Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 385. Gusto the cheerful elder blacksmith

A few minutes later, the carriage came to a complete stop. Alfred was the first one to step out, scanning the surroundings before allowing Theo to get out of the carriage.

Theo saw the townsfolk looking at him and whispering, though they kept a respectful distance, as if they were aware of boundaries and didn’t intend to break them.

It was not like the first time he visited, when they were all over the place due to his visiting for the first time.

When Theo noticed a group of children staring at him and talking among themselves, he waved at them with a smile, and that made them immediately shout and wave back.

Theo entered through the large gate Alfred held open, only to be hit by a wave of prickly heat.

The sharp clang of hammer striking metal echoed from almost every direction, forcing Theo to squint his eyes as he looked around.

At the center of the vast warehouse stood a massive furnace, open from all four sides, and blazing with intense heat.

"Please cover your face, young master Theo," Alfred said as he retrieved a cloth and handed it to him.

Theo wrapped it around his lower face like a mask.

He scanned the workshop. Anvils of all sizes were scattered throughout the warehouse. Burly men, drenched in sweat and dressed in simple cotton garments, hammering the glowing metal on their anvils.

There were many younger workers too, all dirty and exhausted as they hauled materials from one end of the workshop to another.

"Right here, Head Butler!"

A shout came from the side, making Theo turn in that direction.

A broad-shouldered man stood there, wiping the sweat from his face with a cloth. He was the same size as Lucien, only a lot more muscular.

"Right this way," the butler muttered, and they started moving.

"Now, who do we have here?" The man lowered his face and squinted his eyes to look at the boy who had entered his workshop.

"Has a Merrick heir come to grace us with his presence today? Well, isn’t that a surprise?" The man spoke again.

Theo smiled beneath his mask and stepped forward. Removing the mask from his face, he spoke clearly and with proper etiquette.

"My name is Theo Merrick, the 9th heir of the Merrick Barony."

The man’s lips stretched into a genuine smile.

"Hm! My name’s Gusto Freedrick. You can call me Gust." The man spoke before waving his hand.

"And please, don’t speak to me with such etiquette. It’s a waste on me, young master."

Theo didn’t know why the man said that, but he didn’t speak after that.

"Gusto," the butler interjected, handing over the armor to him. "This armor needs fixing. Please take a look."

After cleaning his hands properly, Gusto examined the armor right away. An amused grin appeared on his face instantly.

"WOO HOO! Lesser dragon scale armour, huh? Well, you’re quite the lucky one, young master." Gusto’s voice boomed with manly enthusiasm.

Theo found himself liking the man’s demeanor. He wasn’t as stubborn as Elias had been, nor overly excessive either.

"That’s a deep stab mark right there. What beast did this?" Gusto asked, his eyes gleaming with passion.

"Gusto."

The butler gave him an eyeful of seriousness, pulling the man back to seriousness.

"Right, right. This is a deep stab, but fixing it will be easy. Give me ten minutes."

"Fair enough," the butler replied, then turned his gaze toward Theo.

"He is the head of this blacksmith station. He is the one who handles most of the repair work on rare or higher-grade materials."

Theo nodded and watched as Gusto worked on the armour as though it was the best day of his life.

He first marked a few chalk lines along the damaged area of the armor before carrying it to the side to do something.

"May I have a look around the station while he works on the armor, old man Alfred?" Theo asked.

"Of course, young master. We have full permission."

The butler led him through the workshop, explaining to him which section handled what.

A quarter of the room specialized in crafting armors tailored for knights, while the one next to it was filled with weapons of all kinds.

Theo studied the prototypes hanging along the wall with quiet curiosity...

Until his eyes settled on a set near the edge of the room.

Theo made his way toward it and lifted one from its hook

"Is this a crossbow?" He asked as he inspected the weapon.

Almost immediately, he felt a stare from behind, making him look back.

One of the workers had paused and was eyeing him while he held the crossbow.

But the moment the man saw Theo’s face and the crest stitched on the side of his collar, he stiffened.

The man immediately realized he was a Merrick and bowed down before going back to his work.

Theo chuckled softly and continued inspecting the crossbow.

"This is good. Where can I know its specifications, old man Alfred?" Theo asked.

"You can select anything you’d like, young master. The barony has already paid generously this month for its purchases."

"Hmmm." Theo eyed the crossbow, then aimed it toward a distant wall.

He checked all the mechanics and its balance and realized that while the weapon was well-made, it could only slow Elias down rather than improve his efficiency.

"Is there a larger one than this?" he asked aloud, making the butler call over the man in charge of the sales.

"Pleasure to meet you, young master. What can I do for you?" the man asked with a courteous smile etched on his face.

"Is there a crossbow that is larger than this one? Something that can fire bigger and more powerful bolts instead of the normal ones?" Theo asked before handing the crossbow back to him.

The salesman inspected the weapon, then looked at Theo thoughtfully.

"May I ask what kind of beast you intend to hunt, young master?"