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*****
Fenyx was far less protective of his Vibranium. After all, Wakanda still sat atop an entire mountain of the stuff that hadn't even been fully mined yet; the small stash in his hands was barely a drop in the bucket.
"Go ahead and test it then," Fenyx said casually. His "do whatever you want with it" attitude only served to deepen Eitri's growing amazement.
The Dwarven race dealt with metals day in and day out, year after year. They had encountered countless elements across the galaxy, but this was the first time Eitri had laid eyes on Vibranium. Judging by a blacksmith's pure instinct, he could tell this was an extraordinary metal, likely rivaling even Uru in potential.
Had he not seen 'Incursio' first, he probably would have been jumping with excitement by now.
Even so, his professional curiosity regarding the Vibranium remained high. He immediately summoned several subordinates who hadn't attended the banquet, handed over the metal with a series of specific instructions, and then turned his focus back to Fenyx.
Initially, Eitri hadn't paid much mind to the boy. Out of respect for Thor, he had treated him simply as a guest visiting Nidavellir.
Yet, this human from Midgard had managed to shock him repeatedly—first with a set of armor unlike anything he had ever seen, and then with a rare, precious metal that was equally mysterious. To a Dwarf, these two things were the ultimate, fatal temptation.
If Fenyx had produced some legendary, unheard-of ale to go with them, the Dwarves probably would have started treating him with more affection than they showed their own wives.
The banquet lasted a long time. Given the Dwarves' massive size, their alcohol tolerance was terrifying. If Fenyx hadn't possessed 'Ars Magna' to cheat his way through, he wouldn't have lasted halfway.
Thor had already collapsed under the table about two-thirds of the way through the night. Fortunately, the table was large enough to shield him from being accidentally stepped on by a passing Dwarf.
By the end of the revelry, Fenyx had become the most honored guest of the Dwarven race. In fact, the Dwarves now looked upon him with even more respect than they did Thor.
After all, Fenyx was the first human in centuries who could actually go toe-to-toe with them in a drinking contest.
The following day, Thor returned to Asgard with the newly forged equipment. Fenyx stayed behind to allow the Dwarves to study 'Incursio' and begin work on the Vibranium.
The Dwarves' forging technology was indeed state-of-the-art; it took them only a single day to complete the preliminary testing of the Vibranium.
"This is the first time I have ever encountered such a metal!" Eitri said, looking at the data with visible excitement. "Beyond its sheer hardness, it possesses incredible properties for absorbing sound and energy. Most importantly, it shows almost no rejection when paired with other metals!"
"It could be used to craft almost anything!"
Fenyx was a bit surprised. "Does that mean there isn't one specific thing it's best suited for?"
"Its utility depends entirely on the skill of the smith," Eitri replied. "And I can tell you, we Dwarves are the finest weapon-smiths in existence!"
Fenyx fell into thought. Regarding weaponry, he had long desired a magic staff. The Dwarves were legendary for creating magical artifacts—Odin's Gungnir, Thor's Mjolnir, and the potential future Stormbreaker were all products of Nidavellir.
"I'd like to use it to make a magic staff. Is that possible?" Fenyx asked.
"A magic staff!?" Eitri blinked, pausing to consider the request. "It's possible, certainly. But are you sure you want a staff?"
Eitri had seen Fenyx in his armor. He had assumed the boy would want a spear or a greatsword. He never expected a request for a wizard's tool.
"Of course. I am a mage, after all."
Fenyx was becoming obsessed with his professional labels. He was willing to spend precious resources just to have a staff that matched his self-proclaimed identity. He had already learned a few simple illusion spells in the Asgardian library, so carrying a staff around wouldn't be an inconvenience.
"You're a mage?" Eitri blinked again, looking at Fenyx with newfound surprise. He had assumed that anyone called the 'White Butcher' on the battlefield must be a fierce, powerhouse of a warrior!
Seeing Eitri's bewildered expression, Fenyx sighed inwardly. "I don't need the staff to be world-shattering in power," he specified. "But it must look cool. Ideally, it should be the kind of thing where people take one look at it and think, 'Now that's a mage!'"
"Rest easy. Anything forged by a Dwarf is the best there is!" Eitri declared with pride. As one of the top blacksmiths in the universe, he had every right to say so.
"And the cost..." Fenyx started, feeling a bit less confident. He only had the Asgardian coins Frigga had given him. Since his Vibranium was being used for the materials, he worried he might have to start selling fried chicken rolls to cover the labor costs.
To his surprise, Eitri waved a massive hand dismissively. "Dwarves never charge their friends for their work!"
It was only then that Fenyx realized the friendship of the Dwarves wasn't cheap at all. He felt a surge of genuine warmth toward Eitri. "Thank you."
In light of the Dwarves' hospitality, Fenyx cooperated fully. He summoned 'Incursio' and allowed them to use their various instruments for non-invasive scans.
While they were efficient with the Vibranium, progress on 'Incursio' hit a wall. Perhaps because it originated from another world, even the Dwarves' advanced technology couldn't decipher the secrets of its forging.
"It... it possesses life!"
The Dwarves weren't entirely without success, however. They quickly discovered that Incursio was a piece of living armor.
"What metal is this? And how did they fuse a biological organism with metal while maintaining its vitality? Is it magic? But there are no traces of a magical signature... what kind of technology is this?"
The Dwarves racked their brains over the mysteries of Incursio. Fenyx, meanwhile, found the result to be expected. This was a system-granted item; he would have been more shocked if they had managed to reverse-engineer it easily.
Because they were stuck on the initial material analysis, the rest of their research couldn't move forward.
Fortunately, while they fretted over Incursio, they didn't forget Fenyx's weapon. A few days later, the magic staff was born.
"You may name it yourself."
This weapon had been custom-designed by Eitri based on Fenyx's specific requests, so it didn't yet have a title.
Fenyx looked at the staff in Eitri's hand with excitement. The staff wasn't particularly long—about the length of a human arm. It was a deep, matte silver, engraved with intricate golden patterns. The top featured a small, coiled, roaring Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It exuded an aura of understated luxury.
Fenyx fell in love with it at first sight. It didn't matter if it gave him a power boost; he didn't actually need a staff to cast 'Explosion' anyway.
But the aesthetic was vital. With this in his hand, who would dare to say he wasn't a mage?
(End of Chapter)