endless path, infinite cosmos

chapter 60

For three weeks, Vahn and Lili continued to train with Tsubaki and hone their skills. Within this time Vahn had managed to increase his [Blacksmith] skill to A after using one of his skill enhancement scrolls after getting it to B. He was also about to impress Tsubaki by displaying some of the otherworldly techniques he had learned from the manuals.

Tsubaki was really surprised at the innovative methods and even recorded them for submission and review by other veteran blacksmiths within the Familia. The most notable thing Vahn had shown her was the creation of an 'automated hammering' system. Vahn had grown very familiar with the mechanism behind the swinging bamboo and used the knowledge he possessed to create a rig that could reliably and consistently strike a surface without requiring physical exertion. He even carved mana circuits into the body of the rig so the user could still infuse their mana into the hammer strikes.

Almost immediately after she had submitted the designs to the Familia, Tsubaki's workshop started getting barraged with visitors. Everyone wanted to meet the person who had developed such a unique method, as many were even claiming it would revolutionize the process of forging and allow for mass-production of standard-quality items. Unfortunately, Tsubaki wasn't willing to let anyone in and even beat up some of the bolder ones for trying to sneak into her house.

Eventually, Hephaestus herself put a stop to the troubles after submitting a patent through the guild using her mark as well as Vahn's on the form. Everyone became interested in the mysterious blacksmith that was being groomed by Hephaestus. Even some gods tried visiting her personally to acquire information, but she was tight-lipped and refused to comment.

One of the people that weren't turned away, however, was Welf. After hearing the news, he immediately came by to celebrate Vahn's achievement. Welf considered Vahn someone worthy of respect and even thought of himself as his rival. Seeing the ingenious design in person and many of Vahn's other innovations, Welf was fired up. They spent the entire afternoon talking and enjoying sake alongside the boisterous Tsubaki. Lili, who was the only one to refuse the alcohol, spent most of the time preparing various snacks for the rowdy trio.

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After things had calmed down, Vahn and Welf were sitting in the courtyard looking up at the moon. They had been talking about their dreams and how far Welf's research had progressed. Welf shook his head in dismay saying, "I've made some progress in the actual circuit, but I can't seem to make the item preserve the mana for a long enough period of time. The complexity of defensive and healing spells is much higher than attack spells."

Vahn nodded before taking out the [Heal] staff he had used last time. Because Welf had a high appreciation and respect for Vahn, their affection level had exceeded 80 which allowed Vahn to 'gift' a single item to Welf with a month-long cooldown. "You'll need to keep the origin a secret, but I want you to use this staff to help in your research. You don't have to worry about returning it, just make sure you don't forget your purpose and I'll be happy."

Welf accepted the staff and held it firmly in his hands. With a serious expression on his face, he looked into Vahns eyes and nodded. "I will prove to the world my blood isn't a curse. Thanks, Vahn."

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Vahn wasn't the only one to grow in the three weeks of hellish training. Though it wasn't as drastic, Lili had also been making marked improvements. Her training with Tsubaki had begun to show its effects, and she was now able to fight freely without much assistance on the first four floors. Afterward, she had Vahn check her status and confirmed that many of her parameters had exceeded D, with her agility and dexterity reaching C. If she wanted to, she could even level-up, but chose to wait and improve her foundation after consulting both Vahn and Tsubaki.