Stoney looked at the sword and spoke.
"This sword is made from very valuable materials. I don't think melting it down and turning it into another weapon would be a good idea. Especially since this sword has a spirit. It would have to be done without harming its spirit, but that is a very difficult task."
Lane, however, was firm in his decision. Turning to Stoney, he said:
"Master, even if this sword is the highest quality in the world, what meaning does it have if I can't use it? What matters is not its quality, but its function."
Stoney let out a sigh and accepted it.
"Alright. Then get up, let's go to the blacksmith. If anyone can do this, only he can."
Lane nodded in agreement. Then he returned to the tent to get his bag and belongings. Right after gathering his things, he came back to Stoney's side.
"I'm ready, master. We can go."
Stoney looked at him and said:
"Hold on there. We're going to the Kingdom of Greyford in the Ardent Empire. I need to meet its king. You're coming with me too."
Lane nodded and accepted.
Then Stoney left the main building and called for the Major. The Major, who had lost his arm and eye, stood before Stoney and said:
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief. The Major is at your service."
Stoney spoke in a stern voice:
"While I am gone, request that the empire send reinforcements here. We cannot leave this place empty."
The Major stood upright and replied:
"Yes, Commander."
After saying that, he left. Then Stoney and Lane mounted their horses and left the fortress.
Stoney said, "First, let's go to the blacksmith. After that, we'll go to the kingdom."
Then he sped up his horse. Lane followed right behind him. Throughout the four-hour journey, they talked at length. Lane explained what he had experienced without going into too much detail, and Stoney listened to him calmly.
At the end of the road, they arrived at Fortress N016. Since the gate guards recognized Stoney, they opened the gates immediately, but they did not want to let Lane inside. Stoney stepped in and spoke harshly:
"That child is with me. Let him pass."
The serious expression on his face left no room for further objection.
Lane and Stoney entered the fortress. The Commander-in-Chief of Fortress N016 personally hurried over to welcome Stoney.
"My lord, what brings you here?"
Without wasting time, Stoney asked:
"Where is the blacksmith? I have business with him right now."
The Commander-in-Chief of Fortress N016 immediately replied:
"He is working right now, my lord. If you wish, I can show you the way."
Then he began to lead them. They moved through the side streets of the fortress. At that exact moment, a sudden explosion was heard.
"You bastard! How many times did I tell you not to bring me these swords?! Don't bring me such shitty swords!"
Lane paused for a moment. He could not understand what was going on.
"What the hell is happening here? And who is the one shouting and cursing like that?"
Lane slowly walked behind Stoney. In front of him stood a dwarf, red with anger, and ugly in appearance as well. The moment the man saw Stoney, he spoke angrily:
"What are you doing here, child?"
Lane was shocked. "Did he just call Stoney a child?"
Stoney spoke with a faint smile: "My lord, how are you? What are you doing?"
Then he turned to Lane and said: "Stand respectfully before this man at once."
Lane's eyes widened. He thought to himself: "What is this man saying... What the hell is going on here?"
Still, he lowered his head and greeted him.
The Commander-in-Chief of Fortress N016 quietly said to Stoney:
"My lord, he has been like this for quite a while lately. He keeps getting very angry on his own."
Stoney approached the blacksmith and asked:
"Master, why are you this angry? Is there a problem? And the place is in complete disarray too."
The blacksmith replied sharply:
"Hey child, if you came here to empathize with me, get lost and go play somewhere else."
Lane, with his eyes wide open, looked at Stoney and then at the blacksmith. He was still under the effect of the shock.
At that moment, the blacksmith looked at Lane and asked Stoney:
"Who is this child, Stoney?"
Scratching his head, Stoney replied: "My lord, he is my new student."
The blacksmith raised his eyebrows. "What happened to your old student? Or did you lose him in war?"
Stoney, both embarrassed and not knowing what to say, awkwardly moved his head.
"My lord, please don't say that."
Lane suddenly shuddered. "So my master had a student? And he even died..."
This time the blacksmith approached Lane. "What is your name, child?"
Lane replied: "Lane, my lord."
The blacksmith narrowed his eyes as he looked at him. "I smell a familiar scent from you."
Stoney stepped in and explained: "My lord, this child is Kaelric's son."
The blacksmith responded harshly: "This child is that madman's son?"
Stoney nodded.
Lane spoke angrily:
"My lord, I respect you, but where do you find the audacity to speak about my father like that?"
The blacksmith suddenly flared up. "Hoooo! Look at this brat... Are you talking back to me?"
At that moment, he released his aura. This was the power of a seven-star aura user. Lane felt that pressure down to his bones.
Stoney immediately stepped in. "My lord, enough. The child does not know who you are, so please forgive him."
The blacksmith withdrew his aura and spoke:
"Fine. But let something like this not happen again."
Turning to Lane, Stoney said:
"The blacksmith standing before you was the master of both me and your father. He is both a blacksmith and a weapons master."
Lane now understood what the matter was. Leaning toward his master's ear, he whispered:
"Master, you should have said that from the beginning. My heart almost burst."
The blacksmith grunted.
"Enough whispering among yourselves. Now tell me, why did you come here?"
Lane answered: "Master, the reason I came here is for you to make me a weapon."
Lane took out the sword at his waist and handed it to the blacksmith. The blacksmith took the sword out from among the cloths and examined it carefully.
"Hmm... This sword is very high quality. It also has a spirit. Even the materials used are top-tier. You cannot find such a material anywhere. Why do you want to ruin this sword and make a new weapon instead? These weapons are beyond even the mythical level. On this planet, there are only five such weapons. Two are in the East, and three are in the West. The staff in the Holy Empire, the sword in your hand, and the protective necklace of the Emperor of Solarin... These are not ordinary weapons. Each of them has its own spirit. And yet you have come to me wanting me to melt down this family heirloom weapon and make a new sword out of it."
Lane nodded and replied:
"Yes, master. That sword is not suitable for my hand. It is excessively large, so I want a weapon more suitable for myself."
Then the blacksmith spoke:
"Alright then, first let me introduce myself. I am Ogni. I am both a blacksmith and a weapons master. I was also very close friends with your grandfather."
Then he took a deep breath and continued:
"Now I will slowly transfer my aura to you. A weapon will appear in your mind. I want you to look at that weapon in detail so that I can make that weapon for you."
Lane gave a short acknowledgment.
"Alright."
Blacksmith Ogni looked around and spoke again:
"This place is in ruins. Wait, let me clean this place up first."
Then he shouted loudly and called the soldiers for help. Fifteen minutes later, the place had been cleaned up. Ogni waved his hand and called Lane over. When Lane came to him, Ogni pointed at the device in front of him.
"Now, both you and I will wear this device. While you are inside the device, you will bring the weapon to life. Don't worry, it is not something painful. You may only feel tired afterward."
Lane nodded.
"Alright."
Then he placed the device on his head. Blacksmith Ogni also put on his own device. Then he turned to one of the apprentices and ordered him to give energy to the device. In an instant, the device began to work.
Lane's consciousness suddenly slipped away.
Before his eyes, only a still sea appeared. He himself was standing on that still sea. A light wind was blowing. His white hair, reaching down to his back, waved together with the wind.
Suddenly, Blacksmith Ogni appeared behind him and touched Lane. Lane flinched. Ogni, however, spoke in a calm voice:
"Calm down. Right now, we are in your mind. Right now, you are sharing your mind with me. The only thing you need to do is bring the weapon to life with your aura."
Lane activated his aura.
The aura began to echo around him both in his mind and in real life. Lane's aura began to slowly form a weapon in his mind. First, a beautifully decorated staff appeared.
The blacksmith thought to himself:
"Strange... A staff from a sword? Wait, something is happening..."
Lane continued transferring his aura. The aura slowly began to form a scythe-like part at the top of the staff, but the weapon was still not complete. Then a similar scythe shape appeared at the other end of the staff as well. As Lane continued drawing his aura toward himself, the form of the weapon became clearer. In the end, a double-headed scythe had appeared.
The blacksmith's eyes widened the moment he saw the weapon.
"What kind of weapon is this? Is it even possible to use something like this?"
After the shape of the weapon had fully settled, he called out softly to Lane:
"Now try to show how this weapon is used."
Lane tried to do it. At that moment, a black silhouette appeared. The silhouette moved as if drawing a picture into empty space, with slow yet smooth movements. Every move was flawless, yet just as complex. There was not the slightest stumble in the movements. The flow was so natural that it resembled a pre-memorized pattern more than a battle technique.
It was impossible for Lane to know such moves.
Even the blacksmith had difficulty understanding the movements. Without blinking, he watched that silhouette, then shouted in a harsh voice:
"You cannot have thought of these moves!"
Lane answered with difficulty:
"Master... my head hurts... I am not doing these movements... It is doing them by itself... Agh!"
Lane was barely standing upright. His voice had changed, and his body had begun to lose its balance. The moment the blacksmith heard that, he froze. The expression on his face changed at once. He understood that what he was seeing was not normal. A sharp shiver spread through him. He immediately shouted at Lane:
"Cut the connection! Now!"
Lane tried to break the connection, but he could not.
In real life, Lane's aura suddenly turned pitch black.
The moment Stoney saw that aura, he remembered what had happened in the fortress. His face hardened instantly. Without wasting any time, he stepped in and removed the devices from both Lane's and the blacksmith's heads. The blacksmith was forcibly separated from Lane's consciousness. Lane, meanwhile, collapsed unconscious where he stood.
Stoney asked in a harsh voice:
"What happened? Why is Lane in this state?"
The blacksmith replied in a trembling voice:
"There is someone in Lane's mind... It was something very terrifying..."