Richard's sword did not have a sharp edge, but only made a simple scabbard out of bamboo and pigskin, which hung around his waist, replacing the previous wooden sword, but when he excitedly pulled out the sword in front of the children, it did not win the exclamation of expectation.

"Richard, why did your wooden sword burn black?"

"That's right, it's burned, haha. ”

Speaking from the heart, this is really an ugly sword, the black sword body has an uncoordinated arc, the hilt is too long, and the center of gravity is unreasonable. But in Richard's eyes, it was a gift that his brother had spent months making for himself, and he would not allow others to denigrate his brother's work.

So he slashed harder than usual, and the iron sword could easily shake the children's wooden swords, but after all, it was heavy and inflexible, and the children's chaotic return could hit Richard more often. Everyone is used to playing together, and the start is not heavy, but the playful and playful look angered Richard, only to see his face flushed, and he waved his sword angrily.

"Look at it, this is a sword, I will use him for the knight selection!"

"Sword, I see Richard pinning the burning stick from the blacksmith's shop to his waist. ”

"What do you know, this is what my brother beat me, not some burning stick!"

"Haha, when did your dumb brother learn to fight a sword, and he also fought a dumb sword, a dumb black charcoal sword......"

Richard inherited his father's character, he was not good at words, he was ridiculed, he no longer replied, and rushed forward to wave the iron sword, and the children dispersed in an uproar, and after several times, his strength was finally exhausted, and everyone no longer stimulated him. After all, they were playmates who got along day and night, and they were all heartless boys, and it didn't take long for everyone to sit together again, and they also took Richard's sword and watched it.

"It's iron, it's heavy, heavier than Turner's sword. ”

"Who are you fooling, when did Turner let you take his baby, Kelly said he hugged it when he slept. "Kelly is Turner's sister, the tavernkeeper's daughter, and the town's famous little beauty.

"If it were me, I'd rather sleep with Kelly in my arms......"

"Don't dream, Kelly likes Richard's brother. ”

The pretty daughter of the tavernkeeper, who loves the mute son of the blacksmith's house, is a secret that the children of the town know. In the town, fifteen or sixteen-year-old girls are as unrestrained as boys, and some of them have already crossed the dense mangrove forest next to the town with the boys they know well. Donner hadn't been into the woods, but occasionally he could hear the girl's gasp as he passed by, and if he wanted to identify it, he might be able to tell who it was from the town.

If these bold girls accidentally get their bellies bigger, they will be led by their parents to the man's house to find the boy who is in trouble, and many couples in the town are united in this way. Occasionally, there will be someone who finds the wrong sufferer, and the son of the old Jim family does not look like him at all, but is the same as the grain store owner, and anyone with a discerning eye can see it.

Kelly had lived in Dorne with her mother for a while, and had seen the world of the big city, she did not like to wear elaborate big flower dresses, she did not have the red face of the island girls, and her voice was soft and soft, but it tickled the hearts of the island boys.

Kelly is fourteen years old, and there are many boys who want to take her to the mangroves, but no one has succeeded, not even holding her hand. I don't know when people started saying that she liked Donner, that whenever she talked to Donner, she would blush. When someone said this to her face, she didn't refute it, she just smiled shyly. Someone also encouraged Donner to take Kelly back to the mangroves, but Donner didn't hear it. He was just the mute son of the blacksmith's house, and the tavernkeeper would not be willing to marry his precious daughter to him.

After a few months of training, Donner grew stronger, and after helping Richard with the sword, he continued to spend two hours a day striking iron, Richard would occasionally bring back a hare or a few sea fish, and the blacksmith's table was no longer just black bread.

Kelly would come to the blacksmith every once in a while, sometimes with business to take care of Old Tom, and sometimes just to talk to Donner. She would tell about the city of Dorne, the stretches of the ancient walls, the majestic castle lord's palace, the bustling knights' school, the chaotic docks, and she said this slowly, and Donner listened with a smile. Kelly felt that Donner, like her, did not belong to this small island, perhaps because of his too delicate appearance, or because of Donner's modest smile and slightly curved lips, like the portraits of nobles she had seen.

Downer knew he wouldn't marry the daughter of the town's most prominent family. The tavern owner also ran a sword shop, and was the richest man in town, and his wife was the daughter of a great merchant in Dorne, one of the few women to marry from outside the island. Downer's mother doesn't seem to be a native of Lant either, but his father is secretive.

Donner also liked to listen to the stories of sailors and troubadours, but the stories that made the blood of other children boil, aroused his deep curiosity, he knew that those supernatural phenomena should not be all made up, the world has vindictiveness, there is magic, but he does not know where the real boundaries of those stories are. Knights who completely surpass the strength level of ordinary people should be real, but what about magicians? If magic is also real, then what about dragons? Are those towering magic towers and magic arrays covering hundreds of miles also real? Also, what does it mean for knights to go north and mages to south that every bard will say in their mouths?

In the middle of the nights around the campfire listening to stories, he often had the illusion that this small island of Rand was a refuge, and that the outside world was turbulent and full of dangers, but that it was the only place that was left behind and independent. Of course, he is not afraid, nor is he timid, and if he has the opportunity, he is also willing to travel to the mainland. He just doesn't have the same enthusiasm and impulsiveness as ordinary boys. Counting the age of the previous life, he was not much younger than his father Tom.

Donner knows every street on the island, everyone on the street, but only he knows that he is just playing the role of Donner, and the island is like a beautiful story, and he lives in this story and tries to make expressions that match the character. But he was always like a bystander, of course he loved his father and brother, and even everyone on this island, but he couldn't help but wonder if everything in front of him would disappear in the blink of an eye, and he would appear in another completely strange world.

So, don't speak, just smile calmly.

Since you have been coerced by fate to come here, you might as well wait quietly, waiting for the invisible hand of fate to push you next. After an inexplicable crossing, Donner inevitably felt a sense of powerlessness in the face of fate.

The simple islanders just thought Donner was smiling shyly and was an introverted child. His father and brother didn't think there was anything wrong with it, and even if he didn't speak, it was no big deal, he never babbled like a mute, and if a stranger (if any) saw him, he wouldn't think he was dumb.

The late summer sun shines through the door of the blacksmith's shop, the shadows of the sun slowly tilt past, and the wind becomes cooler day by day.

A slender figure came running from the sunlight and ran into the blacksmith to see that it was Kelly, who was not as quiet as usual, and gasped and said to Donald: "Quick, go and see, Richard and my brother are fighting, my uncle...... My uncle ......" Donner had not yet heard what she was going to say, and old Tom had already put down his hammer and rushed out, muttering, "What trouble has this boy done to me again?"

Donner followed Kelly in the direction of the tavern, and it took Kelly a moment to make a staccato statement.

It's about the black iron sword.

Paul, the tavernkeeper, is a big fat man who is always happy, and when he stands with Kelly's mother, one can't help but sweat for this thin woman. Today, his brother-in-law came to visit his sister. It had been years since her sister had returned to Lant with her daughter, and he was completely unrecognizable when Turner and Kelly stood in front of him.

This noble man from the big city wore light and thin leather armor, and his face was full of heroism. Outside the open doors and windows, surrounded by many people, the simple residents of Lant never bothered to hide their curiosity, and asked directly about the identity of this person.

"My uncle is the Grand Steward of the Knight Academy. Turner proudly introduced his uncle.

"Great, it's a knight!" exclaimed from the crowd.

Merkel was indeed a knight, a first-class knight, he was also a logistics officer at the Knight Academy, managing the students' accommodations and equipment, and for the ordinary people on the island, he was indeed a great man.

The topic of the brother and sister shifted from the concern after separation, the health of the old parents, and the recent situation of the neighbors to the children, and Turner on the side took the initiative to say that he would also participate in the talent selection next spring, and then he also pulled out his long sword and waved it a few times to show his uncle the results of his practice in the past few years.

"Knights are selected from actual combat training, how can I see that you use a sword like this. However, the shelves are still well placed and fast enough. Merkel tried to pick and choose good things to say to her nephew, whom she hadn't seen for many years.

At this time, Turner's enthusiasm was aroused, and Zhang Luo wanted to find someone to practice a few times.

The boys on the island rarely saw people, and they all stepped back shyly, and said that their wooden swords against Turner's standard long swords, and they didn't need to fight to know the result. After pushing for a long time, someone shouted: "Richard, Richard also has an iron sword, let Richard practice with you." ”

Richard was reluctantly pushed out by the children, he didn't want the big people in the city to see his black sword, although he cherished his broom, but these days the children's discussions also made him soberly know that his sword was not good-looking...... Well, it's hard to see.

When Turner saw that Richard had been elected, and was willing to let him go, he immediately drew his sword and shouted, "Come, Richard, let's have a fair duel!", and the knight's slogan heard from some drunken sailor made the adults laugh.

Richard also drew his sword, but did not block the counterattack, but just blindly dodged, he was afraid that his black sword would be broken by the long sword in Turner's hand that flashed with cold light.

Merkel, as a formal knight, naturally has eyesight, Turner's steps are vain, and the moves in his hands are messy, while the other child is not panicked although he blindly dodges, and he still breathes evenly, the black sword in his hand is a little weird, the slightly curved sword body, and the overly rough appearance looks like a half-finished product.

"Are you alright?" he asked his brother-in-law, who was watching happily, "The children don't take it lightly." ”

"Hehe, it's okay, I haven't opened a front. ”

In this way, one child blindly chased, the other blindly dodged, and the surrounding crowd burst into laughter.

Seeing that Richard didn't dare to fight back, Turner wanted to show his face in front of his uncle, and shouted loudly: "Richard, are you a coward, what about your courage?"

Li felt that his face was hot, and at this time he was willing to hold the wooden sword in his hand, so that he could meet it without hesitation, and with his own strength, he could also block Turner back. But he was reluctant to take the black sword given to him by his brother and send it to Turner to chop, and he was reluctant to let his brother's months of hard work be ruined by himself. But he couldn't hear anyone call him a coward. He dreamed of being a knight, and every time he dodged it, the laughter around him seemed to mock his knightly dreams.

I'm sorry, brother. Fourteen-year-old Richard finally couldn't help but raise his sword to block Turner's slash. Once, twice, three times, the expected scene did not appear, the black sword showed no signs of damage, and Richard suddenly became bold. He mustered up all his strength to fight Turner.

"Poof!" is broken.

Sure enough, Richard's face suddenly became depressed, and there was silence around him, he looked up at Turner, Turner's face was even more depressed than his, and he almost cried, and then he found that the weight in his hand had not changed, and the black sword was intact! What was broken was Turner's glittering long sword, and now only half of the sword was held by Turner in his hand, and even the edge of the blade was rolled up where it was broken.

Is this really a sword?! Richard looked at the black sword in his hand, and was still shocked.

Turner finally stopped crying, and Kelly pulled her legs and ran to the blacksmith.

By the time Donner and his father arrived, Turner still had tears on his face, and Richard had his head bowed with a look of mistake, and his black sword was now in Merkel's hand.

"Is this your sword?" Merkel asked with a smile, an approving look on her face. The hotel owner still had that smiling expression, and he didn't seem to have the intention of asking the teacher.

Downer nodded. Richard must have explained the origin of the sword.

"Can you tell me how you hit it?"

Donner shook his head.

"This kid can't speak. Old Tom replied helpfully.

"Yes, he's a mute. "The children are afraid that the knight master will not understand.

"Dumb?" Merkel looked at Donner curiously, and said with a smile, "If you can tell me how you hit this sword, and break Turner's sword, you can forget it." ”

Donner knew he was joking, how could there be any reason to pay compensation for breaking the opponent's sword in the test. But Richard was obviously frightened, and old Tom looked at him anxiously, trying to help him answer, but I don't know where to start, I can't say that my son beats wrought iron like an iron basin every day, and then beats it into a sword, right?

Donner didn't speak, reached out and took the black sword, sharpened it on a flat stone beside him, sharpened it a few times, and then handed it back to Merkel.

Merkel smiled knowingly, and said a few words to the fat boss, and after a while, the tavern guy brought a whetstone, brought clean water, and sharpened the black sword, Merkel took a closer look, pushed the guy away, and did it himself. He was a knight, much more powerful than ordinary people, and familiar with swords, and in a short time he polished away the unsightly black layer on the sword's body, and then floated in the clear water, and gently wiped the rag along the hilt to the tip of the sword.

Everyone's eyes were on his movements, what a beautiful sword it was, the body of the sword was covered with fine patterns, which were like flowing water and flames, but even more gorgeous and mysterious.

Is this really a sword? Richard couldn't believe his eyes.

Donner looked at his younger brother with a smile, it took him three months to copy this Damascus sword, and finally it was not in vain. Others only saw him constantly folding and forging, but no one noticed that he repeatedly burned it in a charcoal furnace and then hammered it in order to hammer steel with different carbon content into layers, and then these interlayers of different properties were intertwined to show the characteristics of both hard and tough.

Over the years, the sword has undergone several transformations, gained a reputation that will strike fear into the world, and now, in the hands of its first owner, Richard, it has a simple name: the sword of the elder brother.