Chapter 5: Short but Effective Weapons

  A month later, when Rayn and his party returned to Cardy Town.

  In Cardy Town, in front of the blacksmith's shop, Rayn and Russ looked at the black-painted saber in Jester's hand with a smile - the "Rayn Saber" that had been forged for a month finally came into being.

  Ran was so excited that he couldn't help but wave his military knife, the action was so familiar, as if he had returned to the scene of his special forces days.

  "Wow! Can a short knife be used like that?" Rus, who was broadening his horizons in the blacksmith's shop, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Even the boss and apprentices of the blacksmith's shop were shocked, their mouths agape.

  "Heh heh!" Reyn laughed without answering, stopping his movements and carefully wiping his military sword with an expression of joy that was hard to put into words.

  "Rhein, are you satisfied yet?" Blacksmith Jester asked.

  "Great, great, great!" Ryan exclaimed excitedly, his face extremely agitated.

  The black dagger shone with a smooth luster in the sunlight, just like the one drawn on the blueprint. The feel of it was exceptionally good, and Rain couldn't help but fiddle with it lovingly.

  Cardy Town, Blacksmith Shop, 'Guest Room'.

  The so-called "guest room" was just a cluttered workshop inside the blacksmith's shop, and Blacksmith Jester mysteriously invited Renn and Russ over, seeing their puzzled eyes, as if they were...

  "Renn, friends, looking at your two attires, are you two soldiers from that 'Cannon Gray' military camp?" Blacksmith Jester said in a low voice, with an urgent gaze, eager to know the answer.

  They were dressed in the distinctive light blue uniform of the "Cannon Gray" military camp, and the answer was quite obvious. Since the blacksmith boss asked this way, the two nodded, and their faces no longer had the joyful expression from earlier.

  "What a pity! What a true pity! Such an excellent soldier, reduced to cannon fodder! The Empire's sorrow!" Ironsmith Jester sighed.

  "It is our duty to serve the Empire!" Ren and Rus stood up mechanically, speaking in unison, their familiar movements now second nature.

  "Alas, war, when will this cruel war ever end?" said Jester, the blacksmith.

  "Heh heh, Uncle Jester, don't worry about us. We're also just trying to make a living. Otherwise, who would be willing to go onto the battlefield and become cannon fodder?" Rus said with some sadness.

  At this time, blacksmith Jester put a blue cloth package on the wooden table and slowly opened it. Inside were neatly arranged more than ten Ren military knives.

  "Wow, so many!" Russ and Rain were stunned again, seeing the exquisite military swords in front of them, exclaimed.

  "These are for you, take them and give them to your comrades, let them go into battle and kill the enemy, it's a small contribution I can make to the empire, alas! Poor kids!" The blacksmith Jester's expression was also very sorrowful.

  "This is no good!" Rayn said with a gentle refusal, while Russ was also busy declining.

  "You take it first, I still have other things to discuss with you!" Blacksmith Jester said with a bit of embarrassment.

  No work no pay, but the blacksmith Jester insisted again and again, so they had to reluctantly accept these new-style Rheinland military knives.

  "Huh? Boss, why are these two military knives different from the others?" Rayn held up the blackened military knife in his hand and pointed to another identical one wrapped in blue cloth inside, while the other knives were shining brightly with dazzling light, he asked doubtfully.

  "Rhein, sorry about that. The iron ore I mentioned last time can only be refined into materials for two knives, so..." Blacksmith Jester explained.

  "These two knives are top-notch, can cut through iron like mud. Why don't you try it yourself?" Ironsmith Jester said, then took out an ordinary short knife and came to the front of Rain.

  "Can iron be cut like mud? Really? Let me try!" Rein felt extremely surprised, holding the black lacquered military sword in his hand, and lightly swung it at the short knife in front of him.

  With a "ding" sound, the short knife was actually broken into two pieces, and even the texture of the break was particularly neat. Rus and Rain were both stunned, while the blacksmith shop owner smiled.

  "Rus, here!" Rayn said, handing over another blackened military sword to Rus, who was still in a daze.

  "Ah?" Rus quickly took over the military knife and stood still beside him.

  "Haha, it'll be yours later, the rest will go back to our comrades after we return. We don't have much time left before we become cannon fodder. I'll teach you some combat skills with this military knife, and then we'll see who's luckier. " Rayn said with a hint of sadness, as he crouched down and put the knife into his boot, where the sock and boot formed a natural sheath, making it very convenient to use in battle, catching enemies off guard."

  Lus learned Rain's movements and put the military knife into his boots, with an extremely excited expression, still immersed in the joy of getting Rain's iron-cutting military knife.

  There is no such thing as a free lunch, soon after...

  "Rhein, my friend, this is the contract between us. I still hope you can provide even better weapon designs in the future. Is there anything that doesn't satisfy you?" At this time, blacksmith Jester said very sincerely and handed over the contract.

  "A contract? We're just... " Renn exclaimed, Russ's expression was equally shocked. They were both just 'cannon fodder' soldiers from the military camp, had he gone mad, wanting to sign a contract with Renn, wasn't it a losing deal?

  It seemed like he knew the doubts in both of their minds, and Jester, the blacksmith, chuckled.

  "Friends, don't be so sentimental. Even if you become cannon fodder soldiers, don't give up, do you know? I have confidence in both of you. Even if you unfortunately encounter danger, it's not a loss for me, right? After all, I've already obtained the production rights to the 'Reinhardt Military Sword'." Blacksmith Jester explained.

  As the saying goes, no business is honest, but when facing Iron Fist Jester, Rain didn't know how to describe it.

  A formal scroll contract, in duplicate, with the terms clearly listed inside. Under Jester's repeated urging, Reyn finally signed and pressed his handprint.

  "I will definitely make 'Reinhardt's sword' famous throughout the entire continent!" Geralt said with a solemn expression, his face extremely determined.

  "If I were still alive, I would definitely create better works for you." Rayn said very sincerely as he was about to leave.

  "I believe in you, I believe in both of you, you will definitely come back safely!" Jester said, when the two of them had walked very far away, he opened the contract again, and when he saw the place where Rain signed.

  "Rhein Green? Is he the Rhein Green, the imperial soldier who's been a lifelong professional?" He was stunned, muttering to himself in a daze, and even let the contract scroll fall to the ground without noticing.

  Raine Green is too famous, even in such a remote and war-torn Cardy town, there will be people who know him, which shows how loud his reputation is. Years later, the "Raine Military Knife" was welcomed by soldiers and became a synonym for short-range weapons, and Raine's name once again enjoyed great fame throughout the entire continent.

  Cardy Town, 'Cannon Fodder' Barracks, 8th Squad Soldier Quarters.

  "Wow, it's so small and short..."

  "It's too small, it's too short..."

  “……”

  These soldiers, exhausted, had just returned from the town of Kadi, and after a simple wash late at night, under the dim light in the room, with excitement and agitation still lingering, they continued to play...

  "Huh, the Rain Cutter? What a tacky name! It's so short and small, what kind of power can it possibly have?" When Rus handed the sword to his companions, most of them were shocked and then followed with a barrage of "expert" critiques.

  "What are these serrated things for? Oh no, I almost cut my hand, they're so sharp!"

  "What is the purpose of the groove in the middle of a military sword? It..."

  "It's so short, it's not even as long as mine..."

  “……”

  Facing these partners' various 'difficult' questions, Rayn was busy and worried, explaining from time to time that new things need a slow process of getting familiar with.

  "Halt! Everyone, please keep quiet! Do you want to attract that annoying Pighead Squad Leader over here?" Lain was really fed up with his companions' various accusations and said angrily. Rus, who was beside him, gave them a very serious stare, which had a great effect, and the chaotic scene suddenly became quiet.

  What Laine said was the captain of the Pig Head Squad, who is now the temporary captain of their current 'cannon fodder' (suicide squad) eighth squad. He has a fat head and ears, a short and stout figure, is in charge of supervising their daily lives and training matters, always smiling but with a sinister intent, constantly watching them, and his words can even decide one's life or death.

  The title of the leader of the pig-headed squad was also given by Rayn, because it was too imaginative with his image, and only in this dormitory, which is why everyone calmed down, among them, Rus was also not to be outdone.

  "The military knife is a bit short, but as the saying goes, 'one inch short, one inch dangerous', you should know that. Firstly, it's convenient to carry; secondly, there are no restrictions on moves, and can be used for multiple actions such as poking, stabbing, sawing, etc., even cutting vegetables... Seriously, don't laugh, a necessary weapon for wilderness survival; thirdly, it's very sharp, we can touch the blade edge, be careful not to hurt your fingers; also..." Rayn cleared his throat and introduced the benefits of using a military knife in detail, occasionally demonstrating with actions.

  Everyone was deeply attracted to Laine's words, and many people involuntarily followed his movements, as if intoxicated, grasping some skills in using a military knife.