Chapter 16

Night.

A nameless warehouse in the Harbor District.

Selena's figure is quite tall, over 1.7 meters, yet she is still easily embraced in the arms of Luosen behind her.

She continuously condenses transmutation energy with her abundant high-tier magic: "Luosen, your build is truly huge, your whole body hard as rock, more like a warrior than a mage."

Luosen, meanwhile, uses Laifu to guide the materials in his hand for transmutation, smiling as he replies.

"This was passed down to me by my father; in my memory, my father was just a big guy."

"Of course, this is also thanks to the meticulous care of my mentor Lady Agneth; although I couldn't pay my tuition in full, the mentor never stinted me on food."

There's also something he didn't mention: he developed a life-type spell that strengthens the body and has permanently affixed it to himself.

Mentioning Lady Agneth made Selena feel her cheeks flush.

Because she had become the wife of the other's apprentice, and after just one day of contact, she was embraced in such an intimate manner.

Although the reason is justified and she doesn't object, it doesn't change the fact.

To ease her embarrassment, she had to change the subject: "Anna is indeed a good person, a pity she married a short-lived husband."

Anna's original name was Anna Robert; after marrying the High-tier Mage Knight Agneth of Dawn City, she became Lady Agneth.

Unfortunately, seven years ago, when Knight Agneth visited the Allen Kingdom as an envoy, he accidentally got caught up in a noble duel.

The duel ended in defeat, and his opponent ruthlessly stabbed him in the belly, killing him on the spot.

Thus, Luosen's mentor became a widow.

Luosen also felt quite sentimental about it, recalling how his mentor washed her face with tears every day for that period, taking a full month to recover.

"Fortunately, the mentor pulled through."

"No, she didn't; she just tried not to think about it. Is the staff ready yet?"

Selena saw that the staff in her hand had basically taken shape.

"Just a little more; to avoid drawing attention, this staff's appearance is quite ordinary, but its performance absolutely deserves the praise 'excellent'."

Hardly had those words been spoken when the staff was fully formed.

The staff's main material consists of three kinds: hardened mithril, azure corundum, and tough demonsteel, corresponding exactly to the three high-tier alchemy formulas Luosen deduced.

The three high-tier materials, plus some additives, were perfectly fused into one by Luosen's transmutation alchemy, ultimately forming a sixty-centimeter-long staff, thick at the tip and thin at the base, an inverted conical shape.

At a glance, the staff's appearance seems somewhat mundane, not much different from the ordinary staves sold in magic-item shops.

But on closer inspection, one finds the staff's workmanship extremely fine, its grip exceptionally soft, its weight just right, and its whole body suffused with a flawless, pure beauty.

When magic is infused into it, the staff's immensely complex azure corundum displays a fine, hazy, cold glimmer, revealing the distinctive aura of a powerful staff.

Selena examined it over and over, growing ever more delighted.

"Luosen, your forging technique is truly impressive!"

Luosen wore a humble expression.

"I have indeed made some progress in the art of forging, but the main reason I could craft this staff is the abundant magic provided by Your Highness."

"If I had to rely solely on myself, I could only produce low-tier magic items of ordinary performance."

Speaking of which, this staff's performance is indeed quite outstanding.

Most importantly, it was tailor-made for Selena's situation.

Because every mage's circumstances differ.

A well-fitted staff can double a mage's power; if it doesn't fit, it's practically just a firewood stick.

For example, Selena's magic strength is at the high-tier peak.

Because of the 'focus unbreakable ring number' forging rule, increasing the 'focus' attribute to boost her magic strength is basically of no benefit.

Moreover, her magic is extraordinarily abundant, her total magic volume nearly fifty percent greater than that of an average high-tier peak mage, so there is no urgent need for attributes that increase endurance such as 'resonance' and 'guidance'.

Her weakness lies in spell control.

Thus, attributes that enhance control—'focus', 'magic purification', 'energy stabilization'—would greatly improve her.

Finally, one cannot simply attach any desired attribute; material performance and forging rules must also be considered.

Things like 'vibration reinforcement', 'ring number constraint', 'turbulence suppression', 'backpressure control', and a host of other forging details are tedious enough to make one scratch their head.

In short, crafting a staff that satisfies a mage is as difficult as dancing a stunning routine while shackled with countless irons.

Just then, Selena suddenly exclaimed again.

"Yikes~ There's even a high-tier arcane lattice!"

The delight on her face turned to shock.

"Luosen, this is confidential forging knowledge—where did you learn it?!"

Lattice, full name 'Magic Energy Storage Crystal Grid'.

That is, magic is pre-converted into a specific spell energy and stored in the staff, then released directly when needed to achieve near-instant casting speed.

Low- and mid-tier lattices are neither rare nor particularly important.

Because after diligent training and some casting techniques, a mage can nearly instantaneously cast most low- and mid-tier spells.

But high-tier is not possible.

No matter how one trains or what techniques are used, at least one second of casting time is required.

Likewise, crafting high-tier lattices is extremely difficult, making it one of the foremost forging knowledges in the current arcane community.

Due to its immense power, it is also highly prized by all noble lords and arcane academies.

Any bit of progress is tightly guarded and never leaked.

Currently, in the Weilan Duchy, only the Adrian family possesses some high-tier lattice knowledge; elsewhere it cannot be learned.

As for the Princess's words, Luosen remained calm.

"Of course, I researched it myself, but that's just this one kind."

Selena's shock remained undiminished: "Just one kind. The whole Weilan magic community only knows three kinds."

She once again raised her opinion of Luosen in her heart: "I didn't expect this guy to also be an outstanding artificer."

Luosen's face showed no joy.

"Madam, high-level lattices are already outdated artificer knowledge."

"As far as I know, the three great magic kingdoms of Aaron, Kao, and Levinde have already developed four-ring lattices; that's the real good stuff."

This made Selena a bit disheartened: "All right, Weilan is indeed far behind."

"But no matter what, this is a very powerful staff."

With this staff, the anxiety that had lingered in her heart vanished instantly, greatly restoring the confidence of a high-tier mage.

She gave her final evaluation: "If taken out to sell, it could fetch at least 2000 ogres, while its cost is less than 30 ogres—truly unbelievable."

Luosen laughed: "Madam, give it a name."

Selena thought for a moment, then shook her head: "You are the true creator of this staff; you name it."

"Then let's call it 'Sleeping Beauty'."

Selena was very pleased: "Good name, let's call it Sleeping Beauty."

Then she added: "You also need a staff; let's continue."

"As you wish, madam."

The two continued cooperating, forging a new staff.

With the aid of the Sleeping Beauty staff, Selena's spellcasting became more adept, and the evoked transformation energy grew purer and calmer.

Luosen had already planned the staff's performance and appearance.

Thus, the forging pace greatly accelerated.

About an hour later, the second staff was completed.

Its form is that of a sword.

Its materials are exactly the same as those of the 'Sleeping Person', but because the user is a low-level mage, its magical performance is much simpler.

It has only a 'low-grade focus', capable of focusing Luosen's magical strength from early-mid low level to mid-late low level.

Moreover, the sword's main body uses a large amount of high-strength tough magic steel, and an edge has been ground.

Therefore, it is very heavy, very sturdy, and very sharp.

Selena evaluated it thus: "This is more like a knight's sword than a magic sword."

Luosen smiled: "I'm big and strong, and the tough magic steel is strong enough; if my magic runs out, I can still wield it as a sword."

Selena shrugged: "Let's hope we never have to use it that way."

She then asked: "What do you call this sword?"

Luosen had already decided: "Just call it the 'Guardian Knight's Sword'."

Selena blinked: "'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Guardian Knight'?"

Her cheeks began to heat up again.

She immediately changed the subject: "My magic is about to run out, and dawn is approaching; what should we do next?"

Luosen turned his head to look at the ventilation window above the warehouse; the sky was already faintly whitening, probably around four in the morning.

That is to say, they had been busy in this warehouse all night.

Surprisingly, despite the high-intensity artificer work, Selena, though exhausted-faced, persisted throughout without ever complaining of tiredness.

This rather surprised Luosen.

Originally he thought she was a delicate noble lady who couldn't endure hardship, but now it seems he had underestimated her.

He muttered to himself: "I used to hear the instructor say that this princess had been desperately studying magic, and I thought it was just friends flattering each other; now it looks like she really is working hard."

Because he had realized that although the princess's magical talent is excellent, she is still some distance from top genius; to reach high-tier peak at such a young age must have required genuine hard work.

And the reason she does this is probably for the duke's oath, which also fully explains why she would be so furious when the duke broke his oath.

For a moment, Luosen felt some sympathy, thinking that this Weilan princess Selena had a tough life, not as carefree as himself.

Thus he gently asked: "Madam, have these years of studying magic been exhausting?"

Selena blinked, locked eyes with Luosen for a few seconds, then frowned slightly: "Are you pitying me? That's unnecessary!"

Luosen shook his head: "No, I understand you, because we are both people whose fates have been arranged by others."

"I am my father's only son, destined to go to that desolate little island, which is why I study desperately. And you, the princess of Weilan Island, are destined to marry someone you don't like for the sake of your family."

Selena listened silently, her expression gradually softening.

She let out a soft sigh.

"Anna told me she had actually tried many times to persuade you to give up, but each time she found you, you were either reading, in the magic method laboratory, or cultivating magic, so she never got a chance to speak."

"I originally took all this as a joke, but hearing you say this now, I realize your days are much harder than mine."

"After all, I am a princess; people respect and fear me, while you have always been alone and must endure countless mockery."

Saying this, the woman who might be the most noble in all of Weilan had her eye sockets slightly reddened, and she whispered a question.

"You say, can we truly control our own fate?"

Luosen gave a faint smile and calmly replied: "I don't know. But since Your Highness has chosen to sleep beside me, I will take up the sword to guard your side."

Selena's cheeks, which had just returned to normal, reddened again.

After a long silence, she finally spoke: "Luosen, I believe in your determination, but I worry that I will drag you down."

After a pause, she asked: "When do you plan to take me away from Dawn City?"

Luosen had already figured it out: "The duke said to leave within three days; today is the second day, so we'll depart tomorrow morning."

"Won't that be too slow? Now I believe in your hidden abilities, but for some reason I feel anxious, worried that unexpected trouble might arise."

"If one were to say, at first she followed Luosen out of Dawn Castle on a whim, but now she truly wants to return to White Sturgeon Island with this beloved."

Because with his abilities he would never live in poverty, and he is so handsome that he is simply the most perfect husband in the world.

Luosen naturally could sense Selena's change, and that was exactly his intention in revealing his abilities.

Seeing her worried, he couldn't help but secretly chuckle: 'Madam, you are really slow on the uptake. With you like that, even if you were thrown into an earthly palace intrigue drama, you wouldn't last half an episode.'

Last night outside, several hundred Aaron Night Guards were searching for them as if gone mad, with the momentum of wanting to dig three feet deep into Dawn City.

Of course, these are trivial matters; there's no need to tell Selena for now.

He reassured, "Madam, no matter how much trouble, you won't find it on a Shape-shifting Master, right?"

Selena felt more at ease: "That's also true, but I still suggest we leave as soon as possible."

Luosen laughed, "I will do so quickly, but I still have some matters to attend to in Dawn City."

According to his original plan, he not only wants to make money, but also to recruit some talent.

A commander with no troops cannot be a good lord.

Besides, after being busy all night last night, we should find a place to rest properly; how about we just go rest at the Blue Whale Mansion?

"The Blue Whale Mansion is the best inn in the Harbor District, though it's quite pricey."

"That's exactly why it befits your status, Madam."

"(End of chapter)"