Death... and me

Chapter 4306: This One Thing...

It was one thing to create the runes that would control the entire airplane. Processing all the alloys necessary for those runes to function properly was an entirely different matter. There was simply no way around it. Rean needed to find an Aura God who was also a Blacksmith.

’Sigh... Not being able to release my own energy outside my body sure is annoying...’

Once inside, Rean headed toward one of the many counters to speak with a worker. Fortunately for him, the Wangamiglia Sect also maintained a branch of the Blacksmith Guild within the sect itself, which made everything far more convenient.

"Hello, friend. I’m Hihiar. How can I help you today?"

Rean went straight to the point. "I need an Aura God Blacksmith, preferably a Level One Blacksmith."

Just like with Arrays, one could only be considered a Level Two Blacksmith after learning how to work on metals that required energy manipulation outside the body. Naturally, reaching that stage required the cultivator to be at least an Aura God. As for why Rean specifically wanted a Level One Blacksmith, that was obviously because he intended to exchange knowledge and training for slave— ahem... volunteer work.

"That’s quite a strange request," Hihiar commented while checking his terminal. "Becoming a Level Two Blacksmith isn’t particularly difficult. Most of it revolves around infusing your own energy into the metal you are forging. Because of that, Level One Blacksmiths at the Aura God level are actually very rare. Usually, once a Blacksmith reaches the Aura God Realm, it only takes them a few weeks at most to become Level Two Blacksmiths as well."

"I know," Rean agreed with him. "But there are always exceptions, right? Some people lack talent, while others have specific conditions that hinder their advancement. I’m looking for someone like that."

"Let me take a look then," Hihiar said before continuing his search.

While Hihiar searched, Sister Orb contacted Rean. [Wouldn’t it be better to check with those Array Masters who kept pestering you? Inscriptions are part of the Arrays curriculum, and Blacksmiths make extensive use of Inscriptions. It is very likely that one or two of them are already Blacksmiths as well.]

’I thought about that too,’ Rean replied. ’But I don’t want someone whose attention is divided between two occupations. Processing the alloys will take just as much time as working on the runes. If I recruited someone like that, they would definitely want to learn arrays in addition to blacksmithing. Training a person to reach the level I need in both occupations would take far too long. I also can’t divide my own attention that much either. I’m already working on the rune and alloy blueprints while teaching everyone at the same time.’

[I see... Yeah, in that case, it really is better to find someone focused entirely on Blacksmithing.]

"At the moment, there are thirty-seven registered Blacksmiths who are Aura Gods while still remaining at Level One," Hihiar explained.

Thirty-seven sounded like a lot, but considering the enormous number of blacksmiths using this branch of the guild, it was actually a pitifully small number. It was exactly like Hihiar had said. Once someone reached the Aura God Realm, advancing to Level Two Blacksmith usually wasn’t very difficult. Arrays were the complete opposite, where the second level was vastly harder than the first. For most cultivators, becoming a Level One Blacksmith was actually the more difficult step.

"Out of those thirty-seven, however, only three are currently available within the sect. The others are busy with requests, out on missions, or simply not interested in working for anyone," Hihiar concluded.

Naturally, just because someone belonged to the guild didn’t mean they were obligated to accept jobs. Many joined only to work for themselves.

"Only three? Are any of them here right now?" Rean asked. He only needed one of them, maybe two at most.

Hihiar quickly nodded. "One of them is currently in the community workshop where the Branch Guild Master is giving lessons. As for the other two, I can only confirm they are somewhere within the country. I can’t say whether they are free or not. Still, I can give you their contact numbers so you can speak with them directly."

Rean became particularly interested in the workshop. "Would it be alright if I used the workshop as well?"

"It is open for use to all registered blacksmiths," Hihiar explained. "However, all materials and energy costs must be paid by the users themselves. Naturally, if you break anything, you will also pay for the damages."

Rean had no issues with that. "I was actually quite an accomplished Blacksmith back in my Great Void. Do I need to take some kind of test to join the guild?"

"Oh! So you’re an ascender. In that case, all we require is proof of your skills. Have you forged anything recently that you can show me? I can have it analyzed within a few minutes."

Rean nodded before taking out a piece of alloy he had forged using the Astryte Ore Kentucky found. It was only a Level One alloy since he couldn’t project his energy outside his body, but it was still enough to advance his research regarding the airplane. "I think this should be enough. It isn’t a piece of equipment, but any competent blacksmith should be able to judge the quality of my work from it."

"Yes, this will do perfectly. Please allow me to take it for analysis, friend," Hihiar replied before taking the alloy from Rean. Moments later, he handed it over to a youngster, who quickly carried it away.

A few minutes later, just as Hihiar had promised, the results returned. However, instead of a simple confirmation appearing on Hihiar’s terminal, the blacksmith responsible for the analysis personally came to meet Rean.

"Were you the one who forged this alloy?"

Rean looked at the man calmly. "That would be me. Is there perhaps some problem with it?"

"First of all, my name is Dongaro. I’m one of the Level Two Blacksmiths currently on duty in the analysis department." Dongaro examined Rean carefully before continuing. "Now then, this alloy is exceptionally well made. Honestly speaking, I’m not even sure I could reproduce this quality myself. Naturally, you will be accepted into the guild without any issues, so don’t worry about tests. However, I noticed that you used Astryte Ore in this alloy. Would you mind telling me where you acquired it?"

"I got it from a friend of mine who recently obtained a large quantity of it," Rean answered honestly. The discovery of Kentucky’s Astryte vein wasn’t exactly a secret anymore. Anyone who investigated a little would eventually connect Kentucky to Rean anyway, considering both came from the same Great Void, Vinx.

"I see..." Dongaro’s eyes immediately lit up with hope. "Would you perhaps be willing to sell some of it to me? A new vein was recently discovered, but the distribution rights were already decided beforehand, and I unfortunately missed my opportunity. I don’t need much. Just fifteen kilograms of unrefined ore, or three kilograms of pure Astryte, would be enough."

Naturally, ores were never composed entirely of the pure material itself. They were usually mixed with countless other elements, and Astryte Ore was no exception. At the current refinement rate, around fifteen kilograms of Astryte Ore were indeed necessary to produce roughly three kilograms of pure Astryte.

Rean pondered the matter for a moment. "The issue is that if I sell some to you, others may start assuming I am willing to sell more. I don’t want that to happen, and I definitely don’t want people constantly knocking on my door because of it."

Dongaro narrowed his eyes slightly. "I understand... Considering how difficult Astryte is to obtain, you would definitely attract many buyers. Still, I truly need this Astryte. Is there perhaps something else we could do in exchange for a portion of it?"

Rean immediately thought about the airplane. Dongaro was obviously a very capable Blacksmith. The question was whether someone like him would actually agree to work on the airplane in exchange for Astryte.

"Well... there is one thing..."

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