When Norfy returned, the kitchen knife was still roasting over the burning firewood, while an apprentice sat on a chair, bored and counting.

"Four thousand seven hundred and ninety-one, four thousand seven hundred and ninety-two~"

Seeing Norfy and William enter, the boss quickly greeted them.

"Young master! It will be done soon! It's already past four thousand seven hundred!"

Norfy looked at the sun outside and said,

"It's about time, take it out and let it cool outside."

With a wave of the boss's hand, Hanzhi had already used tongs to take the knife off the grill and placed it on the cool iron anvil outside. A group of people watched intently as the knife slowly cooled down.

Norfy pointed at Hanzhi, the burliest of them all, and said,

"Alright, you~ go get the hammer and smash it~"

Hanzhi casually picked up his small hammer and was about to go, but Norfy quickly said,

"Not the small one, the big one, get the big one to smash it!"

Upon hearing this, Hanzhi hesitated and glanced at the boss. Based on his experience, if he were to smash it with his own hammer, the knife would almost certainly be shattered. Even the soft iron hammer would deform.

The boss furrowed his brow and waved his hand.

"Smash it~ when young master tells you to smash, you smash!"

Hanzhi answered, mustered his strength, and smashed it with the big hammer. Many of his colleagues moved away a bit, fearing that they would be injured by the shattered fragments.

But unexpectedly, the thin kitchen knife only jumped a few times on the anvil and showed no signs of cracking, which astounded everyone. The boss picked up the knife and found that it didn't even leave a mark. He couldn't help but exclaim,

"Ah? It didn't break! This, this thin knife is so hard! Quickly, let's test the edge!"

The young workers below immediately brought a whetstone and a group of people wetted it with water, ready to start sharpening. It didn't take long before the edge was honed, and a group of people curiously brought radishes to test it. Surprisingly, it was as sharp as usual. The blacksmith shop owner couldn't help but walk over with a smile on his face.

"Oh, Norfy young master! Can you roast it on the firewood again? Will the iron change like this? This kitchen knife is even faster than the military knives I have touched in the army!"

Norfy also looked satisfied with this "extraordinary" kitchen knife and said,

"If you roast it on the firewood, the hardness might be slightly lower, but it won't easily break. It's sufficient for making farming tools and kitchen knives. If you really want to make military knives, the temperature needs to be raised by another two hundred degrees."

But the words of the blacksmith shop owner dampened his enthusiasm.

"Young master, you're knowledgeable. But what does two hundred degrees mean? Can you explain it to us?"

Although there was the concept of temperature in this world, it was still difficult to explain to a group of illiterate rough workers.

"Move the grill down a bit, don't directly touch the flames, and it will be about two hundred degrees higher."

He continued,

"I want the new connecting rods to go through the same process. After casting, quench them and then put them on the grill. Count to five thousand, let them air dry naturally, and they won't break easily. Do you understand?"

The boss quickly nodded and said yes, and Norfy calculated for a moment before adding,

"And the other parts that were custom-made last time should also be remade. If the connecting rod breaks today, other things may break tomorrow. As for the price~"

He was about to suggest charging half, considering it as tuition fees, but the blacksmith shop owner cut in.

"Young master, as long as you bring the broken parts back, we will remake them for free! We guarantee that they will be as solid and durable as this kitchen knife!"

After hearing this, Norfy was somewhat surprised and then picked up the kitchen knife.

"Well~ I'll take this knife then~"

The boss rubbed his hands with a pleased smile.

"Go ahead, go ahead, young master. Don't be polite. Oh, wait! Xiao Liu! Wrap a handle for young master Norfy before he leaves!"

~~

Rodney examined the shiny kitchen knife in front of him for a long time, then suddenly chopped down, and the pork ribs on the cutting board instantly split into two.

"In the army on the front lines, this could be considered a good knife. At least a squadron leader-level guy is qualified to wield it~ If I had been assigned such a knife back then, I could have chopped off the heads of thirty or so barbarians!"

He picked up the kitchen knife again and tested the blade.

"The black pattern steel knife of General Richardmann, the commander-in-chief at the front lines in the past, could cut iron like clay and even chop off the handle of a barbarian's axe. Now that was a real divine weapon! This knife is good, but it can't compare. But it would be a pity to just make kitchen knives."Norfy was delighted to hear this. It seemed that in the magical world, they understood metallurgical techniques, otherwise how could they create blades that could cut through iron like mud? It must be made of tungsten steel or other alloy steels! He couldn't help but ask excitedly, "Dad! How was his black patterned steel knife made?" Rodney smiled and patted Norfy's shoulder with his calloused hand. "Son, legend has it that it was made from pure black iron ore mined from the prosperous iron mines of Lis, the most famous iron mining area in the kingdom. Only one out of a hundred thousand can produce such a sharp blade, and the patterns forged on it have extraordinary effects! That's why only the marshal who commands the army is qualified to wear it!" As Rodney spoke, he even picked up a kitchen knife and began to gesture in the kitchen, as if wielding a war sword. But Norfy sighed disappointedly. It sounded like he had struck gold, but pure black iron might just be iron ore containing tungsten or manganese. He thought there would be a mature metallurgical system in this world and he could simply buy the steel he needed, making the production of machinery much simpler. But now it seemed that even making a steel knife required luck, which meant it was unlikely he could succeed. After all, with tool steels on a lathe, no matter how hard the material, even if it was an aluminum alloy hardened three times, he could machine it as he pleased! But now, if he wanted suitable steel, he would have to figure it out himself. But that was fine too. If he could mass-produce high-quality steel products, he would be unique in the Magic Empire! There would be a constant flow of wealth, and he could freely engage in mechanical development. But that was all for the future. For now, he had to think about how to repair the steam engine. Not only did it need to be repaired, but it also needed to run smoothly for a long time, so that it wouldn't break down every few days. While thinking about this, suddenly there was a loud clang. It turned out Rodney had swung too hard and accidentally struck the kitchen countertop. Surprisingly, the ordinary kitchen knife was unscathed, leaving only a small indentation on the cast iron handle. "What a good knife! I need one too, William! Get the horses ready! I want to go to the blacksmith shop and get one made! We'll need it for the spring hunt in a while!" As he walked halfway, he suddenly remembered something and turned back. "You little thief! Repair that steam engine quickly too! We'll go to the spring hunt with the Deli family, and the whole family will ride the steam engine instead of horses! I saw it this morning when they went out, that thing goes 'chugga chugga chugga' and it's much cooler than a horse-drawn carriage!"