The little old man at the main station, hammering away at an iron ingot, was the Grandmaster Smith Sayo had mentioned.
His hands and feet resembled the claws of a wyvern, and his ears were pointed like an elf's; he was not of the human race.
As a long-time Tachi player with thousands of hours, Jean was all too familiar with this appearance—the Wyverian race from the Monster Hunter series, a peace-loving, long-lived, and knowledgeable people.
According to Sayo, this Grandmaster Smith's ancestors had come to this land a thousand years ago, even participating in and helping the Empire's founding emperor establish his legacy, and it was he who presided over the forging of all the Teigu.
Although no one was able to manufacture Teigu after that, the relevant data for their creation was preserved, and the contents regarding the nichirin blade and Breathing Technique originated from these records.
Forging a sword is a task that requires intense concentration, so Jean and Sayo stood to the side, chatting while waiting for the Grandmaster Smith to finish his work.
According to Sayo, most of the nichirin blades being made here were practice pieces, to be distributed to newcomers who had just learned a Breathing Technique, whereas someone like Jean, who was already proficient, would have a custom nichirin blade made by the Grandmaster Smith and several skilled hands.
A nichirin blade must be used by a practitioner of a Breathing Technique to effectively damage demons, so Najenda distributed booklets containing the Breathing Techniques nationwide, recruiting anyone who managed to learn them.
Even if they weren't powerful, it wasn't a problem; a Teigu User could defeat the demon first, and then those who had learned a Breathing Technique could deliver the finishing blow with a nichirin blade.
Thus, keeping up with current events and chatting idly, time passed quickly.
The Grandmaster Smith finally hammered the iron ingot into a shape resembling a spearhead, completed the final quenching, and set down his hammer, casually wiping the sweat from his forehead with his clothes. Though he looked elderly, he was still full of energy; Wyverians are very long-lived, so even if this Grandmaster Smith was aged, his remaining lifespan might still be longer than an average person's entire life.
After catching his breath, the Grandmaster Smith looked at Jean, then had her release her Breathing Technique while he measured her palms and arms.
"So, what kind of weapon do you want? Since you need to sever a demon's head, it needs to have an edge," the Grandmaster Smith asked in a raspy voice.
Jean had actually considered this question seriously, so she said without hesitation, "Please make it in the style of an Uchigatana."
The Grandmaster Smith nodded. "No problem. The original nichirin blades were in the style of an Uchigatana."
In fact, Jean had given this a lot of thought. Initially, since her body's original template was that of a knight, her first impression was a knight's sword, while her soul came from a country with a strong martial arts atmosphere, so the Chinese sword also held an unparalleled place in her heart.
However, both of these weapons are very difficult to use. As a beginner, Jean needed immediate combat power and had to choose something else. Other options were naturally the Tachi or the Miaodao, an improved version of the Nodachi.
The Miaodao is named for its sprout-shaped blade and is a product of "export-turned-domestic-sale." The Tang Sword spread abroad and evolved into the Wodao, and then during the struggle against Japanese pirates, the strengths of the Wodao were learned back, eventually becoming a weapon specifically designed to counter the Tachi or Nodachi.
But after much consideration—and the thought that since she didn't know how to use any of them, she might as well pick a simple one to make do with—Jean chose the Uchigatana. It had absolutely nothing to do with wanting to joyfully shout 'hasagi'!
---
Thus, Jean settled down in Swordsmith Village. Since the Breathing Technique manuals were being distributed everywhere, Jean also took one to study.
It contained all five basic Breathing Techniques, but after various attempts, she was unable to use any of them.
So she took out the system to perform an appraisal:
[Total Concentration Breathing: Five types of breathing with different attributes. Before undergoing specific modifications, they are limited to the human race.]
The system put it quite clearly: 'You're not human!'
In short, she had to memorize all these Breathing Techniques. This system didn't have any storage space, and she didn't know if anything other than that sword could be brought out, so it was better to remember them.
Moreover, after being reborn as Jean, her memory had improved significantly. Memorizing these Breathing Techniques wasn't difficult. As expected of a woman who could act as a mother figure for the entire city of Mondstadt, she was truly formidable.
Time passed bit by bit, and Jean found an ordinary Uchigatana to try and practice her sword skills.
During this period, teams gradually returned from completing their missions.
Among them were members of the original Night Raid, such as Akame.
Akame's Teigu, One-Cut Killer: Murasame, is one of the few Teigu that can directly kill a demon. At the same time, she is an exceptionally skilled assassin, so many missions at this stage revolve around her.
In reality, Akame was a very interesting girl. With just some roasted meat, Jean was able to get some simple swordsmanship guidance from her. Unfortunately, she was too busy and went out on another mission the next day.
However, the second group of people to return was surprising—it was actually Kurome. It was said that Kurome escaped when the Imperial Capital fell and even happened to run into Akame. Although the sisters had a very poor relationship, they had supported each other to get this far.
Others were either familiar or unknown, but all carried the ambition to save the country and the determination to take revenge on the demons. This atmosphere affected Jean a bit, making her somewhat anxious. She had stayed here for too long and had no idea what the other participants were doing or if they would be hostile toward her.
Fortunately, on the noon of the fourth day, Jean received her nichirin blade.
It was a standard Uchigatana design, customized according to Jean's height, arm length, and hand shape. The pure white hilt with gold trim and the scabbard were perfectly integrated. After drawing the sword, under the sunlight, the blade reflected a beautiful texture, dazzling and moving.
When she injected the wind element element into the sword, there was no obstruction. The blade gradually turned pale green, and as the amount injected increased, the edge hummed. Then, with a light stroke toward a nearby target, it cut through directly as if there were no resistance.
Curiously, she performed an appraisal on the sword:
[nichirin blade · Unnamed: A high-grade nichirin blade customized based on Jean's physical data. Its effectiveness against 'demons' goes without saying, and materials from a wind-manipulating Danger Beast have been added. With the enhancement of wind-attribute energy, its cutting power increases significantly. The final product has reached the level of a Shingu.]
"Please give this sword a name," the craftsman who delivered the sword said respectfully.
"Let me think... Hmm, let's call it—white wind!"
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