I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 196 Forging and Tempering in the Flames

……

……

Inside the cabin, the fire crackled and popped in the fireplace.

"Your idea is correct."

After listening to Raine's description, Rhodes nodded in agreement.

"That's not some kind of holy light, it's just volcanic lava."

"Oh oh oh."

Renn nodded blankly and asked cautiously,

"What is lava, my lord?"

Rhodes was silent for a moment, toying with the extraordinary gem in his hand, and then explained,
"Magma is molten rock deep underground."

Rhodes organized his thoughts, “It’s extremely hot, capable of melting all sorts of things.”

"The pungent smell you're experiencing is from sulfur."

"And the water you drank must have been hot spring water."

"It's all because of the high temperatures underground."

Renn nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Rod knew he probably still didn't quite understand, and a smile crept onto his lips.

"If you're interested, you can ask Avril to look up some information."

"Have her find you some books and explain them to you properly."

"Forget it, it's okay."

Renn leaned back slightly and quickly waved his hand.

"I just need a general understanding."

"It's best not to trouble Miss Avril."

Rhodes didn't say much, but changed the subject and asked Renn,

"Was the gem on that hammer pried off so easily?"

Rhodes asked, emphasizing each word, "I mean, is it just a regular stone hammer? Nothing special about it?"

"No, my lord."

Renn shook his head, still covered in the dust of his journey.

"The material of that stone hammer looks to me like ordinary stone, nothing special."

"I've checked the surrounding area, and there's nothing unusual."

Raine thought for a moment, then added, "I didn't go to the lava pool..."

"...I really couldn't stand the smell, and it was too hot, so I didn't go near it."

"normal."

Rhodes nodded, not blaming Rein, "Ordinary people can't get close to the lava pool."

"To be honest, I was quite surprised that those yak people could live in lava caves, and they didn't seem to dislike the smell of sulfur."

How come yak people aren't afraid of the heat despite having such thick fur?

Rhodes felt that these guys must have a high affinity for fire.

"alright."

Rhodes nodded and sat up straight again.

Rhodes was somewhat interested in this sacred site of the yak people.

Rhodes is interested in magma and sulfur, regardless of whether there are any special items or historical traces.

Magma can melt many refractory metals, and sulfur has even more uses.

The most basic uses of sulfur are its powerful bactericidal, insect-repellent, antiseptic, and antifungal properties.

However, we need to prepare for spring planting now, and there are still many things to do.

The fields outside the window are ready for planting; the busy farming season is just around the corner.

Moreover, we don't know anything about the situation there, and we can't take a large army there to explore.

Rhodes still didn't want to rush over.

"correct,"

Rod suddenly remembered a detail and asked, "Where did those yak people get their ore?"

"Ah, I'm sorry, my lord."

Ryan paused, a bitter look on his face. "I didn't notice that..."

"That's alright, I'll ask the yak herders when they arrive."

Rod was not in a hurry.

Even if we knew there were iron ore veins there, we don't have the resources to develop them right now.

Renn nodded, his expression hesitant, his gaze falling on the gem in Rhodes' hand.

Changing the subject, Renn asked, "Lord, you just said that this gem is not only a transcendent gem, but may also be a magical item?"

Does this mean it's very precious?

Rhodes nodded, pinching the gem in his hand, and praised Renn, "You did a very good job this time."

"Tell me what you need and what reward you want."

"Thank you for your generosity, my lord. I have nothing to lack now."

Renn lowered his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, his smile somewhat ingratiating.
"You don't need to worry about me too much."

"I just made a promise to those yak herders in Altay that I would give them a reward."

"Could I ask you for a favor?"

"no problem."

Rhodes interrupted him and agreed to Renn's request without hesitation.
“I will make arrangements for them once their people arrive, so you can rest assured.”

“I will speak with their leader, Bain, and all the yak people.”

"I will try my best to satisfy whatever they want."

Raine had returned alone with a few companions.

The yak herders continued their slow journey along the mountain path behind them.

Rhodes looked at Raine solemnly, "But the rewards given to them will not affect your rewards; you can have whatever you want."

"Thank you for your generosity!"

Renn's face lit up with joy, and he couldn't help but scratch his head like Gunther, trying hard to think.

After joining Frostleaf Town, he and his wife were highly valued and had more work points than they could use.

Unlike Gunther, who indulged in drinking and keeping mistresses, it seemed there was really nothing he could desire.

Craft a large bow?
There are no restrictions on the materials provided by the lord; you can apply to the lord to use them.

Moreover, his own strength was limited, and he could not draw a stronger bow.

After thinking for a while, Renn said somewhat embarrassedly,

"I've heard that the sea-patterned magic iron you obtained is exceptionally hard. If it's convenient, I'd like to ask you to make some arrowheads from that material as a reward for me..."

"We still don't have enough armor-piercing arrows."

Rhodes joked, then nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll find time to forge it for you when I get back."

After receiving Rhodes' promise, Renn's face lit up with joy.

"Thank you for your generosity, my lord."

"you deserved."

Rhodes held the extraordinary gem in his hand, imagining the scene described by Renn.

Raine made it sound easy, but in reality, forcibly taking away someone's sacred object from so many burly yak-men was no easy task.

"Alright, you've been traveling for several days now, go back and get some rest."

"Yes, my lord."

Knowing that Rhodes was going to examine the extraordinary gems closely, Renn didn't ask any further questions and bowed as he withdrew.

The wooden house fell silent.

Only the fire in the stove burned gently, emitting a faint crackling sound.

"Tell the guards that no one is allowed to come in; you can stay here."

Rhodes gave the instructions to Vivian.

Vivian nodded, walked to the door to relay the order, and closed the door behind her.

Vivian leaned against the door, guarding it without going forward, while Rhodes began to study the extraordinary gem.

He said this was no ordinary extraordinary gem because the system indicated it was an engraved fire gem.

It contains not only fire energy, but also inherited magic.

"Let me try and see what kind of inherited magic is inside."

Rhodes took a deep breath, concentrated, and began trying to absorb the energy within the gem.

The instant Rhodes made mental contact, a surge of fiery energy rushed into his body, and the arm holding the gem suddenly heated up, turning faintly red!
The flames in the fireplace seemed to be summoned, burning even more fiercely.

In an instant, Rhodes felt an unprecedented heat!
This heat has nothing to do with desire; it's purely a physical sensation!

Rhodes felt as if he had been set on fire, and his body began to radiate heat!
It should be noted that Rhodes himself has a high affinity for fire and a certain degree of resistance to fire.

He had long since grown accustomed to the burning energy within his body.

But at this moment, the energy within the fire gem made Rhodes feel a scorching burning sensation.

—It is obvious that the fire power within this gem is purer.

In layman's terms, it means the temperature is higher.

Soon, fine cracks appeared on Rhodes' skin, revealing a magma-like glow within.

The texture, like wildly growing vines, rapidly climbed up Rhodes' body, charring his clothes and filling the air with a burnt smell.

Vivian, who was standing at the door, panicked the moment she saw this scene.

She rushed to Rhodes' side. "Rhodes, are you alright?!"

In her panic, Vivian forgot to use honorifics.

"what should I do?"

Feeling the intense heat of Rhodes' body, she cried out urgently, "I'll get you some water and put it out!"

Rhodes gritted his teeth, enduring the burning pain in his body as he screamed.
"no, do not want!"

"Don't worry about me, I can manage!"

Rhode knew that the scorching heat came from the Flame Gem and could not be extinguished with water; he could simply stop absorbing it. But that would also cause the Flame Inheritance to fail.

Rod felt he could still hold on.

The burning continued, but thankfully it didn't get any worse.

Rod gradually adapted.

Soon, Rod noticed that his cracked texture began to change.

The cracks, which had originally shone with the light of magma, gradually turned into a deep black, seeping into his skin like ink.

Black lines spread across his arm, gradually transforming from cracks into strange and exquisite tattoo designs.

The lines of the tattoo are smooth and ancient, like intertwined flames, or like a wizard's runes.

"This is. What is this?"

Vivian blurted it out, then immediately covered her mouth with her hand.

Her voice sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet room, and she didn't want to disturb Rhodes.

Rhodes closed his eyes, and a flood of information rushed into his mind.

This is the ancient tradition of the yak people—the flame-quenching casting method.

Similar to the Beastman's talent, this is the Yakman's innate spell.

Infuse the forged weapons and armor with fiery passion, giving them extra strength and resistance.

In this process, it can even be transformed into enchanted weapons or even magical items.

The most common spells are Flame Shield and Flame Impact.

Of course, there is a certain probability.

The creation of enchanted and magical weapons depends on the spellcaster's control over flames and the materials used in the equipment itself.

After a long time.

Rhodes opened his eyes, a faint firelight flickering in his pupils.

Besides the inheritance, the pure fire energy within this fire gem also tempered Rhode's body, greatly enhancing his fire affinity.

This is a system notification.

Rhodes didn't know exactly how strong the improvement would be.

But Rhodes was able to try.

As he stood up, Rod felt unsteady on his feet and nearly stumbled and fell.

Vivian rushed forward to help, asking with concern, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a little exhausted."

Rod waved his hand, wanting to move forward, but found his legs were still weak.

Enduring the burning pain is also physically demanding.

"Don't move, I'll help you with whatever you want to do," Vivian said.

"Okay, then pick out a piece of burning charcoal for me."

Rhodes sat down.

Vivian nodded and, as Rhodes instructed, bent down and picked out a fist-sized, red-hot piece of charcoal from the fire.

Orange flames were still flickering above.

"It's out, Your Excellency."

Holding the fire tongs, she asked, "What do we do next?"

Rhodes waved to her.

"Hand it over."

Vivian hesitated for a moment, then held up the fire tongs and presented them to Rhodes.

"Be careful, this piece of charcoal is very hot."

Before he could finish speaking, he witnessed a shocking scene.

Rod reached out and picked up the burning charcoal from the fire tongs!

"Your Excellency!"

Vivian gasped in surprise, instinctively trying to stop her.

But seeing the relaxed expression on Rod's face as he played with the charcoal, he abruptly stopped.

"Are you allowed to touch flames freely now?"

Vivian watched in surprise as Rhodes passed the burning charcoal from one hand to the other.

It's like playing with an ordinary pebble.

Vivian remembered that Rhodes wasn't too afraid of fire before.

But that only means you won't get burned when you occasionally come into contact with a flame.

Never before have I been able to pick up burning charcoal directly with my bare hands.

After testing for a while, Rhodes was convinced of his guess and casually tossed the charcoal fire next to the stove.

Vivian quickly used the tongs to pick up the embers and put them back in the stove.

"Is this the power that gem gave you?"

She turned around and asked.

Rhodes nodded, a smile on his face.

"Not only that, this gem also gives us a way to access magical items."

As long as he can obtain some precious metal materials, the Flame Tempering technique can grant Rhodes enchanted items or even magical items.

"What way?"

Vivian's eyes lit up. "Is there some for me?"

"I'm not entirely sure right now."

As he spoke, Rod rolled up his sleeves and showed Vivian what he was doing.
"It's this tattoo that looks like a wizard's rune that gives me a magical ability to be tempered by flames, allowing equipment forged from special metals to have a certain magical power."

"What kind of metal is that?"

Vivian pressed you for an answer.

"It wasn't mentioned in the inheritance, but it should be a metal that can withstand being tempered by intense flames, right?"

Rhodes thought for a moment and said with certainty, "Weapons and equipment made of ordinary materials probably won't work."

"And what about your Ashbringer?"

Vivian's gaze fell on the greatsword beside Rhodes. "Want to try it?"

"I do not."

Rhodes refused without hesitation.

The Ashbringer took a long time to forge, and if it were destroyed due to a failure in the tempering process, Rhodes would suffer a heavy loss.

If you want to experiment, you should forge a dagger for the experiment, instead of using Ashbringer directly.

Rhodes glared at Vivian, annoyed.
"Once your embroidery needle is forged, I'll try it out."

"Ah, I don't want it either!"

Vivian quickly refused, squatted down beside Rhodes's legs, and asked with her head held high, "Then can I learn this Flame Tempering spell?"

"Unfortunately, that's not possible either."

Rhodes rubbed Vivian's head and explained, "Actually, this is a tradition unique to the yak people."

"If it weren't for my special physical condition, I wouldn't be able to do it either."

Rhodes's so-called special physique refers to his ability to absorb the energy and inherited knowledge from extraordinary gems through system entries.

Otherwise, Rhodes would not have been able to access the legacy.

"Ok."

Vivian pouted, stood up, and wrinkled her nose.

"No wonder you have a strange smell about you."

"Have it?"

Rhodes sniffed it, but didn't detect anything unusual. "What's that smell?"

"It smells like a blacksmith's shop, not very pleasant."

"Is this the taste you're envious of?"

Rod chuckled softly and pulled Vivian into his arms.
"Doesn't smell good?"

As he spoke, Rod pressed his arm against Vivian's face.

"Since you say it smells bad, then smell it a few more times, and you'll get used to it!"

Vivian laughed as she struggled, trying to cover her face.

However, her weak strength was still unable to stop the thick smell from entering her body in the face of Rhodes's powerful intrusion.

……

……

The next morning, the sun was shining brightly.

Raine packed his bags quickly and set off with his men back to Razor Plains.

After watching them leave from the hillside, Rhodes also set off with Vivian back to Frostleaf Town.

Upon returning to the manor, before even having a sip of water, Rhodes immediately sent for Bane to come to the manor hall.

The yak herder was visiting the estate for the first time, and he kept his head down with some unease.

"Master, what are your orders?"

The snow rabbit translator respectfully inquired on behalf of the yak man.

Rhodes replied, "Ask him if he knows what flame tempering and forging is."

After the snow rabbit finished translating, Bain nodded quickly.

"I know, that's a powerful ability bestowed by God."

Was it a gift from God?

Rhodes sighed softly, somewhat helplessly.

It seems I'm about to start getting involved with charlatans again.

Rhodes immediately stood up, walked over to Bane, and rolled up his sleeves.
The black tattoo, exposed to the sunlight, seemed to shimmer with flames, as if it had come alive.

Bain's eyes widened, and his mouth slightly agape.

The next instant, a loud bang was heard.

Bain slammed his knees to the ground and knelt before Rhodes.
"It is a gift from God!"

(End of this chapter)