Yan Bei was in a daze as he took in his surroundings. Transmigrated?
This was a ludicrous notion, which even he couldn't believe.
Even so, facts spoke louder than words. He couldn't think of anyone who would play such a prank on him, and the only explanation he could come up with was transmigration.
He distinctly remembered sleeping in his opulent 20-square-meter bedroom the night before, yet he awoke in such a run-down farmyard. If this was a joke played on him, the expense would be too high.
Anyway, it was impossible to find such a run-down farmyard in the city these days…
My room is larger than this entire farmyard!
While Yan Bei was lamenting, a slew of disorganized memories slammed into his mind out of nowhere.
This unexpected occurrence caused Yan Bei to groan, squat down, and hug his head with both hands.
After a long time, the swelling pain in his head subsided, and his eyes regained clarity.
Great Xia… Forging Division…
Yan Bei ruminated on the memories that surfaced in his mind, gaining a general understanding of his predicament.
The predecessor of this body was someone who also went by the name Yan Bei. He had turned 18 this year, and three generations of his ancestors had been craftsmen from Great Xia's Forging Division, which was in charge of forging weapons.
His grandfather and father had died as a result of exhaustion in their earlier years. Thus, when he turned 18, he immediately inherited his father's profession and became an apprentice in the Forging Division. In the end, he, like his ancestors, died of exhaustion, benefiting this transmigrator, Yan Bei.
"Forger, don't they just forge metal?"
Yan Bei assessed his current living situation while rummaging through the memories.
The small yard he was currently in was the residence provided to the craftsmen by the Ministry of the Forging Division. Although three generations of his predecessor's ancestors worked directly for the Ministry of State, they were unable to obtain even a house in the imperial capital of Great Xia.
Yan Bei's predecessor's savings had further been used up when he attempted to treat his parents' illnesses before they died.
In other words, this small farmyard was his current self's only safe refuge.
At the very least, I have a place to put my feet and won't end up on the streets… Yan Bei consoled himself.
It was difficult to stay in the empire's capital…
Having a place to stay was already thought of as a plus.
This farmyard was only 20 square meters. Aside from a run-down bedroom, there was a shed in the corner that appeared to house a smithy. The smithy was the only way his predecessor could make a living.
The Forging Division was brutal, and the craftsmen slept and worked in the same place.
As expected, as the lowest of the low, you are a sucker waiting to be played, regardless of where you are. Yan Bei sighed.
The Forging Division treated their forgers well, relatively speaking. Even the lowest-level underlings, such as Yan Bei, were provided with food and lodging, as well as half a tael of silver monthly.
But the workload was too intense.
Using Yan Bei's current situation as an example, the Forging Division required Forging Apprentices to hand over 100 weapons every month. This meant that he had to forge at least three weapons per day on average to complete the task. Otherwise, whipping and punishment were in store for him.
His predecessor was well-educated and had begun learning how to forge at a young age. Despite this, he still needed four to six hours to forge a weapon.
Forging three weapons took an average of 14 to 16 hours, and that was assuming everything went smoothly.
In reality, achieving a success rate of 100 percent in forging was impossible. When the forging failed, he had to restart. As a result, he worked nearly 16 hours per day!
Therefore, aside from eating and sleeping, he had to work nonstop every day to finish the task on time.
With this level of workload, it was no wonder that his predecessor had become exhausted to the point of death.
Am I going to die from exhaustion after having just transmigrated? Yan Bei felt like crying but didn't have any tears. He believed that if he continued to work in this manner, he would die within a month.
It appears the only way to survive is to figure out how to become an official Forging Master.
Yan Bei pondered.
He had signed a contract with the Forging Division, so he couldn't leave. But the Forging Division had its method of advancement.
He was a Forging Apprentice — the lowest level, similar to a dogsbody. Official Forging Master was the rank above Forging Apprentice.
Forging Masters were already members of the Forging Division's technical staff, and they were not treated in the same way that Forging Apprentices were.
They could live in proper houses with a kitchen and a toilet. Their pay was also significantly higher than that of Forging Apprentices. Most importantly, their workload was less demanding than that of Forging Apprentices.
As Forging Masters, they completed the task if they handed in 30 weapons every month.
High-level Forging Masters were above Forging Masters. They were the Forging Division's main strength. Every High-level Forging Master was regarded as the Forging Division's wealth, and they were treated far better than Forging Masters.
Grand Craftsmen were the level above High-level Forging Masters. If High-level Forging Masters were the Forging Division's wealth, then Grand Craftsmen were the Forging Division's treasures.
It wasn't a stretch of the imagination to regard each Grand Craftsman as a national treasure.
Grand Craftsmen were almost on par with the Forging Division's directors in terms of social standing. Directors from the Forging Division were fifth-ranked officials — the equivalent of deputy bureau chiefs in Yan Bei's previous life.
But even directors from the Forging Division had to be respectful of Grand Craftsmen on a practical level. After all, there were a lot of fifth-ranking officials but only a handful of Grand Craftsmen.
There appeared to be even more powerful forging masters above Grand Craftsmen. This, however, was not information that Yan Bei's predecessor could obtain.
One's future would be bright if one could become a Forging Master. But becoming one was no easy task.
Three generations of Yan Bei's predecessor's ancestors had all been Forging Apprentices in the Forging Division, but none had ever advanced. This demonstrated how difficult it was.
The requirement for becoming a Forging Master was quite simple — the ability to forge ranked weapons.
The weapons in this world were classified as Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow. Weapons forged by apprentices such as Yan Bei were standard and unranked weapons.
Forging Masters and above held all of the secret formulas for forging ranked weapons and always kept them secret. It was nearly impossible for Yan Bei to become a Forging Master without the assistance of a master.
In reality, the Forging Division had tens of thousands of Forging Apprentices, and hardly one in a hundred could advance to become a Forging Master.
Surely that doesn't mean I'll be worked to death here?
Yan Bei picked up a standard long saber that his predecessor had forged and began to examine it. He knew nothing about forging and had no idea what the distinction between a standard and a ranked weapon was.
What should I do?
He pondered for a long time, trying to recall a solution from his predecessor's memories.
Suddenly, his vision blurred, and he noticed a dazzling golden light. Amid his dizziness, a golden-covered tome appeared before him.
A few primitive words were written on the tome's cover. Yan Bei understood what they meant at first glance.
The Nameless Weapon Tome!
Rustle!
Even without any wind, the golden tome flipped through several pages before coming to a halt.
Yan Bei's gaze was drawn to the tome, where he saw the drawing of a long saber. It appeared to be the same as the standard long saber he was holding in his hand. The drawing was exquisite, as if the saber was actually in front of him.
A line of ancient words was written beside the saber.
[Sharp Standard Long Saber!]
A piece of information appeared in Yan Bei's mind just as he saw these words.
The standard long saber's forging method!
Yan Bei's eyes glowed. He finally had a solution to his problem.