Chapter 113: Plans For Railways
Edgar’s eyes immediately settled on the final line. "...Inherited Trait?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So it inherited the man’s swordsmanship?"
Unlike the Commander Soul Guardians, this wasn’t a unique ability. It sounded more like a skill the soldier had possessed while he was alive.
"...Only one way to confirm how good it is."
Edgar turned toward one of the ordinary Soul Guardians. "Bring me two swords."
The skeleton immediately sprinted toward the warehouse. Only a short while later, it returned carrying two ordinary iron swords.
Edgar took one for himself before tossing the other toward the newly created Human Soul Guardian.
The skeleton caught it effortlessly, and not once did the blade wobble in its hand.
"..."
Edgar narrowed his eyes. "Attack me."
The Human Soul Guardian slowly rose to its feet and adjusted its stance.
Without hesitation, it sprinted toward Edgar like a perfectly controlled puppet.
Whoosh!
Its sword pierced toward Edgar’s throat with astonishing precision.
Clang!
Edgar barely raised his own sword in time. The impact forced him to take a step backward.
’Hm, he is definitely good with the sword.’
Before he could recover, the second strike arrived in the form of an overhead swing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Steel continuously collided around the grounds of the Tower.
Edgar found himself retreating again and again. The Human Soul Guardian’s movements were unbelievably clean.
There wasn’t a single unnecessary motion.
Every slash flowed naturally into the next, each thrust aimed solely at the weak points.
Its footwork remained perfectly balanced throughout the exchange.
Edgar couldn’t find an opening. He was the one constantly forced onto the defensive.
Clang!
Another precise strike slipped past his guard and stopped less than an inch from his neck.
"...Enough."
The skeleton immediately lowered its sword before stepping back.
Silence returned. Edgar slowly let out the breath he had been unconsciously holding.
"...That’s ridiculous."
He looked at the Human Soul Guardian with genuine surprise.
Its physical strength wasn’t particularly impressive.
Compared to the Nightmare Soul Guardians, it was actually weaker.
But its technique completely made up for it.
’This is the swordsmanship of someone who trained for decades...’
Edgar finally understood. The Tower of Souls had definitely fixed all the flaws in his swordsmanship and brought it to perfection.
The skills a person had accumulated throughout their life were enhanced.
"This thing is definitely overpowered." A faint smile appeared on his face. "If that’s the case, then the stronger the human is, the greater the Guardian I’ll obtain."
He glanced toward the remaining corpses lying beside the Tower.
Edgar pointed toward the Human Soul Guardian. "You’ll replace Guardian Six."
The skeleton lowered itself onto one knee.
"As of now, you’re assigned to guard the western perimeter."
Without wasting another moment, it sheathed its sword before jogging toward its designated position.
Edgar watched it leave before turning away from the Tower.
"...Now, there are still plenty of things to do."
---
Not long afterward, Edgar arrived outside the Smithing House.
Unlike yesterday, the building no longer resembled complete chaos.
The workers following Andrew had already sorted most of the newly acquired ores into separate piles.
Several furnaces burned continuously while workers carried baskets filled with crushed minerals.
Steven stood beside one of the workbenches.
His beard was still messy, but the madness from yesterday had finally disappeared.
The old blacksmith noticed Edgar approaching and smiled broadly.
"My lord."
Edgar nodded in acknowledgment.
"How’s the progress?"
Steven immediately walked toward several neatly arranged metal ingots resting on a wooden table.
"I’ve finished refining small batches."
He pointed to them one by one.
"There is Pure Iron, Copper, Blacksteel, and..."
He carefully picked up a silver-blue ingot.
"A tiny amount of Sky Iron."
Even in daylight, the metal shimmered faintly.
Steven held it almost lovingly.
"I’ve also begun experimenting with different mixtures."
Edgar looked at the ingots while holding them in his hand. "Any results?"
The old blacksmith grinned. "I think so."
He walked toward a rough sketch lying on another table.
It showed an enormous weapon.
One side resembled a heavy club reinforced with thick metal ribs.
The opposite side gradually narrowed into a massive blade. "A prototype that I made from your design."
Steven tapped the drawing proudly. "A sword-club with enough weight to crush armor while still keeping a sharpened edge capable of cutting."
Edgar studied the sketch for several moments before nodding. "I like it."
Steven laughed, puffing out his chest. "I knew you would."
His expression soon became serious again.
"My lord, if we’re going to continue refining this much ore, this workshop won’t be enough."
Edgar looked around. The building was already crowded.
Workers constantly bumped into one another while carrying baskets of ore.
Several furnaces competed for the same limited space.
’Damn, am I acting like the oligarchs, making my labor force work to death?’
"I’ll need another Smithing House." Steven folded his arms. "One dedicated entirely to refining ore."
Edgar silently agreed. As things were, two more houses would be better.
He turned to look at the old man and asked,
"What else?"
"I need assistants."
Steven didn’t hesitate. "People I can train personally. The refining process is delicate, and I can’t do everything alone."
He looked toward the enormous piles of ore stacked outside. "And please bring me more."
Edgar laughed softly, shaking his head. "You’ve barely started working on these."
"My lord." He spread both arms toward the mountain of minerals. "For the first time in my life, I’m hoping we’ll run out."
Edgar smiled faintly. "I’ll see what I can do."
The old blacksmith immediately returned to his furnaces without another word.
Edgar quietly watched the busy workshop for a few moments before turning around.
As he stepped outside, his thoughts had already moved to the next problem waiting for him.
’I need to find a way to bring the ore here as quickly as possible.’
He rubbed his chin and thought of the idea that had been on his mind for a long while.
The idea that he had started working on long ago by designing the steam engine.
’I need to start working on the rail tracks.’
Edgar stretched his body and decided to go out with Andrew once again.