Chapter 18: Element Crystal (2)
...
I blinked. "Huh?"
Apparently, his friend had become interested after hearing about my skills and wanted to see for himself whether I deserved his creations.
That caught me completely off guard. "I… but why?"
Mr. Adams sent me a smile. "It's because I saw a lot of potential in you, son. I believe you can become one of the greatest heroes in the world in the future, and this is just my way of lending you a hand."
"And it's not just me who thinks that way. We all want to see you succeed, Luka. Everyone is rooting for you. Me, Chief Alabaster, Simon, and everyone else."
"I…I." I was completely speechless as I looked down at my hands. I'm not a hero. Luka was the one he was talking about. Not me. I'm not Luka. I'm just the guy who took over his body.
A pit formed in my stomach, but I quickly pushed the feeling down. "Th… Thank you so much for all your support. It means so much to me. "
"My pleasure. Just make sure you take proper rest when your body asks for it. I've seen you using the training gear I made you. Try not to get yourself too hurt, yeah?" He advised, and I forced a small smile.
The blacksmith then stands and says it's about time he gets back to work, but I stop him. "Wait! There's one more thing I want to talk to you about."
Curious about what I had to say, he sits back down while stroking his beard. I told him I came across something strange and didn't know what it was. I wanted to ask if he recognized it, so I reached into my pocket and pulled out the blue stone from Suu's home.
The moment he sees it, the man goes totally silent and stops stroking his beard. His eyes went wide, and his mouth hung open like a fish as he immediately shot to his feet, dragging the chair from him. His gaze moves from the stone to me, back to the stone, and then to me again.
"Luka! Where in the world did you find that!?" I blink at his reaction, not having expected him to react like that.
Quickly thinking of an answer, I lie. "I—I don't. I just picked it up off the ground yesterday while walking in the village. Was I not supposed to do that? Is it dangerous?"
"No, of course not." The blacksmith slowly composes himself, though the excitement on his face remains. "Luka, you are unbelievably lucky, my boy." His grin widens. "What you have in your hand is an Element Crystal."
"Element… Crystal?" I repeat, looking down at the glitzy ore.
He asks if he can hold it, and I shrug before tossing it over. "Woh!" The blacksmith catches it between both hands with a yelp, then gasps as he feels its sleek surface. "It's so beautiful." I swear I can almost see his eyes gleaming as he carefully turns it over in his hands.
Did I seriously find some kind of rare item in this world? His excited reaction only makes me more curious. "So, what's so special about an Element Crystal?" I asked, having a faint feeling they have something to do with the Four Spirits.
Mr. Adams reigns in his excitement, sits back down, and carefully places the stone on the table before beginning his explanation. "To put it bluntly, an Element Crystal is a very special ore. " He says. "And judging by its color, I'd say this one is an Undine Crystal."
At the mention of the Spirit of Water, my eyes widen slightly. 'Undine?' Naturally, plenty of questions were surfacing in my mind, but I kept quiet and let the man continue. Interrupting him would do me no good.
Mr. Adams went on to explain that Undine Crystals are said to be found in the region of Noah, where the Spirit of Water, Undine, is said to reside. According to legend, there is a cave there that houses the sacred spring of the Undines, and crystals like these can only form when in the presence of Undine, slowly developing after being exposed to her magic for a long period of time.
"Finding one so far away is next to impossible," he says. "Unless the Undine had been residing somewhere nearby and bathing the area in her magic for a long time."
His words made me pause. 'Well, that raises a whole lot of questions about Suu.'
"So what are they used for?" Judging by his reaction and his occupation, it's pretty safe to assume they have something to do with forging.
And I'm proven right when the blacksmith starts grinning. "They can be used for many things, but what they're most famous for is making magic swords."
"Magic swords?" I look at him in confusion. "I thought magic swords needed a wizard to make them?"
"That's for the case of true magic swords from ancient times, but that isn't necessarily the same for the normal magic swords used today." Seeing that I'm still confused, he continues.
"It goes like this. Normal magic swords are enchanted weapons forged by only the very best blacksmiths using Element Crystals. True magic swords, on the other hand, are said to be far more powerful and were creations directly made by wizards."
'Because of their ability to use magic?"
"That's right." He snatched his finger. He then states that wizards, because of the monster lineage, possess an innate ability to wield and harness magic, allowing them to create incredible artifacts. By adding an Element Crystal into the process, they can further empower those weapons.
Unfortunately, true magic swords can no longer be created in this day and age. The believers in the Ilias Faith refuse to tolerate people descended from monsters and would rather rely on riskier methods to produce weapons that are ultimately inferior.
Mr. Adams clicks his tongue. "Those brainless fools." He lets out a disappointed sigh before realizing he had spoken his thoughts aloud. "Sorry about that."
"It's alright. "I replied. "I think it's pretty stupid too." That earns a chuckle from the large man.
Returning to the main topic, he gestures toward the glowing ore on the table and explains that a blacksmith could potentially use an Element Crystal to create either a standard magic sword or, with enough skill and luck, something closer to a true magic sword.
However, there's one major catch. "It can only be done once. The entire crystal is consumed during the forging process. Once the weapon is finished, the crystal itself is gone."
gone."
"Throughout my entire life I could count the number of complete Element Crystals I had seen on one hand with fingers to spare."
"They're really that rare?" The Four Spirits have been part of this world for who knows how long. If these crystals really form by basking in the presence of the Spirits, then even if one took a hundred years to form, there should've been millions scattered across the world by now.
To answer my question, he explains that the church has tried to acquire and store Element Crystals by any means necessary. However, most of what they've managed to get are low-grade versions known as shards. While useful for creating standard magic swords, they're significantly inferior to the legendary artifacts forged in ancient times.
"There are different qualities?" I ask, thinking to myself, There are levels to these?
Mr. Adams nods. "That's right. You see, there's a clear difference between the shards used in normal magic swords and the crystal in your possession. First let's begin with the four kinds of Element Crystal. Just as there are four Elemental Spirits from which they originate, there are four kinds of Element Crystals."
He counts them off. "Undine Crystals. Salamander Crystals. Gnome Crystals. And Sylph Crystals."
He then states how even crystals of the same type aren't necessarily equal. When it comes to quality, they're divided into two categories. Complete Crystals and Shards. Complete Crystals are the genuine article, containing a high concentration of the Elemental Spirit's power. They're known by their full names, like my Undine Crystal. Meanwhile Shards are the weaker versions, retaining some of the Spirit's power but lacking the purity and potency. Their size and intensity can vary as well.
"The one you have is of decent size like any other piece of metal I've worked with, but there is another way to check." Then he gets up. "Wait here."
He disappears for a moment before returning with a bucket of water. I watch as he takes the Undine Crystal and drops it inside with a plop sound.
Before I can ask what he's doing, the bucket suddenly rumbles. Water spills over the sides as a brilliant blue glow erupts from the crystal.
My eyes widened. The Undine Crystal was reacting to the water. Not only that, but it's actually creating more of it. I stare at the glowing ore as the water continues rising, and then I feel something strange. A subtle sensation spreads through me, almost as though the crystal and I are somehow in sync.
'Que está pasando a mí?' I held my chest.
But the experience is short-lived because Mr. Adams quickly removes the Undine Crystal from the bucket, immediately stopping the water from overflowing. The glow fades, the water settles, and I look back at him, still trying to process what just happened.
"Yup. That's the real deal, alright. The shards I saw while I was an apprentice were much smaller, and they never came close to glowing that brightly or causing the water to spill out so quickly."
I glance down at the ore. "So how come the church hasn't gotten a buttload of these, again?"
Mr. Adams explains that no matter how hard the church searches, they can never locate the Four Spirits. Without knowing where the Spirits reside, finding complete Element Crystals is nearly impossible. So while complete crystals are a very sought-after resource, they're just as rare. The shards, on the other hand, are plentiful, but they lack the purity and power of the genuine articles.
"The crystal you have could be used to make a true magic sword of the highest caliber, but if you didn't want a weapon and wanted to sell it instead, you could probably get close to eight hundred gold coins for it."
I nearly choke. "Eigh—did you say eight hundred?"
He nods. "Yes. You could even get a platinum coin if you sold it directly to the church."
My brain practically explodes. A platinum coin. Those things belong in the hands of nobles and royalty. Having that much money would be enough to live comfortably without worrying about my finances for years. I could become rich overnight.
And the best part? This wasn't even the only one. Suu's home had hundreds of these things. For a brief moment, I imagine grabbing a bunch of them, selling them off, and hopping onto a wagon straight to San Ilia. There I could get my money, buy everything I need early, and get my own mansion to make for my base of operation. Being rich would help me further my goals, but I immediately shake the thought out of my head.
I'm not fucking nuts. There's no way I'm selling those crystals to the Ilias Faith. The church worships Ilias and adheres strictly to her teachings. If they suddenly gained enough resources to mass-produce true magic swords, what do you think they'd use them for?
They would use it to arm their soldiers and wage war against Monster Girls. Fuck that. I'm not about to become their fucking arms dealer and have blood on my hands.
Humanity and Monster Girls are currently in a state of affairs that I wouldn't exactly call peaceful, but it's definitely better than the era of Black Alice and the Monster Wars. It is a period of time where coexistence has a snowball's chance of happening. If another major war breaks out, that fragile balance shatters.
And that would play exactly in Ilias's hand. If both sides start bleeding each other dry, there might not be anyone left strong enough to resist her when the time comes.
Then there's the other problem. People like Lazarus. I have no idea what connections Ilias Cruz has or how far their influence extends, but I'm not about to risk those bastards getting their hands on dangerous weapons and using them to carry out their terrorist plans.
I need to nip this in the bud now. The consequences would be too much of a pain in the ass to deal with later, and I'm not going to have blood on my hands just because I got greedy.
As he hands the blue ore back, he asks what I want to do with it. I tell him there's no way I'm selling it to the church or some random merchant, earning a nod of approval from Mr. Adams. He promises not to tell a soul about our conversation but asks if I'd be willing to speak with his friend about the crystal, saying it could be a great opportunity for me.
When I ask what he meant, he explains that he could ask his visiting colleague to either buy it from me or, if he liked me, use it to make me a magic sword.
That immediately catches my interest. "Are you sure I should?"
Mr. Adams assures me that his friend is trustworthy. The man has spent years searching for Element Crystals because it's always been his dream to forge a true magic sword, and he simply loves making weapons. He'd gladly pay a hefty sum for a complete crystal and could be trusted to keep it safe from the church because, just like him, he doesn't like them very much.
I hum thoughtfully, weighing my options. I could sell it to someone Mr. Adams trusts, knowing it wouldn't end up in the church's hands, or I could have it turned into a weapon.
Hmm. Decisions, decisions. The answer is pretty damn obvious. True magic sword all the way. That's what I've been wanting to do to increase my chances of survival. Besides, I'm not exactly desperate for money right now.
"I'd rather have a weapon made from it. "I tell him. "I have nothing against your friend, but I don't want to risk the crystal getting stolen or falling into the wrong hands. " Especially with people like Ilias Cruz running around. It wasn't a good idea to leave something so valuable in someone else's care.
The blacksmith says he understands. He can't blame me for being reluctant to entrust something so valuable to another person when there are dangerous groups around. I thank him, but then another thought crosses my mind.
"Why don't you try making a weapon out of it?" I drag the crystal back to him, thinking that if he could make the sword himself, I wouldn't have to wait for his friend to arrive. Even if the process failed, it wasn't like I only had one crystal. Suu's home had plenty more.
Unfortunately, my idea gets shot down immediately.
"It's better I don't." He drags the crystal back with a shake of his head. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't make a true magic sword. Hell, I couldn't safely make a normal one either. Your best option is my friend. He has years of experience working with these."
I frown. "But you said Element Crystals allow people who aren't wizards to make magic swords."
"That's true." He admits, "But the process isn't nearly as simple as it sounds."
Creating a true magic sword requires wizards because they can accurately perceive the magical wavelengths inside an Element Crystal. That lets them properly guide and distribute its power into the weapon without destabilizing the crystal, destroying the sword, or causing a terrible accident during the forging process.
Then he tells me that someone once attempted to create a true magic sword without the necessary ability. The man died during the process.
Unlike shards, complete crystals contain an enormous amount of elemental power. Trying to forge one without properly understanding that power is basically asking to get yourself killed.
Even shards, weak as they are, can be dangerous. A single mistake can make one explode. Because of that, most blacksmiths don't dare work with them despite how badly they want to create weapons worthy of heroes.
"That's horrible…" I'm practically speechless as he continues.
He tells me how, for example, the greatsword he gave me could technically be reforged using the Undine Crystal, giving it magical properties and greatly increasing its power. But because Mr. Adams is a normal human and cannot perceive the magical wavelengths needed to properly guide the crystal, attempting it himself could cause a strong backlash that could kill him.
A shard would be much safer. The quality wouldn't be nearly as high, but the danger would be significantly lower. "It'd still hurt like hell if something went wrong." He says, while rubbing his neck. "But at least I'd come out alive."
He recounts how one blacksmith made a mistake and badly burned his arm, while another was knocked unconscious for an entire week and couldn't move afterward. I can understand why he refuses to risk his life and limbs. It also makes one thing painfully clear.
Selling this crystal to the church would be a terrible fucking idea. If they somehow got their hands on a massive supply of complete Element Crystals, they'd probably be willing to sacrifice however many blacksmiths it took to mass-produce weapons in Ilias's name. Again, fuck that.
"If it's so, then is it really okay to let your colleague work on it? I mean, I really want a magic sword, but I don't want anyone getting hurt because of it."
Mr. Adams assures me that it'll be fine. His friend is one of the most experienced blacksmiths around and has forged countless magic swords for the church without suffering any accidents himself. His friends were just that talented, experienced, and skilled.
He also says his friend would be thrilled to get the chance to forge a true magic sword, since it has been his lifelong dream. Mr. Adams closes his eyes and rubs his beard, a nostalgic smile appearing on his face as he reminisces.
With him speaking with so much confidence, I had no choice but to believe him. I can already feel myself getting excited as the day I finally wield a magic sword draws closer.
Sure, I already have my light swords, and those things are sick as fuck, but having an actual sword with an elemental ability would still be pretty damn cool to have before I eventually get Angel Halo.
Seeing my excited expression, he reminds me that his friend rarely makes magic swords for the church, much to his regret. More importantly, he hates seeing people he doesn't approve of wielding them, especially when they don't treat the weapons with the respect they deserve. So if I want a magic sword, I'll have to prove that I'm worthy of one.
Getting out of my chair, I tell Mr. Adams I will and thank him for everything. He says it's no problem and thanks me for showing him the Undine Crystal. Before I leave, he tells me to wait and heads out of the room to retrieve something.
When he returns, he hands me a brown book with a hammer and fire emblem on the cover. "What is it?" I ask as I flip through the book to a page with ore with water around it, with the page next to it having the drawing of a mermaid.
"It's a book about forging. I picked it up during my youth in the Blacksmith Association. It contains what's known about Element Crystals and weapons forged from them in the past."
When he said past, I knew he meant back when wizards made true magic swords. I blink in surprise and ask if it's really okay for me to take the book without getting him in trouble. He assures me it's fine. Most of it covers historical accounts of old weapons, Element Crystal theory, and other basic information. Since the Ilias Faith works directly with the Blacksmith Association, none of it is considered dangerous. Anyone can read it because it doesn't go into how to forge these weapons or reveal any of the wizards' secrets.
In other words, it's basically a beginner's guide for young blacksmiths or anyone curious about magic swords. So... Magic Swords for Dummies? Sweet.
Jokes aside, the book sounds like it'll make for a pretty enjoyable read. I thank him for the book and the poncho and leave.
On my way out, though, our conversation leaves me thinking about Suu's origins and her relationship with Undine. Everything I've learned makes it increasingly likely that she really is Undine's child. Even if I'm wrong and the cave simply used to belong to Undine before Suu moved in, it felt like a massive stretch.
I'm seventy... no, eighty percent certain Suu is related to Undine.
...
..
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