The Finest Famous Sword
“Peace Suppression?”
For a moment, Na Cheon-lip, the Heaven-Earth Scholar, was slightly surprised that the sword’s name was so plain-sounding, but only for a moment.
“That’s right. I’ll call it the Calming Sword—a sword meant to pacify Seokga Manor, and beyond that, the entire Central Plains martial world.”
When he understood the vast ambition and intent bound up in that name, Na Cheon-lip was so startled he shivered.
Calming.
More than any pompous flourish like “heavenly dragon” or “golden,” that ordinary, matter-of-fact word, saying he would settle everything into peace, struck far deeper in the chest.
“That is a very fine name. Then... may you achieve everything you wished for together with this Calming Sword, Young Master Seok.”
Na Cheon-lip finally let a satisfied smile appear when he saw Seok Geum-ryong handling the Calming Sword with such obvious care.
This was Na Cheon-lip’s final masterpiece, made with his life on the line, so he had hoped the boy would like it. Seeing Seok Geum-ryong treasure it so dearly was deeply gratifying.
“Thank you. With this sword, I’m certain even the martial arts of Chilseong will reach their conclusion!”
Seok Geum-ryong spoke with complete sincerity.
With this Calming Sword, might he finally be able to unleash the final form of Chilseong’s martial arts, which had long remained out of reach?
He had no doubt that day would come eventually.
“To hear you say that... even Seong-cheon in heaven would be pleased.”
Why was it that on the happiest days, one missed one’s dearest friend the most?
Talking about the martial arts of Chilseong brought back Na Cheon-lip’s longing for his closest friend, Chilseonggun, Je Seong-cheon.
Setting that wistful feeling aside, Na Cheon-lip brought out another item after the Calming Sword.
“Next is the armor you wanted, something that can protect the whole body.”
He slipped it out with a rustle.
A strange sight unfolded.
Na Cheon-lip had clearly placed something on the side table, yet only a faint shadow and a subtle wash of shade could be seen; all that registered was the presence of something semi-transparent.
“Huh? What is this...?”
It looked nothing like ordinary armor or weaponry. Even Seok Geum-ryong, whose heart had been lifted by the Calming Sword, was thrown off balance and leaned in for a closer look.
On closer inspection, the semi-transparent object resembled a martial robe that clung to the entire body.
“I started from the idea of making something worn all at once, like a robe, if it were meant to protect the whole body.”
Na Cheon-lip lifted up what was awkwardly neither simply body armor nor quite a full-body robe.
“Most of the time it’s light, like a thin martial robe, and barely visible...”
As he spoke, Na Cheon-lip took out one of the short swords made from the remaining Thousand-Year Python bones and stabbed the armor with it.
Thwack!
Na Cheon-lip’s martial cultivation had already reached the Peak realm, so channeling inner energy into a short sword was nothing to him.
So just when it seemed that precious armor might be torn or pierced...
“Look carefully. It’s perfectly unharmed like this.”
Na Cheon-lip grinned again as he spread open the spot where he had stabbed it with the blade.
“O-oh, ohhhh!”
At a glance, Seok Geum-ryong immediately sensed that it was a rare defensive treasure unlike anything else in the world.
“May I try it on?”
“Of course. It’s yours.”
He slid it on in a hurry.
He was so eager that he nearly tripped over his own feet while putting it on.
It completely holds and supports the entire body!
As soon as he wore it against his bare skin, Seok Geum-ryong felt it gripping his muscles, helping his movements, and even making it easier to release inner energy, giving it a power beyond mere defense.
That was not the only surprising thing.
“Most of the time, it blends into the skin and is nearly impossible to see, but then—like this!”
Fwoosh!
When Na Cheon-lip stabbed the full-body armor again with the short sword, it grew translucent once more, revealing its presence as if it were a living creature.
“It shows itself. What do you think? I’d say it preserves both the tough shell and the flexibility of the Thousand-Year Python, wouldn’t you?”
“It’s perfect!”
Seok Geum-ryong smiled brightly as well, seeing how it held his whole body together while remaining utterly impervious even to the bones of the Thousand-Year Python.
This was far beyond expectations.
“To put it bluntly, if you wore only that, attacks from masters below the Peak realm would barely work on you.”
“I think so too.”
And if it were combined with Seok Geum-ryong’s inner energy or protective aura?
Its defensive power would surely multiply again.
“What should we name this one? This time, please give it a name yourself, Mr. Na.”
“Hmm.”
At the request, Na Cheon-lip fell into deep thought.
But not for long.
There had been a long gap in between, but once upon a time he had named an enormous number of weapons and armor pieces from start to finish.
“What about Eternal Armor?” Na Cheon-lip suggested. “The idea is that, with eternal as the meaning, it protects the whole body forever.”
And when combined with the sword’s name...
“It becomes the meaning that I’ll subdue the martial world forever.”
Seok Geum-ryong nodded, clearly pleased by the name, which carried such a bold ambition.
Whether considered separately or together, Peace Suppression and Eternal, sword and armor alike, the names were perfect.
Peace and eternity. With these two treasures together, there’s nothing to fear.
Seok Geum-ryong’s current level was only the Peak realm, but his road ahead was wide and open, and so he could afford to dream even higher.
Especially in situations where, by nature, he would have to face masters stronger than himself, the Calming Sword and Eternal Armor would undoubtedly raise his chances of survival dramatically.
“With Eternal Armor, I’ll be able to protect you forever.”
After saying something kind once more, Na Cheon-lip then took out something he had made, as he had mentioned earlier, merely to warm up his hands because he had so much Thousand-Year Python material left over.
“These are things I made to sharpen my skills right before I started work on your Calming Sword...”
What lay piled high inside the burlap sack was astonishingly a batch of short swords made from Thousand-Year Python bones.
Even the character for dragon, representing Seok Geum-ryong, was engraved on the hilts, so anyone could tell at a glance they were short swords from Seok Geum-ryong’s faction.
“As you know, the Thousand-Year Python bones are so extraordinary that even when made into short swords, they boast tremendous force and terrifying killing power. Even after making this many, more than half the material still remains.”
“Hahaha! Is that so?”
At the news that so much material still remained, Seok Geum-ryong’s face brightened at once.
Truly the handiwork of a master craftsman and the greatest of artisans.
“Even if they’re only small short swords, they’re still made from Thousand-Year Python bones, so many people will be eager to get their hands on them.”
At Na Cheon-lip’s confident declaration, Seok Geum-ryong, who had been listening quietly, suddenly had a good idea.
“Then how about distributing them one by one to the people who support Bukcheon-won, that is, to the factions and forces backing me?” he suggested.
There was plenty of stock anyway, and he wanted to give something back to the comrades who had struggled alongside him since the days when his support base was still weak, still working diligently even now.
There could hardly be a better gift than a rare short sword like this.
For martial artists, receiving a superior short sword would be a cause for delight. And even for those who were not martial artists, it would have excellent resale value, while also making it obvious at a glance that they belonged to Seok Geum-ryong’s imposing faction.
Who could possibly counterfeit the bones of a Thousand-Year Python?
“That would be excellent! Not only as a short sword, but also as a token of identification for those who may enter Bukcheon-won or for distinguishing friend from foe, it would be ideal.”
Of course, it might be stolen, but at the very least it could not be forged, which made it superb as an identification badge.
And one more thing.
“No other place would hand out something so astounding as a badge. Not even the first son, Seok Dong-seo, or the second son’s faction, Seok Ju-woo.”
They said that when a cousin bought land, your stomach hurt.
How much more would they envy being handed short swords made from the rarest material in the world, the bones of a Thousand-Year Python?
Without question, those belonging to other factions and forces would seethe with jealousy.
“Then I’ll name these Northern Heaven Short Swords, or perhaps Northern Heaven Badges, and distribute them to everyone.”
Na Cheon-lip’s strength was not merely that of a blacksmith or artisan, but that he possessed talent in many fields.
And now that he had given up alcohol and gambling, his characteristic sharp insight had returned and begun to shine again.
“Thank you, Mr. Na. You’ve truly suffered a great deal all this time.”
Seok Geum-ryong had only gratitude, having acquired the Calming Sword, Eternal Armor, and a large number of Northern Heaven Short Swords.
Even more, if they still had so much material left over, then depending on how they used it, there was every possibility of multiplying the wealth of Seok Geum-ryong’s forces.
Most of all, Seok Geum-ryong had watched with his own eyes, from the closest possible distance, exactly how Na Cheon-lip had staked his life and given everything he had.
For that reason, he could only feel thankful to Na Cheon-lip for keeping his promise.
“Nonsense. It was you who pulled me out of the gutter of life, and you who gave me the finest material in the world, the material of the Thousand-Year Python, thereby saving me as a craftsman. If I could not forge the finest famous sword worthy of you, I had even planned to take my own life.”
Na Cheon-lip had been harboring even that feeling alone within himself.
“Don’t say that. We’re no longer strangers, are we?”
Seok Geum-ryong felt even more apologetic because there had been so much he had failed to do for him in his previous life.
“And there is still much you will need to do for Bukcheon-won from here on out.”
Just because he had obtained the sword and armor he wanted, Seok Geum-ryong had no intention of treating Na Cheon-lip like some old man relegated to the back room.
* * *
Seok Geum-ryong, together with the Scholar in Blue, Gong Sang-pil, actively purchased steel and leather.
There was only one reason for buying them.
They wanted to attach several aides to Na Cheon-lip, the resurrected greatest craftsman and artisan of the martial world, so that weapons and armor could be produced in small quantities.
“Young Master! It seems the weapons and armor are selling like hotcakes!”
Sure enough, Seok Geum-ryong and Gong Sang-pil’s plan worked exactly as intended.
In truth, up until then, they had been keeping Bukcheon-won afloat by selling and buying horses, including through Seokma-gwan.
But once the war season passed and the horse market closed, things were bound to become harder.
Relying on a single commodity, a single line of trade, was a dangerous way to grow.
So through this opportunity, Seok Geum-ryong and Bukcheon-won had properly proven themselves.
We have more than horses. We have the workshop under the finest expert of all, Mr. Na Cheon-lip.
For now it was still only small-batch production, not true mass production, but precisely because the quality was so good, requests to buy exclusively, to purchase in bulk, came flooding in from everywhere.
Even if war did not break out, conflict and fighting in the Central Plains martial world were eternal.
The good news did not end there.
“Young Master! From the lowest servants to the senior leadership, we’ve finished distributing Northern Heaven Short Swords to everyone who supported you from your hardest days!”
Gong Sang-pil reported the news with a bright smile.
The word spread from Bukcheon-won throughout all of Seokga Manor, and those who did not belong to Seok Geum-ryong’s faction were all clutching their stomachs in bitter envy.