It had been a year since the victory feast was held at Winterfell.
Following the feast, many of Winterfell's bannermen requested peaches and peach wine from the Garden as their return gifts.
It was obvious to anyone with eyes that peach trees capable of thriving in the harsh northern climate possessed immense value.
Of course, the clever ones, like Lord Wyman Manderly of White Harbor and Lady Barbrey Dustin of Barrowton, asked directly for saplings to transplant.
However, over the past year, whether seeds or saplings, few survived outside the Garden. Even those that did managed to bear fruit produced only small, incredibly sour peaches.
The peach wine from the Wolfswood, on the other hand, had successfully made a name for itself and was widely accepted by the northern nobility.
Its crisp, sweet taste, especially when chilled, was a hit. Not only did the northern lords love it, but the mountain clans to the north of Winterfell and even the Night's Watch on the Wall praised it highly.
During this year, Arthur stopped focusing on managing the estate. The Peach Garden had proven its worth and no longer needed his constant attention.
Instead, Arthur poured all his energy into smithing and sword training.
He planned to fulfill his promise to Jon before leaving: to forge him a real sword. Naturally, he also needed a sword for himself and a parting gift for Robb.
Using the Equipment Cards unlocked in the System, he prepared to forge four swords imbued with special traits.
They were: [Shadow-Splitter] (Original: Qinggang Sword), [Frostbite] (Original: Ice Sword), and [Twin-Vipers] (Original: Male and Female Double Swords).
[Shadow-Splitter]: Attacks have armor-piercing effects. Razor-sharp; can slice a hair blown against the edge.
[Frostbite]: The blade is cold to the touch. Wielding it keeps the user's mind calm and focused.
[Twin-Vipers]: The male sword can sense the location of the female sword. (Only effective for the host).
Since he was going to imbue them with card effects, Arthur was determined to craft the best possible base vessels, both in appearance and sharpness.
To this end, he spent the year constantly experimenting with new forging techniques. He had tried applying Equipment Cards to finished swords during this time, but without exception, they had all failed.
Until today. Through constant trial, error, and adjustment, Arthur felt his smithing proficiency and his physical and mental state had reached their peak.
He had a premonition that the sword he forged today would finally meet his standards.
Clang-clang… clang-clang…
The rhythmic ringing of metal and waves of heat poured continuously from the smithy.
Arthur was rapidly hammering a red-hot canister composed of thirty-six stacked iron plates of identical material.
The apprentice smith held the tongs, flipping the piece according to Arthur's commands and clearing away the slag that flaked off with each strike.
"Is this method really necessary? It's overly complicated and laborious," Mikken observed closely, offering a warning.
"And stacking so many plates makes the blade prone to cracking. Just like the last few times—the sword snapped into three pieces right after quenching."
Mikken was referring to the failures Arthur had produced when trying to apply card effects mid-forge.
"Without ten thousand strikes, how can you infuse your will into the steel?" Arthur replied confidently, still having breath to spare as he worked.
"It won't happen this time. Just watch."
Arthur had chosen a very complex, labor-intensive pattern-welding technique known in his past life as Damascus steel.
He knew from TV shows back on Earth that swords made this way were not only sharp and durable but also revealed beautiful patterns after acid etching. It maximized both practicality and aesthetic value.
However, watching someone do it and doing it yourself were two different things. Fortunately, after long practice and study, Arthur had gradually mastered the technique.
After half an hour of high-intensity hammering and three rounds of heating, the short, thick billet was drawn out into a rectangular bar about three feet long.
"Heat the whole thing," Arthur ordered the apprentice, pulling out a [Peach] and devouring it to restore his stamina. "This time, I'm going to twist the entire bar with tongs before hammering it into its final shape."
"Twist it?" Mikken's eyes lit up. "Interesting. Let's try it."
Soon, the bar was glowing red. Arthur clamped one end and twisted the heated metal, then rapidly hammered the twisted bar flat, shaping it into a blade.
Mikken personally used a wire brush to scrub the scale from the blade, inspecting it eagerly. "Looks like no cracks. Quench it."
The apprentice brought over the quenching bucket, filled with a mixture of water and oil.
Arthur plunged the reheated blade into the liquid and simultaneously infused the [Shadow-Splitter] card into the steel.
When the quenched blade cooled, the result was excellent. Aside from a slight warp that needed straightening, there were no cracks.
After straightening, grinding, and sharpening, Arthur etched the blade with acid. As the acid did its work, the beautiful twisted patterns revealed themselves.
Perhaps due to the [Shadow-Splitter] card, in addition to the pattern-welding, the edge seemed to shimmer with a flowing light.
"I've seen Ice, the ancestral sword of House Stark. It's Valyrian steel, sharp beyond belief," Mikken said, carefully running his thumb near the edge of [Shadow-Splitter].
"The sharpness of this longsword might rival it."
A blacksmith's focus was always on the edge.
Arthur took the sword from Mikken, wrapped the tang in cord for a temporary grip, and gave it a light swing.
Vwoom—
The blade cut the air with a crisp, singing sound.
It was indeed as sharp as Mikken said.
"Try this," Mikken handed him an old bastard sword. One edge was notched, but the other was still intact. "Strike it with your sword. Let's test the durability."
Arthur nodded. He gripped the sword with both hands and executed a downward cut he had practiced countless times.
When the blades met, Arthur felt like he had struck a piece of hard glass.
With a sharp snap, the old bastard sword broke cleanly in two.
Arthur examined the edge of [Shadow-Splitter]. The flowing light remained unchanged. There wasn't a notch, or even a scratch, to be seen.
"You've forged a god-tier weapon from common steel," Mikken muttered, picking up the broken pieces in shock. The break was clean, with only minor fracturing around the impact point.
"Arthur, I've only heard of smithing skills like this in legends." Mikken swallowed hard. "To me, you are like the Smith of the Seven right now!"
"You taught me how to forge, so does that make you the Smith's master? It's just an application of technique, like Valyrian steel forging," Arthur said, staying humble. He knew part of it was the card's effect.
"The sword isn't finished. It needs a hilt, a guard, and a scabbard."
"Ah, right," Mikken scratched his head and went to find materials.
Arthur forged a crossguard from soft steel and fashioned a grip from ironwood, wrapping it in cord and covering it with cave bear leather for a comfortable hold.
Finally, he made a scabbard of ironwood wrapped in cave bear leather to match.
Mikken suggested inlaying gold into the hilt, but Arthur refused. The [Shadow-Splitter] was beautiful enough on its own; gold would be gilding the lily.
Besides, this sword wasn't for him. It was for Jon. Jon was a bastard like him; making it too flashy would only bring trouble and didn't suit Jon's personality.
"You should leave a mark," Mikken reminded him at the end. "Carve your name, or a maker's mark."
Carve Arthur Snow? Arthur didn't think that was a good idea. In the end, he decided to carve a small stylized pattern of a snowflake and a peach on the pommel.
Next, Arthur used the same technique to forge a blade for Robb, infusing it with the [Frostbite] card.
This sword wasn't quite as sharp as [Shadow-Splitter], but it was still equal to any castle-forged steel. Arthur embellished this one more heavily.
He carved the pommel into the shape of a direwolf's head, setting two blue sapphires into the eyes—matching Robb's own.
With its dark-and-light patterned steel and exquisite hilt, the sword was a work of art.
Moreover, the [Frostbite] effect was delightful.
At first touch, the hilt felt bitingly cold. But after holding it for a while, a cool sensation flowed into the mind, clearing away chaotic thoughts and bringing absolute calm.
It was essentially a sword that acted like a shot of strong coffee.
Arthur also put a lot of thought into his own [Twin-Vipers]. These two blades were shorter than the others, adhering to the traditional bastard sword length.
The two swords had different forms. The "male" sword was broad and heavy, designed for hacking and slashing. The "female" sword was thin and light, a rapier designed for thrusting.
In a pinch, he could use [The Reaver] skill to throw the rapier like a javelin for a surprise attack.
Arthur made a special scabbard that held both blades together.
He customized the grips to fit his own hands perfectly, sanding the inner sides to ensure a secure, non-slip hold for single-handed use.
Finally, Arthur carved a single character on the pommel of the male sword: 'Virtue' (德 - Dé).
From now on, as he walked the world, he would have to convince people with 'Virtue'… in the physical sense.
Overall, Arthur was very satisfied. These two swords, combined with the attack speed buff from [The Reaver], suited him perfectly.