'Til Kingdom Comes - The Banished Prince Vol 4: The System

Pump It Real Good...

Friday, 25th November 1442

I could hear the voices of our children busying themselves outside the blacksmith shop as I was toiling and sweltering like a pig inside.

I was basically pumping the bellows of the furnace and was not even close to seeing the iron ores that I had placed to be white or even red hot.

Old Jack was laughing at me since he saw me for the first time toiling and having difficulty in handling such simple actions for the bellows.

My children peeked their heads into the workshop and were squealing when they saw me sweltering by the bellows. "Daddy, would you like us to bring you some chilled ale or something? You really looked like you would need one right now...!"

"Daddy, your gambeson inner lining is very wet. Do you wish for us to inform Mummy to bring you another set to change...?!"

"Daddy, your leather apron is kind of too short for you to wear. Even there's a dark shadow over there, but I think I we could see the forested region there, Daddy...!"

"Daddy, how come you are not pulling in any air inside the pump? It looks too flat from here and I think you need to work those pumps harder than Grandpa Jack...!"

"Daddy, how come your face is turning all red and black all of a sudden? Are you comfortable and do you need some help or something from us? We are here so we could help you out, Daddy."

"Daddy..."

"Daddy..."

"DADDY...!!!"

Oh my goodness, I was trying to pull the bellows up to let the air fill in the pumps when HRH JR spoke up that he had somehow seen my uncovered crotch...!

Not only that, each one took turns to holler at me while I was trying to pump the DAMN air to the furnace which looks like I was not even doing a good job at all.

The damn bellows may be faulty or there's a blockage somewhere since Old Jack was leaning against the door frame and minding the children as he saw that the furnace was not even half-lit at all...!

Now the children were getting on to my nerves and had been calling me every now and then. I was really peeved at what was happening and I simply let go of the handles of the bellows and simply squatted there and faced them.

"Sheesh... This is not the place where you should be right now and look at me, I'm all sweaty and hot and had been pumping these bellows and there's nothing happening to the furnace or the bed of coals right now...!"

"Maybe one of you can get me an ale while getting a stronger one for Granpa Jack. Would that be satisfying for both of you that you had helped me for the day?"

"Once you had done up with the task, why not you head back to Mummy and see what she is doing and help her out instead, alright?"

"This place is too dangerous for children like you because this bed of coals could spurt out fire unsuspectingly, you know."

I advised to the children as they saluted to me and ran out of the blacksmith store. Old Jack laughed at me while saying, "Your Majesty, your children really had grown up way too fast than we could imagine before."

"Just a few weeks ago, they were engaging in baby talk, and right now they are conversing with you and those around almost like a young adult."

"Well, Your Majesty, blacksmithing is really hard work and I am not sure if you are able to learn anything in this 3-hour session."

"But nevertheless, you can try and pump the bed of coals for another hour and then we can start to hammer those iron ores afterwards."

"I believe that you had done so back in your time as whoever you were before but right now I think you would need to have a restart and refresh on the things that you were likely to be familiar with."

"Take a short break and drink the ale that your  children would get for you and then you could continue to pump the bellows until I told you to stop."

"Once done, we can remove the piece of iron ore from the bed of coals and then we can start hammering them. There's a technique to hammering those pieces, you know."

"Once you are able to get a grip on your stance and have a grip on how you are going to hold the hammer before striking them on the anvil, then you would be able to get rid of the impurities with every hammering."

"For me, I would need about 100 hammerings each time if I wanted to get rid of at least 95% the impurities from the fist-sized iron ore and once I am complete, all was left would be an iron ingot the size of a thumb."

"Alright, rest up. Your children are here now."

Old Jack motioned me to take a short break since the mugs of ale were brought in carefully by both HRH JR and HRH Amy and they quickly handed it to both Old Jack and me as the chilled ale splashed down against the back of my throats.

The sensation that I felt right now was heavenly and it quickly brought the temperature of my sweltering body as the beads of perspiration dripped down like a ravine from the top of my heads down to the rest of my exposed skin.

It was like having a hot steam bath and I felt as if I had stepped out from it. The chilled ale helped me to cool down and right after I had a  mouthful, I felt that it was the most satisfying drink that I had ever had.

"Daddy, Mummy is here in the town square. She said we do not have to return back home after this."

"Mummy had settled the Dragon Boat preparation for tomorrow and would be buying some things that we may need from the grocery store."

"Do you want to gift them some biscuits as well for this trip? There are 3 mythical races to purchase those tins of biscuits right?"

I took another swig at the mug of ale and nodded my head as I agree with the buying of tins of biscuit that would be used as a gift for the other 3 mythical races.

They had their Health Lozenges and may not need any herbal medicine because we understand that these mythical races do not even fall sick...!

After the children had left and was ushered out by Old Jack, I opened up my information system panel and saw that there is a new profession that had been unlocked for me by Ceres, the guidance system.

There was no other information except that it states that the profession had been unlocked and there were no references to it such as an apprenticeship or anything but just a Level 0 with 0/1000 points next to it.

"Ceres, do you mind explaining to me regards to Level 0 and the points next to it?"

I telepathically communicated with Ceres as I do not wish to be labelled as a king of bonkers and soon enough, Ceres replied to me promptly.

"We used to have a profession ranging from Basic Blacksmithing, Forging Master and Forging Grandmaster. For Basic Blacksmithing it was level 0 to 10, the Forging Master from Level 11 to 20 and last the Forging Grandmaster fro  level 21 to 22."

"In order for one to reach the level from 0 to 1, as in this case, it is you, Audemars, you need to perform at least 1000 perfect hammering to level up."

"It is not just the hammering process but most importantly is the technique. Once you had achieved the technique, there will be 4 other parts as well and they used to be —

Heavy Strike, Dancing Hammer, Perfect Strike and lastly the Sound of Success."

"The old technique is confusing enough for you so we decided a fairly simple level-up system. So for every 1000 of landing a heavy strike on the anvils, you would level up until level 10."

"Ask Old Jack about the heavy strikes, he would be able to show you once you had passed the bellows. If you are still at it, I guess you would have problems in the future to forge those mithril pieces."

I listened to Ceres and was wondering would that be any easier for me to not go through such hardship to pound those iron ores to become pig irons or ingots?

"Should be alright, Ceres. I have to do it since I would be capable of doing it with a system like you in order to forge the mithril pieces."

Ceres stopped me from daydreaming and counting the eggs before the hen lays them. "Do you know Audemars that the mithril pieces are tougher than steel and yet more durable and lighter as well?"

"Your furnace would need to be at least 2 to 3 times as hot as the one you are pumping right now. Besides, you need to be at least a level 11 or be a Forging Master once you start to work on those mithril pieces. You can't smelt it, there's no two way about it and no cheating...! "

WHAT THE FARK...! The moment I heard about the mithril pieces that need at least to be Level 11 Forging Master, I wondered how long before I could even start to work on them...!

I would basically need to perform 10,000 heavy strikes landing on the large fist-sized iron ore to remove the impurities...!

Old Jack informed me that he would need 100 hammerings to remove 95% of the impurities, and if I were to hammer them like Old Jack, maybe I could achieve like 40% of true heavy strikes and not 100% like what I had wished for.

I gulped down the remaining ale that my children had brought me earlier and then I slumped on my butt and held my knees together with my arms. It seemed that this blacksmithing work is never had been easy and only half an hour had passed since I had started to pump on the bellows.

My goodness...! I don't know how long I need to pump on the bellows and when I would start to raise the hammer to pound on those fist-sized iron ores that had been placed on the bed of coals...!

Me and my stupid big idea of wanting to become a blacksmith and now I am stuck right now with the ton of mithril pieces that Doc wanted to gift to us on order for us to fashion new types of armours for the militia.

God...! I am rushing against a deadline right now and I knew they no one else would be able to do it better than me.

"Ceres, if Old Jack were to handle the tasks of making these mithril pieces to become ingots before making them onto plates, do you think it is feasible or even possible for him to do so?"

I was intrigued and I was hoping if Old Jack would be suitable since he is the only blacksmith in town besides the Durham Boys.

"I am sorry, Audemars. Old Jack is not part of the system and he would not be the best candidate to actually be forging those mithril pieces."

"Right now, you are the one best suited and your two former self had done a great job. A young boy of not even 11 years old would be able to smelt and also forge these pieces of iron ores."

"You are nearly double the age and had double the strength of the first former life that you had led and yet you wanted to give up even without trying?"

"Come on Macleod...! Do it for yourself, the town and also your parents...!"

"I am sure your parents are looking at you to see you achieve the first 1000 heavy strikes to get to Level 1...!"

"Do it, Audemars. Show yourself you are not a weakling at all...!"

Ceres was urging me and I knew it had touched my soft spot and this made me riled up and fired up to get up and start pumping those bellows like a mad man so that it would make the iron ore so hot that a few hammering would all it takes to make it soft and gooey (I suppose it would be the way) and easier for me to get rid of the impurities...!

"Alright, my dear king. Times up...! Get going on the bellows until I told you to stop before we pick up the iron ore with the tong and start hammering it according to my standards. Go get it, King Audemars...!"

Old Jack gestured to me and held his hand to hoist me up. His calloused rough hand pulled me up to my feet with ease and once I had stood up, I drunk up the remaining drops of ale in the jug, wiped the lips with the back of my hand and then started pumping the bellows like it was a coal-driven locomotive...!

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