......

"That's right. Pen Fun Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 Master Duan took a sip of wine from the braised beef, and then said: "A sword is divided into nine parts: sword pier, sword handle, sword eye, sword grid, sword spine, sword slave, sword blade, and sword edge. This does not include the scabbard, which consists of four parts: the sheath, the sheath, the ring, and the sword mark. Therefore, sword casting is an extremely complicated process, and it is also an extremely profound craft. ”

Ou Chuyang listened extremely carefully and wrote down every word Master Duan said.

Moreover, to cast a good sword, it must go through dozens of processes such as material selection, material selection, material refining, hot forging, aeration, annealing, normalizing, quenching, tempering, cold forging, shaping, opening, polishing, raising, opening, inlay, seal carving, etc. ”

Ou Chuyang was speechless, he had heard that the process of RB knives was very complicated before, but after hearing Master Duan say this, compared to the sword-forging method in this world, RB knives are only a decorative toy. No wonder Mo Wanqing's Mingshuang Sword was so tough, so sharp, and so expensive......

"A swordsmith's energy is always limited. Master Duan talked about the most important place for Ou Chuyang, "Therefore, in the ranks of swordsmiths, there is gradually a branch: smelters. ”

"The smelter, as the name suggests, must be a helper who assists the swordsmith in completing the steps of material selection, material selection, and material refining, and helps the swordsmith prepare the sword-casting materials. Ou Chuyang guessed.

"That's right. Master Duan nodded approvingly, "Originally, smelters all existed as vassals of swordsmiths. But then it slowly became independent and became its own faction. ”

"Can this also work?" asked Ou Chuyang strangely.

"Don't underestimate the smelter. Master Duan said with a smile: "The more precious the heavenly and earthly treasures, the more difficult it is to refine them into sword-casting materials, and they require extremely harsh conditions and superb skills. Therefore, if a smelter can be promoted to a smelting master or even a smelting master, then his reputation and status are no less than that of a sword-forging master and a sword-casting grandmaster. Because only they can refine high-grade materials, and swordsmiths can also forge high-level swords. ”

"I see, I really have a specialization in the art industry, and I am a champion in my industry. Ou Chuyang nodded frequently, and finally saw a ray of light.

"It can be said that those who have not opened the sword gate in the world, if they want to get rid of the tragic fate of becoming a slave, there is no other way to be a smelter. Master Duan asked solemnly, "Would you like to worship me as a teacher and study the method of smelting?"

"Master is above, please accept the disciple's three bows!" Ou Chuyang immediately knelt down and bowed to the master.

......

In this way, Ou Chuyang officially became a smelting apprentice under Master Duan, and he was also his only disciple.

"The most common materials for casting swords are gold, silver, copper, iron, and steel. Gold, silver, and copper are too soft, and except for a few special varieties, most of them are made in scabbards, sword sheaths, etc. Therefore, the most commonly used main materials for sword casting are iron and steel. Of course, it is not uncommon for swords made of special materials such as jade, stone, wood, and ice to be made. But you can't reach it yet, so don't use it yet. ”

"Yes, Master. Ou Chuyang listened very carefully, and Master Duan also taught very carefully.

"The first step is to learn cast iron. Master Duan took Ou Chuyang to a large furnace and continued, "Pig iron is fragile, but it can be cast but not forged. Therefore, wrought iron is used to forge swords, and wrought iron is refined from pig iron, also known as wrought iron and pure iron. ”

......

Sand washing: Stripping iron sand from ore or scooping it out of sand and gravel.

Smelting: Iron sand and toner are laid in the furnace layer by layer, and raw iron is obtained by smelting at high temperature.

Refining: Further removal of impurities to make the iron purer.

Through these three steps, the most primitive first-order sword material was obtained: cast iron.

Master Duan picked up a piece of cast iron and pointed at it, and there was a faint sword qi turning. After inspecting it, he nodded and said, "Well, the purity is good." ”

"Master, are you sword qi?" asked Ou Chuyang.

"That's right, this is the sword qi material. The swordsmith infuses the sword qi into the sword material to test the purity and character of the material. Master Duan asked again: "Cast iron for more than a month, do you have any experience?"

"I can't talk about it. Ou Chuyang seized the opportunity to communicate with the master, "I just feel that for smelters, the most important thing is to control the temperature, and must know how high the temperature is used for how long to smelt, and the second is the mixing ratio of raw materials and fuels, knowing how to remove impurities without mixing other impurities." ”

"Yes, the head melon seeds are quite good. Master Duan nodded approvingly, and then said, "However, this is only the basics. Every successful smelter has three magic weapons. ”

"Three magic weapons?"

Master Duan explained to Ou Chuyang in detail: "The first is fire: there are many kinds of strange heavenly fires, earth fires, and extraterrestrial fires in this world...... All kinds of strange flames are collectively called strange fires. The stronger the Strange Fire mastered, the higher the grade of sword forging materials can be smelted. So for high-level smelters: Qihuo is their lifeblood!"

"Heavenly fire, earth fire, heavenly fire...... Strange Fire ......" Ou Chuyang's eyes lit up a raging flame, illuminating a bright avenue.

"The fire of coal used in steelmaking and ironmaking is only the lowest ordinary fire, and it is not a strange fire. Far from satisfying the requirements of high-level smelters, some of them extracted lava fire essence from the center of the earth, and some even ingested the fire from the meteorite outside the sky, each with its own ability. The strange fire in his hand basically determines the future of the smelter's rank. Master Duan patted Ou Chuyang's shoulder, "What kind of height you can reach depends on your creation." ”

Ou Chuyang remembered what he had learned before: a household gas stove could reach 1,800 °C, the oxy-acetyne flame used by welders could reach the same level as a volcanic eruption, and the temperature of a vacuum electric arc furnace was close to the surface of the sun, reaching a terrifying 6,000 °C...... It's a pity that the scientific knowledge in my head can't be used in this world, otherwise wouldn't it be easy to become a high-level smelter?

"In addition to the Strange Fire, the second secret of the high-level smelter is the refining method you mentioned. Master Duan continued: "Different sword casting materials require different temperatures for purification, and the techniques used are also different. These are the housekeeping skills of every smelter, and they are also secrets that are not passed on. ”

Only then did Ou Chuyang realize that he still regarded the smelter as too simple, and it was not just that he could smelt materials at high temperatures, this was also a technical job......

"In addition to possessing strange fires and secret methods, every high-level smelter also needs a treasure. ”

"Baby?"

"This is it. Master Duan smiled and pointed to the smelting of iron.

"This ......" Ou Chuyang was a little confused.

"Do you think this clay-fired furnace can last a lifetime?" Master Duan said with a smile: "There is earth fire above all fires, heavenly fires above earth fires, heavenly fires above heavenly fires, and above them is the supreme holy fire...... Not to mention the ethereal existence of the holy fire, let's just say that the heavenly fire, its terrifying power burns the sky and destroys the earth. This clay furnace was under the fire of the day, and it was afraid that it would turn into nothingness in an instant. ”

"Shhhh......h

"Therefore, after the smelter obtains it, he must also have a furnace that can hold the flames, so that he can use it to smelt the sword. Master Duan stretched out three fingers, "Flames, secret methods, and furnaces are the three magic weapons of the smelter, and it is with these three magic weapons that the smelter gradually separated from the ranks of the swordsmith and formed a series of his own, and finally reached the transcendent status of being equal to the swordsmith." ”

"Thank you Master for your advice, and the disciple will keep it in mind. Ou Chuyang said solemnly: "I will definitely not let Master down." ”

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