The Elven Cultivator

With the Military Token taken care of, the other problems were much easier to solve.

The main material for the bodies of the Yellow Turban Warriors was refined steel smelted by the Dwarves.

Originally, Anton had wanted to use higher-quality adamantite, but he ultimately abandoned the idea due to the cost.

As a substitute, he added Frost Pattern Silver to the refined steel and tempered it with the Five Elements True Flame, removing impurities and drastically improving the material's quality.

During this process, Anton discovered an interesting phenomenon.

The Alchemists of the Dawn Continent typically used magical flames when tempering metal.

In essence, this involved catalyzing and releasing elemental energy through a specific rune model to create sustained, stable high temperatures.

The advantage was its high degree of control; an Alchemist only needed to maintain their Magic Power output to keep the flame's temperature constant for extended periods.

However, the drawbacks were just as obvious.

The maximum temperature of a Magic flame was limited by the Caster's Magic Power reserves and the complexity of the rune model. Moreover, the flame itself lacked any Spiritual nature, so it could only passively soften the metal and strip away impurities, unable to actively sense the structural changes within.

The quality of the final product depended entirely on the Alchemist's experience and intuition.

But the Laws of fire tempering in the Cultivation Realm were entirely different.

When tempering metal with a Spiritual Fire, the flame wasn't just a high-temperature tool, but an extension of the Artifact Refiner's own senses.

One's Divine Sense, attached to the flame, could penetrate deep inside the metal, perceive the distribution of every single impurity, and force them out from the inside without damaging the metal's inherent resilience and Spiritual nature.

Metal forged with a Spiritual Fire had an internal structure as dense as a natural crystal, with impurity levels so low they were nearly undetectable. It also faintly retained a trace of the Spiritual Fire's aura, making it resonate more easily with Runes and Arrays during subsequent refining processes.

The properties of this material were far superior to those of metal tempered with Magic flames.

Anton's tests revealed that the alloy, after being tempered by the Five Elements True Flame, far surpassed ordinary refined steel in every aspect, including resilience, hardness, and energy conductivity.

Its overall properties were not much inferior to adamantite, yet its cost was significantly lower.

This was, without a doubt, a pleasant surprise.

It meant Anton now had another asset at his disposal.

If he wanted to, he could purchase metal from the Dwarves, use his Spiritual Fire to refine it and improve its quality, then sell it back to them for a handsome profit.

However, Anton had no plans to do so for the time being.

If he really wanted to make a fortune by flooding Gray Rock Castle with his products, the Rune Equipment alone would suffice.

There was no need to reveal too many of his trump cards to Gray Rock Castle at this stage.

With war on the horizon, in addition to crafting the Yellow Turban Warriors, Anton also took the time to create a batch of defensive Talismans for himself, just in case.

'When it came to life-saving measures, one could never be too prepared.'

...

「Silver Moon Forest, training grounds.」

The early morning mist hadn't yet completely dispersed, swirling like gauze between the crowns of the trees.

It was still early, but the open space in the center of the training grounds was already bustling with people.

The three elders, Cedric, Elena, Darian... nearly all the upper echelon of the Silver Moon Clan had gathered.

Numerous other Elves were also present, whispering amongst themselves. Their gazes frequently drifted toward the Eternal Tree, as if they were waiting for something.

Just yesterday, Darian had learned from Romance that Anton planned to test the combat capabilities of a new type of Alchemy Puppet on the training grounds today. He had immediately reported the news to the three elders.

Somehow, in the interim, the news had spread, immediately causing a considerable stir within the Clan.

Many Elves were intensely curious, rushing to the training grounds at the crack of dawn, eager to catch a glimpse of the new puppet Anton had created.

Even the Dwarves had been drawn over.

Dozens of Dwarves were gathered at the edge of the field, craning their necks toward the entrance, their faces filled with anticipation.

Many of them had never even met Anton before. Upon hearing they had a chance to see the legendary Elven genius, they had rushed over without a moment's hesitation.

The three Dwarven elders—Hagrid, Knut, and Thorvin—had also arrived and were now conversing in low voices.

"Thorvin, is that young Elf, Anton, really as incredible as you say?" Hagrid asked in a gruff voice, scratching his beard.

Knut also shot him a questioning glance.

They had heard stories of Anton's deeds back when they were still in Gray Rock Castle.

Their first reaction at the time was that the old coot Thorvin had drunk too much Firewine, addled his brain, and come back spouting a bunch of hearsay bullshit.

But as more and more detailed reports reached Gray Rock Castle, they gradually began to realize that the rumors might actually be true!

The Dwarven elders were utterly astounded.

One of the reasons Hagrid and Knut were leading the army to aid the Silver Moon Clan was to investigate the reports about Anton.

"I've told you several times already. Believe it or don't!"

Thorvin rolled his eyes in annoyance, tilted his head back for a swig of wine, and stopped paying them any mind.

He knew full well that the stories about Anton sounded far-fetched and hard to believe.

Even he had been full of doubt when he first heard them.

Hagrid and Knut exchanged a glance, smacked their lips, and said no more.

On the other side of the clearing.

The three elders were also speaking in hushed tones.

"Casian, what do you know about this new puppet Anton has created?" the Great Elder asked, looking at the Third Elder.

The Third Elder shook his head and gave a wry smile. "To be honest, I don't know much myself. Other than taking my research notes and requesting materials, he never made any other requests. I was starting to think he had given up."

Darian and the others exchanged strange looks upon hearing this.

Frankly, when they heard that Anton had created a new type of puppet, they thought they must have misheard.

'It had been less than two full months since Anton announced his intention to try creating a puppet at the meeting, and he already had results?'

'It sounded completely preposterous!'

'Even if Anton's so-called 'new puppet' was only on par with basic models like wood and stone puppets—constructs that lacked even White Rank combat power and were only good for hauling heavy objects—it would still be an incredible feat.'

"Eleanor, what kind of puppet do you think Anton will bring?" Romance asked with a grin, draping an arm over Eleanor's shoulder, his face full of anticipation. "I hope it's a type that can take a beating."

Eleanor looked as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just shook her head without a word.

Just then, a sudden commotion rippled through the crowd.

"He's here! He's here!"

"Anton's here!"

Everyone turned in unison, just in time to see Anton walk onto the training grounds.

Surprisingly, the space behind Anton was empty. The so-called new puppet was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's the puppet?"

"Did he not bring it?"

"No way. Wasn't he supposed to be demonstrating it today?"

Whispers rose and fell throughout the crowd.

Grim, unable to contain himself, was the first to shout out, "Anton, where's the puppet? Don't tell me you left it back in the lab!"

He had made a special trip from the mining area just to see Anton's new puppet and satisfy his curiosity.

Anton was momentarily surprised to see the sea of faces, but he quickly understood what was happening and his expression returned to normal.

'The rest of the Clan would find out sooner or later anyway. I might as well use this opportunity to show them.'

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