Chapter 105: Advanced Magic Item Crafting
To provide better conditions for the soldiers and ensure their survival in battle...
Clean food and water, clothing, blankets, tents, and other basic supplies are not enough!
In the dangerous Troll Valley, besides the man-eating, powerful, and deadly trolls, there are many other dangerous and lethal magical creatures.
Apart from ordinary weapons and gear...
Matthew needed to prepare special potions, magical items, spell scrolls...
And most importantly, enchanted weapons and armor!
After all, his doppelganger wasn't afraid of death, but his soldiers only had one life!
Currently, Matthew's magic item crafting skill had reached 98, putting him at the peak of intermediate level.
He could now steadily craft basic magical items, tools, potions, and spell scrolls.
He had handed over the production of blood-replenishing potions entirely to Mountain because crafting those potions no longer improved his skill level.
His next task was to prepare "enchanted" equipment for the professionals!
Crafting magical equipment falls under magic item crafting, which generally consists of two parts.
One part is the creation of the physical object itself, such as weapons, armor, accessories, and tools.
The other part is the "enchantment" applied to the surface or interior of the item.
In most cases, even an alchemist with extensive knowledge and strong hands-on skills would specialize in just one area.
And for most enchanters, to balance their spell research, they focus more on the enchantment aspect.
This is because enchantment is closely tied to spellcasting.
In fact, "enchantment" itself cannot be separated from the aid of spellcasting.
Matthew was preparing to enchant a batch of weapons and armor.
He didn't jump straight to difficult challenges.
He was only preparing to enchant a batch of spears and longswords with the Tier 1 spell "Sharpen."
Matthew took out a longsword and, as usual, checked its quality.
"Refined iron longsword, excellent quality, made from refined iron mixed with bronze, Attack +2, Sharpness +1, Durability +1, market value 5 gold coins."
Weapons of this caliber were the best that most soldiers could use.
Even if there were better weapons, they wouldn't be able to wield them effectively.
This batch of weapons was purchased by Adam Smith.
It wasn't that Bay Village couldn't produce its own weapons and equipment.
Thanks to the efforts of two master blacksmiths and many mid-level blacksmiths, Bay Village's armory was now capable of producing excellent-quality spears and shields.
However, Matthew had only tasked the armory with experimenting in weapon and equipment production, allowing them to train new blacksmiths and improve their craftsmanship.
This was because Matthew didn't want to expose the existence of the iron mine yet.
Without sufficient strength to protect it, revealing it would be tantamount to suicide.
Matthew then took out some obsidian powder and mixed it with troll blood.
Once thoroughly blended into a faintly glowing dark red, he sprinkled in ruby powder and continued stirring.
Setting that aside, Matthew took out a silver rod and carefully traced it along the center of the longsword.
As the silver rod scraped against the sword, a faint "sizzling" sound was heard, and a bright silver line began to appear under the light.
The silvery line gradually formed a complex, mysterious pattern resembling a spell model.
Matthew's movements were steady, thanks to his strong attributes, and about two minutes later, the design was complete.
This design corresponded to the Tier 1 spell "Sharpen."
But this was only the first step—progress was at 10%.
Matthew laid the sword flat and carefully dripped some of the dark red liquid onto the pattern.
The round droplets were slowly absorbed by the silver design, gradually disappearing from sight.
The previously silver design now faintly glowed with a reddish hue.
Under Matthew's watchful eye, as more of the liquid was absorbed, the pattern deepened in red and even began to emit a faint light.
"Enchantment progress +1%. Now at 12%!"
"Enchantment progress +1%. Now at 13%!"
"Enchantment..."
About 50 milliliters of the liquid were completely absorbed by the seemingly insignificant design, which now shone brightly, blood-red and dazzling!
Matthew knew that this was the "Sharpen" spell in its activated state.
At this stage, it was only hovering on the surface of the sword, and its power would dissipate quickly.
Now, step two was complete, with progress reaching 50%!
This step could normally be replaced by using a spell scroll, but Matthew's method was a bit more challenging—though it had one key advantage.
Even an enchanter without spellcasting ability could use this method to produce enchanted items.
This technique was also something researched by players.
Many real-world scientists believed that arcane magic and spells were phenomena, rules, and principles of power!
If you understood the knowledge itself, even without mana, you could find alternative methods.
Just like in the real world!
Except in the real world, converting knowledge into power required more tools.
In this world, spellcasters were the tools themselves!
As the light stabilized, Matthew placed the sword into a blazing fire.
Once the sword turned red-hot, the glowing arcane pattern fused with the blade itself.
During this process, Matthew carefully rotated the sword to ensure even heating while preserving the integrity of the enchantment design.
Simultaneously, he evenly sprinkled some magic crystal powder over the blade, which emitted small flashes of light as it landed.
The glowing sword gradually became translucent, and the arcane pattern's light stabilized.
This was a slow process, testing both the enchanter's control over heat and their understanding of the materials.
It was Matthew's first time attempting such control, but fortunately, the system's data display allowed him to track progress and status accurately.
"Flame temperature slightly too high..."
"Switch the heated area..."
"Energy infusion is a bit slow, add more magic crystal powder..."
"..."
Drawing from his experience crafting blood-replenishing potions, Matthew followed the system's prompts and steadily completed the final steps of the enchantment.
The glowing red light gradually cooled, revealing a much brighter sword.
Comparing it to the original longsword, Matthew smiled broadly.
"Refined Iron Enchanted Longsword, excellent quality, made from refined iron mixed with bronze, Enchantment: Sharpen, Attack +4, Sharpness +3, Durability +2, market value 180 gold coins!"
The attack power had doubled, sharpness increased by +2, and durability by +1, with the weapon's value multiplied many times over.
Even after deducting the nearly 20 gold coins in enchantment material costs, the profit was still over 150 gold coins!
What is true profit!
This is the profit of war supplies!