something while stroking his long white beard, pacing in a circle, lost in deep contemplation. The disciples watched quietly from the side.
"Where did he go? Where can I find Orion?" Luo Fengwei couldn't wait to meet Orion and inquire about the ores and the metal called tungsten.
"It seems that they have returned to the Liu family residence, and Mr. Orion is staying there," Little Wei informed Luo Fengwei.
"Liu family... okay..." Luo Fengwei immediately turned around, ready to leave the workshop and head to the Liu family residence. However, he suddenly smacked his foreshead with a loud sound, then slumped to the ground on both of his knees.
"Master!!!" The disciples exclaimed together, their faces filled with surprise. "What happened to Master?"