Eldritch Horror Theatre

Hollow Bright Flower, the scab of the world.

This item, obtained from the hands of the rising stars of the Blind Eye Society—the Gold Saints—during the previous Vacuum Flower mission, had never been used.

Its usage requirements were simple: a certain amount of gold and a sufficiently pure transcendent trait. When brought into contact together, they would automatically smelt into a corresponding transcendent item.

So, did pure trash count as a form of purity?

Even more so when it was achieved while brimming with divinity.

Fu Qian was entirely certain that the Swaddled Holy Grail in his hands sat at an absurdly high Rank.

Specifically, if he wasn't careful, it might just exceed the usage limits of the single-use Vacuum Flower.

In this regard, it was once again a case of "everything is the best arrangement."

After all, if he had Claudora's supplement, it might have truly exceeded Tier 2.

The only problem now was: where could he get some gold?

Sighing once more at the inexplicable wonders of karma, Fu Qian thoughtfully set the two items aside for the moment and picked up the mask beside him, slipping it on.

...

The morning light was faint; the sun rose over the morning frost.

The winter Academy was already rapidly regaining its vitality.

However, Executive Yama Su, who had been busy the entire night, was clearly still taking a nap.

Fu Qian didn't rush to wake her up to ask the Night Watchers for a sponsorship or the like. Instead, he walked straight over to the side and picked up a golden candlestick.

That's right. Although it didn't even hold a candle, there was indeed a candlestick here, and it was made entirely of real gold.

It was quite large and covered in intricate, complex patterns. Its luxurious aura was impossible to conceal.

This was one of the requirements for the hardware upgrade of the Laboratory back then.

Professor Fu never spoke falsehoods. Even if he didn't have a suitable transcendent trait for the time being, it was perfectly reasonable to conveniently arrange for the relevant experimental materials, right?

He had specifically mentioned to Professor Chang Mo at the time that he needed a pure gold ornament.

He had also emphasized that the design could be freely improvised, but the weight absolutely had to be substantial.

And it was clear that Classmate Liushuang's assessment of her mentor was by no means false praise.

Although this request was so outrageous that Chang Mo's face nearly hit the floor at the time, she had executed it with absolute meticulousness.

The weight of the thing was undoubtedly considerable, and its craftsmanship was flawless. He had no idea where she had requisitioned it from.

Of course, no matter how exquisite the design was, it was time for burning zithers and cooking cranes.

Fu Qian took off the mask again.

...

'Let me think. Simultaneous contact between a transcendent trait and a sufficient amount of gold...'

The Warehouse remained as quiet as ever. To prevent the candlestick from being washed away and destroyed, Fu Qian almost hugged it to his chest to incorporate it as part of his own concept.

After briefly recalling the usage rules for Rift Smelting, Fu Qian immediately picked up the dreamlike, hazy item and pressed it against the candlestick.

It had to be said that the visual effects of both items were quite impressive; in comparison, the Holy Grail even looked a bit shabby.

After pressing the final item against the other side of the Rift Smelting, Fu Qian placed them together on an empty spot on the table.

It was indeed quite simple. At the same time, the facts proved that pure trash was indeed a form of purity.

After a brief wait of just a single breath, the flower-like structure inside the Rift Smelting stirred as if it had come alive.

...

At a certain moment, Fu Qian seemed to see the Vacuum Flower that he had briefly gazed upon in the underground Workshop, aided by the wills of the Saints.

However, although it was dreamlike, hazy, and blinding to the eyes, the tier of that blooming crystalline flower was ultimately far too inferior.

It was nothing more than a crude indirect manifestation. There was no possibility of taking this opportunity to observe that darkness again.

Quickly making this judgment, Fu Qian felt a hint of regret but focused all his attention on the transformation.

Even if it was crude, it seemed sufficient for Tier 2.

Some sort of reflection from the rift was already being transmitted by the flower before his eyes, rapidly echoing and resonating between the gold and the Holy Grail.

Snap—

Accompanied by a whimpering tremor, the flower shattered into countless crystal clusters, breaking down even into mere points and planes, dragging the two items together.

Fu Qian watched helplessly as the Holy Grail—which had gathered the desperate protection of three Knights of the Apocalypse—was crushed into slag without any resistance, to say nothing of the golden candlestick.

At the same time that the latter lost all trace of its original shape, the amount of material dissipating from it pushed the processing loss rate to a level worthy of calling the police.

But there was no need to be so stingy. After all, it wasn't over yet—

Fu Qian watched expressionlessly ahead. In the next moment, after everything was compressed and gathered into a single point, the common trope where extremes breed reversals, turning compression into expansion to deliver a peerless divine weapon, did not occur.

That single point simply vanished.

...

'This is a bit excessive, isn't it?'

'It was just a bit of reprocessing, and you completely ground it into nothingness?'

The Warehouse was extremely quiet. The gold consumer, Professor Fu, remained emotionally stable, silently summarizing the current situation.

It didn't take too long before, at a certain moment, he reached out and grabbed at the empty air.

Like a magic trick, an item appeared in his hand the next moment. It was even quite large.

'Sure enough, one shouldn't speak carelessly. Did this really just kick me straight into the Sword Comprehension Institute?'

Fu Qian lowered his head and marveled.

That's right. It truly was a weapon, and it really was a sword.

Its lines were smooth. By length alone, it was almost on par with a two-handed greatsword, yet due to its slender and sharp blade, it possessed a lightness that belied its size.

It lacked excessive ornamentation, but its mere silhouette carried an inherent elegance, as if letting it bump into anything would be a sin.

Of course, that wasn't the most important part—the material and texture of the blade were quite extraordinary.

To describe it specifically, it was as if those crystal clusters from earlier had been shattered and mixed with the Swaddled Holy Grail, ultimately smelting together according to some bizarre law.

The final result genuinely displayed an interweaving of gold and silver-white, even forming peculiar striations deep within the blade.

'But enough of that. Where is my gold?'

'Just looking the part isn't enough, right? Did it really just embezzle all that material?'

...

Actually producing a sword was somewhat unexpected.

Given the usage rules of Rift Smelting, Fu Qian could understand that the final product's form largely depended on the transcendent trait.

The gold would automatically be twisted into a suitable carrying vessel, just like the Saints in the Workshop.

Coming from such a bizarre mission—and bearing a name that was simply Deity's Swaddle—he felt an exotic weapon like a flying guillotine would be much more fitting for the aesthetic.

Unfortunately, an item forged by his own hands didn't come with a detailed description. It didn't even have a name, leaving him no way to glean the underlying reasons.

However, as the old saying goes, always look on the bright side.

At the very least, it seemed he could give it a name himself now. For example—Sword Three Short of One?

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