Lucian put away the Ancient Meteoric Ore Greatsword. He had already decided to make it his main colossal sword for the future.
Lucian looked toward the altar again and found another item being enshrined there.
There was actually an incredibly precious Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone preserved within the altar.
Lucian picked it up from the furnace and shook his head lightly.
Unfortunately, it was not a Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
There were very few weapons in Lucian's possession that needed ordinary Smithing Stones...
No, he could practically say there were none at all.
His demand for Somber Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones was far greater than his demand for ordinary Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones. The ordinary ones were practically useless to him.
Perhaps he could have Master Iji use it to forge something out of the ancient meteoric ore later.
For example, a great spear or lance made specifically for throwing, using the Smithscript forging techniques.
Lucian had previously asked Master Hewg to forge two Swordspears for him, both made using the powerful horn of a dragon as their material.
Their power had been decent, and they had accompanied Lucian through countless battles for quite some time. They were especially convenient to use when thrown.
Unfortunately, the weapons themselves were not powerful enough, and they had gradually been replaced by other weapons. Lucian no longer used them in battle.
As for throwing attacks with the highest output, they could not be retrieved immediately and could only be used once, which was rather troublesome.
But now, that weakness could be solved through the forging techniques of Smithscript.
If he used the inherently powerful ancient meteoric ore to forge a weapon specifically designed for throwing, it would certainly make for an excellent ranged option against powerful single targets.
He had more or less finished exploring the Ancient Meteoric Ore Forging Ruins. There was nothing else of interest, so Lucian turned around and walked all the way out.
After leaving the smithing ruins, Lucian took out the map once again and lowered his head to examine it.
His current position was rather interesting.
Compared to returning directly to Shadow Keep, there was somewhere else much closer that he could visit.
Looking at the location marked as the Cathedral of Manus Metyr, Lucian stroked his chin.
Just from the name alone, it was obvious that this place, like the Church of Manus Celes on the Moonlight Altar, had some deep and incomprehensible connection with the Fingers.
And the "former sorcery professor" Ymir that Messmer had mentioned, the one who had betrayed the Carian royal family and pursued the Greater Will, was currently using that cathedral as his base.
If Lucian wanted to learn about matters concerning the Fingers and find the mastermind behind the fake Greater Will, this was undoubtedly the best source of information.
Lucian put away the map and quickly made his decision.
He set off toward the cathedral.
As he flew through the air, Lucian also settled on how he would approach that sorcery professor.
This time, there was no one else around him at all.
Lucian planned to put on a little performance and try approaching Ymir under his own identity.
Although he had Messmer's introduction as a connection, Lucian did not intend to reveal that he had any relationship with the forces of Shadow Keep.
Since this sorcery professor named Ymir had defected from the Carian royal family, then even if he still maintained the most basic connection with them, their relationship certainly could not be very good.
If it was just ordinary information, it would not matter even if Messmer and the others found out about it.
But when it came to genuinely important secrets, Ymir certainly would not honestly explain everything to an old employer with whom he had some history.
Therefore, it was enough for Lucian to learn of Ymir's existence through Messmer.
This time, he did not need to rely on their relationship.
Using that connection might actually create obstacles along the way as he investigated.
That was the last thing Lucian wanted to see.
'Since ancient times, genuine affection has never been enough to win people over. Only a good scheme can truly win the heart.'
Lucian's intuition told him that this fellow had definitely uncovered some clues after investigating for all these years.
Whether he could gain Ymir's trust and coax the information out of him would depend on his acting skills.
——
After flying across the Scadu Altus, Lucian soon arrived at the cathedral standing atop a hill.
There, he saw the cathedral in the middle of a shallow lake.
Looking from afar at the magnificent and astonishing church, Lucian stopped flying and landed beside the road leading toward it.
Lucian did not hurry toward the cathedral.
Instead, he found a dense forest and decided to disguise himself first.
Although Ymir, who had been staying in the Land of Shadow all this time, would certainly have no way of recognizing Lucian's identity, his strength alone would definitely make Ymir wary.
Lucian's physical attributes had now completely surpassed the realm of ordinary life in the Lands Between, and he naturally radiated a sense of pressure at all times.
He needed to simulate a more suitable level of strength for making contact.
A level of strength that would not be so overwhelming that someone would become extremely wary of him at first sight, but would not be so weak that he could not be entrusted with important tasks either.
Simply put, he needed to disguise himself as a highly capable laborer suitable for taking on missions.
For this purpose, Lucian had also prepared an item he had never used since obtaining it.
The Mimic's Veil.
This delicately designed, light-brown veil was one of the treasures of Leyndell, the Royal Capital, and was known as one of Queen Marika's playful indulgences.
It was one of the treasures that Godrick had taken from the capital during the distant past, during the Shattering.
The Mimic's Veil could consume FP to disguise its wearer as various objects.
Among all the mimicking tools in the Lands Between, it was already one of the finest.
Although its effect in the game was limited to transforming into objects for camouflage, such a mediocre effect certainly could not live up to Queen Marika.
The item's actual effect was far more powerful.
Lucian placed the Mimic's Veil over his head.
A hazy, gentle light immediately enveloped him.
Lucian's appearance and figure rapidly changed within the light.
Even his aura gradually weakened, eventually reaching a suitable level.
A thin young man with pale skin and a somewhat haggard appearance appeared in his place.
Lucian extended his hand and examined it.
After confirming that both his strength and appearance had been completely mimicked, he nodded in satisfaction.
Then Lucian took a Glintstone helm that he had not used in a long time from the spatial disc and put it over his head.
Finally, he changed into the robes of a sorcerer from the Academy.
For the sake of making his disguise more convincing, Lucian did not even use his Crystal Staff.
Instead, he took out an ordinary Academy Glintstone Staff.
With an Academy Glintstone Staff in hand, a perfectly standard sorcerer had been born.
Of course, his appearance alone might not reveal it, but the identity Lucian had assigned himself was that of an exiled Primeval Current sorcerer.
The sorcerers of the Academy of Raya Lucaria, just like that sorcerer named Ymir, ultimately sought to explore the stars rather than the moon.
This was also why the Carian royal family had never been able to completely assimilate the Academy into itself, and could only truly be said to rule over it.
And among them, the Primeval Current sorcerers were undoubtedly the most fanatical seekers of knowledge on the path of exploring the stars.
His background was different from that of Ymir, the former Carian sorcery professor, but they were both sorcerers, and their ultimate goal of exploring the stars was exactly the same.
Lucian was extremely satisfied with the identity he had created as a Primeval Current sorcerer.
If he wanted to get close to Ymir, pretending to be a Primeval Current sorcerer was the best choice.
Powerful, and willing to use any means necessary.
Following the stars and eventually discovering traces of the Fingers could not possibly be any more reasonable.
What was more, Lucian had been taught by Master Sellen, so he could technically be considered a Primeval Current sorcerer himself.
He was practically playing himself.
He was confident that as long as he borrowed some of his teacher's usual rhetoric, their similar philosophies would be enough to make Ymir lower his guard somewhat.
As for his disguised strength, it was roughly comparable to Master Sellen's, barely reaching the level of the two great masters, Lusat and Azur.
Although Lucian did not know what level Ymir was at, an ordinary sorcery professor was certainly no match for Master Sellen.
Lucian believed that Ymir's strength was definitely beyond that of an ordinary sorcery professor.
This level of strength would certainly be enough to make Ymir take him seriously.
And that would give him the capital to "accept missions."
Lucian made all his preparations before finally walking step by step toward the cathedral.
After taking two steps, Lucian suddenly remembered something.
He bent down and took off his boots.
He stepped barefoot onto the muddy road, using magic power to isolate the soles of his feet from the ground.
Lucian nodded in satisfaction.
Now this was the essence of the Academy.
A truly flawless disguise.
——
After dealing with the Academy's signature Marionette Soldiers along the way, Lucian arrived in front of the cathedral.
Standing at the entrance of Cathedral of Manus Metyr, Lucian raised his head and looked up at it, a thoughtful expression hidden beneath his Glintstone helm.
The scale and decoration of this cathedral were several levels above those of the Cathedral of Manus Celes on the Moonlight Altar.
If both places were cathedrals dedicated to the Two Fingers, there was no reason for the difference to be so enormous.
Just by looking at the churches themselves, the difference in status and hierarchy was practically obvious at a glance.
Since that place was dedicated to the Two Fingers, could this place have once been dedicated to that supreme existence?
With anticipation in his heart, Lucian stepped barefoot onto the surface of the water like the sorcerers of the Academy and slowly made his way into the cathedral.
The interior of the cathedral was extremely dark.
The few scattered candle flames that remained were nowhere near enough to illuminate the place. Instead, their faint light made the darkness deeper within even harder to see through.
Lucian had not expected that the moment he pushed open the doors, he would receive such a "warm" welcome.
"You are not welcome here."
"Leave immediately."
As a cold and distant female voice rang out, a pitch-black figure slowly emerged from the darkness of the cathedral and blocked Lucian's path.
The warrior standing in his way wore armor as black as ink, with not a single inch of skin exposed from head to toe.
Not only was her tone unfriendly, but the blade already drawn in her hand clearly was not interested in talking things over either.
Lucian tightened his grip on the Glintstone Staff in his hand and stopped at a distance that would have been quite safe for an ordinary sorcerer.
"Why?"
As he spoke, Lucian looked toward the blade that seemed to merge completely with the darkness.
It was a strange, semi-illusory blade that radiated an aura of darkness.
Without actually exchanging blows, Lucian could not tell whether it was a genuinely semi-illusory weapon or merely a trick for concealing the blade, like the Invisible Blade technique of the Storm King's Barrier.
The female warrior opposite him clearly had no intention of answering Lucian's question.
She tightened her grip on her weapon.
However, remembering Ymir's warning, she paused for a moment before finally answering Lucian in an impatient tone.
"Lord Ymir is not here. No one is permitted to enter while he is away."
Lucian understood.
Apparently, this was one of Ymir's guards, and he himself was currently not in the cathedral.
Lucian nodded and said,
"Oh, I see."
"I don't know this Lord Ymir you're talking about. I was simply curious about this building."
"If I have to wait for its owner to return before I can look around, would you allow me to wait here?"
Of course, Lucian was not about to obediently leave before even meeting Ymir and wait for him out in the middle of nowhere.
If he were forced to wait outside, then even with the strength of his disguised identity, it would be far too humiliating.
Unfortunately, his question received no response.
After hearing Lucian's words, the already extremely wary Swordhand of Night Jolan completely hardened her resolve.
Unwilling to waste any more words, Jolan immediately rushed toward him at high speed with her weapon in hand.
She was naturally suspicious and sensitive by nature, as though she had thorns all over her.
If this had been an ordinary sorcerer, she would never have reacted so strongly.
Lord Ymir had also told her before that if visitors arrived, she could afford to be somewhat friendlier.
Lord Ymir was extremely amiable and hoped that more people would participate, pursuing their ideals together.
But the person standing before her was powerful.
He was a dangerous individual, and she did not have the confidence to keep him under control at all times.
In order to protect Lord Ymir's life's work in her own way, she had no choice but to act.
Halfway through her charge, Jolan's figure suddenly disappeared into the darkness of the cathedral.
Then, like a ghost, she reappeared beside Lucian.
The blade in her hand slashed downward from an extremely tricky angle.
But Lucian lightly hopped backward several times in succession, dodging the ambush.
At the same time, the staff in his hand continuously swept through the air, releasing spell after spell.
Glintstone Cometshard, Starlight shard, Shard Spiral, and other powerful mid- and high-tier sorceries were unleashed one after another.
Combined with the rapidly cast Glintstone Pebbles, a surging tide of glintstone magic temporarily suppressed Jolan's advance.
Jolan continuously swung the Sword of Night in her hands, smashing apart the incoming glintstone.
Yet with every exchange, she became even more convinced that her decision had been correct.
This sorcerer in front of her really was extremely powerful.
With Lord Ymir temporarily away, she absolutely could not allow him to enter the cathedral as though he were an ordinary visitor.
Jolan tightened her grip on the Sword of Night.
She had already developed the intent to kill.
The power of darkness erupted in an instant, sweeping away all the glintstone in front of her.
Jolan held the blade horizontally with one arm, allowing the darkness of night to coil around its surface.
A tremendous force continued accumulating.
It was ready to be released at any moment.
The calm expression beneath Lucian's helm finally changed.
He became slightly curious about his opponent's technique.
Even while restricting himself to the strength appropriate for his disguise, dealing with her attacks was still effortless.
It was beginning to feel a little boring.
However, just as Jolan was about to release her accumulated power, a voice suddenly rang out and interrupted the attack.
"Jolan, stop at once."
"Treating such a rare visitor this way is terribly rude."
The moment the voice sounded, Jolan, who had been overflowing with killing intent just a moment ago, immediately stopped.
She retreated, putting distance between herself and Lucian, before once again merging into the darkness.
Lucian pursed his lips, somewhat speechless.
'This woman really does listen.'
'Not even the slightest hesitation.'
Seeing that Jolan had genuinely withdrawn, Lucian also dispelled the magic that he had still been preparing.
He turned toward the direction of the voice.
From a side entrance of the cathedral, a man wearing heavy priestly robes and a tall ceremonial crown slowly walked in.
It was obvious that this was the owner of the place.
Ymir.
Illuminated by the light behind him, Lucian could also clearly see his appearance.
His long purple robes were decorated with golden embroidery, while the ornament around his collar was as striking as a blooming flower.
But the most eye-catching feature was the deep, pitch-black hollow in his crown.
It was almost like a black hole.
Ymir walked to within several meters of Lucian and spoke with a pleasant expression.
"Well. We don't often receive visitors"
"My apologies. Jolan became a little nervous."
"She normally would not behave this way toward a visitor. It is simply that your strength made her uneasy."
After saying this, Ymir gave Lucian a friendly smile.
"That is proof of your strength. It is a pleasure to have you."
"In lands so forsaken as these, chance encounters are precious indeed."
"I am Ymir. You might say that I am half the master of this place."
"Welcome to Manus Metyr."
Seeing that Ymir had already introduced himself, Lucian nodded toward him and spoke.
"My name is Eren Yeager, a sorcerer who yearns for freedom and the truth of the stars."