Chapter 76

Tang En handed over the folding forging method, as well as the techniques of packing steel and mud quenching, to Brian and Edgar. These were things he had come across while aimlessly browsing the internet in his past. He couldn't explain the specific principles behind them, but he understood them intuitively—though he knew that the results would be powerful, and that was enough.

"When the steel ingot is heated and hammered to the right degree, use a wedge to create a groove, then fold the steel blank and align it, and continue heating and hammering..."

"After a horizontal fold, there should be a vertical fold. This process can enhance the sword's toughness..."

"During the vertical folding, insert a prepared steel ingot. The size must be pre-measured. This process is called packing steel, which is also to increase the internal toughness of the sword..."

With Tang En's magical assistance, the forging process went incredibly smoothly. What would have taken a master swordsmith on Earth a month or even two was completed in just a few hours. After all, Brian's strength far exceeded that of humans on Earth.

By the time night fell, the process was still going smoothly.

Tang En glanced at the sky and said, "Let's continue. We'll rest after we're done."

"Alright!"

Brian and Edgar were both flushed with excitement, not feeling the least bit tired. They were eager to see how powerful the new weapon would be under Tang En's guidance.

"Oh, right, the sword should be narrower. Not a two-handed sword, and not the style of a noble's one-handed sword... it should look like this."

Tang En waved his hand, and a stream of water coalesced into the shape of a sword in the air.

"This..."

Brian frowned slightly. "It looks a lot like the one-handed swords used by elven blade dancers."

"That's right, I like this appearance—by the way, I'll be using this sword."

No one dared to question Tang En's words, and Brian could only grumble inwardly.

Since Tang En felt that his steel-making techniques were not perfect, there might still be many impurities, so the folding process was repeated several more times. Don't underestimate these few extra folds; combined with the previous ones, the sword blank had far surpassed the "hundred folds" limit.

Next came the mud quenching.

"Using this mud to create a temperature difference during quenching will give the sword a natural, slight curve. It will also produce beautiful patterns..."

Brian followed Tang En's instructions meticulously, almost to the letter, crafting what would be the first true steel sword in Plandar.

After the quenching, the remaining steps of polishing and sharpening were left to Brian. Tang En didn't know much about these processes, so he left them to Brian and returned to the lord's residence, waiting to see the finished product in the morning.

"Why are you back so late?"

Fiona had been waiting in the dining room for a long time. Without Tang En, Tina wouldn't order the meal to be served, even if Fiona commanded it, which left her hungry and frustrated after a long day of work.

"I did something interesting."

Tang En was in a good mood. "Tina, let's eat."

"Yes, my lord."

Tina took her leave.

"Interesting?"

Fiona looked at Tang En suspiciously. Ellington was different from the capital; there were no places for Tang En to indulge in extravagance, so she dismissed the thought after a moment.

Tang En going to such a place? Unlikely. With a beautiful woman right beside him, he didn't even show much interest, so why would he go to such a place?

Tang En praised, "Yes, I must say, Brian's skills are truly excellent!"

Fiona's eyes widened in surprise. "B-Brian's skills are excellent!?"

"Right, Edgar is also good, but he falls short in some areas... sigh, is this the difference between humans and dwarves?"

Edgar is also good!?

Fiona took a deep breath, and many unbelievable images flashed through her mind. She shook her head and cautiously asked, "Pardon me, my lord, you're talking about... forging, right?"

Tang En looked at Fiona in confusion. "Of course, what else could it be?"

"Phew..."

Fiona let out a sigh of relief. "That's good, that's good..."

If such an excellent lord had a taste for something else, Fiona would have been truly at a loss.

Dinner was soon served. Tang En, who had been in a good mood, immediately became extremely unhappy when he saw the usual roasted meat and thick soup on the table.

After just a few bites of the roasted meat, he lost his appetite.

"My lord?"

Tina asked cautiously, "Is the food not good today?"

"Not that... Tina, do we have any other dishes besides roasted meat, thick soup, and bread?"

"Other dishes?"

Tina and Fiona were stunned, looking at Tang En strangely. "My lord, what are you talking about? These are excellent dishes."

Many people in Ellington couldn't even afford bread, and the lord was complaining about the roasted meat...

Tina couldn't help but grumble inwardly.

"I didn't mean that... eating the same things all the time, even if they are delicious, can get tiring..."

Tang En sighed. If he had been born in a Western country on Earth, he might not have said anything, but he was born in a country with a rich and diverse culinary culture...

This was unbearable.

Suddenly, Tang En remembered the chili peppers he had obtained in Caspamir Castle. His eyes lit up, and he stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the kitchen to cook!"

"What!?"

Tina exclaimed in shock. "No! My lord, you are so noble, how can you go to the kitchen!"

"I'm going!"

Tang En pouted, leaving a stunned Fiona behind as he rushed into the kitchen.

"Frying pan, frying pan... no? Humph, I'll make one in a minute! Oil... got it! Eggs... so many eggs!? Never mind, I'll just pick a few... salt... got it! Tools ready! Ingredients ready!"

Tang En was very happy as he grabbed the knife, but the next moment... he was stopped by Tina!

"My lord! Please don't take away our right to work!"

Tina was in tears. "If even cooking needs your intervention, what is the point of us being here?"

Even Marlene and the other girls came over with teary eyes, blocking Tang En from moving.

Damn! I just wanted to make a simple stir-fried egg with chili peppers, is this really necessary!?

Tang En was exasperated, but the girls wouldn't let go, clinging tightly to his arms. He didn't dare to use force!

"Tina, listen to me, I just want to cook a dish to improve our meals..."

"But, but you..."

"You all do a great job, I like it, and I've never thought of firing you, understand?"

Tang En gently consoled Tina and the others. "Besides, once I finish cooking, you can learn, and I won't have to do it myself in the future."

Tina looked up. "R-Really? You won't fire us?"

"Really!"

Tang En was helpless. If he were a noble from Plandar, he would have been furious, but he was from Earth, where respecting others was a natural instinct. Plus, the girls looked so pitiful... it was impossible to get angry!

After much persuasion, they finally let him go, but they didn't eat and stood by, watching him closely.

They were worried that the lord, who had never cooked before, might get hurt...

Fiona stood at the door, holding a piece of bread, and watched Tang En with a skeptical look, wondering what he was up to.

Tang En sighed in relief, taking out a few chili peppers from his bag. The spicy smell alone made his mouth water.

Although Tang En wasn't a great chef on Earth, he had lived alone for many years and knew how to cook. Stir-frying a dish was not difficult for him.

He skillfully washed the chili peppers, cut them, removed the seeds, cracked the eggs, heated the pan, and poured the oil...

Seeing this, the girls were all stunned.

How could a noble lord like him know how to cook!?

And he was so skilled!

Fiona was even more stunned, her mind completely blank.

In her mind, Tang En was a powerful and mysterious mage, a genius alchemist, and possibly a strong warrior. Now, he didn't mind cooking?

Which strong person—no, even a common noble—would willingly go into the kitchen!

Their surprise reached its peak when the egg mixture hit the pan.

"Heaven! So fragrant!"

A young maid exclaimed. She was usually responsible for cooking, and her specialties were roasting bread and meat, but the smell made her drool.

Tina and the other maids were also amazed, watching the pan as the egg mixture expanded and emitted a mouth-watering aroma.

With a light "plop," the half-eaten bread in Fiona's mouth fell to the ground, her eyes fixed on the pan, and her mouth watering uncontrollably.

The smell of the stir-fried eggs made Tang En almost cry...

The eggs were quickly cooked, taken out of the pan, and then the oil was poured again, and the chili peppers were added!

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The strong spicy smell hit them, and the maids started coughing violently, their eyes red as they ran out of the kitchen.

Tang En laughed heartily, waving the spatula and humming a tune, flipping the chili peppers a few times, then adding the eggs back to the pan, sprinkling salt, flipping a few more times, and taking it out of the pan!

When Tang En brought the plate of stir-fried eggs with chili peppers back to the dining room, the group of girls all looked at him with red eyes, crying as if they had just been abandoned...

"My lord..."

Fiona wiped her eyes, looking at Tang En with a resentful expression. "Are you cooking or doing some strange alchemical experiment?"

Tang En: "..." === PS: Don't forget to vote! ===