Chapter 155 Northern Fros (1/2)
CHAPTER 155
NORTHERN FROST
”Oh, Felix? You're finally here.” a familiar voice jolted Felix out of his thoughts. Just a moment ago he had walked into a rather strange and odd scene. In the back end room of the smithy, lit up by orange sapphire stones, two men stood side by side next to an anvil. Both were topless, and despite the fact that their statures were different in terms of volume, both sported muscles that appeared as though they were chiseled by hands.
”Ah, y-yes. Why did you call for me, Master?” Felix asked, looking away yet also looking back at them, unsure as to what exactly to look at.
”Well, you've been my disciple for a while,” Lino said, smiling lightly as he glanced at him. ”But I've never gifted you anything. So I figured I'd craft you a weapon today.”
”E-eh? Really?!”
”Yeah.” Lino nodded. ”I was thinking gauntlets.”
”... what?”
”You know? Gauntlets? Like gloves, except bigger and made out of metal.”
”Do I look like someone who punches things to death?” Felix asked, seeming somewhat dispirited all of a sudden.
”Ah? Ha ha ha, you misunderstood me,” Lino laughed lightly. ”They're not going to be dueling gauntlets. Anyway, just trust me on this one, 'kay?”
”... fine.”
”Where's your ink and paper?” Lino asked Chwek.
”... don't tell me you're just designing it?” Chwek asked, looking somewhat stumped.
”Nah, not really,” Lino shook his head. ”I've had the design mapped out for a while, I just want to jot it down to see whether there are any screw-ups. I could also use an unbiased party's opinion.”
”... here.” Chwek took out a few pieces of paper and handed it over alongside a granite pencil, surprising Lino.
The latter nodded softly before sitting down near a window, focusing entirely onto the paper in front of him. It has been so long since he'd designed anything that he was unable to entirely calm his hand, causing him to draw quite a few... interesting lines. With every stroke his happiness seemed to spike, and by the end he found himself subconsciously tapping his feet against the floor.
Proudly lifting the paper, he examined the design closely; though he called them gauntlets, it really was simply for the ease of reference. The weapon he had in mind for Felix was more of a mix between a gauntlet and a glove; after all, as mostly external-user, Felix relied heavily on channeling Qi and shaping it while also switching its property to ice. Because of it, his close-quarter defenses were rather shabby, which is why Lino hadn't simply designed a pair of gloves.
”What do you think?” after ascertaining there was nothing too amiss with the design, he handed the paper over to Chwek and waited the latter's assessment.
”... huh.” Chwek drew in a cold breath as he closely examined the designs; while the so-called 'caster gauntlets' weren't exactly extremely rare, Lino's design was especially ambitious. ”Are you sure [Mithren Glue] can hold the inner layers together?”
”Eh, it probably could. But as I don't want to risk it, I'll inject the <Chained> array through them as well.”
”Wouldn't that make it a bit too rigid?” Chwek asked, frowning.
”That's the point,” Lino explained. ”The main purpose is to establish circulatory tubes that will work as filters. As Felix's Qi is frost-based, flexibility would really only increase the chances of the weapon rusting quicker. In addition, it will help bolster the barrier as it's a fixed material.”
”If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to use [Black Steel Ingot] rather than [Sapphire Steel]?”
”I thought about it,” Lino nodded. ”But black steel isn't the greatest conduit. While [Sapphire Steel] is a bit less resilient, it's far more conductive and flexible in terms of modifications and arrays.”
”Ah! That's true...” Chwek nodded, stroking his beard. ”The outer rings are quite a neat idea. You think you can pull it off?”
”Eeh... honestly I'm still not that confident. I was kind of hoping you could help me with them.”
”... let me think for a second. Ah! I've some [Elastic Matter] stored. Ah, but its level is fairly low...”
”Oh, that's great!” Lino exclaimed. ”I can mix it with a drop of [Basilisk Blood].”
”Yup, that should do it! Ha ha ha, you're pretty good at designing things! I've always had trouble with coming up with original designs...”
”Right, and those Chakrams are definitely just another completely unoriginal design, eh?”
”Hmm... I baited you right into it!”
”It really is true...” Lino sighed, seemingly lamenting over something. ”The larger the man is, the smaller his brain..:”
”Suck a dick.”
”Anyway, my best flame's Level 85.”
”Mine's only 70.”
”Alright we'll use mine then,” Lino nodded. ”Can you prepare materials while I start the flame and prepare the arrays?”
”Want me to invite Sena? She's the best in the city when it comes to modules, especially motion-related ones.”
”Oh? That kid? Sure. I'm still not too confident in crafting rotatory rings.”
”Mind if I invite some of my colleagues? We've never seen how outsiders craft before. It could help them break past the barriers.”
”I don't mind so long as they shut up.”
”You shut up, you bastard!” Chwek spat out as he slowly left, leaving Lino alone. The latter immediately went over to the forge and started throwing in pieces of reinforced coal before stoking flames.
Felix still stood in the corner, yet could only do exactly that. To the two, he seemed to have vanished from the existence, as they only seemed to have crafts on their mind. It was the first time he'd seen his Master like that; while Lino always appeared to be carefree and aloof, Felix realized that he was actually always on guard and especially alert. That's why it was almost impossible to actually surprise-attack him no matter the circumstances. Yet, here and now, he was completely open. Felix was certain that if he attacked, his Master wouldn't actually be able to defend in time.
”Your first time seeing him craft something?” Lucky's voice brought him back to reality. When'd she get here?!
”Yeah...” he replied, nodding lightly.
”If he always looked like he does while crafting,” Lucky said, sighing. ”His dream of having a platoon of mature women chasing after him all day every day might even come true. What a waste...”
”...”
”See these?” a pair of exquisite daggers suddenly flashed before Felix's eyes, leaving him utterly stunned - especially so when he saw their stats. ”He crafted them for me ten years ago. Till this day, I've yet to see a better weapon. It's on par with Evelyn's treasured sword.”
”... he's... he's really that good?!” Felix exclaimed softly.
”You might not believe this,” she said, smiling lightly. ”But crafting is what he really wants to do. Any time he'd start talking about it... his eyes would light up like lanterns. He'd be like a kid who'd start talking about his favorite toy. Ah, they're back. Let's retreat a bit and just watch.”
Chwek returned rather quickly with Sena - and around ten other people, eight of whom were men and two women, all similarly built to him - and a ring full of materials. He quickly shoved the ten smiths into the corner and dragged Sena over to where Lino was. She still seemed rather grumpy over what happened yesterday and refused to even look at Lino. The latter, though, seemed to not have noticed it.
”You got everything?” he asked Chwek.