Chapter 4554: Fair Trade (Part 2)

The blade vibrated from hilt to tip in answer to its master’s touch, the gemstones on its surface pulsing in unison.

"Everything seems fine." Orion performed a few practice swings and stabs. "It will take a bit of time to get accustomed to the new enchantments, but this can wait until tomorrow.

"I need to rest, and I’m sure Grimlock didn’t have an easy time with the procedure either. My imprint made the reforging of his enchantments smoother, but I believe it took its toll on Grimlock’s quasi-mind."

The sword answered by releasing a white aura that started from the crystals on the hilt and quickly spread to the rest of the blade. The white crystals dimmed a second later, and the fire crystals lit up, wreathing Grimlock in red light.

The process continued, and the elemental crystals activated one after another for a heartbeat, shifting the blade’s aura to a different element until the violet light of the dimensional crystal went out.

"I was right." Orion said. "Grimlock didn’t like being reforged, but it says it’s ready to fight at any moment."

"It says?" Nalrond echoed. "Did it speak to you with a mind link or something?"

"No." Orion shook his head. "I just felt Grimlock’s will in the mana."

"You were also right about asking for my help, Orion." Salaark said. "Leaving two semi-sentient weapons to rot would have been a crime against magic. Moreover, I believe I’ve gained much more than I gave you.

"I don’t like debts, and I’m not an ungrateful person. I owe you one, Lord Ernas. It’s not a big favor, so don’t expect me to fight your battles, but it’s still a favor. Use it wisely."

"Thanks." Those words snapped Orion out of his creative frenzy and reminded him of his priceless Forgemastering equipment scattered all over the floor.

He had no idea how much Salaark had learned from witnessing his crafting method and had no intention of letting her take her time examining his bloodline legacy, so he stored everything in his dimensional amulet.

"If it doesn’t count as paying back the favor you owe me, can you please tell me how much you gain from our bargain, Overlord?"

"I’m not a thief." She shook her head. "I haven’t used a single Forgemastering spell, nor did I activate my breathing technique at any moment to study your equipment. I limited myself to using my eyes and brain.

"I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t learned any of your spells or uncovered the crafting technique of the tools you employed, but you have greatly expanded my horizons.

"Today I’ve witnessed techniques that never crossed my mind and tools I’ve never needed due to my considerable powers.

"The Ernas legacy is safe from me, but make no mistake. I’ve already devised several different ways to reproduce the effects of your spells, arrays, and tools. A few of them I believe I can do even better. As I said, I possess considerable powers, and I’m not afraid to use them."

"I expected as much, and it’s an honest price for what I got." Orion sighed. "If you have any questions, I’m willing to answer them. Within reason, of course."

Salaark pondered for a while, discarding all the questions that would require her guest to share more of the Ernas legacy.

"I have only one question." She said. "Those Davross plates with crystals at their corners you used to store long sequences of runes, do they need to be cleansed with Origin Flames after being used? If so, I’m willing to do it for you for free."

"It’s a good question, and one I can answer." Orion nodded. "No, the Spell Records don’t need to be cleansed. The runes aren’t engraved on the metal, only sealed. It’s all I can tell you."

"It’s all I needed to know." Salaark joined her hands and gave him a small bow, like a student receiving precious advice from a teacher.

"Does it make any difference?" Nalrond asked in confusion.

"Can I answer that?" Salaark said.

"He’s an Ernas. Nalrond has the right to know." Orion shrugged. "If you don’t answer him, I’ll do it once we get back home."

"Davross has the highest mana conductivity and capacity of all materials, child." Salaark explained. "A much rougher version of the enchantment of the Spell Records would require the Forgemaster to physically engrave the sequence of runes to keep them stable and preserve their energy signature for a longer time.

"Such a method, however, would require the metal to be cleansed after every use. I believe that was the case in one of their early designs." She looked at Orion, and he nodded for her to continue.

"The model you used, instead, is enchanted with a spell that combines the properties of the Davross with the pressure exerted by world energy released by the white crystals to freeze the magical runes in place without the need for engravings.

"It makes a Spell Record more expensive to craft, but it also removes the need to buy Origin Flames for the cleansing. I believe the Spell Records can be reused immediately after releasing their content or casting a spell that purges any residual energy left by the previous rune sequence."

"With all due respect, I’m not going to clarify that." Orion knew her second guess was correct, and so did Salaark.

"Please, don’t." She smiled, already planning to remove the need for such a spell for her own version of the Spell Records. "A little mystery is the spice of a good challenge. I’ll see you all in two days. Goodbye."

The Overlord opened a Warp Gate that brought the Ernas Forgemasters back to their private quarters in the Vehren Mansion and closed it the moment the last of them walked through.

"The Kingdom will never suspect what happened today, Daddy. When you reveal the potential of your new weapons, people will think you can craft semi-sentient artifacts at will like Lith, and you’ll have to chase clients away with a stick." Morok said.

"Don’t call me like that!" Hearing the Tyrant use such a moniker made Orion’s stomach churn. "But you are right, and things will get even worse if Jirni or I use Blade Spells in public.

"I can easily dispel any doubts that I used the Royal Forgemasters secrets to craft Grimlock and Skywarp. The Ernas techniques have the same root, but have been developed in a different direction, so they don’t react to the Burden of Guilt spell."

During the early years of the Griffon Kingdom, Menadion, the First Royal Forgemaster, had applied the same safeguards she had placed on the Apprentice Set’s sealed state to the exclusive techniques she left behind for the royal family.

Whenever the sealed tools and the Royal Forgemastery spells were used to craft an artifact, they left a distinct energy signature.

For the Apprentice Set, it allowed Menadion to track and identify anyone who killed one of her pupils to seize their piece of the Set.

Without the code to release the seal, the energy signature couldn’t be removed, and selling an artifact produced with the Apprentice Set was like lighting a beacon any Awakened could follow to find the murderer.