"Let's talk about it after you've finished enchanting it," Brandwaldden said, nodding toward the opening of the tent after pouring himself a large tankard of water.
When the group looked outside, they saw that it was already dark. It seemed the next stage of forging would have to wait until tomorrow at the earliest; if the enchanting progress was slow, it might even take a day or two. Alan nodded, put away the sword blank, and returned to the camp with the centaurs. He would be staying here for the next few days to focus on forging this sacred artifact.
Upon returning to the camp, they found that Hog and Ronan, who had been fighting fiercely that morning, were now playing together. They had started a bonfire party in the center of the camp, and most of the centaurs living nearby had come out to join the fun. Everyone was having a blast.
Alan, however, was not in the mood for festivities. He casually ate some meat and returned to the dwelling the centaurs had prepared for him. He wanted to use the evening to ponder the engraving of the magic runes. He had envisioned the forging of this sword since he first obtained the dragon heartstring and had planned it long before starting. Since the materials were so precious, he had to re-examine the sword's material and properties one last time before he could rest assured.
As soon as Alan returned to his room, he spread a layer of soft leather on the desk, placed the sword blank on top, and took out various measuring instruments. The four-sided Han sword was 110cm long in total, with an 80cm blade and a 30cm hilt. The blade itself weighed 700 grams. Although the guard had not yet been installed, Alan felt it was perfectly balanced in his grip.
After careful inspection, the sword showed extremely strong magical properties. Due to the refined mithril and the dragon heartstring core, its magic conductivity was similar to that of a wand. It was, effectively, a sword-shaped wand. The hardness of the blade far exceeded ordinary steel, nearly reaching the level of diamond, yet Alan could easily bend it 90° with a little force. The blade had achieved a perfect harmony of rigidity and flexibility.
"It's truly a work of art," Alan muttered. "Next is the enchanting, which is of utmost importance."
He took out a piece of parchment from his spatial ring. When unfolded, it revealed a detailed blueprint of the sword, with intricate patterns for the spine, blade, tip, and hilt.
"This sword will be my primary offensive tool. Previously, I focused on interference, protection, and sensing equipment, but I was waiting for this to create a true offensive weapon. First, it must be durable, so runes for solidification, iron armor, and protection against fire, cold, and shock must be added to the spine."
"To ensure flexibility, transformation runes are needed for the hilt. Simultaneously, to strengthen my control, I need the 'Control' magic rune at the guard. With my understanding of 'Control' magic, I will be able to wield this sword as if it were an extension of my own arm, even if it leaves my hand."
He chuckled to himself, realizing it was starting to resemble a flying sword from a xianxia legend.
"For lethal power, the blessing of 'Wild Lightning' is already potent, but physical damage needs reinforcement. The 'Sharpness' rune, derived from 'Sectumsempra', will be engraved on the blade and tip. Furthermore, after studying Shalltear's vampire characteristics over the past year, I will add an improved 'Permanent Energy Absorption' rune."
Once enchanted with this rune, any creature with blood would have a portion of their maximum magic power permanently absorbed upon being struck. This stolen power would then continuously strengthen the sword itself. Alan had been conflicted about adding such a cursed feature; it was a true killing weapon that would likely incur great hatred. However, he decided that to create the perfect weapon, he couldn't omit it. If the sword incurred public wrath, he would simply use it sparingly or ensure no enemies survived to speak of its power.
He re-examined the blueprint before putting it away and resting early, ensuring he would be in peak condition for the engraving work. For the next two days, Alan stayed in his room, meticulously enchanting the blank. He moved slowly to ensure each rune was perfect.
Two days later, Alan returned to Brandwaldden with the completed sword blank for the second stage: re-forging. In this stage, they would reshape the blank while it was filled with magic power. Throughout the process, Alan needed to continuously infuse magic into the metal. Only then would it truly be considered a magic item. Once re-forging was complete, the sword could not be easily modified again without repeating the entire process.
Alan and Brandwaldden returned to the mountaintop forge. Once the furnace was hot, Alan personally inserted the sword blank and channeled magic through the tongs. The blade glowed with a faint magical aura, and the runes on its surface became visible. Strangely, the intense heat of the furnace seemed to have no effect on the metal.
This was expected. A blade already engraved with runes and made of top-grade, heat-resistant materials was now a magic item. Ordinary flames could no longer even make it glow red.