By the time Aether, with Welf's help, had chosen his forging materials and carried them back to the latter's personal workshop, half an hour had already passed.
In truth, aside from the week he'd been away on an "expedition," Aether had been coming here daily to learn basic smithing techniques. At this point, the little wooden workshop already felt like his childhood "secret base" in the mountains behind his home.
As the two stepped inside, materials in hand,
CLANG~
The bundles hit the floor. Welf rolled his sore shoulders, wiping the sweat off his forehead before glancing at Aether.
"Speaking of which, what do you plan on making as your first official work? A greatsword? Twin blades? Or maybe…"
"Well…"
Aether grinned mysteriously.
"Heh, I'm gonna make something you won't find anywhere in Orario."
"Oh?"
Welf's eyes lit up.
"Of course, this is also, "
"I know, I know," Welf cut in. "Another piece of 'tech from your homeland,' not your original creation. Got it."
He'd more or less figured out Aether's character by now, or at least the parts he stubbornly stuck to. And honestly, Welf found he got along with that just fine.
But what had his full attention right now was,
"So, what is this mysterious contraption you're being so secretive about?"
As a smith who dreamed of earning the recognition of a certain one-eyed red-haired goddess, and maybe even wooing her someday, Welf was curious about anything in the field of smithing.
Well, except magic swords… at least for now.
Aether leaned forward, eyes gleaming.
"I'm making something that can saw, chop, stab, dig, work as a shield, a hook, a rivet driver… even start a fire. Multi-functional, portable, and reliable."
He rattled off feature after feature until Welf's head was spinning.
"…Does such a weapon even exist?" Welf muttered.
"Of course."
Arms crossed, Aether struck a pose every bit as smug as his airheaded little sister's hands-on-hips stance.
"Today, I'll show you something amazing."
"Heh?"
Welf's competitive streak flared, his grin sharp.
"Then once you're done, how about we pit it against my best work?"
He gestured toward a large blade mounted on the wall.
"My proudest creation so far. Dare to compete?"
"Nope."
"…What?"
Welf deflated instantly.
Then he watched as Aether casually summoned a Training Greatsword, golden motes swirling as it formed in his grip. Reversing his hold, Aether stabbed it point-first into the ground.
With a wicked grin, he pointed at the one-star Genshin-style conjured weapon.
"Tell you what, if you can put so much as a nick in this, I'll admit defeat."
"…Seriously?"
Welf had no words.
He'd already seen this so-called Magical Construct before, back when Aether casually pulled one out a few days ago. Back then, Welf had even tested its quality himself.
The result…
"You do realize bringing out an unbreakable weapon is basically cheating, right?"
Welf sighed, glaring at his friend.
"Hey, technically it is one of my 'creations.' …Alright, alright, I'll stop messing around."
Aether dispelled the sword.
The truth was, just as Lumine wanted Amide to test Genshin-style cooking, Aether wanted someone he could trust to help test the feasibility of "Genshin weapons."
But that could wait.
For now,
"Light the forge."
He cracked his knuckles.
"Time to witness a miracle."
In this age of gods, many high-grade forging materials couldn't be worked with ordinary flames. Technology here wasn't advanced enough to have things like industrial bellows that could supercharge a fire.
So, smiths relied on Flame Stones, rare drops from the colossal Salamander Wool of the Dungeon's 44th floor. Welf, being a young but promising smith of the Hephaestus Familia, naturally had a supply of these.
And today, with them, Aether began smelting Adamantite. More precisely, Imperial Adamantite, the highest grade he'd bought thanks to Tsubaki's tip the day before.
CLANG~ CLANG~ CLANG~
Welf wasn't exaggerating, this guy's stamina really is insane.
Not only was Aether tireless, but his hands were incredibly steady. For a smith, or a healer like Amide, that was priceless.
And this steadiness was the perfect gift for what Aether was attempting: the ancient craft of Damascus steel.
Forging Damascus steel was like folding a thousand-layer pastry. Layer upon layer of refined metal was folded and forged until unique flowing patterns formed across the blade.
The more skilled the smith, the more layers, and the more intricate the patterns. Some masters could even control the design itself.
But the real advantage,
"Because Damascus is layered," Aether explained as he worked, "the patterns form microscopic serrations. That makes its sharpness far superior to weapons forged the ordinary way."
Of course, as generations of master smiths had proven, hardness alone wasn't enough.
The best legendary weapons struck a balance, hardness and toughness in perfect proportion. That was the hallmark of a true divine weapon.
Hours passed. They forgot all about lunch.
Finally, Welf frowned at the pile of short rods on the anvil.
"…Aether, why are you making so many tiny parts? Are those… handles? Why are they all so short?"
"Relax. Once it's finished, you'll understand."
Aether smiled with full confidence.
Because what he was making was something Orario had never seen before.
The legendary…
Modern Military Entrenching Tool!
=============
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