Yesterday's underground expedition had completely drained us. Seeing Noah's boys falling asleep on their feet today, barely able to hold their pickaxes, I made a decision—I declared a mandatory day of rest for the entire mining crew. They needed to recover their strength, and I needed to be left alone with my thoughts.
Locking myself inside the workshop and sliding the bolt into place, I laid out the three unique ores on the workbench. Celestial, Omega, and Chaos.
"Do your thing, Lumon," I muttered wearily.
The screen before my eyes flickered with hundreds of azure lines. A minute passed before three-dimensional blueprints, schematics, and technical components began to surface, flashing across my vision.
[Material Synergy Analysis Complete. Conceptual Package Formed: "Magico-Ballistic Small Arms"]
I stared, mesmerized, at the schematics the system began overlaying onto the physical properties of the crystals resting before me. My hands instinctively reached for my tools, and my fingers began rapidly sketching out the first contours of the blueprints. I immediately started assigning this diverse palette of ores to their key roles:
"Chaos" Ore: This vibrant red, pulsating crystal contained a colossal, unstable energy. Trying to smelt it in the converter would have been sheer madness. But what if I directed that explosion for a productive purpose? I sketched out a design for tiny, hermetically sealed capsules. If Chaos were used as the gunpowder charge in cartridges, a firing pin strike would generate immense pressure.
"Celestial" Ore: The deep azure chunk of metal practically vibrated with sensitivity to magic. At first, a brilliant idea hit me: 'I'll use this to make highly sensitive alarm sensors! We'll distribute them along Dornheim's perimeter, and they'll react to the faintest magical fluctuations, warning us of spies and enemy mages.' I had already pulled the schematic up on the screen when Elyria suddenly crossed my mind. I envisioned this alarm system screaming and chirping without interruption twenty-four hours a day. "Alright, scratch that idea."
"Omega" Ore: On the other hand, this heavy, dark-purple metal turned out to be an absolute treasure for a gunsmith. Its structure possessed a phenomenal resistance to pressure, vibration, and thermal deformation. I immediately designated it for barrel blanks and chambers. An Omega alloy would be capable of containing the chaos inside the weapon, absorbing the monstrous recoil and keeping the barrel from shattering into splinters upon firing.
The hours flew by unnoticed. I immersed myself completely in designing the new arsenal, drafting bolt assemblies, magazines, and trigger mechanisms.
While the rest of Dornheim enjoyed a breather, strolling between the houses under construction or simply sleeping in, a completely different atmosphere reigned on the furthest edge of the rocky plateau.
Noah stood in the middle of a flat rock clearing, hidden from the main camp by towering boulders. His right hand came to rest slowly on the hilt of his blade.
Shrring!
With a crisp ring, the steel cleared the scabbard. In that exact instant, Noah's figure blurred.
"No matter how much I train, I still can't perfect my technique," he exhaled. "What the hell?"
Every time his blade locked into place after a sharp thrust, the space rippled with a faint, hollow delay. Noah executed a deep lunge, spun on his heel, and delivered a downward hacking strike. With a sharp crack, a spatial echo split the granite boulder ahead of him clean in two.
Noah froze abruptly, breathing heavily and hoarsely. The palms gripping his hilt trembled faintly, and a wave of spasms coursed up his forearms. He let out a low, muffled growl through his teeth as the pain washed over him.
"Why? Why? Against Elias, I pulled it off perfectly, even if it tore my arm apart. But now..." Damn it.
He slowly lifted the sword before his face, staring at his reflection in the steel.
"I'll have to call her," he rasped.
Noah lowered the blade slowly, letting his racing heart calm down a bit.
"Elyria. Come out. I know you're buzzing around somewhere nearby."
Having grown bored with nothing to do, Elyria materialized right in front of his nose. Crossing her arms over her chest, she began playfully circling his head.
"Oh my, my! Do my ears deceive me?" the tiny spirit giggled brightly. "The great, fearsome, and perpetually grumpy Noah is actually calling for me? Don't tell me you need a little spirit's help? Heh-heh! Come on, ask nicely, maybe I'll think ab—"
Catching Noah’s heavy mood, Elyria cut herself off instantly. Her bubbly laughter died mid-sentence. The spirit's tiny face turned solemn, and the air around her suddenly grew dense.
Elyria drifted a little higher, settling into a combat stance.
"Alright, let's do this," she said. "Just don't go complaining to Iron afterward."
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