Chapter 219. Orient (1)
The rune staff used by Verden, Oculus.
To recycle it, among humans, only a very small number of blacksmiths are capable.
Oesu, Linus, was one of them.
"Shall we begin."
After several days, he completed the dedicated tools and special containers.
Linus pulled the leather strap with his mouth, fixing the tongs that would serve as his right arm.
The first task, dismantling the rune.
What lay before him was not a simple rune, but a high rune of
In rune work, flawless precision and delicate handiwork were essential.
Slap!
With his left hand, he struck his own face to sharpen his senses and vision.
───Kang───Kang!
He hammered the metal, making the holder for the staff.
With clamps and strong ropes, he firmly secured the Oculus and immediately began the work.
The rune extraction, performed solely with his left hand.
Kakak... kakak....
As his senses reached their peak, sweat poured like rain.
With time, what he felt was only the hardness of the extraction tool in his grip. The tool became him, and he became the tool, a time of perfect unity.
The concentration required to call oneself a craftsman. Having not closed his eyes for so long, the whites of his eyes turned bloodshot.
Two days passed.
Thirst and hunger gnawed at him.
Skipping meals to accelerate work had long been Linus's habit. Sticking out his tongue to moisten his dry lips, he pressed strength into his fingertips.
"Done... it!"
Kakak. With that sound, at last the rune character separated.
He immediately transferred it, implanting it into the crafted magic stone. At Verden's request, it was a magic stone prepared by the Marquisate of Esperanza.
Linus exhaled an excited breath.
"Whew, it's been a while, this is tough."
He clenched and unclenched his hand.
It was sore, but most of his old sense had returned.
After a simple meal, he slept for an entire day.
Now that his stamina had fully recovered, it was time to properly begin staff crafting.
Fwoooosh!
He placed the magic stone in, activating it with full power.
He raised the temperature of the mana furnace to the maximum.
The frame of Oculus, and the Dane's steel ingots.
Alongside them, several metal ingots, each placed in separate containers, he tossed into the sea of magical flames. It would take days for even the highest-grade metals to completely melt.
There was no time to rest.
For during that period, he had to perform the most crucial work.
Step, step.
Cooling his heat-flushed skin, he moved forward.
"This is my first time combining orbs alone..."
Though tense, the feeling soon calmed.
His master had properly taught him. The lessons remained intact in memory and body. Even if reduced to ashes, he would not forget.
He placed the stone containing the rainbow flame, the Breath of Element, into a special device.
Next, in the transparent vessel connected by four tubes to that device, he fixed a mana crystal at the center.
"Damn it, being new, this thing is a real pain in the ass."
Creak, creak-creak.
Gritting his teeth, he turned the screws, connecting the mana furnace to the special device.
Opening the valve, he cleared the blocked passage.
Reacting to mana and searing heat, the Breath of Element flared into rainbow flames. Following the four tubes, the flames filled the vessel with the mana crystal.
"Let's see..."
He donned magnifying goggles to protect his eyes and peered inside.
The Breath of Element was seeping into the crystal.
Of course, leaving it as it was would be pointless. For the breath to fully seep in, the crystal needed to be crafted.
'Should I start from the top.'
He must not overdo it.
Slowly, one step at a time.
He closed the valve, shutting the passage.
After a while, the rainbow flames returned to the Breath of Element. Cutting off the tubes, he opened the vessel and took out the mana crystal.
Vrrrrrr!
Stepping on the pedal, the alloy disc spun furiously.
Pinpointing the parts where the process of permeation, infiltration, would cause problems, he ground the crystal against the disc. After meticulous inspection, he infused it with the flames once more.
This process had to be repeated countless times.
Until the mana crystal shone with rainbow hues.
Yet, if the crafting was overdone, the flames would recklessly burrow deep into the crystal.
In other words, an explosion.
The shock would be mild, so it would not injure him, but...
"If I fail, Asher will kill me."
For elemental mages, such things were literally artifacts.
Thus, he devoted his utmost effort.
After the metal extraction ended, he carried out forging, heat treatment, and crafting all at once.
The highest-grade metal Obsidian, also known as Black Steel, and Dane's steel as the base.
With knife-like precision, he mixed in metals for the alloy. Lastly, he melted in stems of the Soul Tree, treated with magic.
Pouring the molten alloy into prepared molds, he cooled and broke them.
Thus, having completed the staff's frame, Linus began tempering and honing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The song of metal resounded.
Hammering with his legs, waist, and entire body. It was Linus's unique technique, mastered to minimize the burden accumulating in his remaining left arm.
Ssshhh!
The mana water used in tempering vaporized into thick steam. He reheated the metal again.
As it was a very special alloy, it took time for the heat to penetrate to the core. After a brief rest, he resumed the crafting.
Clang────! Clang────!
Ssshh!
Kakakakak!
He was in a trance.
Time lost all meaning.
He consumed only the necessary nutrients, never leaving the forge. The materials had been amply stocked.
Linus was a craftsman.
Thus, on a dawn after several weeks.
"...Succeeded."
A rainbow glow shone across Linus's face.
The Breath of Element had fully seeped into the crystal. The combination of the orb had succeeded magnificently.
'Though, rather than an orb, it looks closer to a crystal.'
It was nothing strange.
Each mana crystal had a unique structure. Though the spherical form was widely known, there was no issue even if a different form was forged.
At last, the staff's forging and heat treatment were complete.
"Ah, my body aches..."
For a moment, his mind spun.
His spirit and body worn down by the grueling labor.
Yet now, the completion was at hand.
Gathering his remaining strength, he moved.
He implanted the
Since he had already prepared the slot in the frame, it was neither dangerous nor time-consuming.
The rune flashed blue for an instant.
Proof that the implantation had succeeded.
"As expected of me."
Linus donned his mithril gloves.
Carefully lifting the orb, he felt a tremendous resonance through the gloves.
Gulp.
Swallowing, he slowly stepped forward.
Raising his arm, Linus approached the staff. At the moment he set the orb into its empty place, a golden light flickered.
The staff and the orb, synchronized with one another.
Hoooh.
Mana waves pulsed, shaking the entire forge.
Linus flinched, stepping back.
His whole body drenched in sweat, Linus cautiously opened his eyes.
And he smiled.
"Truly a masterpiece."
Just then, the dawn receded.
From the east, the sun rose like a halo, greeting the birth of a new staff.
***
With the Archbishop and the tower master departed, the conference was now completely finished.
At daybreak, they boarded the Marquisate of Esperanza's airship and left Capital Retia.
Leaning against the railing, he gazed at the capital.
Though only a few days, he had gained immense achievements and experience. Verden was deeply satisfied with this trip to the capital.
And so too was the Marquisate of Esperanza.
They had entrusted the believers they were caring for to the Church of Luas, and had directly earned the Archbishop's recognition of contribution, gaining various benefits.
And by sending Warrens to the magic tower, they had also forged a connection with the tower master.
Though he had received sharp looks due to the incident at the mansion... as it had ended without issue, there was no one left to blame Verden.
After several days of flight.
They arrived safely at the Marquisate's mansion.
"Hm, I noticed this time that the airship's interior had suffered some wear. I ought to check it. Lady Calia, will you join me?"
"That would be best. One of the central stairs creaked, and it bothered me. Ah, Asher, then travel safely back."
"Alright."
Edmon blinked.
"Wait, you're speaking so casually to the lady...?"
"Shut it and follow, old man."
Calia dragged Edmon into the airship.
A simple farewell.
As Verden disembarked from the airship, a servant of the mansion who recognized him approached.
"Sir Asher, word has come from Sir Linus that the staff has been completed."
"...!"
At last, the long-awaited moment.
He was about to head straight to the forge, when a shadow fell beside him.
The Marquis of Esperanza.
He spoke to Commander Melzard.
"I will go to the forge for a while, so handle the arrangements in my stead."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
The Marquis turned his head toward Verden.
"An immense fortune went into your staff. Because of that, I'm still hounded by my vassals. So, no matter the commission, I believe I have the right to personally confirm the result."
Well, of course.
Without the Marquisate's facilities and materials, the crafting could not even have begun.
"Of course, Your Excellency."
***
The forge of Esperanza.
The heat had died, and it was quiet as a still forest.
From within, there was the sense of someone's presence.
Without hesitation, they opened the door and entered. Linus, who had been dozing, suddenly lifted his head.
"Mmm, Asher. You're early... Ah, Your Excellency the Marquis! Welcome!"
"Where is the staff?"
"Yes, here it is!"
Linus pointed to the side.
Something covered in black cloth. Gripping it tightly, he pulled away the cloth, revealing a staff mounted on a stand.
A gray rod of metal, straight and long.
At its tip, like the top cut off from a trapezoid, four pillars encircled the central crystal protectively.
A simple design.
Yet the aura it exuded was extraordinary.
Verden truly marveled.
"...Impressive."
"Haha, I poured my very soul into making this."
"Explain the crafting process."
"Yes, Your Excellency. So what I did was..."
Linus spoke with a voice full of pride.
The new staff.
The content of top-tier metal exceeded the minimum standard of sixteen percent, approaching twenty. Because the supply was abundant and used without loss.
A total of two types of top-tier metals were used.
Obsidian, also known as Black Steel, and Dane's steel.
The origin of Black Steel was obsidian.
Obsidian itself was a brittle rock, lacking ore, yet possessing sharpness. If subjected to professional polishing, it became extremely sharp.
Ancient craftsmen, unwilling to waste that quality, created a new metal.
Through magical treatment, they melted it while retaining the properties of obsidian, then added various metals to offset its flaws. With special treatment, Black Steel was born.
A top-tier metal embodying sharpness, hardness, and strength.
"I melted the existing staff and mixed it with Dane's steel ingots. For the other parts, I used mithril, Damas steel, and Silen alloy to balance the ratio and create harmony. Lastly, I used the stems of the Soul Tree to further enhance its performance."
Linus pointed to a green stem lying on the table.
Verden asked.
"Is that what remains?"
"I used three, and one was left. Melting all of them would have been excessive. By the way, those Soul Tree stems, I don't know where you got them, but they're certainly an excellent material. Especially, their mana receptivity and conductivity blended perfectly with the mithril and the orb."
Linus chattered excitedly.
As a craftsman, he was clearly very satisfied with the result.
The Marquis's expression wavered slightly.
How much material had gone into that one staff... calculating its worth, his vision swam. He took a small deep breath, regaining his composure.
"So, what is the staff's performance?"
Performance, eh.
Just then, Verden was about to check it himself.
Before that, he asked Linus.
"Linus, have you given this staff a name?"
Naming was the craftsman's privilege.
Though appraisal could reveal it, he preferred to hear it directly.
Linus grinned.
"The eastern dawn, Orient."
At the moment of completing the staff.
He had seen the breaking of dawn and taken inspiration for its name.
"Orient..."
It was a name that pleased him.
As Verden repeated the name, the staff's crystal flickered faintly, as though responding.
As if entranced, he walked forward.
Slowly, he reached out and grasped Orient.
It was somewhat heavier than Oculus, but overall its balance was near perfect, and he felt no discomfort at all.
He lightly infused mana into it.
The crystal began to shine, filling with golden light. This was a staff forged with orb and rune as its components. A power difficult to describe was felt.
He wished to test it immediately.
"Your Excellency, is there a suitable place nearby?"
"To the east, there is a mountain used by the knight order as a training ground. Without my permission, entry is forbidden, so it will be an ideal place to test magic."
The Marquis took the lead himself.
"I shall guide you, follow me."