"Buzz~ Buzz~"
At this moment, a crystal stone on Jessicaâs desk emitted a faint white light and began to vibrate.
This brought a sudden joy to Jessicaâs face, and she immediately picked it up to listen attentively.
"Great, Fraser, Siegfried will arrive within three days."
"Siegfried?"
Earl York furrowed his brow. He remembered this person; they had briefly teamed up while he was an Adventurer, but they hadnât been in contact for many years.
Moreover, even back then, he thought the otherâs personality was a bit too cold, and they didnât communicate much.
However, Jessica, being a Caster like him, had a good relationship with him.
....
Iron Hills.
Ironfoot Legionâs new recruit training ground.
"Krom, why are you back?" Humbert looked a bit surprised at the familiar figure appearing at the training groundâs entrance.
"Rotation adjustment! In the past days, weâve been on high alert. But suddenly, the Blue Dragon Legion has quieted down a lot, not only withdrawing entirely but even retreating from the Iron Ring Excavation Site."
"Oh? Even the Iron Ring Excavation Site has been abandoned?" Humbertâs face was even more astonished upon hearing this news.
"Are you sure? You know, Giant Dragons rarely regurgitate what theyâve swallowed!"
"Really, otherwise, I wouldnât have had the time to return to the Iron Hills for rest rotation."
"Perhaps itâs because the Blue Dragons donât want to completely fall out with our Kingdom right now." Centurion Krom Stonefist speculated, though he wasnât entirely sure himself.
Raine, who was listening to the conversation between Humbert and Krom nearby, was deep in thought.
He agreed with his mentorâs analysis. This behavior was uncharacteristic of dragons; either they were lulling the Dwarf Kingdom into complacency to launch a bigger strike, or there was a larger scheme at play.
However, as a mountain Dwarf Kingdom with Legendary mighty warriors, it wasnât Raineâs position to worry.
"Raine! Is this a new Combat Skill you just developed?" At this moment, Krom stepped forward, curiously examining the two iron dummies pierced through and covered in a layer of white frost.
"Yes, Centurion Krom, Iâve made some progress with the help of my mentor." Raine smiled and said.
"Humbert? I know his worth well, but one thing I respect is that he has a good disciple!" Krom glanced at Humbert, shaking his head.
"Krom, you..." Kromâs attitude left Humbert fuming, but before Humbert could finish his words, a messenger hurried in, whispering a few words into Humbertâs ear.
This brought a wide smile to Humbertâs face as he said to Raine, "Raine, Elder Grenum just sent someone to relay a message; the ancient Fiery Forge will be activated this afternoon. Do you plan to attend or not?"
"Oh? Can I watch in person?"
"Normally, you couldnât, but since youâve earned the Friendship Medal, you have the qualification."
"Of course, Iâll go." Raine nodded.
Although he didnât know much about blacksmithing, this was an opportunity to broaden his horizons, and he couldnât pass it up.
That afternoon.
Raine, Humbert, and Krom, among others, arrived at the Deep Furnace Hall.
This time, unlike last time, Raine and Humbert followed a Blacksmith down to the second underground level of the Deep Furnace Hall.
Descending the circular stonewall stairs, Raine felt the temperature steadily increase, and before him were more than a dozen vertical furnaces made entirely of steel and towering several meters high.
"These are strong steel furnaces that can smelt almost all common metal materials, sufficient for forging Fine Level equipment," introduced the Dwarf Blacksmith walking beside them.
Soon, the three continued down to the third underground level.
Here, the heat waves were even more intense, and Raine felt as if he had arrived at a mountain of fire. The furnaces in this area were slightly smaller than the strong steel furnaces but exhibited a unique dark green color.
"These are magic iron furnaces, which are the maximum type of furnaces most kingdoms can possess. They typically meet the forging needs of some rare-level equipment."
Listening to the introduction, Raine nodded.
It seemed the art of smithing was indeed profound. Leaving aside other aspects, the mere process of smelting involved a wealth of knowledge.
The group continued downward, and Raine felt a similar heat to when he encountered the subterranean Earth Dragon in the magma underground.
He also saw Elder Grenum and several other Dwarf Transcendents ahead, busy with preparations.
This time, Humbert whispered to Raine, "Every time the ancient Fiery Forge is activated, it consumes Fiery Essence and other precious materials, so each time it must be used to its fullest."
"Besides your equipment, several other Epic Level items will be repaired later as well."
Raine nodded, signaling his understanding.
Indeed, given the considerable cost of activation, it was only logical to make full use of it.
He also realized why he had waited a whole six days previously.
"Raine, I heard about your performance at the Iron Ring Excavation Site. Letâs start with your Warhammer today!" Elder Grenum stroked his beard with a smile upon seeing Raine.
"Thank you, Elder Grenum!" Although Raine wasnât sure if the order had any impact, judging by Elder Grenumâs words, going first seemed to be the most effective.
Without hesitation, he handed over the Warhammer and two bags of materials.
"Raine, the core material of your Warhammer isnât mithril or star iron," Elder Grenum, seemingly in high spirits and perhaps fond of Raine due to his performance at the Iron Ring Excavation Site, began to explain.
"Oh? Not even star iron?"
"The core material is actually Celestial Silver."
"The Celestial Silver known for its self-repairing properties?" Humbert exclaimed from the side.
"Yes. But simply relying on Celestial Silverâs self-recovery would take several hundred years."
Upon hearing Elder Grenumâs explanation, Raine suddenly recalled something: the Gray Dwarves from the Dark Furnace Clan had kept the Counterattacker in their treasury, rarely using it, likely to leverage its Celestial Silver properties for gradual self-repair.
"What about using the Fiery Forge?" Raine couldnât help but ask.
"An hour would suffice."
"Thatâs such a huge difference?"
"Of course." Elder Grenum smiled, clearly proud of the ancient Fiery Forge as a national treasure of their kingdom.
As a dwarf reported, Elder Grenum glanced around, his expression serious, "Since all preparations are done! Letâs begin!"
"Yes!"
"Creak, creak, creak!"
As the massive gears turned, four thick iron chains tightened, lifting a black stone cover nearly half a meter thick.
What Raine and the others felt was a wave of scorching heat surging towards them.
If it werenât for the protective array nearby, most dwarvesâ beards would likely be singed off.
Even Raine found the heat unbearable, and he casually cast a frost shield over himself, instantly feeling a cool breeze and much more comfortable.
This scene caught Elder Grenum by surprise as he glanced at Raine.
Since Grenum hadnât participated in the Iron Ring Excavation Site battle, he was unaware Raine had displayed Frost Spells then.
At this moment, three dwarf Mages of Extraordinary Level began chanting a Spell, and a massive, entirely red furnace slowly rose from the magma below.
The furnace, several meters in diameter, was generally round and had an ancient design, as if forged in an era long past.
As Elder Grenum placed the Counterattacker, mithril, and star iron into the furnace one by one, the two rare metals quickly turned liquid, gradually seeping into the Warhammerâs body.
"The Hammer of Flame!"
Then, Elder Grenum shouted, his whole body aflame, as he remotely controlled a massive hammer forged of fire, beginning to strike.
"What is this!" Even Raine was somewhat dumbfounded seeing this remarkably rare sight.
"Fire can only be resisted with fire; only with a hammer forged of flames can we forge or repair Epic Level equipment in an ancient Fiery Forge that nearly melts everything." Humbert, who had seen this scene before, couldnât help but exclaim.
"Quite impressive!" Raine also nodded heavily.
Because this had already reached a level where technique bordered on art.