Others Summon, I Forge Beast Armor

Luke arrived at his favorite eatery, the Bachelor’s Grill, and ordered lunch to recharge.

He couldn’t shake the threats from the Victorian Guild, but his priority was the armor for the insect army.

Forging 12,000 was supposed to take forever, but Luke was determined to outpace time itself. In his first thirty minutes, he managed 200. In an hour, 500.

〖+100 XP!〗

By the second hour, he forged 700. Total progress: 1200 units, 10% of the final goal.

"I must continue," Luke said. "I can’t let down the Insect Princess."

An hour later, he forged 1000 more.

But he was left so exhausted, he had to rest.

Although Auto-Forge was fast and efficient, it didn’t spare stamina. Excessive use taxed the soul and mind. Luke was running on fumes.

"Excuse me, sir," a waitress interrupted. "You’ve been sitting here for hours doing nothing. It looks a bit suspicious, so are you planning to order anything else?"

"Suspicious?" Luke asked. "Why isn’t that guy suspicious? He arrived right after me and hasn’t ordered anything."

The waitress looked at the person in question. A middle-aged gentleman in emerald was seated with his legs crossed, reading a newspaper. Her face turned white.

"Do not point your finger at Mr. Blackstone!" she whispered. "Oh, it’s over, he’s coming!"

The waitress scurried away as the man stood up from his seat.

Luke narrowed his eyes. Blackstone?

The Blackstone family were sworn enemies of the Kingsleys.

From the day he was born, Luke had been taught to despise and disassociate from anyone with that name. But he wasn’t a Kingsley anymore, so he figured he shouldn’t be biased.

"Can I sit down?" Mr. Blackstone asked, but sat anyway. "The last time I saw you was twenty years ago."

"I’m only eighteen," Luke corrected.

"Meaning I have never seen you before. But boy, you look more like a Blackstone than a Kingsley. Where’s your silver hair?"

"Up your ass," Luke replied. "What do you want from me?"

Mr. Blackstone laughed. Luke hadn’t inherited the Kingsley looks, but he certainly inherited their traits—especially those of his cute, disobedient mother.

Blackstone brushed her memory aside, cut to the chase, and slid his newspaper across the table. He used time abilities from his beast, the Chrono Mantis, to rewrite an article to display news from two days in the future.

Luke picked up the paper, watching the text blur and realign into a new headline.

"Is... that my shop?" he asked, staring at a photo of his kiosk burned to the ground.

"It’s been burning for an hour," Mr. Blackstone remarked, checking his watch. "You’ve managed a share of enemies at such a young age."

Luke let go of the newspaper, his head spinning. He couldn’t believe his shop was gone like that.

Who could have done this? The Victorian Guild? Remembering their arrogant faces only boiled anger within him.

"Lucky for you," Blackstone continued. "I can help you. I own the largest beast shop in New Florence, as you might know. So, I’d like to pitch a partnership between us, and the Blackstone name will grant you immunity."

A partnership? What could Luke possibly offer to a trillionaire?

Blackstone Corp sold beasts to hunters, while Luke forged beast armor.

It felt like a mismatch at first, but Luke eventually saw the vision that a tycoon like Mr. Blackstone could see.

They sell beasts; he sells the armor.

"Why should I trust a Blackstone?" Luke asked.

"Because I won’t deny my intentions," Mr. Blackstone answered. "Your forging skills will give me more wealth and power. In return, you get market exposure, endless customers, immunity, and a chance to build your own dynasty. Win-win."

Luke glanced down at the image of his shop, incinerated and destroyed.

There was no time to break under the loss. He had to act.

Soon, his hand extended across the table.

"I’ll dictate the terms of this deal," he said, standing up.

"Absolutely," Mr. Blackstone replied.

And for the first time ever, a Kingsley and a Blackstone shook hands.

Mr. Blackstone invited Luke to Blackstone Corp to finalize their deal, and Luke agreed. Minutes later, a limo picked them up and drove them to the biggest facility in New Florence.

The limo glided through a VIP entrance before stopping in an ultra-modern lobby.

"Welcome, sir," a modest woman said. Her name was Lin Moon, Blackstone’s assistant.

"Success with Kingsley," Blackstone replied. "He’s very handsome, isn’t he? Just don’t get distracted while giving him a guide through the company."

"I will do my best," Lin Moon said, bowing her head. "Follow me, Master Luke. I will show you our plant, our workers, and our products."

Luke followed Lin Moon into the main building, where human and bot employees worked side by side.

The "products" in question were beasts—creatures of all shapes and sizes, caged along the corridors.

Luke stared at them through the glass. Some were cute or happy, while others were solemn, hideous, or aggressive.

When Luke tried to touch an Ice Gecko, it hissed frost at him. The commotion scared the nearby creature, a Glow Toad, which hid itself behind its rock.

"Sorry," Luke said to any of the beasts he disturbed before rejoining Lin Moon.

"Our mission at Blackstone is to democratize power," Lin Moon explained. "Beasts used to be a luxury for summoners. We turn them into products available to anyone, solving the issue of the equalist movement fifty years ago."

"More than that, we provide a standardization of quality. Every beast has guaranteed baseline stats, perfect health, and predictable behavior."

She paused by an enclosure. "Now, hunters can choose the exact beast, element, and tier they want, eliminating the RNG of opening a gate."

Lin Moon turned around, hands behind her back, patriotism gleaming in her eyes.

"But the market needs armor to protect these expensive investments. That is exactly where you come in, Master Luke."

"I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I understand how you do it," Luke said. "The source of a beast is through a summoner. So, how do you get this many in one place? Where are their masters?"

"A very logical question, Master Luke," Lin Moon replied. "We actually acquire our products through three main methods: wild capture, controlled breeding, or... separation."

"Separation? What do you mean by that?" Luke asked.

It just didn’t sound right.

The others were plausible. Capturing rogue beasts, or breeding and grooming them, just like the Bureau does with Soldier Ants.

But separation?

"Go ahead and speak, Lin Moon," Mr. Blackstone said from a balcony after her hesitation. "We have nothing to hide from our new partner."

Lin Moon sighed.

"When a summoner commits a very big crime, we can be authorized to sever their connection with the beast through a bio-magical process, giving us both the summoner and the beast as two different beings."

A chill ran down Luke’s spine.

"Hey, is that right?" he asked.

"It is controversial, I won’t deny that," Mr. Blackstone replied. "Activists throw tantrums every fiscal quarter. But we have to look at the bright side. It cripples dangerous criminals and creates scientific breakthroughs."

Luke didn’t have time to digest that. It was time to discuss the real numbers.

A bio-magical process was out here that could turn a summoner into a dud, but if you weren’t a genocidaire, there was nothing to worry about.

He arrived at Mr. Blackstone’s office, followed by Lin Moon.

"Sir, should I prepare the contract documents for signature?" she asked.

"No need for that, Lin Moon," Mr. Blackstone replied, taking his seat behind his desk. "Let’s not bind ourselves with legal chains. A deal built on mutual leverage and trust is much stronger."

Meanwhile, Luke sat on the chair opposite the table. He helped himself to a glass of wine while taking in the decor of the office, noting how the Blackstone crest was emblazoned everywhere.

"If the Blackstones possess such power in New Florence, how exactly did my family remain the dominant royals?" Luke wondered.

Click!

His thoughts were interrupted by the door.

When Luke glanced over, he saw a girl peering into the office. She had black hair and violet eyes. But when she caught sight of him, she slammed the door shut, disappearing just as quickly as she had come.

"Who was she?" Luke asked Mr. Blackstone.

"That is my daughter, Lucy. She was probably coming inside to wish me a good night before departing tomorrow morning for your academy."

"For my academy? Hmm. It seems Lucy must be schooling at Rubverton’s," Luke reasoned.

"Here is the cheque, Luke," Mr. Blackstone said, handing Luke a paper stamped with 235 million. Yeah, you heard that right.

"Consider this your starting capital. We’ll buy out the entire district where your shop was and build a state-of-the-art facility."

Starting capital?

With 235 million, Luke could buy a town in Country 3!

"B–But Mr. Blackstone," Luke stammered. "I don’t need a fortress just to forge beast armor."

"I understand, Luke," Blackstone replied. "But the wider audience won’t buy from a boy in a small workshop. A cutting-edge infrastructure is what commands trust with customers and authority against rivals."

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A/N: T.F.R!

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