All the other students in the class were shocked. Although they didnât understand most of the signals, they knew from the instructorâs reaction that Qian Jin who was usually quiet in class wasnât just a strong warrior; he was an intelligent person as well.
âSo thirstyâŠâ Qian Jin chugged down two handfuls of water from a water tank. He thought back to his performance when he tried to secure his position in the Warrior Energy Concentration Array. Some terms were really hard to explain. He thought that the knowledge and skills he had learnt before were useless after the test, but he never expected to use it again today.
After he returned to the classroom, he realized that most of the students were still in shock. Instructor Juan stood up and slowly walked out of the classroom in a numbed state. He didnât even look at Qian Jin on the way out as Qian Jin passed by him.
Qian Jin looked at the schedule. Continental Geography was next. As he returned to his seat, he heard Rollinâs deep and low voice, âIâm going to cheat off of you in the final exam for Military Flag Signaling.â
âNo problem, as long as you stop trying to hook me up with your sisterâŠâ
âCheating off of each other is purely between a man and a man; thatâs how we build trust! I donât do any trades around that! I, Rollin, am a man with principles! You are meant to be my brother-in-law!â
Geography, Basic Military Formation⊠Continental History⊠and Warrior Fighting.
Like other novice warrior and mage academies, the studentsâ schedules at Oakland Academy were filled with courses. There were four classes in the morning and two in the afternoon. The day was so full that the students couldnât even feel time pass by. In the blink of an eye, the two afternoon classes had been finished.
Qian Jin stretched his back as he looked up to the sky. It was still quite early, so he didnât hurry to the little forest to accept the challenges. He decided to go to Franklinâs Blacksmith Shop first. After finally finding a high paying job, why wouldnât he use this time to earn more money?
As soon as the last instructor of the day left the classroom, Qian Jin got up and left the classroom in a hurry.
As the second largest blacksmith shop in the remote Oakland City, Franklinâs Blacksmith Shop was never quiet; even the pedestrians on the street could hear the sounds of metals colliding from the backyard of the shop.
But when Qian Jin arrived at the gate of the shop, he didnât hear the usual metal colliding noises made between the hammers and metals.
âIs today a rest day?â Qian Jin walked into the shop curiously. As soon as the salespeople at the front store saw him, the pessimistic expressions on their faces instantly became more optimistic.
The few salespeople who had Qian Jin met last time rushed to him like a flood. Only one person rushed in the opposite direction, moving towards the workshop at the back.
âQian Jin, finallyâŠâ
âQian Jin, quick! Come! You have to redeem us!â
âQian Jin, the reputation of Franklinâs Blacksmith Shop lies in your hands nowâŠâ
Qian Jin glanced at these workers. He felt it was strange since he had just joined Franklinâs Blacksmith Shop a day ago, and he only knew how to forge [Level 2 Refined Iron]. The owner, Franklin, could forge out proper weapons. If the workers and the shop had to rely on someone, it should have definitely been Franklin.
As Qian Jin was wondering, loud chatting and footsteps could be heard from the backrooms.
âQian Jin, you finally cameâŠâ
Francis was first person that came out of the backrooms. He opened his arms and hugged Qian Jin with his thirty-pound hammer in one of his hands.
A few more blacksmiths followed Francis and came to the front of the store. Qian Jin became more curious. This was only his second day at the shop, and he did not have any friends in particular, so why were there bright smiles on everyoneâs faces?
Next, two more men came out of the backroom through the door that was connecting the front of the store and the backroom. One of the men was lean and tall, but the muscles on his arms and shoulders told people that he was very strong. He was wearing clothes that only a blacksmith would wear; he was obviously a blacksmith.
The only thing that was different was that he had a metal badge that had a fire and hammer symbol engraved on it. It was not the badge representing Franklinâs Blacksmith Shop. This person was from another blacksmith shop.
This badge was famous in Oakland. It was the badge of the number one blacksmith shop â Lucasâ Blacksmith Shop. Qian Jin had lived in the city for a while now and had recognized it immediately.
âWhy is someone from Lucasâ Blacksmith Shop here? He doesnât look too friendly. Is he here to cause some trouble?â Qian Jin quickly observed the man in front of him and made many guesses. âIt probably isnât what Iâm thinking it is. Lucasâ Blacksmith Shop is much larger than Franklinâs Blacksmith Shop. Although one is number one and the other one is number two, they are not on the same level. Lucasâ Blacksmith Shop doesnât have to use such tactics to bring in more business.â
As Qian Jin was thinking to himself, seven more people walked out of the backrooms and came to the front of the store. There were five men and two women. They were all wearing simple leather armor, and each held their own weapons: swords, iron blades and such. Each of them also had a leather bag on their waist which were of different sizes.
This was the standard setup for adventurers! The only things that were missing from this group were mages and archers.
Qian Jin raised his eyebrows, but he didnât look surprised towards the missing roles. Mages were a rare and precious profession. Many mages decided to enter the military or become retainers for royal or noble families since there were more resources there to help them.
Of course, according to legends, there were a bunch of young and ambitious mages who created the Mage Union. A lot of mages had joined the Mage Union. They helped each other to create different magic spells, performed research in various areas and accepted quests and missions to earn compensation to help with the Mage Unionâs operations.
Only a very small number of mages joined adventurer teams or mercenary groups, so it was very rare to see them.
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From the looks of it, Qian Jin could tell that this adventurer team wasnât rich. The chance of them successfully recruiting a mage was less than the chance of a meteor hitting the continent.
In terms of hiring and renting a mage for a short time, it was also unlikely. Low-level mages couldnât even cast a fireball spell by themselves. All they could do was use some supporting spells. There was a higher chance for them to mess up and drag the team down compared to actually being helpful. In the unfortunate event of them dying in an adventure, the Mage Union would ask for a large lump sum of money as compensation. The Mage Union would never go easy in these kinds of events.
It was very expensive to be a mage. Mages needed a lot of money to continue their research, and making magic scrolls required a lot of money for raw materials. For an adventurer team with these kinds of equipment and weapons, they wouldnât be able to hire a mage for a short period of time even if they sold all their belongings. Also, if the mage accidently died, they could never afford to pay the penalty.
âAre you the Level 2 Blacksmith who came here yesterday?â
The man from Lucasâ Blacksmith Shop looked Qian Jin carefully. Qian Jin could tell from their eyes that they were very surprised. They couldnât believe that this young man was a Level 2 Blacksmith.