Ch.142Origin Point (6)

The simiter with its high power and the flexible Damascus steel had become one.

The sword created this way was truly worthy of being called the strongest.

It was light, sturdy, and didn’t break easily.

This meant it was suitable for cavalry to carry while sweeping through enemy lines.

Of course, infantry could use it too.

But considering the weight and destructive power of this sword, it was more appropriate to give it to cavalry.

“Please bestow a name upon this sword, Khagan.”

At Michael’s words, I nodded.

Then, looking at the sword, I murmured softly.

“Ild, Ild seems appropriate.”

It was the Mongolian word for curved sword.

Though a simple name, weapon names were traditionally simple to endure long and well.

This was a widely held belief among Mongols, who were warriors and hunters of the steppe.

That’s why I gave this perfect simiter a simple, easy-to-pronounce name.

Only then could the Mongol nomadic cavalry grip this sword and dash fearlessly across the steppes.

“Ild… a good name.”

I nodded at Munglig’s response.

Then I turned my head and handed the sword back to Michael.

But Michael and Cheolreuk bowed in place and did not accept the sword.

“We wish to offer this sword to the Khagan.”

“Please accept our gift.”

At their words, I shook my head.

“An excellent sword should be an example for all. So I will not accept this sword. Instead, I will leave it to be passed down through generations along with the history of the armory.”

Michael and Cheolreuk bowed at my words.

The reason I made this decision was actually because of something I had experienced in modern times.

Records had to be kept for the world to acknowledge something.

Without records, the world wouldn’t recognize achievements.

So from the beginning, I intended to leave a record that the Ulus was the first to manufacture Damascus steel and use it to create curved swords.

In that sense, this curved sword needed to be well preserved and passed down to future generations along with the history of the Ulus.

For this reason, I declined the curved sword they offered.

Instead, I placed the Ild in the armory to represent the history of the weapons workshop.

* * *

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Hey! Arakan! Move faster!”

“The heat is too low! Hurry up and move it!”

“What are you doing! Stop being so slow!”

The inside of the armory was bustling with people.

Craftsmen from Mongolia, Western Xia, Western Liao, Central Plains, Western Regions, and the Middle East were gathered together, sweating profusely.

“Move faster!”

The person leading all these craftsmen was none other than Cheolreuk.

Though an orphan, he had proudly won the technical competition hosted by Gurkhan.

Thanks to that, Cheolreuk was recognized along with Michael and now led this armory.

As Cheolreuk looked around at the working craftsmen, one particular artisan caught his eye.

So he immediately went down and approached that craftsman.

“My… my lord.”

“I am a craftsman just like you.”

Saying this, Cheolreuk picked up a hammer.

Then he grabbed iron tongs and seized the red-hot iron.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As his hammer struck down, blood-red iron fragments flew out.

Once the outline was somewhat formed, Cheolreuk, still holding the tongs, headed toward where the oil was.

And he pushed the heated iron into the oil.

Hissssss.

Because the heat was so high, flames burst wildly over the oil.

Yet Cheolreuk remained motionless, calmly waiting for the steel to cool.

After confirming that the iron had slowly cooled due to the oil’s temperature, Cheolreuk picked up the iron.

Then he moved back to the anvil.

“Did you see?”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“The entire process of me shaping the iron with a hammer, cooling the temperature with oil, and then returning to the anvil.”

“Y-yes… I saw.”

At those words, Cheolreuk nodded.

Then he pointed to the iron hanging from the tongs.

“This way, the oil forms a film on the outer surface, preventing the iron from cooling too quickly.”

“Wouldn’t that cause difficulties in smelting?”

“Usually, yes. But this iron comes from India. Since it’s elastic iron, there’s little distortion even if the heat is slightly lowered.”

The craftsman nodded at Cheolreuk’s words.

Seeing this, Cheolreuk adjusted his posture again and used the hammer to spread the iron out smoothly.

“Spread it out to about the size of a palm like this, then fold it in half.”

“If you fold it in half…”

With ordinary iron, folding it in half would increase strength but could distort the iron itself.

So the craftsman looked at Cheolreuk with worried eyes.

“As I said earlier, this iron has high elasticity, so it folds easily even at this low temperature.”

At those words, the craftsman’s eyes widened.

And he realized why Cheolreuk had used oil instead of water for smelting.

“So you’re gradually lowering the temperature while repeatedly flattening and folding the iron to maximize its strength.”

“Good observation. As you said, the key to making a pattern-welded sword is slowly lowering the temperature of the heated iron.”

Cheolreuk freely shared the technique his master had taught him with the craftsman.

Usually, such techniques were kept secret.

Moreover, Cheolreuk was a winner of the technical competition.

Learning techniques from such a person was a great honor.

Therefore, the craftsman focused intently, as if not wanting to miss a single moment.

This feeling wasn’t limited to just the craftsman.

Even the apprentice doing menial tasks like raising the furnace temperature had his eyes sparkling with the desire to learn the technique.

Seeing this, the craftsman scolded the apprentice.

“Hey! What are you doing! Go back and tend to the fire!”

“I… I want to learn too.”

“This is a technique only craftsmen can learn. An apprentice who only works the bellows has no place…”

At the craftsman’s words, Cheolreuk stopped his work.

And looking at the craftsman, he wore a cold expression.

“What did you just say?”

“Ah… no… that… this… this boy is trying to steal your precious technique…”

“Gurkhan has said that everyone is equal here, and anyone who wishes can learn techniques at any time. Yet you’re now criticizing an apprentice who desires to learn?”

“Tech-techniques have a proper path… it’s too advanced for someone who hasn’t even held a hammer yet.”

“Didn’t you learn the same way when you were his age?”

At Cheolreuk’s criticism, the craftsman couldn’t say a word, like someone with honey in their mouth.

Belatedly realizing his mistake, the craftsman bowed his head and repented.

“I’m sorry, sir.”

“I’ll let it go with a warning this time, but if you do it again, you’ll be punished.”

At Cheolreuk’s stern warning, the craftsman nodded.

With the situation now calmed, Cheolreuk gestured for the young apprentice to come closer.

“Come closer. Though your skills may be insufficient to understand right away, if you keep learning with your eyes, you too can become the Ulus’s finest craftsman.”

“Are… are you talking to me? S-sir?”

“Everyone here started just like you. So don’t be intimidated. Always think about moving forward, craving knowledge.”

At Cheolreuk’s words, the apprentice wore a moved expression.

Seeing the apprentice, Cheolreuk continued the work he had momentarily paused.

As he maintained the temperature and continued folding the iron, a clear wave pattern emerged distinctly on the sword.

“Ohhh…”

“It’s truly beautiful.”

“If you maintain the balance of the blade like this and sharpen the end, it becomes a straight sword. If you apply force to the left side of the blade and curve the tip, it becomes an Ild.”

Saying this, Cheolreuk pointed to the nearly completed sword.

Then, looking at the craftsman and apprentice, he gestured toward a corner.

“Take the blade and find Master Michael. He will teach you how to shape the sword.”

At those words, the craftsman and apprentice bowed.

Then, expressing their gratitude repeatedly, they moved away.

Having finished teaching, Cheolreuk turned his head.

The craftsmen who had gathered around him smiled awkwardly.

They too had been watching Cheolreuk work to learn his techniques.

“It seems many wish to learn. Those who need to learn, gather around. I will teach you right away. If you have questions, ask immediately.”

“Thank you, sir!”

“How can we maintain the temperature well?”

“How should we maintain the center when making an Ild?”

Many craftsmen approached Cheolreuk.

In response, Cheolreuk kindly answered each of their questions one by one.

* * *

The number of craftsmen who learned Cheolreuk’s techniques increased.

As a result, the work speed at the armory began to accelerate.

This was possible because the craftsmen who learned Cheolreuk’s techniques formed small groups and divided the labor.

“You have good strength, so you handle the hammering.”

“I have experience with oil quenching. So I’ll handle the quenching.”

“I’ll do the folding.”

It was impossible for a single craftsman to replicate all of Cheolreuk’s techniques exactly.

So the craftsmen took on the areas they were best at based on their abilities.

As each person’s specialty was determined, the work speed increased.

Seeing this tremendous work pace, Cheolreuk and Michael were greatly inspired by their working method.

So they decided to apply it to the entire armory.

“What if we create groups of those who are good at hammering, those who are good at quenching, and those who are good at folding?”

At Michael’s words, Cheolreuk nodded.

“It seems like a good method. But wouldn’t that lower the quality of the swords?”

“Don’t worry about that. Experienced people like us can do final inspections to catch defects.”

Even if a craftsman focused all their attention on making a single sword, defects were inevitable.

So they were trying to increase overall production capacity by increasing the total quantity, even accounting for defects.

Of course, they couldn’t ignore the defects themselves.

It was directly related to the lives of warriors who would carry these swords into battle.

Therefore, Cheolreuk and Michael, who could be considered the heads of this armory, planned to check the completed swords and catch defects.

“And if we make swords in craftsman groups like this, we can immediately identify who made a mistake when defects occur.”

By specializing each area, they could immediately identify where problems occurred in the sword manufacturing process.

Then they could temporarily remove the craftsman who caused the problem and improve them through focused training.

Moreover, thanks to this division of fields, even if one person was absent, they could insert another craftsman from the same field, so production wouldn’t decrease.

“Truly an excellent plan.”

Saying this, Cheolreuk agreed with Michael’s proposal.

And so, the Ulus’s first division-of-labor armory was born.