Karl heard this, and the final hammer blow in his hand was perfectly completed.
He immersed the pre-formed component into the nearby water trough for quenching, emitting a hissing sound and a large amount of steam.
Only then did he turn around, a relaxed, calm smile on his face, wiping his hands with a cloth, though they were actually spotless.
"If it weren't for the furnace heating the metal too slowly, limiting efficiency, it would actually only take an hour or two to finish everything."
Karl's tone was as calm as if he were commenting on a pleasant day.
However, Karl's words struck Raymond and Hans like a bolt of lightning.
The two instantly froze, standing rooted to the spot, mouths agape and unable to close for a long time, their faces a picture of utter bewilderment and shock, as if their worldview had been shattered.
In their understanding, forging a set of qualified, custom-fitted full plate armor was an extremely complex and time-consuming process.
From measurement, design, cutting, forging, shaping, quenching, to the final assembly and polishing.
Even the most skilled and experienced armorers, while maintaining quality, would take at least three months to complete a set.
But Karl? Forging and assembling a set of plate armor.
Excluding the time spent waiting for the furnace to heat up, the entire process only took a few minutes?!
This was completely beyond the scope of their comprehension.
Such terrifying forging speed, not only could no other person be found in the entire history of the Human Race, but even among the legendary Dwarven Race, renowned for their forging skills, there was no one who could compare.
Waves of heat washed over them, leaving only the sizzling sound of water evaporating in the quenching pool within the workshop.
And the heavy breathing of Raymond and Hans, due to their excessive shock.
Raymond looked at the six sets of plate armor, almost completed within a single day.
Any previous disapproval and concern he had about Karl's decision to exempt commoners from taxes had long since vanished.
His main concern before was the issue of territorial income; as vassals, they had to pay a considerable amount of tax to Foltest every year.
If merchant taxes, customs duties, and other miscellaneous taxes were exempted for commoners, relying solely on the traditional tithe, the income would likely shrink significantly.
At that point, let alone maintaining the manor's operations and guard expenses, they might even have to dip into their Family savings to cover the portion due to the King.
This would undoubtedly be a heavy burden for the Erl Family, who had just seen hope for revival.
But now, seeing Karl's superhuman forging efficiency and exquisite skill, Raymond felt that his own thoughts were a bit too narrow-minded and ridiculous.
Taxes? What was that meager amount of money?
With Karl's hands and his forging speed, one person alone was enough to equal an entire team of highly skilled blacksmiths.
Moreover, it was continuous, day and night, with quality far exceeding that of comparable items.
A set of plate armor casually forged by Karl, when placed on the market, would be a coveted masterpiece, enough to fetch wealth that an ordinary Family couldn't earn in decades.
Minor issues like reduced territorial tax were insignificant in the face of Karl's almost Midas-like ability.
At this moment, Karl put down his forging hammer and said to Raymond and Hans, "Forging is actually very simple; it's just about controlling the force and angle, and swinging the hammer a few more times."
Karl's words instantly made Raymond and Hans's mouths twitch slightly.
If the artisans who spent years in blacksmith shops, toiling and honing their craft for half a lifetime just to forge qualified armor, were to hear this, they would probably be so ashamed that they'd want to crawl into a crack in the ground.
After speaking, Karl walked over to the hanging plate armor components, which were still radiating residual heat.
He didn't wait for them to naturally cool to a workable temperature; instead, he took a slight breath.
Then, he slowly exhaled a breath towards the dark red metal components.
A visible white cold current emerged from his mouth, and the surrounding temperature gradually dropped.
Raymond and Hans, being too close, immediately shivered uncontrollably.
They instinctively pulled their clothes tighter, watching this illogical scene with astonishment.
The rising heat from the scorching plate armor components vanished instantly upon contact with the cold current.
The metal surface changed from dark red to dark blue at a visible speed, then quickly shed its high temperature and returned to a normal state, feeling somewhat cold to the touch.
Karl was deliberately controlling the intensity and duration of his freezing breath to prevent the metal's internal structure from being damaged and shattering due to a sudden change in temperature.
Just a few minutes later, all components had cooled to a perfect state; next came polishing and final embellishments.
Karl did not use any grinding wheels, whetstones, or similar tools.
He simply extended his hands, using his palms, which were harder than the finest abrasive material.
He quickly and evenly rubbed and pressed each armor plate, accompanied by a faint, dense rustling sound.
The subtle forging marks and oxidation layer on the plate surfaces rapidly disappeared, becoming smooth as a mirror, reflecting a cold metallic luster.
Thus, the entire process of plate armor, from forging to complete polishing, was finished in Karl's hands with incredible speed and method.
As Karl's gaze rested on the pristine front of the last breastplate, he suddenly paused.
He turned his head to Raymond and asked, "Father, can our Family crest be changed?"
Raymond, upon hearing this, did not ponder for long. He slowly nodded, his tone carrying a sense of relief and complete trust.
"Karl, you are now the most accomplished person in the history of the Erl Family, and the true Lord of Terra."
"As long as you do not change the Family Legacy surname—that is a matter concerning our ancestors' honor and requires extreme caution."
"For other matters such as the crest, Family motto, or even the direction of the territory's development, you no longer need to consult my opinion. You can decide entirely according to your will."
Having received Raymond's affirmation, Karl nodded.
He picked up a carving knife from the side, preparing to engrave a sun pattern, symbolizing light and power, on the front of the breastplate.
But just as the carving knife was about to touch the metal surface, he stopped.
He remembered the Southern Empire of Nilfgaard; their Imperial crest was a yellow sun with a human face.
And the shields and banners in the Nilfgaardian army also used a simplified sun pattern without a human face, which made Karl feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Immediately, he thought of changing to engrave a double-headed eagle, but then realized that Redania's pattern seemed similar to what he intended to carve.
Karl muttered softly, his voice low but resolute, "Sooner or later—I'll make Nilfgaard and Redania change their crests—"
"What class are they, to use the same pattern as me?"
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