Hidden talents

Ki went back to her room to grab her sword and attached it to her waist before exiting once more.

She left her room and headed towards the most prosperous part of the city.

She walked around the market to have a look at the stalls where many trinkets and goods were being sold.

In the north where their lives are constantly at risk of death at anytime, there will always be flourishing talents appearing that have been forced to improve themselves under great pressure to find a way to live.

Children growing up in adverse conditions may develop "hidden talents" as a way of adapting to harsh and unpredictable environments.

These may include the ability to switch easily between tasks, keep track of changing information, understand other people, and find creative solutions to problems.

So in the north where they have to fight over poor resources and always remain vigilant against disease, the cold and even people or beasts many hidden talents may be born but were difficult to discover.

Those that may of been discovered may have already been exploited for their hidden talents and forced to use their abilities to make money for their employer for a lower payment than what they should be receiving.

Ki believed that if she was in the right place then she would be able to notice those with potential.

After walking through the market she purchased a couple of items while making some notes while asking some questions on who crafted them.

The family was always in need of craftsmen of any kind so Ki needed to find out if she could approach them.

There were some who would be off limits because of their affiliation with certain influences, Ki wished to stay on good terms with the ones that she was partnering with but approaching the people from other influences she could afford to offend was something she could do.

However she hoped that she could discover some unnoticed talents first before she tried to approach the others that already had a sponsor or boss to work for.

She could also ask Alf to investigate further and try to bring several people into her merchant group.

After visiting several stores and stalls in the more prosperous parts of the city, Ki headed towards the slum area.

Looking in many stores Ki had found herself at a small building that had a sign above the door with a small anvil drawn on it.

Loud banging noises rang throughout the store as she entered.

Behind the desk stood a young woman who spoke up. "Welcome to Likfar blacksmithing. What can I help you with?"

Ki stepped forward and removed the sword from her waist as if she had done this action several times today and spoke. "I need to have this sharpened and have some maintenance done."

She placed Evil upon the desk and then the woman removed the sword from the sheath and began to inspect it.

After some time had passed she placed it back in its sheath. "It can be sharpened but this is an incomplete sword so anything I do to maintain its current form will only be a temporary measure since it is old. It needs to be reforged completely with high quality materials in order to complete it but also restore it to its previous perfect state."

Over the years the sword had been in good condition but that did not mean it's original state hadn't been reduced by constant resharpening and battles.

Since the sword was still incomplete and the overall materials within the sword were still usable it could be reforged if the right person was able to grasp the intentions of the previous forger.

The woman had been able to identify that evil was an incomplete piece of work and also able to say that it could be restored to its previous state or even completed.

Ki had been to many places to get their opinion on the sword or looked at the quality of the weapons or armour but did not have much success in finding a person of high skill or the ability to identify the quality of the sword.

Ki thought for a moment and then asked. "Can you reforge this sword and complete it?"

The woman answered calmly. "Me and my twin brother should be able to restore it to its previous state or complete it but I believe that we need a little more time and practice. We also require high quality materials to practice with so that we can reach that level of skill."

Ki then replied. "If I give you a safe place to learn and research would you be willing the move beyond the border and become my exclusive blacksmiths? I have enough materials but I still need someone with enough talent to be able to produce high quality weapons."

The woman frowned and then thought for a while before answering. "I will have to ask my brother because we do not like working under others."

Ki nodded and expressed her understanding. "That is fine, the place you would be staying is a very fertile and safe land so you will be free to manage your own business but I would like to have first rights to make a purchase or have something crafted."

So long as she could let them settle down within the village there would come a time when they grew comfortable with their life and would come to rely on Ki even more after receiving her support.

Opportunities would always appear for to build a stronger working relationship with them later so Ki did not wish to put too much pressure on them right away and scare them off.

In the north the best professions they are known for is working with metals, animal furs and wood.

Animal furs are turned into warm clothing, metals are turned into weapons, armour and various tools to help survive and also wood is turned into buildings, furniture and wood carvings used for decoration.

So long as Ki could find enough people with talent in those areas she could try to recruit them to work for the family.

After entering the store, she had finally found a place that has good skills in blacksmithing and had no support from other influences.

So long as she could persuade them to move away she was sure that she could secure a much needed talented person or people for the family.