Natlan, Children of Echoes tribe.
A big sister with fiery red hair was loudly shouting in front of Xilonen's workshop.
"Xilonen, about those sunglasses I asked you to make last time, I still have a few details I want to adjust, especially the decorative patterns at the ends of the temple arms..."
This big sister was precisely the god of this nation.
The Pyro Archon, the God of War — Mavuika.
Mavuika received no response from Xilonen and pushed open the door of the workshop.
"Huh? Where did she go? It's not lunchtime yet. Xilonen! Are you there? Let's talk about the details of the sunglasses again~"
At this moment, Xilonen naturally could not hear the Pyro Archon's calls.
With such nice weather, of course she chose to stay far away from the furnace and the noise.
She found a large tree and took a lazy nap.
As a forging artisan famous far and wide throughout Natlan, Xilonen was not being arrogant by hiding here to slack off.
The reason she often "slacked off," besides balancing work and rest, actually had another cause —
She was especially efficient.
Because of her far-reaching reputation, people admired her superb skills and came from all over to seek her out.
Some genuinely wanted to commission Xilonen to forge weapons and armor, while others simply wanted to catch a glimpse of this blacksmith's face to add some capital for their conversations.
Xilonen did not care about the little schemes in the visitors' hearts.
No matter how many inexplicable titles outsiders gave her.
Before honor, she was first and foremost a forging artisan. What she needed to do was simply follow the client's requirements, steadily quench the ore with fire, forge it, and refine it into material.
Empty fame would not make her hammer strikes more powerful, and slander would not cool the temperature of her furnace.
However, when clients stepped into the workshop, what might greet them was not the heat wave of the furnace, but a detailed inquiry form full of blank spaces.
"Commissioning forging is no problem. But before that, let's first confirm the commission details."
Xilonen would say.
"Efficient communication, efficient work. Come on, let's first discuss what exactly you want."
For Xilonen, who had already worked for a very long time, what she feared most was hearing words like "anything is fine," "you decide," or "I'll leave it to you" from the client.
Because that meant it was not casual at all, and there was a high chance of being nitpicked.
When accepting such commissions.
What became tiring was not the work itself.
Therefore, before starting to forge, Xilonen chose to spend energy helping the client clarify their thoughts.
To help them figure out exactly what they wanted.
Every time the conversation reached the end, the client's sudden realization always made Xilonen's stomach ache.
Fortunately she had prepared in advance, otherwise all that back-and-forth would waste even more time.
With these premises, Xilonen's efficient work went without saying.
That was why she had time to rest.
During rest time, no one was allowed to disturb her.
You say the Pyro Archon?
If Xilonen knew Mavuika was coming today, she guaranteed she would run even farther away to sleep.
This Pyro Archon's requests were basically always too outrageous every time, making it hard for Xilonen to handle.
But if you said it was a big deal? It wasn't really anything major.
Were the decorative patterns at the ends of the sunglasses a big deal?
Yet it was exactly these small details that came with so many demands from her.
The other party was the Pyro Archon. She definitely could not afford to offend her.
But Xilonen could hide.
Today she was very lucky. If she had been a little later, she might have been caught by Mavuika on the spot.
"Big Sister Xilonen!"
The children's innocent and childlike shouts woke Xilonen up on the tree, nearly causing her to fall.
Fortunately, this was not the first time.
Xilonen yawned. "Ah~ What is it this time? Whose toy broke again?"
However, the children were obviously not looking for her over such small matters.
Besides being a renowned artisan far and wide, Xilonen was also one of Natlan's most important figures — the [Name-Forging Master].
She could forge [Ancient Names].
[Ancient Names] represented countless heroic deeds and grand spirits, and could be said to be the foundation on which Natlan stood.
Their importance in Natlan went without saying.
Therefore, in the hearts of most people in Natlan, refining stories and forging "Ancient Names" was a supreme responsibility.
And as the "Name-Forging Master" who forged "Ancient Names," she was naturally given various gorgeous imaginations related to "Ancient Names" by the people.
They perhaps were solitary cultivators who tempered their own spirit through lonely ascetic practice;
They were battle-hardened veterans who had gone through the fires of war, carrying glory while swallowing wounds;
They were heaven-chosen ones with extraordinary talent who learned of and took on the responsibility of name-forging through mysterious channels...
Oh right! Perhaps there was also a certain hero who was personally chosen by the Wayob!
Under the guidance of the Wayob, he experienced countless mythical trials, defeated countless powerful enemies, and at the end of his journey, he finally obtained the answer that had long been buried deep in his heart...
To the children, all of this was so stirring and exciting.
So they made a bet with Xilonen: as long as they found Xilonen "slacking off" three times.
Xilonen would have to tell them stories about the Name-Forging Masters.
The children under the tree blinked their big eyes, full of curiosity.
"Big Sister Xilonen! Is it really like that? Are those stories all true? Do Name-Forging Masters all gain their power this way?!"
The "current" Name-Forging Master yawned, clearly not expecting her hiding skills to be so poor that she was caught so quickly.
She helplessly replied: "First of all, forging an 'Ancient Name' is a technical issue..."
Hearing Xilonen start with this long, sleep-inducing lecture, the children were stunned.
"Eh... but..."
Xilonen continued, "If you want to solve a technical problem, the most important thing is to study and practice seriously and diligently..."
Before the Name-Forging Master's good advice on learning finished, the children had already pouted and scattered.
Their gorgeous yet simple imaginations fell to the ground like ore baskets filled with obsidian.
Before finding the next idea that could make their fantasies leap into the clouds, they could only return to class and continue studying, whether voluntarily or not.
After all, Big Sister Xilonen and the teacher both said so...
"Sigh, I didn't lie to you guys..."
"Only by studying hard first can you find the way to make those stories come true."
Xilonen lay back down again.
The lush branches and leaves blocked the sunlight.
This place was very suitable for falling asleep. Sufficient sleep could help her replenish her energy.
To be ready to deal with the upcoming work at any time.
What if a tribesman suddenly needed to forge an [Ancient Name]?
As for what she said to the children, Xilonen really had not lied.
Because she herself had come this way...