Chapter 114 - The Blacksmith's Warehouse

Lucas was listening intently from the moment she mentioned Henry as her father. "I never knew he had a daughter", he thought. He followed behind her and saw Henry making something.

"Father, there is someone there to see you. He holds a Golden Black card", she said as she informed her father. She motioned for Lucas to greet him, and he did as he was told. She was asked to leave and the two of them went into Henry's study.

Right after he closed the door, he pulled Lucas into an embrace. His eyes were filled with love as he looked at him.

"How have you been? How's being a commoner like?", he asked as he let him go and poured him a cup of tea. Lucas had a smile across his face as he received the tea from him. 

"Until now, I can say that it has been good. The only problem seems to be money at the moment. I have rented out a  shop and a house along with it. The payment method for that is quite simple for now. I have to be their exclusive blacksmith, and make things for their family", he said.

Henry was scratching his beard as he was listening. His face was scrunching, and it was evident that something was on his mind. 

"If you have agreed to their deal, I want to know which family they are, and what are they asking for. I was in your position once, but since I was in a good family, they were willing to let me go work in the Royal Family", he said.

"They're the Van Hueston's", he replied. Henry's hands were shaking right after he heard the name. His eyes became moist and he placed the cup back on the table.

"You have found a very good family, Lucas. They are the ones I had worked with before I came into the Royal Palace. They are quite generous with money, and if my memory serves me right, you must use a place which has a house attached at the top of the shop", he said.

Lucas smiled in response. The place was the same as he had described, and it seemed like after Henry left the family, the place had been left as it is for the sake of Henry. And since they have allowed Lucas to stay, it meant that they must have acknowledged him.

Lucas then began his story of how he had to make something in the portal, and how he had made Robert a Katana, and proved his worth as a Blacksmith. Henry listened to every detail, to the point of him starting his own business.

"The problem I have is getting my name out there. I know Iron Forge has a reputation, and I would like to work on something together like we used to. This time, just give me the credit for it", he said with a cheeky smile. 

Henry let out a hearty laugh and began to think deeply. He didn't know how to collaborate with him, as he didn't have any designs that he could make him work on. Something popped up in his mind as he thought deeply.

"We are planning to make a competition for Blacksmiths, and there is a minimum level entry for this. But before all of this, you should go and get licensed to open up a shop. Any unlicensed person who runs a shop will pay a hefty amount of penalty to the Palace. Oh wait, you already have one", he sighed. 

He was sure that the license was going to be a problem as he had taken it under his real name, Lucas Heart, and not Lucas Smith. And if he did retake the test and the credentials matched, he would be expelled from the place.

"I have someone from the department who owes me something. Give me your license and I will get the name changed. Don't worry about your identity leaking out, she is trustworthy", he said. Lucas nodded his head and gave him his license, and was about to leave.

"About the partnership, I will send you a blueprint in the next two days. I need ten pieces first, and if the sales are going well, we can split it 51-49. Fifty-One percent for me, and forty-nine percent for you", he said.

Lucas snickered as he knew as to why he was making such a split. It was because he was a newbie to the scene according to the masses, and this was something he was doing out of consideration. 

He left the room and headed outside, and he saw the girl waiting for him. She nodded her head in acknowledgment, and he followed behind her. They boarded the car and returned to the shop, and Lucas bid farewell to the girl.

"Just who is he? I have never seen him here before, and that was the longest time I have seen Father talk with someone. And he looks young too", she began to think. Lucas was far gone from the shop, not knowing about the girl's thoughts behind him.

He reached back to his place and laid out the blueprints he had made for Tobias. He took out the money he needed to purchase the materials and left for the Blacksmith's warehouse.

The Blacksmith's Warehouse was the place where Blacksmiths gathered to buy materials in bulk, and it was quite cheap compared to other places that sold the materials at high prices. It was a wholesale market, and it always worked on a first come first serve basis.

It was a place that was open only on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Scruffles were inevitable in this place, and at times a full-out brawl might even happen. At that time, the people who run the warehouse intervened and solve the issue so that it doesn't create any problems for the other customers. 

Lucas ran past the crowd and arrived at the heart of the place where all the metal was sold. He was sure that this would be the busiest place, and he made haste towards it. Just as he reached the place, he heard the sound of fervent bidding.

"Three hundred Gold going once! Going twice!", said the announcer. Lucas was about to raise his hand when the hammer struck the table and the item was sold off. There were sounds of disappointment, but due to the need for it, everyone understood.

This was an unspoken agreement between the Blacksmiths. That if two people want the same thing, then they shall bid with each other and the winner shall take the item or said material. He saw a bag of metal given away to him, and the announcer brought forth the next material.

"This here is another batch of metal. The purity of this one is much higher than the one that was sold before. It is seventy-five percent pure. The bids shall begin at a hundred and seventy-five coins. The weight of the package is twenty kilograms", finished the announcer.

There was a roar amongst the crowd, and the bids began to grow higher. Lucas was still counting the other materials he needed to buy, and he would only have seven hundred gold left to spare.

The bids were fervent until they reached five hundred, and the people who called out now were fewer. Right after it reached six hundred, there was only one man who had bid. Everyone was sure that he would be the winner, and Lucas decided to make his move.

"Six hundred and ten", he said as he raised his hand. The man who was sure that he would be winning now had a frustrated look on his face. He quickly turned his head towards Lucas and marched towards him.

"Kid, know your place. This is not somewhere you can mess around", he said with a seething tone. His face was inches away from Lucas's, and he had a smirk. Lucas looked back into the man's eyes with confidence. 

He quickly turned around and raised the bid, "Six hundred and fifteen". Lucas now raised the bid, as he had little money left. And it seemed like the man who was in front of him had neared the end of his funds. 

"Six hundred and fifty", he raised. Many people around him shook their heads sideways. Everyone was sure that he was now going towards a loss, and the materials were not worth that much. But Lucas didn't give any mind to that as he picked up the metal he had won.

He made his way to the stores that sold paint, and he bought some colors he thought would be fitting for Tobias. After his purchase, he was left with a mere amount of fifty gold. 

"The materials have become pricey. I wonder if there is any place where I can mine out Titanium or any other metals. The people who mine are truly making a killing", he thought as he packed up everything and went back to the shop.

He was now ready to make the [Shocker's gauntlet] for Tobias.. He went into the forge, ready to face a challenge as this was going to be his first time to make a gauntlet.