Chapter 12 Erden's task
Tommy chuckled before pushing open the door and entering.
Upon entering he looked around and found that directly in front of him was a service counter that blocked further access to the forge, though there was a hatch that could be lifted to allow access.
Behind the counter directly in front and curving round to the right were many weapon racks displaying weapons and armor.
To the left of these racks the customer could see further into the forge where a man was hard at work hammering the blade of some weapon on an anvil. The blacksmith continued to do this for about half an hour as Tommy just patiently stood at the counter and waited for the blacksmith to be done.
As a professional of his own craft, Tommy knew just how patient an assassin sometimes had to be, he could be waiting hours if not days for an elusive target to show themselves. He also knew that one of the most annoying things was being interrupted at a critical stage.
Eventually the man dunked the blade back into the water to let it cool before he placed down his hammer and the tongs he was using to hold the blade.
He grabbed a cloth to wipe away the sweat before turning to look at Tommy and said.
"Well at least you're more polite and considerate than most people who come here."
Tommy just smiled in response.
"Did you see the sign?" Erden asked.
"I did." Tommy replied.
"Did you bring it?" Erden asked.
"Of course." Tommy answered.
"Show me." Erden instructed.
Tommy pulled the letter out of his pocket (Item Box) before sliding it across the counter.
Erden picked it up and showed slight surprise when he saw the logo of the Adventures Guild on the front before he unfolded the letter and gave it a quick read.
After a moment Erden places the letter down on the counter before saying.
"Kele seems to think highly of you to give you a letter of introduction."
"So tell me boy, what is it that you're after?"
(Boy? Before I died I was around the same age as you.) Tommy thought before saying.
"The use of your forge."
Erden showed a surprised look that soon turned into a frown before saying.
"That's a big ask, after all, a blacksmith's forge is their life."
"What do you plan to make?"
"This." Tommy said before once pulling from his pocket (Item Box) a 9mm bullet and placing it on the counter.
Tommy didn't bother to hide the fact he wanted to use the forge to help him craft bullets.
If Erden allowed him to use the forge he would naturally learn what Tommy was producing in the future anyway.
And while Erden might learn a thing or two about manufacturing bullets from watching Tommy work, he didn't have a gun to use the bullets with.
Erden picked up the bullet and examined it, he marveled at the quality of the product and how well made it was before saying.
"This is amazing craftsmanship, I have never seen anything like it, who made it and what is it?"
"I'm afraid I can't reveal who made it, however I can tell you that it's a type of ammunition."
"Ammunition? Like an arrow or bolt?" Erden asked in curiosity.
"Similar but also different." Tommy replied vaguely.
"What is it called?" Erden asked.
"The common name is bullet, however like crossbow bolts, they can come in different sizes.
Erden nodded in understanding before asking.
"What sort of weapon fires such a small bullet?"
"If you allow me to use your forge you will find out in the future." Tommy replied.
Erden studied the bullet for a bit longer before placing it down on the counter and looking at Tommy.
"Although I'm intrigued by this thing."
Erden said as he pointed at the bullet before continuing.
"I can't just let a random stranger use my forge, if you want me to consider it you need to do two things."
"Name them." Tommy said.
"You will need to prove your ability in using a forge, I won't let a novice into my forge where he could damage it."
"Understandable." Tommy said while nodding in agreement.
"However before that I need you to prove you're an ally."
"Oh?" Tommy replied in curiosity.
"Recently the city's gangs and criminal organizations have started pressuring me to make them weapons and armor."
"In the past this never happened because of my position in the city."
"I am the blacksmith that makes and repairs the city's weapons and armor after all."
"However the criminal organizations that were once disorganized and rivals of one another have been brought together under one noble who has a large backing himself."
"A noble controls the criminals in this city?" Tommy asked with slight surprise.
While this was not something new to him as he had assassinated many crime lords in the past.
These crime lords always made sure to stay in the shadows and not let anyone other than their lieutenants know of their existence if at all possible, the bottom feeder grunts were led to believe that these lieutenants were actually the leaders of the respective gangs.
It always took some time to discover who his true target was.
But for a blacksmith to know the identity of the crime lord showed that either this crime lord was stupid, or the concept of crime lord was something new in this world, or perhaps both.
"Indeed." Erden said before continuing.
"While this noble himself does not hold much or any power in the political landscape, the fat pig's older brother who dotes upon him is a Duke and therefore very powerful."
(Wait, fat pig, older brother that's a Duke and dotes upon them, why does this sound like..) Tommy thought before.
"His name is Breral Shag." Erden said.
(I knew it.) Tommy thought with a sigh.
"What I want from you is to eliminate that fat pig Breral." Erden said.
Tommy frowned for a second before saying.
"That might be a problem."
"Why? Does killing a noble concern you?" Erden asked with a smirk.
"No, after all I have killed far more powerful and influential people." Tommy replied so nonchalantly that Erden raised his eyebrows in surprise before hearing Tommy say.
"The issue is that Breral Shag is already dead, he died in the forest outside the city yesterday."
Erden's eyes went wide with surprise before asking.
"Are you sure?"
"Well considering a Jaguar broke his neck with its jaws before dragging his corpse away to eat, yeah I would say he is definitely dead." Tommy replied nonchalantly.
"Do you have any way to prove this?" Erden asked doubtfully.
"How?" Tommy asked back before asking sarcastically.
"Do you want me to go back into the forest and search for the Jaguar before killing it and taking the remains of Breral out of its stomach for you to verify?
"Well no." Erden replied before he began to consider what he had just heard.
"If you really want proof then you can ask the guards." Tommy suddenly said before adding.
"I informed them that a caravan with a coat of arms had been attacked in the forest, though I did not inform them about Breral."
"Why not?" Erden asked curiously.
"At the time I had no identification on me because of certain circumstances." Tommy said before asking.
"How would it appear if a strangely dressed unknown man with no identification turned up and claimed that the younger brother of a Duke was dead?"
"Very suspicious, especially since by law, commoners are expected to help any nobles they come across that are in trouble or request assistance." Erden replied in an annoyed tone.
It seems like he wasn't a fan of that law.
"Exactly, hence why I only told half the story." Tommy replied before asking.
"So since that fat pig is already dead, what would you have me do instead?"
Erden began to rub his chin as he considered what sort of task would be just as impossible.
That's right, Erden never expected Tommy to accept or even succeed.
He wanted him to fail.
Even though he was interested in the bullet, he didn't want to let someone else use his forge.
However he couldn't just refuse Tommy like he would anyone else who made such a request.
After all his letter of introduction came from Kele Gledz the strongest person in the city and he often requested help or assistance from the adventurer's guild.
He therefore decided the best thing to do was give Tommy an impossible task that he would either fail or refuse to take, he would then propose that he manufacture the bullet so that he could learn its manufacturing process.
After a few minutes Erden thought of something that was even more impossible than illuminating that fat pig.
"Since the head of the snake has already been cut off, you should be able to use this opportunity while the criminal organizations are in disarray to wipe them out.