Adrian was surprised to see the equipment in the workshop.
He had read about all sorts of useful tools in books—rare materials, special ores, enchanted stones, high-quality runic pencils, perfect lighting setups, and shelves full of books.
"You don't use those fancy rune-smithing tools, huh?" Adrian said, noticing only a runic pencil and an alignment scale on the table.
"I've never needed them," Ruby replied. "They're pretty much useless if you really care about rune-smithing."
Ruby had always believed that tools like calming candles and echo bells were for people who didn't truly enjoy the craft—people who had to force themselves to do it. For her, it was always just the subject, the pencil, and the runesmith's mind.
Adrian grinned and picked up the aligner. "Then what about this thing?"
Ruby shrugged. "Sometimes, the mind tries unorthodox ways to do something it normally can't."
