The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Is this okay?"

Felix excitedly scooped out the ore he had refined, his boastful expression all too obvious.

“It’s still a long way off,” Viner said, though she already had a general idea in mind. Pointing to the remaining unprocessed ore, she said, “Take the rest for you to practice on.”

Felix's label in his mind quietly changed from "good-looking useless guy" to "eye-pleasing tool".

“Great!” Felix was completely unaware that he had been used as free labor, and instead was immersed in this novel experience.

While Felix was busy, Wiener took out two large iron plates from the workshop, placed them on the furnace, and adjusted the furnace temperature to 300 degrees Celsius.

"Moisture is also a type of impurity."

With tweezers, Wiener carefully placed the cleaned ore fragments one by one onto an iron plate, while in his other hand he held a small shovel and occasionally turned the ore over.

"But it's not a big problem; it can be dried by baking it at the right temperature for a short time."

Felix seemed thoughtful, then pointed to another empty iron plate and asked, "Is this one for me?"

“No,” Viner denied, then shoved the tweezers in her hand into Felix’s hand. “Just spread the ore out as evenly as I did before.”

“Okay,” Felix replied.

After watching for a while, Venerer was relieved to see that Felix's operation was not problematic.

He turned to get the meat fried rice breakfast that Felix had brought him.

He opened the lid and then poured it all onto another iron plate.

He took another pair of unused small iron spatulas and started stir-frying them on the hot plate. Before long, the aroma of the meat filled the entire room.

"What on earth are you doing?!"

This maneuver completely baffled Felix.

"Don't worry, don't worry. Next time bring some raw meat back, I'll show you how to grill meat on a hot plate."

By adapting to local conditions and using readily available materials, Wiener did not feel that there was anything wrong with his actions.

For alchemy students who spend long hours in the workshop, missing mealtimes is perfectly normal.

Even if I manage to catch it sometimes, I'm too lazy to put down my work and go out.

For these students, self-sufficiency becomes an option.

Otherwise, why would the workshop in the dormitory be equipped with a stove for cooking from the very beginning?

Fried rice on a hot plate and noodles cooked with an alcohol lamp are part of the Alchemy Institute's culinary delights and should not be missed.

By the time Felix had dried all the refined ore, Viner had just finished eating his fried rice.

"Is that all?" Felix asked, pointing to the dried ore.

"Pretty much. Although the methods are slightly different, the forging stones circulating in the market are basically of this quality," Viner replied.

Normally, purifying ore wouldn't be as complicated as Wiener's process, which involves multiple sievings based on concentration, crushing, rinsing, and casting in just three steps.

One focuses on industrialization and mass production, while the other emphasizes refinement through workshop-style production.

The reason Wiener made it so complicated was because the extracted impurities were also extremely valuable.

"Hey Felix, you'd better remember what I'm about to say."

After all, I've helped out for a whole morning, so it wouldn't be right not to bring something of real substance.

"Impurities refer to substances that differ from the main product in properties. From a purification perspective, impurities are the parts that need to be discarded after extraction."

"However, impurities are not without value. Some impurities are the best binders and catalysts in themselves."

"Ignoring the reactions between substances and blindly pursuing purity is truly putting the cart before the horse."

"...Although I don't quite understand it yet, I'll make a note of it." Felix nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, see those big vats? Except for the first one, evaporate all the liquid inside the rest," Viner ordered bluntly.

Many years later, Felix finally understood that Wiener, when working, had no conscience.

Chapter 30 Spear Breaks Sword

Wiener collected the scraps and bark from last night when he was carving the spear shaft, wrapped them around the dried pig iron, and put them into the furnace.

The main component of wood is carbon, which acts as a reducing agent and also serves as a source of heat.

The bellows were pumped, and the temperature inside the furnace continued to rise, with short bursts of blue flame appearing from time to time.

The bark and sawdust eventually turned into a layer of ash on the surface of the pig iron.

Wiener chipped away the outer gray shell, and the remaining part was the raw material he intended to use for forging.

The iron block has softened after being smelted in the furnace for a long time.

Wiener took the iron block out of the furnace and placed it on the forging table.

Through repeated forging, the iron block gradually deformed.

The rough edges became smooth, and the shape gradually resembled the outline of a gunhead.

"Vina, are you planning to make a gun?" Felix finally understood.

“Not just one, but many.” Wiener set the finished gun head aside. “I plan to make a batch of guns to sell and earn academic credits.”

"But there are clearly more students using swords, aren't there?" Felix asked, puzzled.

As a long-handled weapon, the spear can only unleash its full power in mounted combat, and the skill of spearmanship is more difficult to master than that of swordsmanship.

It's not that infantry combat is unusable, but it would place much higher demands on the user.

In reality, when skill levels are similar, guns have an absolute advantage over short weapons like swords and knives.

In the past, many traditional martial arts schools studied the technique of breaking spears with a single sword as their trump card, but it was of very low value.

However, for those who practice with spears, breaking a single-edged sword is merely a beginner's skill.

Riding courses have not yet been offered to freshmen, and the number of students specializing in swords as their primary weapon is significantly greater than those specializing in other types of weapons.

“But the cost of making one sword is enough to make several guns, which maximizes profits,” Wiener said without hiding anything.

"Wow, Wiener has such a good business sense!" Felix exclaimed in surprise.

“It is perfectly normal for students in the Alchemy Department to earn credits by selling their works; in fact, it can be said to be their primary means of obtaining credits.”

Wiener added, then seemed to remember something else, "By the way... what about you?"

If he was an anomaly in the Arena, then Felix was an anomaly among anomalies in the Alchemy Academy.

"I've already thought of this," Felix said smugly. "Go to the arena and play ranked matches. You get five credits for winning a match in the Bronze rank!"

To encourage students to hone their skills in real combat, St. Freya Academy has specially set up a ranked arena tournament in the arena.

Regardless of grade, only ability matters. From the lowest Bronze rank to Silver, Gold, and Mithril.

The winner in the arena can receive points and academic credits.

The loser will only have their ranking points deducted, and will not have any additional academic credits deducted.

But the damage to weapons and the credits needed for treatment after an injury are another matter entirely.

"Whatever makes you happy." Viner didn't know how to comment.

Once this batch of steel guns is completed, Wiener plans to consign them for 20 credits each, and after deducting material costs, he can earn about 300 credits.

As for the time, it was originally planned to take a day and a night, but with Felix's help, it was shortened to half a day.

But in ranking matches, even if you win every single one, how many matches can you play in a day?

From the perspective of time and benefits, it's simply not worth it.

Only when he achieves basic freedom in earning academic credits will Wiener consider participating in ranking tournaments to hone his practical skills.

Viner had no idea that this was already one of the few ways for freshmen at the Combat Academy to earn credits.

Although there are other commissions, they are either too many applicants for too few tasks, or too difficult for the current freshmen to complete.

"By the way, do you know how to use a gun?" Viner suddenly asked.

"I know a little, what's wrong?" Felix answered instinctively.

Upon hearing this, Viña nodded and took out a white wax spear shaft that had been soaked in special raw rubber overnight.

The gun barrel appeared exceptionally tough and smooth.

The front end of the gun barrel was carefully polished again to ensure that it could fit perfectly into the previously made gun head.

Then, two more rivets were taken and firmly hammered between the gun barrel and the gun head, securing them together securely.

An assembled steel gun was then handed to Felix.

The gun barrel and the head were much taller than Felix, making it look rather comical.

"what?"

"Weren't you going to fight in the arena? Here, take it."

"Isn't this what you were planning to use to sell for academic credits?"

"I can't let you work for free all morning, can I?"

The two stared at each other.

White Wax Steel Spear: A white wax steel spear forged by Viner, it is an excellent weapon for beginners in spear fighting.

Weapon Type: Gun

Weapon Grade: D

Sharpness: D+

Durability: C (50/50)

Usage Restriction: Gun Skill Level Proficiency (D)

characteristic:

Breaking the Single Blade (An inch longer, an inch stronger; the spear, already effective against short weapons, is taken to its extreme by Wiener, gaining additional advantages when fighting against swords and blades.)

Usage requirements reduced (the required skill level decreases by one when equipping this weapon)

A good weapon can significantly enhance the user's abilities.

With this gun, Wiener thought he could at least help Felix win a few more rounds and not leave empty-handed.

Felix felt that since Viner had already taught him all morning, it was inappropriate for him to accept this expensive steel gun as well.

Viner then put on a stern face and said, "Just take it. It's not like I'm giving it away for nothing."

"If you win and anyone asks about this spear, just say it was made by Vener."

"What if you lose?"

"Then kill yourself."

The spearmen who didn't commit suicide always felt like something was missing.

"So it's about risking your life!"

"Otherwise what? I'm betting my reputation as a craftsman!"

"I still feel there's something wrong with equating my life with a mere empty title."

"Then why don't you just win?"

Wiener drove Felix out of the way.

She bolted the door shut, ignoring the calls coming from outside, and returned to her workbench.

We've taught everything we can and given everything we can; what follows is no longer something children should see.

Wiener glanced at the amount of pig iron in stock and immediately made a decision.

-----------------

"Bang! Bang!"

The sound of hammering continued from noon until sunset.

Eighteen white wax steel guns were already neatly arranged on the shelf.