Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

For most weaponsmiths under the guidance of Grandmaster Baelin, the days spent refining their craft blurred together in a continuous cycle.

They would take a brief respite in sleeping bunkers, catching precious moments of rest before returning to their ongoing projects.

A week had passed since Leo Longblade introduced himself to Grandmaster Baelin. The distant echoes of explosions and the resounding strikes of hammers still reverberated through the hot and humid atmosphere within Baelin's weaponsmithy. However, within the secluded area designated for crafting spiritual artifacts, silence prevailed. This space was exclusively reserved for Baelin to work his magic, fashioning unique artifacts destined for use by renowned Rankers in Edinburgh.

Ravid supported the runic array upon which Baelin was actively working to forge a spiritual weapon. The runic array boasted four operational eyes, indicating that, ideally, it should be operated by four capable Rankers. However, due to the perpetual shortage of staff and Baelin's reluctance to hire individuals lacking the exceptional talent he sought, the runic array was being managed with the bare minimum of two Rankers.

Within the array, Ravid occupied one eye while the other eye was entrusted to Leo Longblade. Ravid was relieved to have someone to share the burden with, but he couldn't help but feel sorry for Leo. Since joining, Leo had been thrust into work immediately, causing his face to pale as he diligently operated the runic array under Baelin's precise instructions.

The runic array hummed with precision as Baelin showcased his mastery over his craft. Ravid and Leo skillfully maintained the array, compensating for any anomalies that arose during the creation of the spiritual artifact.

A molten blob of metal hovered above the array's center while Baelin tapped into his Mana Sense and Soul Sense, infusing the elemental attainments necessary for the concept weapon. Occasionally, a pure mana rune materialized from the array, swirling around the restless mass of metal before merging with it. With each added runic detail, the metal blob gradually took the form of a war axe.

Adjacent to the weapon creation array, another runic array held the recently deceased fire-element wyvern's body. Its soul remained contained within Shallot's Mirror. Baelin intended to complete the weapon before binding the wyvern's soul to it.

The array responsible for isolating the wyvern's body and preserving its soul was known as the Soul Seed Insertion Array. Leo found himself drawn to studying the intricate runic details of this particular array.

However, without access to the array scroll that contained its precise information and layout, he could only observe its operations without fully comprehending its intricacies. Obtaining the Array Scroll of the Soul Seed Insertion Array was a nearly impossible feat for someone like Leo, a recent addition to Baelin's weaponsmithy.

Nonetheless, Leo diligently familiarized himself with the array's functions while maintaining focus on the array eye Baelin worked in, so as not to incur the Grandmaster's wrath.

An additional 35 hours passed as Baelin, Ravid, and Leo tirelessly fulfilled their tasks. By this point, the war axe, intended to serve as the vessel for the wyvern's soul, had been completed. The artifact emitted potent mana pulses even without the soul's insertion. Silvery with crimson runic details adorning its surface, the weapon radiated a faint glow as the runes settled into place. The weapon emitted a peculiar mana pulse, indicating its readiness to receive a soul.

Baelin spent another 4 hours merging the two arrays together and binding the soul to the war axe, elevating it to a transcendent-grade weapon. All that remained was to awaken the dormant wyvern's soul within the weapon and make necessary adjustments to the runic details through intent-based magic. This meticulous process would result in the creation of a spiritual artifact—a fully awakened war axe imbued with the wyvern's soul.

The arduous part of crafting the spiritual artifact had concluded, leaving Baelin to add the finishing touches. He meticulously refined the weapon, making minute changes to its shape and tapering, as well as performing light tempering and polishing during the finishing treatment.

Leo's presence lightened Ravid's workload, facilitating a smoother and faster creation process for the spiritual artifact. Baelin expressed his appreciation for Leo's diligent work, despite his novice status, by explaining the intricate details and requirements involved in the process. Leo seized this opportunity to learn from Baelin, eagerly asking questions and seeking clarity throughout the 40-hour-long artifact creation process.

"Teacher Baelin, I understand that we are in a time of war," Ravid voiced his doubts, his tone laced with uncertainty. "But aren't we producing an excessive number of spiritual artifacts with our current pace?"

Ravid asked, his focus on maintaining control over the runic array. With the weapon creation process on track, Baelin, Ravid, and Leo finally had a moment to catch their breath. As they considered the workload ahead for the next five weeks, Ravid couldn't help but voice his concerns.

Baelin continued refining the intricate details of the spiritual weapon while responding, a serious expression on his face. "It's because of those troublesome half-blood forces interfering in the conflict between Edinburgh and Layos," Baelin explained grimly. He elaborated further, "It appears they have struck a secret deal with the Kingdom of Layos, aligning themselves against Edinburgh. Led by the half-blood Sage JJ Edgar, they pose a significant threat."

"Unfortunately, Edinburgh lacks concrete evidence of the alliance between Layos and the half-blood forces, leaving the Anfang Alliance as a silent spectator."

Ravid and Leo listened attentively, finally grasping the fact that Layos was not the sole enemy of Edinburgh. The impact of the initial battle between the two kingdoms at the Edinnica Arena was still being felt in the ongoing war. It seemed that Edgar was taking a hardline stance against Edinburgh, using his influence to support Layos from the shadows.

However, Ravid couldn't comprehend the connection between their increased workload of crafting spiritual artifacts and the half-blood forces siding with Layos. "Teacher Baelin, wouldn't normal Ranked Artifacts be sufficient to deal with the half-blood forces?" Ravid questioned confidently, confident in his analysis of cost-effectiveness.

Ravid believed that the spiritual artifacts being produced were excessive and a waste of taxpayers' money.

AN: Soul Seed Insertion Array was first mentioned in chapter 493.