"Can you just stop for a while!"
Melisandre was about to explode with anger. Couldn't this man be a normal Prophet and simply take Lightbringer to fight the White Walkers? One moment he wanted to sell it, the next he wanted to melt it. Was he unhappy if he was not causing trouble?
Aegor knew he might have gone a bit far, but he had to ask clearly.
The Gift was currently mass-producing Dragonglass weapons by melting and casting, because Melisandre had confirmed that the process of heating, melting, cooling, and shaping Dragonglass would not cause the fire magic within it to be lost.
So, did Valyrian steel, which contained energy far stronger than Dragonglass, also have this characteristic?
Aegor patiently waited for the frantic Red Priestess to calm down before seriously repeating, "I am asking very seriously, will melting and recasting Dark Sister cause its magic that restrains the White Walkers to fail?"
It took Melisandre a while to compose herself. This man before her could not only make her experience long-lost pleasure but also ignite a fury she had almost forgotten. He truly was remarkable.
"Your question is wrong. Anyone knowledgeable would know immediately that you have not figured out the difference between spells and magic, and enchantment and infusion." Melisandre wanted to say directly that recasting would make it ineffective so Aegor would give up. But with the great enemy before them, she did not want to convey false information that might cause the Prophet to misjudge and affect the final battle. "What I used to make your sword glow was a spell. A spell consists of magic and casting. The process of applying it to your sword is called enchantment. However, the reason dragonsteel is dragonsteel is not because it is enchanted with a spell, but because the power in the Dragonlord's blood was deeply imprinted into its material in the form of infusion during the most crucial step of forging. Doing this is extremely costly and far more difficult than enchantment, and it requires a very high-quality vessel. But once completed, this power is firmly locked within every inch of the dragonsteel."
"Spells can be destroyed, interrupted, and countered, but magic is indestructible. The advantage of enchantment is that it can be applied or removed anytime and anywhere, and can achieve various strange and wonderful functions. The drawback is that it is extremely unstable. Let alone melting and recasting, even a crack will cause it to fail instantly." Melisandre gradually calmed down. "As for infusion, the disadvantage is that the magic is deeply locked within the material and difficult to release outward. Its effect cannot be exerted unless it penetrates the enemy's body. The advantage is that unless the correct method of de-magic is mastered, it is difficult to make it lose its properties. Not to mention melting and recasting, even if it is cut into cubes or ground into powder, every pinch will still firmly retain the power it should have."
"That is great, I plan to melt Dark Sister into..."
"Do not rush, I am not finished yet." As if to avenge being interrupted twice, Melisandre unceremoniously interrupted Aegor. "Melting and casting not damaging the magical properties of dragonsteel refers to the most ideal situation. Magic is ethereal and indestructible, but Valyrian steel is not. Recasting Valyrian steel requires superb skill. A tiny error in temperature control or a tiny bit of impurity infiltration can cause it to deteriorate and change properties. Once this happens, although the original magic still exists, the function of dragonsteel's self-healing and the toughness of its body will be greatly reduced."
"Does anyone in the world still possess the most ideal level of technique?"
The corner of Melisandre's mouth curved into another smile of unknown meaning. "There were, but such national-treasure artisans all lived on the Valyrian Peninsula, the core of the Freehold."
"Why did you not just say they are all dead?" The Valyrian Peninsula was where the Doom occurred. Aegor felt mocked and snorted in dissatisfaction. "Among those still alive, whose skill is the best?"
"The court in Qohor has artisans who possess the most complete Valyrian steel forging techniques..."
"That is too far. By the time artisans from across the Narrow Sea arrive at Queenscrown, I will have become a wight following the Night King to Winterfell." Aegor rejected it without hesitation. "In Westeros, are there any with comparable skill?"
"Many well-known blacksmiths choose to go to Qohor for further study after mastering their craft. As far as I know, there is one in King's Landing who claims to know the spells and methods for forging Valyrian steel." Melisandre was no longer angry about being interrupted, but asked with a stern face, "What do you want to recast it into? I must remind you, to make a weapon capable of killing White Walkers, simply inlaying Dragonglass is sufficient. However, the properties of a dragonsteel sword, such as immunity to ice magic and being tough, sharp, and unstoppable, are impossible to replicate."
An artisan in King's Landing?
Aegor recalled carefully. In the original tale, the one who helped Tywin successfully recast Ice seemed to be a famous artisan in King's Landing. In that case, even if this person was not the best Valyrian steel recaster in the world, at least the basic reliability was there.
Aegor's mind raced, and in an instant he made up his mind. He nodded, then changed the subject. "Lady Melisandre, do you still remember the day we first met?"
The Red Priestess tilted her head in confusion. "It was not very pleasant. I admit I was reckless that day, but if I remember correctly, I have already received your understanding."
"I am not talking about the unpleasant part, but the issues we discussed after we sat down. You were the first living person with extraordinary power I knew, and it was from you that I first heard about the cold god and the Lord of Light, who are more transcendent than the White Walkers and you... These are not the key. The last question I asked, you could not answer at the time. If the White Walkers wore armor, how could they be killed?"
Melisandre's answer then was that casters should wear as little and as light clothing as possible, which is why she never wore underwear or heavy coats. If the White Walkers were willing to sacrifice some casting ability in exchange for putting on armor that Dragonglass could not penetrate, how should they be dealt with?
"At that time, I did not realize you were the Prince in the prophecy, so there were many things I did not bother to explain." The Red Priestess also recalled that past event. She spoke without hesitation. "But now I can answer you. Lightbringer can definitely kill any White Walker wearing armor."
"I do not doubt that, but there is only one sword, and there are many White Walkers. If they all put on armor that can defend against Dragonglass weapons, should I challenge them one by one?"
"So you thought of casting the sword into many pieces?"
Aegor could not admit that he did not want to fight the White Walkers hand-to-hand because he was afraid, but he also knew that if he could not come up with a convincing argument, this debate would continue for a long time. Seeing Melisandre's posture of swearing to protect the prophetic sword, it would likely lead to conflict between them, and even make her doubt his identity as the Prophet.
Although he did not particularly care about being the Prophet, he had indeed benefited a great deal from it. It would be foolish to refuse a high-quality companion and a free mage consultant who came to his door.
After clearing his throat, his expression became serious, and he entered the long-lost mode of deception. "The Lord of Light told me in the fire that I should not only divide the prophetic sword into multiple pieces, but also make it into ranged weapons."
The mutual trust built by usually not hiding, not deceiving, and speaking plainly was precisely so that playing a big card at a critical moment would be convincing. He had always refused to admit his identity as the Prophet before because he worried it would be awkward if the real Prophet appeared one day, but the Greenseer's words had enlightened him. The so-called Prophet was just hitting where one points.
There was no destined Prophet. Whoever fulfilled the prophecy was the Prophet.
Since that was the case, why could it not be him?
As expected, once these words were spoken, Melisandre, who had just been adamant, quickly showed surprise and then became pious and fervent. She did not ask questions like, when did you see it, are you lying to me. She chose to believe without hesitation.
"What else did He say? Was there anything about me?"
"No, this is the first time I have seen something in the fire. I initially thought it was an illusion, and the information was not very clear. I did not even think at first that the weapon in the prophecy would appear in this form." Aegor put on an expression of lingering confusion, shook his head, then became firm. "But now, everything is certain. I will recast Dark Sister into as many arrowheads as possible, fitted with the best shafts and fletching. And this set of arrows will be named..."
He paused for a moment to enjoy the pleasure of writing his own legend.
"Lightbringer."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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