Even with the same materials, Oakmoor and Mountwell were stuck at this stage, unable to find a way to progress.
How could a different person suddenly succeed?
Especially someone from the Nine Provinces, which seemingly had absolutely no connection to SlashBlades!
If one were to talk about mysticism or fate, the favor should have leaned toward them!
But reality often defies ordinary expectations.
The moment the materials and the broken Sharp Blade - White Sheath were placed into the crafting table...
Without any delay or hesitation—instantly...
A brand new, stylish longsword with dark engravings appeared.
[Oodachi]
[An unnamed Oodachi that combines exceptionally well with enchantments]
He weighed it in his hand; it was slightly heavier than the White Sheath, giving it a solid feel.
A faint hum of the blade could be heard as it was drawn, a perfect blend of aesthetics and practicality.
The bullet chat was stunned.
"He actually made it?"
"It's just a different person; why couldn't Mountwell pull it off?"
"Is it really a player issue? Does the SlashBlade just dislike Mountwell?"
"Nani?! This is our national treasure! How could this happen?"
"Fun fact: your so-called 'national treasure' was known as the Tang Dao much earlier, a representative weapon of our Nine Provinces in ancient times."
"To put it bluntly, I'm your forefather!"
"Baka! You... you people!"
A wave of laughter erupted. The Samurai Nation viewers were bristling with rage, yet they didn't know how to strike back.
That comment wasn't actually wrong.
In ancient times, they had no sword-making techniques of their own and relied entirely on imitating and learning Tang Dao technology to produce blades.
Using that as a foundation, they slowly developed their own style, which they now called a national treasure.
The root indeed lay with the Nine Provinces.
In the Black House, the Blonde Elder frowned slightly.
"So you're saying the SlashBlade actually prefers the Nine Provinces?"
They shouted about national treasures every day, but in truth, they were just imitators of a style that originated in the Nine Provinces?
Truly, they were no better than Soren Park!
While he mocked them internally, the Blonde Elder's face remained as calm as a still pond.
After all, they were currently allies under Mark's command; saying certain things wouldn't be appropriate.
However, seeing someone he claimed to understand be surpassed by Galen Yu...
The Blonde Elder's expression finally shifted.
"Ronan Mountwell already saw the crafting recipe. How could the skill be a lie?"
"Same materials, same method... how did it work just because a different person tried?"
Their progress was being overtaken. Was the Alliance going to lose even their final trump card, the SlashBlade, to the Nine Provinces?
Freedom Nation, Samurai Nation, Stick Nation, John Nation... with over a dozen contestants combined, where would they hide their faces?
The Blonde Elder began to doubt himself.
The Secretary looked at the desk, then at the Blonde Elder, and tactfully remained silent.
Noticing the Secretary's gaze, the Blonde Elder gave a dry cough.
"In your opinion, why did this happen?"
"Sir, you said last time that if the Nine Provinces surpassed our progress, you would eat this."
The Secretary pointed at the desk, her voice clear.
It was a long desk made of solid wood, about three meters long, used for storing various documents.
Thinking it might be hard to swallow whole, the Secretary suggested:
"The documents shouldn't be eaten; we still need them. The desk should be broken down into bite-sized pieces first."
As if he hadn't heard her, the Blonde Elder nodded.
"Yes, Galen Yu is indeed strange. How could this be?"
"Sir, if you find it too dry, pairing it with milk will improve the texture and provide nutrition."
"Mysticism definitely doesn't exist. We must believe in science!"
"Red date milk tastes better and has more nutrients..."
"Oh my god... Good lord, enough! I said I would eat it, but not now!"
Looking at the Secretary, the Blonde Elder felt his head throbbing.
Why did it feel like ever since he started laughing, even the Secretary beside him had changed?
There was a sort of... serene madness about her?
"Now, immediately, I want you to tell me the reason! If your explanation is wrong, you're going to help me eat this desk!"
After that shout, the Secretary finally stopped mentioning the desk.
After a brief thought, she gave an answer.
"In my judgment, it most likely has to do with the broken state. That is the difference between Galen Yu and Mountwell."
With that hint, the Blonde Elder began to ponder.
It did make sense. The only difference was the 'broken' status.
"Using a weapon with no durability to craft?"
If anyone had said that before, they would have been laughed at.
It wasn't a joke; how could something with zero durability be used for crafting?
But SlashBlades followed a completely new system. Even the crafting wasn't the same; you couldn't just swap out ores in an old recipe.
"Go give Mark a hint... no, perhaps it's not necessary."
His voice turned pleasantly surprised as he looked at the screen.
After staying at the crafting table for a long time, Jett approached the door.
Through their exchange, it was revealed that he loved SlashBlades. Having broken his Marionette, he wanted to trade Proud Soul Fragments for the superior White Sheath.
Since he was a leader and not just another worker, Kira Oakmoor thought about it and agreed to the trade.
"How can this be? Where exactly is the problem?"
At the crafting table, Ronan Mountwell had a face full of misery.
No matter how he moved or swapped materials, he couldn't make what he wanted.
"Could it be that the skill has truly failed this time?"
"Or perhaps the SlashBlade itself is just one giant bug!"
He assumed he had encountered a bug, so his progress had stalled.
There are only features, no bugs.
Such a problem shouldn't technically exist.
After thinking in the workspace for a while, half the night had passed.
Mark was in luck.
A Wandering Trader had appeared in his chunk, offering Potions of Invisibility in exchange for Emeralds, giving him a chance to explore.
Since he was exploring, he needed suitable weapons, and others were gradually trading resources for SlashBlades.
Through observation, Kira Oakmoor figured out how to get Proud Soul Fragments: mostly by killing mobs or by using up a SlashBlade entirely.
"Still haven't figured it out?"
Receiving no response, Kira Oakmoor sighed.
He hadn't expected the progress to get stuck right here.
"Oakmoor, I've encountered something strange. Why didn't the White Sheath break and disappear after it was used up?"
Jett returned just in time and shared his discovery.
"I've been fighting mobs for ages and just realized the weapon still exists even with no durability. This is a divine mod!"
"Can it be repaired?"
Taking the SlashBlade, Kira Oakmoor felt curious.
After forging it, he hadn't really fought much. Now he saw that it really was broken with zero durability, yet not destroyed.
"Strange... a SlashBlade in a broken state?"
"Wait!"
Realizing something, Ronan Mountwell snatched the blade.
He placed the broken White Sheath onto the crafting table and added the other materials.
Without waiting, a brand new SlashBlade appeared.
[Oodachi]
[An unnamed Oodachi that combines exceptionally well with enchantments]
"Nani?"
Oakmoor was stunned, and Mountwell was equally speechless.
The progress that had blocked them for so long was actually related to the weapon's state?
They immediately fell into a state of joy.
"We've crafted the third SlashBlade!"
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