Studying at Western University starts with a knife-forging competition

Chapter 105

The next morning, Richard did not get straight to dealing with Catherine.

Matt was driving, Richard was in the passenger seat, and the car headed toward the forge.

"What time does he usually arrive at the workshop?" Richard asked.

"Eight o'clock. They should already be here today."

Richard nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

The car turned into the forge's parking lot and parked outside the iron gate. Matt turned off the engine, and the two of them got out.

Lin Yuan was tidying up the sanding tape at his workbench. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw the middle-aged man in a dark blue cashmere sweater behind Matt. He put down what he was holding and took off his gloves.

"Lin Yuan, this is my dad," Matt said.

Richard extended his hand. Lin Yuan shook it, the pressure just right.

"Mr. Wayne."

"Just call me Richard." Richard withdrew his hand, his gaze already scanning the workshop.

He first noticed the power hammer, then glanced at the coke oven, his gaze lingering for a moment on the length of the furnace chamber. Then he turned around and looked at the wall.

On the wall directly opposite the entrance hung several test pieces and spare sword blanks that Lin Yuan had completed. But Richard's gaze was not drawn to the metal—he saw something higher.

A nearly three-foot-long bass specimen hangs in the center of the wall, its scales gleaming a deep olive-green luster under the fluorescent light. It has a broad back, an open tail fin, and a lifelike posture.

Richard walked to the wall and looked up at it for a while.

"Did you catch this?"

Lin Yuan walked over and stood next to him. "I was lucky. I caught it by the river earlier, and a friend helped me make a specimen."

"Three feet?" Richard estimated.

"Almost."

Richard turned his gaze from the specimens and glanced at Lin Yuan. "That's a good hobby. Fishing in America is an activity that can help you break into middle-class social circles. Have you ever gone fishing with professors?"

"I've been there a few times. With Professor Robert and some of his friends."

"What kind of fishing gear are you using?" Richard asked.

Lin Yuan glanced at Matt. "Matt gave me a basic set of products, which is enough."

Richard glanced at Matt, his lips twitching slightly, but he offered no comment. His gaze swept around the workshop again, finally settling on a protective case leaning against the corner.

"What is that?"

Matt walked over, pulled out the protective case, unzipped it, and revealed the leather stitching inside.

The cold white blade gleamed with a very faint blue under the fluorescent light. That blue was understated, only showing through the gaps in the cloud-like patterns when the blade was turned to a certain angle, like the color of thin ice on a river in winter after sunlight penetrated it.

The pale gold of the silver-iron alloy is faintly visible against the cool white background. Cloud patterns flow along the blade, extending from the base to the tip. The three layers of dark gray, bright silver, and pale gold alternate, creating a subtle interplay of light and shadow under the light.

"This is a divine leather sewing needle," Matt said. "It's made of silver-steel alloy. The core is made of silver-iron alloy, with 1085 high-carbon steel and 15N20 nickel steel stacked alternately on both sides. It has been repeatedly forged nine times, with more than 3,500 layers."

The cool white background and pale gold patterns you see are the result of the fusion of silver-iron alloy and steel layers. The blue layer is also due to the processing technique, not dyeing.

Richard took the sword, gripping the hilt with one hand without lowering his wrist. He held the sword up to his eyes, looking from Kiyomoto to the tip, and then back to Kiyomoto. He gently ran his fingers along the diamond-shaped cross-section of the blade, then turned the sword over to examine the patterns on the other side.

"I've been collecting knives for twenty-five years." Richard held the sword level in front of his eyes, letting the light shine on the blade from the side. "I've bought quite a few, from Japanese Tamahagane to Wootz steel. But this is the first time I've seen something like this, forged from silver steel."

Lin Yuan stood beside the workbench, arms crossed. "A family craft, Eastern forging techniques."

Richard put the sword back in its protective sheath and turned to look at Lin Yuan.

"I like Eastern culture," he said calmly, but there was a serious, as if he were assessing something in his eyes. "Make me a knight's sword. You decide the design, you decide the craftsmanship, the only requirement is that you use your best skills, don't worry about the time."

Lin Yuan glanced at Matt. Matt nodded.

"Okay," Lin Yuan said.

Richard reached into his pocket as if to take something out, but then stopped. He thought for a moment, then shook his head and smiled.

"I'll pay you a deposit," he said, then immediately waved his hand. "No way. Paying money is too vulgar."

He turned around and pointed to the bass specimen on the wall.

"Since you like fishing, I'll give you a small boat. A Ranger. I'll have Matt send you the order later. Consider it a deposit and a small gift."

Lin Yuan was taken aback. "Mr. Wayne, as you can see, Matt and I are roommates and business partners. We don't need this."

Richard didn't reply. He took his hand out of his pocket, walked to the wall, looked up at the bass specimen, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"Do you know why Americans care so much about what you play?" he suddenly asked, his tone a bit more somber than before. It wasn't so much a question as a statement of a truth he had pondered many times.

Lin Yuan remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"Because in this country, there are no hereditary titles, no royal appointments. How you spend your leisure time is your calling card to society." Richard turned around, leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms. "A person who goes to a golf club on the weekend and a person who watches a ball game in a bar on the weekend—no one would openly say they are different. But everyone knows they are not from the same world."

He paused.

"I'm not saying which hobby is more noble. I'm saying how society works—your hobbies determine who you sit with at dinner, and your possessions determine whether people want to sit with you."

This isn't snobbery; it's the rule. Everyone who strives to climb the ladder must learn to respect these rules and use them to pave their own way.

Lin Yuan leaned against the materials shelf, listening quietly.

“You’re fishing with professors right now, using the beginner rod Matt gave you. That’s fine, because your current circle is academia. The professors don’t look at your boat, they don’t look at your rod, they look at your fish.” Richard’s lips twitched as he said this, “But if you want to go higher—like those people who have spare cash and are willing to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a knife—they look at things differently.”

They look at your boat, your fishing rod, which club you frequent on weekends. Not because they're snobbish, but because these are the only external things they can use to judge whether you're one of their own.

"Forging also allows me to come into contact with those people," Lin Yuan said.