Hoover replied after he tried to calm himself down, “Rest assured, Master Abel. We’ll have this talk once the gathering event is over.”

There was no reason to get jealous. Hoover knew that. If anything, it was a great honor to have such a genius to come from the Duchy of Carmel. If he could do his part to help Abel develop himself, he would also be very proud of himself.

As soon as Hoover agreed to him, Abel stood up and gave a deep, sincere bow. He wasn’t explicitly saying it, but he already thought of Hoover as his teacher.

Hoover immediately came to lift Abel from the ground. The other master blacksmiths also saw it. While they didn’t know what they were whispering about, they could see that Abel was both an extremely talented AND humble man.

“Please, Master Hoover,” Abel pleaded as he got up from the ground, “Take this knight’s big sword with you. I’ve made it just recently. If you don’t mind, please accept it as my gift to

you.”

Abel was very precise about his timing. If he gave the sword away at the start, everyone would think he was asking Hoover for a favor.

But no. After everyone has found out about how valuable the knight’s big sword was, the meaning of this gesture was completely different. Abel was giving this gift to his potential teacher. That just lifted Master Hoover’s status to a place that was higher than he’s ever been in before.

The atmosphere of the room just became very harmonious. The other masters were starting to take notice. Not only did the sword convey how skillful Abel was, but it also demonstrated what kind of character he possessed.

Master Morry carried on with his job as the host, “Everyone! We’ll now add an additional procedure to our today’s event! It’s something that Master Robin and Master Thorin have proposed. They would like all the master blacksmiths here to examine Master Abel’s blackfire magic staff.”

Truth be told, Master Morry was hoping that Abel would take out the blackfire magic staff at the start. Now that he chose to take a knight’s big sword, he had to resort to a different plan to make him take what he wanted to see. Of course, he did it under the consent of Master Robin and Master Thorin. They also wanted to have a closer look at Abel’s magic staff.

When Abel looked towards Master Robin and Master Thorin, they both threw a friendly smile at him. It seemed that they weren’t the kind to play any tricks on him. With that in mind, he ordered Bartoli to hand the blackfire magic staff to him.

Abel put the magic staff on the table, “Behold, everyone! This is the blackfire magic staff that I’ve just created.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere of the room became a little strange. It started off with Master Robin coming in.

Master Robin said, “Excuse me all. Because of my relations with Master Bentham, Master Abel’s teacher, I’ve decided that it would be better if I don’t participate in the examination process.”

Master Thorin, too, stood up and said, “Same here. I’m a good friend of Master Bentham as well. I also don’t think it’s a good idea for me to participate in the examination.”

After hesitating for a bit, Master Hoover also stood up, “I believe you all know about how Master Abel and I are both from the Duchy of Carmel. Because of that, I’m also not going to take part in this examination process.”

Master Morry spoke in a solemn tone, “Everyone! There have been three master blacksmiths that have withdrawn from the examination process. Usually, it takes only about seven masters for an examination. If you do not wish to be one of the candidates, please go ask Master Abel if you want to request a further audience after this!”

After scanning through the crowd, Master Morry spoke again, “If there are any more of you that would wish to withdraw, please tell me now. Otherwise, we’ll now decide on who gets to take part in the examination. We’ll do this by drawing straws.”

Since no one volunteered to withdraw, Master Morry took out a box that was prepared beforehand. There was a hole on top of it, and it was just enough to fit a hand in.

Master Morry explained, “Whoever gets red will be the examiner. Those who don’t, you are immediately out of the examination process!”

Soon, seven master blacksmiths were selected. They were all very happy that they did, while those who didn’t were very disappointed.

A dwarven master spoked out in awe as he looked at the blackfire magic staff, “Wow! I don’t know where he’s learned this stuff before, but he’s using the same techniques that we dwarves use. Look, he’s using the soul of an intermediate-tier spirit as his material.”

“It’s not just that. He’s also made improvements to our dwarven techniques. Whatever he’s done, the effect of this staff is already several times better than what we are capable of making!”

A human master interrupted, “Sorry, but I can’t agree with what you’re saying there. While we can all say this staff was made of the techniques of the dwarves, I don’t think what Master Abel did was, as you’ve put it, an “improvement.” From what it looks like, he is using a completely different technique. It’s almost like he’s making the magic staff by connecting it with an external power source, and that is this magic gemstone right here. If anything, since he’s the one who invented it, I think it’s more of a human invention than anything else.”

When the dwarven master was about to comment on that, another dwarven came in to stop a potential fight, “Eh, well. Whether it’s an “invention” or an “improvement,” this is certainly a great leap from where our current level. I don’t know how many times Master Abel has tried to accomplish something like this, but now that it has become a success, I think it’s only fair that we all celebrate for the path he has opened for the rest of us.”

Master Morry spoke loudly, “Everyone! Have we reached a consensus yet?”

“Yes, Master Morry,” one of the dwarven masters replied, “The consensus is that Master Abel has, with what he’s just shown us, surpassed even that of our great predecessors.”

“Aye!”

“Aye!”

“Aye!”

“Heck, aye!”

“Aye!”

“Aye!”

The other six master blacksmiths all agreed to what Master Morry was saying.

As though trying to suppress his own enthusiasm, Master Morry began to call out,

“Well, yeah! Master Abel is one of the greatest blacksmiths in today’s time. That’s just my opinion, but I don’t think anyone is going to disagree with me.”

“Master Abel has demonstrated creativity and productivity that we’ve never seen before. I cannot find the right words to express how much I admire him. I don’t think I’ll EVER be able to reach where he’s at. That being said, he has already motivated me so much to excel in my own research.’

“Yeah. Master Abel’s pretty skilled, yeah. You’ve got to be a fool to doubt about that.”

“What a great honor it is to sit here and enjoy Master Abel’s work. Honestly, it’s got to be one of the greatest things that has happened to me.”

“I’ve got to agree with you there. I was the one who gave Master Abel’s certification when he became a master blacksmith. Now that I’m standing here, I’ve got two things that I’ll be forever proud of.”

“If this blackfire magic staff could be enchanted with an even more powerful spell, it would almost certainly become legendary equipment. Whoever has done that, he will be forever remembered by history itself.”

“About that. No offense, Master Abel, but I’m really starting to doubt that you have a more powerful magic staff than this one. Why, then, would you ever show this in public? Not that I’m complaining about it…”

Abel was very shy when he was complimented like this. He didn’t know why they had to do this, but the seven masters were doing all they could to praise him for his work. Even Master Robin, Master Thorin, and Master Hoover were all starting to look at him in admiration.

“In the Cina City Blacksmith Union headquarter, with I, Morry, as the host, and with the approval of seven of our master blacksmiths, we have reached a collective approval of the blackfire magic staff that Master Abel has created. With that, according to our existing rules, Master Abel has fulfilled all the requirements that are needed to be promoted to a grandmaster blacksmith. Thus, on behalf of the Blacksmith Union…”

Master Morry suddenly paused. At the same time, all the master blacksmiths started standing. They were all witnessing a historic moment.

“Abel Harry!” Master Morry’s voice echoed across the entire building, and into the world that was outside, “Abel Harry is now the fourth grandmaster blacksmith that has ever come out of the Holy Continent’s Blacksmith Union!”

Abel was shocked. If it wasn’t for the Horadric Cube, he didn’t think that he would be anywhere close to where he was at today.