Chapter 402 - 401: Craftsman

Chapter 402: Chapter 401: Craftsman

That was why, although Seraphina Sinclair had held onto all her special materials, she had never found a way to use them. They were just left to gather dust in a corner of her Silver Moon Earrings.

[Eye of Identification has taken effect: Can be used to make clothing. The finished product will have an extraordinary feel and will gain different effects depending on the other materials used. When combined with Black Fog Essence, Sun Essence, and Blood Moon Essence, it can be used to create Ebony Rune Parchment, which can craft C-level to A-level runes. It is also an excellent medium for writing.]

’Ebony Rune Parchment...’

The name immediately made Seraphina Sinclair think of the C-level Lunar Thunder Rune she had gotten from Rex Shaw.

That rune paper had been black, and its texture was just as described—a satin-like feel, completely different from the yellow rune paper she was used to!

’So... it was made from this stuff.’

Seraphina Sinclair’s previous suspicion was correct. The yellow rune paper she had was completely incapable of producing C-level or higher runes.

Now that she had seen the item’s properties, she finally understood how to make higher-level rune paper.

’But she only knew *what* materials were needed to make Ebony Rune Parchment. How exactly... was she supposed to do it? Weren’t there blueprints or special steps involved?’

This new recipe only led to more questions for Seraphina Sinclair.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the materials on hand. Even if she wanted to experiment, she had no way to do so.

She pushed her questions aside and took out another material she was certain was valuable—

[Broken Star Meteorite (Special Material)]

She had obtained this mysterious, walnut-sized, completely black ore after killing a D-level Star-Marked Beast.

Its Description had been just as unhelpful as the last one, so Seraphina Sinclair could do nothing but let it sit idle.

[Broken Star Meteorite (Special Material)]

[Description: A fragment from a meteorite from beyond the stars. It mutated after falling into the Black Mist, making its internal structure extremely unstable. It will slowly disintegrate over time. For this reason, large pieces of Broken Star Meteorite are extremely valuable and are often ground into powder to enhance the efficacy of runes.]

’Forget its impressive origin for a second—it slowly disintegrates?!’

’And its use...’

’A drop from a D-level monster can actually enhance the effectiveness of runes?’

’Isn’t that a little too powerful?’

’And that was just the item’s Description!’

[Eye of Identification has taken effect: When ground into an extremely fine powder: For a Rune Master, it can be used as an ink to draw runes, increasing their effects. For a Pharmacist, it can be used to make Potions; adding a certain amount of the powder will increase the Potion’s effect by 10%-15%. For an Engraving Master, using it while improving blueprints allows for better visualization of spiritual energy, increasing the efficiency of the improvements. For a Sealing Master, it can be used to increase the strength of a created seal or accelerate the process of breaking one.]

’These uses... it covers all the bases.’

Artemis had mentioned in the regional channel that these were the four major professions in The Black Mist World. That meant the powder made from this material was incredibly useful to every single profession!

Seraphina was secretly stunned. She stored the Broken Star Meteorite back in her Silver Moon Earrings with the utmost care.

The Description said it would slowly disintegrate over time. If she hadn’t had the Silver Moon Earrings, and if she hadn’t kept it stored inside them all this time, the meteorite would have likely turned to dust long before she acquired the Eye of Identification.

Sighing to herself, Seraphina took out the rest of her special materials and examined them one by one.

The uses for these materials were varied, but they generally fell into three categories:

Materials that could be used on their own generally had an enhancing effect, similar to the Broken Star Meteorite. Naturally, the ones who could make use of them were the members of the four major professions.

Alternatively, they could be combined with other components to create a wide variety of items, each with its own unique purpose.

And the last category... was crafting armor.

Not the kind of pure, physical-defense Armor worn by the likes of Shatterer, nor clothing like Seraphina Sinclair’s that provided some protection based on the material itself. The armor mentioned in the Descriptions was special equipment, just like her Silver Moon Earrings!

Seraphina had previously thought such items didn’t exist in The Black Mist World. It was only after reading the Descriptions of these materials that she understood: it wasn’t that they didn’t exist, but that they couldn’t be found ready-made.

This type of equipment was exceedingly special. It wasn’t something you were born with, but it was something you took with you to the grave.

When a living being died, any bound defensive equipment would dissolve along with them. Other than crafting them, there was no other way to obtain such items.

The Description made this point very clear, but as for *how* to actually craft them—just like with the items for which she only had a recipe—Seraphina was still completely clueless.

After a moment of thought, she turned to the waiter, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

The creature seemed to have just finished completely cordoning off the Dragon Corpse. With the freshness of this top-tier ingredient finally secured for the time being, the waiter stood before the corpse and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from its brow.

The gesture was surprisingly human, but all the running around had stretched out the arms of its current vessel considerably.

Among humans, having one’s wrists hang below the waist was considered the mark of a top-tier physique. This thing, on the other hand, had its wrists dangling past its knees.

It looked utterly monstrous.

But Seraphina was no stranger to strange sights, so she simply pretended not to notice. Composing herself, she walked forward.

"Waiter," Seraphina began, choosing her words carefully. She deliberately slowed her speech to make sure the waiter could understand her. "Regarding these special materials..."

Seraphina held up a few of the less-precious items, motioning for the waiter to look.

"Specifically, for the materials that can be used to craft armor or that provide recipes for other items... do you happen to know the specific crafting process? Does it require a special location, or blueprints, or a certain Skill?"

The question was clear and direct. And while the waiter wasn’t an expert in such matters, the benefits of being well-traveled and knowledgeable now became apparent.

It seemed to be pondering something, studying Seraphina intently and occasionally glancing at the Dragon Corpse behind it. After a long moment, it finally replied, "Does the guest have need of such services? Are your materials prepared?"

Seraphina shook her head. "Not all of them. I’m just curious. I wanted to know the general process so I can prepare accordingly."

She waved the handful of relatively common materials. "I have plenty more besides these."

"I see." The waiter nodded. "If you require it, I can introduce you to a craftsman. We have a good relationship. If I ask, I’m sure it won’t refuse."

"A craftsman?"

Seraphina wasn’t sure what it meant. The word sounded foreign and, for a second, her mind jumped to the ghoulish monsters from the horror stories of her old world. Then, remembering the context of their conversation, she found the correct meaning.

"Correct." The waiter nodded, struggling to force a smile onto a face whose muscles it could barely control from exhaustion. "They specialize in making these sorts of things. It’s similar to us chefs, except one is a noble profession that creates delicious meals, while the other just makes strange little trinkets. Rather useless, really."