Demon Hunter: I have a red gourd

Chapter 15 The Dwarf Blacksmith and His Female Helper

Ivan and Philip's horses stopped in front of the blacksmith shop. They dismounted, dusted themselves off, and looked up at the low but sturdy building in front of them.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of rust and gunpowder entered Ivan's nose. Inside the house, there were two busy figures. A bearded dwarf with a turban was swinging a hammer beside the stove, and the crisp and powerful clanging sound echoed in the house.

The other figure was a young human woman with golden braids. She was sitting in a corner, carefully carving a metal plate.

"Ivan, let me introduce you." Philip smiled and pointed at the dwarf. "That's Fergus, the master blacksmith the lord once helped."

Then, he raised his chin in the direction of the woman and said, "That blonde beauty is called Yuna. She's Fergus's helper and usually helps him with odd jobs."

He paused, a playful smile on his face. "A dwarf and a human partner, strange, right? I think so too. After all, dwarves have different aesthetic tastes than us. They like dwarven women with beards, and the thicker the beard, the more beautiful they are. And what great help can a young girl bring to the blacksmith shop?"

"However, there's one thing you might not imagine—Yuna is an expert at playing Gwent. She has a top-tier monster deck that's practically unbeatable. Of course, she's still no match for me."

"Philip, you're saying bad things about me so loudly, don't think I can't hear you." A cheerful female voice came from the corner. Yuna put down the metal plate in her hand, raised her head, and raised an eyebrow at him. "Besides, you lost to me in the last card game."

"Nonsense! How can you defame someone out of thin air?" Philip jumped up in frustration. He seemed to get very excited whenever he mentioned playing cards. "It was clearly a tie last time, with no winner!"

The busy dwarf heard the two people arguing, stopped hammering, wiped the sweat from his hands, and turned to come over. His strong arms were crossed over his chest, and his full beard trembled slightly as he spoke.

"Ha, Philip, you're not here to play cards with us again, are you? This is a blacksmith shop, not your game room!" Fergus snorted with a smile and looked at Ivan beside him.

"This friend's eyes look a little peculiar. Is he ill? Philip, are you going to introduce him to me?"

"Fergus, you idiot, what do you mean by sick? This friend is obviously a witcher. Haven't you heard that witchers have cat's eyes?" Yuna walked over and hit the dwarf on the head.

Fergus was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened, "Demon Hunter!?" He was startled and his voice couldn't help but rise a few degrees, and he quickly glanced behind him.

"I almost forgot," he breathed a sigh of relief, "Luckily I haven't married yet, otherwise I would have made her hide away immediately."

You've heard that rumor too, right?

Ivan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. What human would like your beloved bearded female dwarf? Even the weirdest XP person wouldn't be like that!
"Don't be stupid, Fergus. Those rumors about witchers are nonsense." Yuna said calmly, obviously accustomed to the dwarf's fuss. "Hurry and get ready. Now that a witcher has stepped into the blacksmith shop, we must have a big job to do."

How dare a helper be so rude to his employer?

Fergus and Yuna? Ivan looked at the somewhat strange pair before him, stroking his chin as if remembering something. So it was them, the two master dwarven blacksmiths? Ivan's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"Have you ever seen a witcher?" Ivan looked at Yuna.

"Of course, a witcher from the Bear School, based in Skellige." Yuna's gaze fell on the badge around Ivan's neck and she smiled slightly. "You're from the Griffin School, right? I heard that you witchers often have to fight monsters, and your equipment wears out very quickly."

"Aha, so you're here to repair equipment?" The dwarf beside him boomed, making his presence felt, as if afraid Yuna would steal his spotlight. "Then you've come to the right place. I'm the best blacksmith in Velen, a master in Novigrad! Any piece of equipment is easy for me!"

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master." Ivan took off his armor and handed it over along with his silver sword.

Fergus first drew out his silver sword. Seeing the blade broken in two, the corner of his mouth twitched. "You used this thing to fight the Cyclops? How much strength must it take to break it like this?"

He took the armor again, looked at the cracks on it, and said in amazement, "It is indeed a good thing, but it will not be easy to repair. Demon Hunter, you have to pay more gold coins!"

"Don't be so quick to boast, Fergus. Take a closer look," Yuna said as she picked up the armor and gently brushed her fingertips over the cracks. "The cracks are asymmetrical, and the stress distribution in the metal is unbalanced. If we simply patch them up, they'll crack again in no time."

Ivan was startled, then turned to look at her, "You mean, repairing it isn't enough and we need to recast it?"

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Fergus's face, and he coughed dryly, "Yuna, this job is none of your business, don't meddle."

The woman ignored him, her gaze lingering on the armor. Her tone was calm and confident, "If I'm not mistaken, the core material of this armor is a special alloy, reinforced with some monster tissue. The intricate carvings on it are also very unique. They're clearly not just decorative, but likely closely related to magical abilities, so they need to be re-carved."

"Professional." Ivan snapped his fingers. The woman was absolutely right.

The reason why the Griffin School's sigils are so powerful is not only because the decoction formula they use for mutation is different from that of other schools, but also because of the unique design of the school's emblem and armor.

Each badge is personally crafted by the most skilled sorcerer, incorporating a large number of alchemy and rune techniques, which can make the release of the seal smoother and multiply its power.

Each groove on the armor was designed by top craftsmen and warlocks based on the fighting style of the Griffin School demon hunters. Not only does it not damage the armor's defense, it also allows the demon hunter to more quickly gather the chaotic energy in the air when casting sigils.

The creation of more advanced Griffin School armor even requires the participation of a runesmith.

Anything becomes extra expensive once it's stained with magic, which is why Griffin gear is the most expensive of all the schools.

(End of this chapter)