Chapter 46 Star Blaze Sword
"...." The dean was speechless, this is the first time he heard Alex make a joke.
Suddenly the dean laughed "Haha... you brat, before you are formal and stiff when you are with me. But now you can make a joke like this"
"I'm sorry"
"I'm really glad you have become like this. This mean you become more cheerful around me. I'm glad. I'm really like you this way, I never have a family so talking like this to you feel like talking to my son." He said happily.
"I..." Alex didn't know what to do. But have felt warmth on his heart.
After a while, they come back to the lesson.
"Let's try with the first harmonizing of this two metal" He handed Zingi and Lore metal.
Alex received this two metal. He make two low temperature flame, one for each of them. The energy from Zingi metal as well as Lore metal start to be refined.
"Raise the temperature for Lore metal slowly" The dean said.
Alex try to infuse a bit mana continuously to raise the flame's temperature slowly. Zingi metal's energy start to become mellow this is the sign, Zingi metal energy can be fused. As for the Lore metal, it was almost complete. Alex manage to refined the energy bit by bit. But he notice something, the energy contained in Lore Metal, become a bit disarray for a while and soon become mellow.
The two energy ready to fuse. He use his flame as the medium to fuse this two energy. Alex feel the energy start to fuse with each other, but he also notice the energy become a bit disarray like before and soon fused.
"After the energy fuse, you start refine the metal. Heat them with your flame and fused them with your hammer"
Alex follow what he said. He raised the temperature, the metal start to melt. Then he pick the Lore metal and place it on top of Zingi Metal. He start hammering them. this two metal start to fused with each other. After fifteen minutes hammering. The two metal become one.
But Alex feel it, the energy after the two metal fused become disarray. When the metal cooldown, he can see this metal doesn't mixed completely, there are a few yellow spot that is the original color of Zingi metal while the main color is greenish blue, while blue is the color of Lore Metal. Alex frowned.
"This is a failure. If the two metal fused completely, the color will become one. In this case the color should become this color" He pointed at the greenish blue color. He then asked "Where do you think you make a mistake?"
Alex pondering a bit. He feel the Zingi metal he refined didn't have any problem within it. but when he refine Lore metal he feel the energy become disarray for a while and then refined. "Lore metal?"
"Yes, you are right. The problem is in Lore metal. And what do you think the mistake is?"
Alex didn't know, he tried to summarize his experience when refine them. He recalled, his teacher only said slowly but he didn't know how slow it is. "the mistake is from my speed when heating up?"
"Yes. You need to be slower when heating it up. Comparing with your speed just now, it should be two-third of your speed."
Alex nodded, but he confused, why his teacher didn't mention it from the beginning.
Noticing the confusion in Alex face, he know what he thinking "If you want to ask why I didn't explain it from the beginning. That because make you feel it first and correct it will be faster. For the heating up process, you need to feel it yourself. I can't give you an exact number for the speed."
Alex nodded with his explanation, but he secretly thought 'it was nice to have a digital thermometer. I can see the temperature easily'.
"Alright, This is the two metal. Try to fuse them again" He handed Zingi metal and Lore metal again to Alex.
Alex try to recreate the process just now. But this time, he carefully infuse his mana to Lore metal, to make the speed become two-third from before. After a while, he start to melt and fused them. This time Alex didn't feel the energy become disarray. After the metal is cooling down, the greenish color of metal come up without any yellow spot. Looking at this Alex relieved, this mean he was succeed.
The dean nod, "You succeed for this two metal. Today we will try a few combination of energy like torrential energy with overbearing energy, etc. But first we will have experience the other two energy first" he take out Gend metal and other metal. "As you know, this is Gend metal which have overbearing energy while the other is Sliv Metal which have gentle energy.
Alex grabbed the two metal, he use low temperature flame for Gend metal and high temperature flame to Sliv Metal. The Sliv metal immediately start to be refined. As for the Gend metal energy start attacking his flame.
"Continue with the low temperature flame, don't bothered with Gend metal's energy attacking you" The dean said.
Alex continue after hearing that. He continue for a few minutes. That true, the energy from Gend metal that attacking him slowly stop it's attack. after a few minutes the energy start to be refined.
"It's time, raise the temperature"
Alex infuse his mana immediately. The flame suddenly become a scorching flame. It burn the energy and the metal at the same time. The energy from Gend metal become disorder.
"The energy already disordered. Try to refine them, after you refine them then fused it with Sliv metal."
Alex refine it carefully. The disordered energy starting to become mellow. While Sliv metal already ready to be refined from the start. After all of the energy from Gend metal refined. Alex put Sliv metal above Gend metal and start hammering them. After a few minutes hammering, he is succeed refining them.
The purple colored metal cooled down. There are no different color spotted on the metal surface, so he sure this is a success.
"You are succeed for this metal" The dean nod his head.
Alex look at the two metal he succeed. He asked "Can I fuse them together?"
"No. They are already cooled down. So the energies that already fused with the metal is a mixing of the two metals. If you fuse them as one process than you can"
"But, ain't this a bit waste?" he look at his teacher.
"Haha, I already planned it before. This two new metals can be made to rank 4 magic weapons. But for today, you will try many combination first like Zingi with Gend metal or Lore with Sliv metal or combination of three metals. though the feeling will be the same, you need to familiarize about them first."
Alex nodded, he try many combination for the rest of the day. Since the process didn't take too long, Alex have tried all the combination that suggested by the dean.
He come back to his room exhausted. Though he was exhausted, he didn't put it on his face as to not make Alicia worried.
Tomorrow, the activities went as usual.
"Teacher can I make the weapon now?"
The dean thinking about it a bit and nodded, "This is the metals, there are four metals for this weapon recipe. This will make a fire type weapon. First you fuse Zingi metal and Fire stone, after that fuse Star metal and the last you use Sliv metal."
Alex looked at this two new material, his teacher already explain about weapon. The ingredients might not be a metal but a stone. But the process and feeling are the same. He tried to feel the fire stone and star metal. This two were a fire attribute material. But surprisingly, when Alex touched them, the fire attribute energy become submissive.
"Teacher, why are they become like this?" he asked. 'they' in his mouth obviously are fire stone and star metal.
The dean too was surprised with this. But he already have the answer, "Do you forget what your element is? Pure Fire element, it is the king of fire."
Alex forgot about this. He try to feel the metal again, it seems they are ready to be processed immediately.
Alex tried to fuse Zingi and Fire stone. The process went without any problem, the fire stone didn't need any special treatment and he do it with scorching approach immediately. When he fuse star metal, the process was the same. This two fire attribute metals become like a Sliv metal, only need to fuse them together. Since he didn't need to Purify the metal, this process only take half an hour for him to finished.
"but teacher, why do we need to use so many metal? Can't we just forge a weapon from one metal?" Alex asked.
"You can" The dean nodded.
"Then why we need so many metals?"
"Sure you can, if you want to make a fire attribute weapon. You might only need to use Star metal or Fire stone, or any fire attribute metals. but the product will be the same rank as your metal. Look at your Fire stone, this is rank 3 fire attribute material. If you only use this, then the weapon will only become a rank 3 weapon. Or you use this rank 4 star metal, then you will only get a rank 4 weapon.
But because a high rank materials are hard to get. Many people research about combination type materials. With lower rank materials, we can make a higher rank weapon. Take example with this four metals, we only have rank 4 star metal and as for the rest are rank 3 material. But if you manage to combine all of them, you can make a rank 5 fire attribute weapon.
Of course, you can't mix them blindly. This is the product of two thousand years research. Though this can be said as complicated, but the product is worthwhile. But if you manage to get a high rank material, just use them completely. There are still no progress in rank 7 above materials combination.
I have a rank 7 fire attribute staff. And I only make it from rank 7 Sten Blaze Metal. The only rank 6 weapon research are consist of two rank 5 and three rank 4 materials. That's how rare are high rank materials."
"Then teacher, we can make a rank 5 weapon from this?" Alex pointed at the metal he just fused.
"You can. I will guide you when making the weapon now. First...."
Alex followed each order, he heat the metal and shape it with his hammer. His teacher guide him where to hammered. He continued refine it for a few hours. When outside was almost midnight. The sword shape have been made. A red colored sword blade was on top of the anvil.
"Ha....ha..." Alex was exhausted. This is the first time he make a sword, on top of it he make it for a few hours. It take tolls in his body. But he still smiled satisfiedly.
The dean examined the sword blade, he satisfied. The sword blade is a rank 5 weapon. "You have succeed. Go back first, we will continue tomorrow to make the handle and scabbard."
"Yes, Thank you teacher"
Tomorrow,
He come back once again. The dean already prepared the material for the blade's handle and scabbard. The blade handle was from rank 5 tree called Mista Tree, while the scabbard was a combination of a few metals. Of course he need to refined them first like the sword blade.
He fused all the metal for scabbard, and start shaping it. after two hours he manage to do it. after the scabbard has been made. He continued to the blade, he start to sharpen the sword blade he made yesterday. This process take another two hours, after this is the last process. He unite the handle and the sword, decorated it a bit according to his teacher guidance.
Rank 5 fire attribute sword was born, the sword is red colored, having a thin body, 6 centimeters wide, with the length is 120 centimeters including the handle.
"Now, you need to name your sword" The dean said. He was guiding Alex from start to finish.
Alex pondering for a while, and he said "Star Blaze. This sword's name will be Star Blaze"
"Star Blaze....it's a good name"
Alex smiled satisfiedly, "But teacher, can forging a sword was this easy?"
"Of course not, shaping the sword is easy but the hard part is when you purify the metal and merge their energy. You only fuse a few energies from low rank metals. If you try to handle high rank materials, you will know the difficulty."
"But, the high rank materials didn't need to be merge from a few metals, if there is only one metal as the ingredient, so what is the difficulty?"
"Their energy, especially rank 7 or above material. Each of their energy was unique, when you tried hammering them, you will get a reaction from the metal itself, like they have a consciousness. Each metal would need a specific treatment, and the higher the rank, the harder to deal with the energy."
Alex just nod, he didn't really understand because he never see high rank material.
"Let's take the example the sword you just made, when you merge the sword and when you merge the materials for scabbard, do you feel any different?"
Alex ponder this question a bit, "I feel a bit different when the energy was merged"
"That's right, since the materials used and the process from both aren't that much different, the difference won't be big. If you make a water attribute sword, you will feel a big different when handling them. the biggest difference was your mana control. As for how is the difference, we will start tomorrow. I will imparted you a few combination recipes for many attributes. But for now, you rest first"
"Yes, thank you teacher"