71 Heaven's Forge & The Grand Opening

"The renowned blacksmiths indeed do wear the medallion to symbolize their status, it is just not that common in these parts. Even though this city may look grand it is nothing compared to large cities." Caspian patiently explained.

"A blacksmith can indeed be known based on their skill without the medallion, but just makes it easier for both parties to discern the skill level. Besides, there are certain benefits, depending on your rank." he added.

"But why is it so secretive? I mean if their backer could do it, why would they not have a branch here?" Ronan voiced his thoughts.

"They do; it's just that in more remote regions, the shops are more service-based. There would be some places where one could be tested, but they are ultimately limited. This city has both of them, the service shop and the branch where one could be tested.'

"Master, does every blacksmith do the test?" Atlas asked curiously. Yes, as far as my knowledge stretches, they indeed do. The benefits are too great to ignore." Caspian smiled in response.

"What is their background then master? For even you to speak such words, they must be pretty strong," Ronan asked lightly.

"Mm, I know the name, but as to how strong they are," he shook his head with a sigh. I do not know, but I know for a fact there are Grandmasters in their ranks."

"Grandmasters!" Both young apprentices were shocked. Grandmasters were something they could only hear about in stories. They were second to only Supreme Master Blacksmiths, who were said to be able to forge Rank 9 weapons.

"What's it called Master?!" their curiosity was instantly piqued. Caspian glanced at his two disciples with a sly smile and whispered softly, "Heaven's Forge."

Caspian walked off, not even bothering to listen to the questions of the two boys. He had things to do; one in particular was for him to get a medallion from the Iron Forge. Only in this 

The way his reputation would be spread fast enough for Northern Star Commerce to earn money quickly. 

The trio walked for a while and soon reached the Iron Forge. When they went, Caspian directly stated his purpose, and he and the two boys were taken to a backroom, where they met the test examiner.

He was an old man with a bulky figure, white hair, and a grey beard. The introduction was swift, and the trio learned that the examiner was a Novice Tier 3 blacksmith based on the three stars on his medallion.

The test was completed without many problems, and soon, Caspian was given his medallion. He wore it on his robe as a symbol of his status. 

When he arrived at the commerce building, he shouted in joy once more, completely throwing away the facade of a calm and steady man. He held the joy of his advancement ever since he had gotten the medallion. 

Now, he could finally erupt where there was no one around except for his two apprentices.

Just like Caspian had predicted, it took only a short time before word of a new blacksmith, not to mention a Novice Tier 3 blacksmith, arrived in town. Blacksmiths were sporadic in Silverpeak. Before Caspian, there were only two blacksmiths of identical rank. 

One belonged to the House of Silver, while the other one was the old man from the Iron Forge. Now, including Caspian, the city of Silverpeak housed three blacksmiths of this caliber.

Thanks to his newfound reputation, interest in Northern Star Commerce had also increased. Now, it was only a few days away from opening, and they would have plenty of products to sell.

These days, the furniture and decorations are complete, and it is pretty luxurious. Eldric would have fainted if he had known how much money was poured into the decorations, but it was worth it.

The inside was decorated with deep blue and emerald green. Beautiful shelves looked to be made of old pine and oak, while glass cabinets held more dearly valued treasures.

Beautifully adorned candles and torches were mounted on the wall to bring a warm, cozy feel to the shop. However, that could not be considered the focal point of the shop.

Three pieces attracted the attention of every passerby. First was a warm fireplace straight in the middle of the shop. It was built more into the ground, so from walking into the building, one would go down a half-circle path around the campfire and a comfy seating area.

The second focal point was when one could retract their eyes from the warm fireplace towards the bright, star-like chandelier hanging from the second-floor ceiling, bringing a beautiful luster of colors to the room.

Finally, on top of the second-floor balcony inside the building, a glass cabinet housed a beautiful Warhammer. It was precisely the one Caspian had used to advance to the rank of a Tier 3 Novice blacksmith.

All three may seem a bit excessive if it was mentioned directly after one another, but for some reason, they blended seamlessly. 

Caspian was at first bewildered at the sight of the shop, as he too thought it would be excessive according to the designs the merchants explained to him, but when the product was finished, it seemed that Caspian had fallen in love.

Since he had leisure time on his hands due to him not being able to forge without a workshop. He was the one who sat in the seating area by the fire; his eyes wandered from time to time from the ever-dancing fire to the star-lit chandelier.

Then, finally, after days of fruitful preparations, the business began.

Eamon had opened the shop early in the morning, and at first, there were little to no customers, but as time passed, more and more people started wandering into the shop.