337 Jola’s Tears Part 1 (1/2)

”There's no need to be afraid. At most, the few of us will protect Sir and the rest will be abandoned.” Jola was still not taking the threat seriously. He thought that since he was well-versed in swordsmanship, it would be a piece of cake protecting Saleen. With Jola at the front blocking the attacks from the puppets, Saleen would be able to cast his spells easily, greatly amplifying their offensive power.

”Jola, Aini and I can use the flying spell,” Saleen said nonchalantly.

Jola became speechless. Since Saleen knew how to fly, his reliance on Jola would be greatly reduced. More accurately, Saleen needed Jola during an attack, but if Saleen was on the run, Jola would instead become a burden.

If Jola had known that such a day would come, he would have worked twice as hard since it was not impossible for him to become a golden grand swordmaster. But had Jola been a golden grand swordmaster, he would not have been defeated by Saleen. It was unheard of for a golden grand swordmaster to become a mage's follower.

A golden grand swordmaster had the ability to fly over long distances, and their offensive powers were also close to that of a grade-9 mage. Even a silver grand swordmaster could fly for three to five miles with ease. However, Jola was only a black metal grand swordmaster. It might have been easy for him to cover dozens of meters in a single jump, but he would need higher level skills to be able to fly.

”Sir, where are we going?” a magic beast swordsman asked out of caution. The magic beast swordsmen had been jittery ever since they had entered the Chaotic Swamp. If this was the season when magic beasts were very active, they would have considered bringing along a palace mage. People such as Canghong, who would do anything for money, were extremely rare. Even at this point in time, the magic beast swordsmen were annoyed by the harsh climate in the Chaotic Swamp.

Indeed, a grand swordmaster could tolerate a frigid climate, but their sword aura would be depleted in the process. A mage could remain warm by depleting magic nuclei on a magic robe. However, a grand swordmaster could only tap into their sword aura, or else they would freeze to death just like any other normal human being. That was why Jola had been in awe at the mage's extravagance when he had received Saleen's long robe.

Even though there was no magic nucleus mosaicked into the belt of the long robe, the magic patterns on the robe still provided a certain amount of energy, hence Jola could remain relaxed in such a climate.

”We are going to a relic which belongs to the era of the Second Dynasty.” Since these five people had signed a contract and were now Saleen's followers, Saleen did not need to conceal the truth from them.

Jola and the four magic beast swordsmen became somewhat exhilarated when they heard that. The Second Dynasty was also known as the magic dynasty. Besides the proliferation of mages, this dynasty also had the best magic armor and magic weapons.

A typical enchantment spell allowed the magical effect on a weapon to last for dozens of years, while a higher level one could sustain the magical effect for more than one hundred years. A genuinely powerful magic weapon would remain unchanged even after thousands of years. The magic weapons from the Second Dynasty were very durable, unless they were destroyed during wartime.

Such alchemy skills had been lost long ago. The main reason was the decline of humans, causing the large communities who did extensive research and innovation to disappear.

”Don't be too happy just yet, there might be nothing there at all. I have the materials for crafting magic armor and magic weapons. I will make a custom set for each of you once we get back.” After killing the tiago, Saleen had stored many horns and bones belonging to that dragon. It would not be a problem for him to craft five sets of armor.

Had the tiago not been on the verge of death, Saleen would never have been able to get close to it even with his current abilities. However, Saleen was no scrooge. The greatest talent of the people of Sikeqinya was loaning money and growing more gold coins from gold coins. Even though these materials would not decay in storage, they would not appreciate in value either. Giving the materials to his followers would allow the materials to unleash their full potential.

Saleen did not reveal any more details. The four magic beast swordsmen went on to execute their combat drills in front of Saleen, just like they would on any other day. No matter how big the tent was, the magic beast swordsmen would not be able to display all their skills. However, using his Icy Sight, Saleen had already identified their energy usage patterns and habits in combat. He then began brainstorming suitable weapons for each of the four magic beast swordsmen.

In order to enter the relic, the magic beast swordsmen would have to stop riding their magic beasts into battle and would have to travel on foot instead. With that being said, those weapons with long handles would pale in comparison to normal spears. The handle of a normal spear could be longer than three meters, but the tip of the spear was like half of a longsword. It could attack in any direction with just a slight swing. Many spears were also serrated to increase their lethality. Spears with long handles were more suitable for cavalrymen as they could kill their enemies using the inertia of their spears.

As Saleen was thinking, Jola and the others took the opportunity to memorize the map which Saleen had illustrated. A grand swordmaster's memory was very astounding. It was just that it was not as nimble as a mage's. In just a few minutes, the five of them had memorized all the details on the map. By this point in time, Saleen had already drawn out a weapon.

Now that Saleen had just gotten the grasp of water flame alchemy, refining weapons would allow him to become more familiar with this skill. Each weapon he refined was in fact one training session for him. The more Saleen brainstormed, the more beneficial it would be for him. Moreover, this refinement was for his own followers, which concerned his personal safety, so he would not take it lightly.

Saleen drew four machetes with a weird structure. Each of these four machetes were different in their own right. With one glance, the four magic beast swordsmen had already found their favorite machetes. They were even more awed by Saleen in this moment. Not only did this process require proficient alchemy skills, but a thorough understanding of a swordsman's sword aura usage was also needed in order to design a weapon which would make the swordsman fall in love at first sight.

Most swordsmen purchased normal weapons before getting used to them gradually. Only a minority of them possessed a bespoke weapon which was catered to their fighting styles. There were not many swordsmen like this. Basically, all of them were a mage's followers.

”Sir, this is just fantastic!”

”Mm, good that all of you like it. I will put an inscription on the weapon, then I will carry out another refinement once you advance to the next grade. By then, I should already be a sorcerer.” Saleen spoke indifferently, but the four magic beast swordsmen felt utter confidence emanating from Saleen.

Not many mages dared to proclaim that they would become sorcerers. Saleen dared to do so because he possessed sufficient resources. While other people needed to work for training resources, Saleen simply needed to keep training, training, and training…