Leader of the Ark Raiders

Maria seldom pays attention to things on the Internet, and she doesn't know much about the fact that she became popular out of nowhere.

In fact, after the second round of qualifiers for the forging competition, Maria has been very busy.

The joint security competition will start after a while.

There are only four logistics operators responsible for equipment maintenance, including Maria and Vulcan.

They have a lot more preparation than others.

After working so busy for a week, the qualifiers for the forging competition ended, and the knockout round officially began.

Since it is not a one-on-one confrontational competition, the elimination system of the forging competition is slightly different from other competitions.

In two rounds of qualifiers, a total of 150 craftsmen were shortlisted.

These contestants have to go through three elimination rounds before they can finally reach the final.

The knockout competition is also special, and it will be eliminated according to the number of players, which is more flexible.

Early in the morning, Shen Cangye drove Rhodes Island's field vehicle to send Maria and Vulcan to the competition venue.

This time Vulcan is going to be with him, so he really can't ride a motorcycle anymore.

Sitting in the driver's seat, he saw from the rearview mirror that Maria had been dozing off with her head down.

She was really exhausted recently, not to mention preparing for the competition, she couldn't even spare time for normal rest.

The venue for this knockout round is a large workshop on the outskirts of the city.

There were quite a few spectators who came to watch the game.

As soon as Maria entered the forging workshop, there was a small cheer, as if everyone knew she was coming, which made her a little confused.

Shen Cangye couldn't help being surprised.

These three 360 ​​lines, can you say what you say about idols?

The knockout round is a five-for-two competition system, held in multiple forging workshops at the same time.

When they arrived, four other craftsmen were already at the forging station.

They were either chatting with the judges or joking with the host.

It seems that these craftsmen are very familiar with everything about the forging competition organized by the association.

Probably a regular visitor?

Shen Cangye and Vulcan sat in the auditorium on the side of the workshop.

Maria went to the forging station after completing the registration.

"Miss Maria, I wish you the championship!" Someone in the audience shouted.

"Ah, thank you!" Maria responded helplessly.

In an instant, she felt as if she had returned to the undercurrent of the knight arena, and she couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

Shen Cangye just sat down in the auditorium when he saw Wojchet waving to him from the other end of the auditorium.

Immediately afterwards, he received a message on his mobile phone.

【Mr. Shen, have you consulted Miss Maria Linguang for me?I sent the first draft of the report to our supervisor. He is very interested in the topic of the forging competition and hopes to follow up the report. 】

Shen Cangye scratched his head. To be honest, he really didn't want to disturb Maria's mood because of this matter, so he didn't mention it to Maria at the time.

He was a little sorry, so he had to send back to Wojchett:

[Sorry, I haven't asked Maria's opinion yet, I'm worried about disturbing her competition, and I can't make a decision for her. 】

After a while, Wojchett replied:

[It's okay, if you need anything, please contact me! 】

Shen Cangye looked at Wojchet who was holding a laptop.

This little reporter, who was timid the last time I saw him, can muster up the courage to say so much today.

... are all forced by work.

Shen Cangye put away his phone, turned his head, and saw Vulcan staring at the judging panel in a daze.

"Is there anyone you know among the judges?" Shen Cangye asked.

"It's...an old friend. I used to work for the Artisans Association, and I was a friend at that time. After I left Minos due to ore disease, I have rarely contacted him, and I am very strange." Vulcan said, "Just from time to time. I will remember that time."

Shen Cangye was a little surprised when she suddenly mentioned this.

I thought Vulcan was just a boring gourd.

Huo Shen said: "I heard that the Artisan Association is almost unable to survive recently."

Calm narrative.

However, Shen Cangye heard regret and sorrow from her voice.

Perhaps, to Vulcan, the Craftsman's Association is like the middle school he once attended, and there are always so many entanglements.

Vulcan didn't speak any more, and Shen Cangye didn't ask any more questions, but just looked at the forging platform.

When the time is up, the game officially begins.

This competition is a practical forging competition. The host announced the start of the competition and introduced the contestants one by one.

The topic quickly turned to Maria, the "first foreign contestant".

Maria, on the other hand, stood on the stage with drooping ears, not looking energetic.

Shen Cangye asked Vulcan: "Did Maria not rest yesterday?"

Vulcan sighed, "We rushed to work last night, I asked her to go to bed first, but it was almost two o'clock at that time... But don't worry, trust her, she can do it well."

Shen Cangye asked: "In the five-to-two competition, what do you think Maria's chances of winning are?"

Blacksmith Fengshou gave a rare smile, "Based on what I know about Operator Xiaguang, her forging skills are not inferior to mine. Xiaguang has learned craftsman skills since she was a child. She has a solid foundation and works hard. I believe her Hard work and talent have long since surpassed me."

Vulcan usually cherishes words like gold and can't speak beautiful words, so her evaluation must be pertinent.

This Fengtu was once the champion of a Minos forging competition.

She thinks that Maria has abilities that are not inferior to hers, which also means that she believes that Maria's strength is capable of winning the championship.

After introducing the contestants, the host returned to the judges' platform in the middle of the forging workshop, "Craftsmen, your task today is to forge a dagger with the steel balls in the box in front of you. The design of the dagger is on the table in front of you Now, your time limit is four hours! After you finish your work, the jury will review your work and give you a score."

In an instant, the audience was full of discussions.

The forging material is no longer ready-made steel ingots, but more difficult to handle steel balls.

Moreover, the time limit for forging has been shortened compared to before, only four hours.

Compared with the previous round, the difficulty has indeed increased a lot.

While everyone was discussing, the host spoke again.

"—In addition, we have prepared an additional question, a small test, for all craftsmen."

After speaking, he snapped his fingers.

In an instant, the expressions of the five contestants changed.

Even Vulcan, who was once the forging champion in the auditorium, frowned.

760. Additional Questions of Craftsmen's Nightmare

Following the host's voice, the structure of the entire forging workshop began to change.

The roof gradually retracted towards the walls on both sides.

Then the wall fell, and the dazzling sunlight from outside shone in.

Shen Cangye subconsciously covered the sun with his hands.

The sophisticated all-mechanical workshop mode makes people have to marvel at the high skill of Minoan craftsmen.

The host is also basking in the sun.

He raised his hands and said: "In order to pay tribute to the ancient artisans who built the Acropolis of Yasenus under the scorching sun, our competition today will simulate the scene of full hand forging. Please use the hand forge and the tools at hand to Finish your work."

"—How could it be!?" At this moment, even Vulcan was stunned.

Shen Cangye wondered: "Will this be difficult?"

Vulcan's eyes were serious, "Yes. Not only the hand-operated forging furnace will greatly consume the physical strength of the craftsman, but also the outdoor sunlight will interfere."

She frowned and said with self-blame: "When I participated in the forging competition, there were not so many bells and whistles. Everyone forged in the workshop to compare the performance of the work, and there would be no so-called so-called things in the forging process." "Additional questions" to increase the difficulty... This must have been added recently to increase the enjoyment of the game. I haven't told Xia Guang about this. I'm afraid she is not mentally prepared."

Shen Cangye looked at the forging station again.

Several other craftsmen were not surprised by this additional question that increased the difficulty, only Maria showed a surprised expression.

The artisans set to work individually.

The first step is to light a fire.

Unlike mechanical ignition, hand-operated forging furnaces are very difficult from starting a fire to controlling the fire.

Unless you are prepared, you will be caught off guard on the spot.

All four skilled Minoan craftsmen quickly lit the fire.

Only Maria was alone, and it was not until nearly an hour passed that the fire was finally lit.

Most of the time, Maria's work is carried out in a well-equipped forge.

Although Teacher Vulcan will ask her to practice hand-forging iron ingots every day, she cannot abandon the tradition.

But that does not include the use of hand forges.

Maria is not unfamiliar with hand forging.

However, she still needs time to adapt to the sudden switch to full hand forging.

But this kind of adaptation time is not allowed in the game.

It can even be fatal.

Fortunately, Maria has not lost her composure.

After lighting up the fire, she immediately started forging work.

At this time, two craftsmen have already started forging.

Maria glanced at the timing card, wiped off her sweat, put the steel balls into a metal can, and heated them in the forge.

Vulcan bit the tip of his thumb and looked at Maria nervously.

It was the first time Shen Cangye saw this steady craftsman showing such an expression.

After a while, Vulcan said: "I believe that Xia Guang has fully mastered the technique of manual forging, but not every craftsman has the experience of forging in the sun outdoors."

She paused, and said: "In Minos, the craftsmen who often participate in forging competitions must have prepared for these additional questions. You see, none of the other four craftsmen expressed surprise at the sudden appearance of this additional question. This shows that they have expected that there will be a sudden increase in difficulty. But this is a completely unfamiliar challenge for Xia Guang, and I only hope that she will not have any accidents."

It's actually like an exam——

Even if you have memorized the back of the book and mastered all the knowledge points, if you have not gone through the mock test, you are likely to overturn in the test.

At this moment, the steel ball finally melted to form a billet. Maria took out the billet and put it on the forging table to start forging.

Shen Cangye looked at Maria's movements and asked, "Is there a big difference between indoor forging and outdoor forging?"

Vulcan nodded, "During the forging process, whether it is heating, forging or quenching, craftsmen need to constantly observe the color of the billet to determine the temperature of the billet. The craftsmen will turn off the lights in the workshop when heating or quenching. In order to determine whether the steel is at the right temperature. In the case of external sunlight interference, this observation method is invalid, and other solutions must be sought.”

Before the words fell, a jingle was heard.

Then came the exclamation of the audience.

Shen Cangye quickly looked at the forging table, only to see Maria standing there in surprise.

Half a broken billet fell on the floor.

"Oops, Miss Maria's steel billet broke during forging!" The host's voice resounded throughout the audience, "What will she do? Is there any chance of redemption!?"

"How could this be?" Shen Cangye asked in surprise.

Vulcan frowned, "It's difficult to control the temperature in a hand-operated forge. If the steel billet is heated too high, its plasticity will drop and it will become brittle and brittle, so it will break when hammered. This is difficult, and the time is too long. I'm in a hurry, I'm afraid it's too late to remake it."

Maria gritted her teeth and looked up at the time.