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‘So that’s how it is… Still, I must thank you for not giving up.’
Andre sighed and said after hearing Jade’s explanation of everything that happened last night.
They were all just coincidences, but probably thanks to luck, Jade was able to notice and link them together to create this miracle. If she had given in to fate back then, perhaps no one would have been able to unveil this secret.
‘No, it’s nothing… All the credit should go to Prommel.’
‘But,’ Geraldine said as she inspected the blade in detail, ‘who would’ve expected lightstone to have such a property? It’s really tough after processing.’
‘How’s it? Geraldine, do you think… is it doable?’
From a technical point of view, there were absolutely no problems when even a novice like Jade could process it into a weapon. The main issue was whether or not Geraldine was willing to continue their fight; perhaps she preferred to leave this depressing place once and for all.
Andre was the one who could make the final call, but regardless, he really wanted to know about Geraldine’s opinion.
‘Hoho, as things stand, I can’t really just run away, can I? As Prommel’s wife, how can I let his legacy die out?’
‘Geraldine!’
Everyone had delighted looks on their faces.
‘Also, Jade’s forging skills are really unbearable!’ Geraldine laughed. ‘Leave it to me and it won’t bend like that just after a few hits. Don’t worry.’
‘Um, I… I’ve only seen Prommel do it once.’
‘Oh? Then you’re actually quite talented. How about helping me out as an assistant?’
‘Wait, Geraldine.’ Andre interrupted her before she could rope Jade into working with her. ‘Jade’s been working the entire night, let her get some rest first.’
‘Ah, I’m okay really. It’s still early, I can help out…’
‘No.’ Andre glared at her.
‘Eh…’
‘It’s important to rest well and keep your body in good shape, or else you’ll bring trouble for everyone.’
‘Fine… I understand.’ Jade nodded obediently.
‘Hey, hey, are my ears working properly? Andre, the one who cares least about his teammates, is saying such things?’
Hilde could not hold back any longer and slid in between Jade and Andre, knocking him out of the way.
‘You!’
‘Jade! Let’s go, don’t let him think you’re a pushover! This won’t work, we’ll have to team up on him in the future! Marie, am I right?’ Hilde hooked an arm around Jade’s and pulled Marie along with the other, the three heading for the living area as Hilde shouted, ‘Where are you little brats hiding at? Bring some food over for sis Jade kay?’
Looking at the backs of the girls, Geraldine chuckled.
‘Oh Andre, looks like you’ll be having quite the headache soon.’
‘Haha… It can’t be helped.’ He shook his head. ‘It’s alright, I’ll still help out with looking after Arnold and Lenora.’
‘Heh, are you underestimating me? It’s just two kids, well, one more if you count the one in my belly… I don’t plan on admitting defeat’, Geraldine said with a confident look.
‘Then that’s great.’
‘Let’s end the small talk there. Carry the lightstones over please, will you?’
‘Sure, of course.’
The two collected every excess lightstone in the base and brought them over to the forging room that was situated at the deepest floor in the workshop area. Traces of Jade’s hard work remained, though Geraldine didn’t blame her for the mess—after all, she had almost given up on this place herself.
After tidying up the place, Geraldine opened the hidden vent on the wall and started a fire. The furnace gradually started to radiate scorching heat, making the two sweat profoundly.
Metal refining and forging was a drawn out process, and they were prepared for the long battle to come. Unsure of lightstone’s characteristics, Geraldine could only try working on them blindly. It did not take long for her to get the hang of it as the glowing stones weren’t too difficult to process.
Heating the lightstone red hot, Geraldine clamped the semi-molten lump out and hammered it heavily with a forging hammer to remove impurities, then quenched it in the bucket of liquid on the side to quickly cool it. She sprinkled some special additives over the lump and reheated it in the furnace.
Heating, hammering, folding, hammering. As time flew by, the lump of molten lightstone was now showing a rough outline that resembled a sword after a series of complicated forging processes.
Geraldine quenched the lengthy metal rod into the cooling liquid again, intentionally inducing rapid transformation in its internal structure. After cooling it for a while, she took out and carefully inspected it before finally coming to a halt.
It looks like they had successfully forged the blade, but Geraldine and Andre were noticeably tense as they glanced at each other nervously. Having seen how good Jade’s amateur experimental prototype was, no one could tell how good a blade forged properly by a blacksmith would be. They were about to enter a new era with this creation.
Under the cooperation of the two, the rough, black blade now showed a sharp glimmer after polishing and assembling it. The sword was done after installing a hilt onto the blade.
Andre hurried over to Prommel’s laboratory to bring over a god’s corpse and fixed it onto the table.
He held the sword and swung it without using magic.
The corpse was immediately split into two halves. The cut was exceptionally clean as well.
‘Yeah!’ Geraldine cheered.
Andre could feel how large the difference between a properly forged sword and Jade’s prototype was.
‘This is wonderful… With this sword, even that urn…’
Geraldine took the weapon back from Andre to inspect the blade’s condition after cutting and tested out its curvature and toughness with tools. Finally, she nodded in satisfaction.
‘How’s this, just leave it to me and nothing will go wrong, right?’
‘Indeed, that’s Geraldine for you. As expected of our awesome support master.’
Geraldine laughed heartily. ‘Don’t flatter me so soon, I still have to work on Hilde’s and Marie’s weapons so you guys can fight.’
Busy with work the entire day, it was night time in the blink of an eye. Not only did they not rest at all, they didn’t even eat their meals properly and only took a few bites. Still, Geraldine shook her head and made a fist in confidence.
‘Don’t forget about my magic, I won’t collapse just from overworking. I feel like I’m in peak condition and particularly in the mood now, so don’t worry. But you, you should go rest.’
‘But…’
‘The workshop’s my battlefield.’ Geraldine had clearly made up her mind already. ‘I can’t fight alongside you on the frontlines, at least let me fight for you here.’
This was Geraldine’s sincere wish. Just like Prommel, she also wanted to do something for herself and the team. Andre stopped persuading her and simply extended his hand out.
‘Thank you.’ They shook hands. ‘This time, we must exterminate every last one of those monsters.’
‘Hmph, that’s a must.’
Geraldine hit her chest and strolled back to the furnace to continue with her work. Andre gratefully saw her off into her battlefield and left the forging room with his sword.
Weapons made out of lightstones were chilly. He could feel the icy sensation even through the wooden hilt.
Andre went to the common area—the unobstructed sky could now be seen clearly.
The night sky was still shrouded in smog despite Jade’s storm that had scattered the particles earlier. Lingering like a ghost, the smog had slowly crept its way back to devour the land again.
The blade and the hazy moonlight became one under the seemingly dark night. The moment he willed his mind to it, a blue aura silently enshrouded the blade, its silvery-white surface instantly giving off a blinding glimmer.
The glimmer pierced through the skies. It tore apart the sky full of smog and absorbed the flickering grey particles, clearing the sky above the base temporarily.
The argent moon no longer held back its blessing and showered him with light. Andre could finally see the countless stars in the sky, revealing a calm smile.
As long as they could see the stars, the Tuninese would not lose sight of their path—the sword in Andre’s hands was the signpost that led the way to the future. With it, he shall blow the horns of the counter-offensive against the gods.537Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjaJpf67g5
