Chapter 1248 Insane Growth Pace (Part 1)
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Shin did not immediately leave the Mayor's Manor as he wanted for the people that Shiella had arranged for the protection of Ribbit. This additional security would put Shin more at ease, making him focus more on other tasks that he had in hand.
He only left after introducing the group that Shiella had sent to Ribbit and the rest of the guards patrolling around the Mayor's Manor.
After making sure that everything was fine, Shin quickly headed to the Holy City and looked for Berlin's Workshop, planning to consult the Saint Blacksmith about the dimensional key that Kentas was talking about.
Shin was preparing himself to get rejected. Or at the very least, he had to be prepared to negotiate with Berlin. He knew that Saint Blacksmith only agreed to reforge his sword, the [Yamato], because of the recommendation of the Dwarf King that he met in the beginner's village, Orn. Given this, he had to offer something that would make Berlin grant his request.
Fortunately, he had a pretty good relationship with Berlin himself, so he was not that worried.
When Shin arrived at the blacksmith shop, he could not help but halt his steps and stared blankly in front of him.
Berlin's shop was the most famous shop within the entire Kingdom, so it was only natural for it to be filled with consumers, both players and NPCs alike. The outside would always have a long line of people waiting for their turn since it became known to everyone.
But that was not the reason why Shin halted his steps. Instead, it was because of the opposite reason.
There was no one outside the shop. Not even a single soul.
Despite how fancy the blacksmith shop had become and how large it was now, it turned into a ghost place due to the current sight that it had.
It was only a short time since he last visited the place, yet it underwent another complete metamorphosis for another time.
"Why does this shop always transform whenever I visit it," muttered Shin to himself as he moved forward.
He still had not knocked on the door when someone already opened it and greeted him. "It has been a while, Sir Envoy. What can we do for you this time?"
Shin paused for a moment as he stared at the person who opened the door. After getting a clear look, he could not help but knit deeply as he could not remember knowing this shop personnel.
It was a male dwarf that he did not recognize. From what he could see, this was his first time seeing this dwarf. But for some unknown reason, he felt that he knew this dwarf somehow.
Seeing how the dwarf looked at him, Shin thought of something and immediately used his 'True Sight' skill, staring at the dwarf intently.
Upon activation of the observation skill, Shin could see a layer of mana shrouding the dwarf. When his skill fully activated, the true form of the dwarf was immediately revealed in front of him. "Ah! Sir Berlin!"
Berlin, who was currently in disguise, chuckled a little and commented. "That technique of yours sure is amazing. It can even be seen through the [Mask of Thousand Forms] that I have created. I guess I have to make a few adjustments with this."
After that, he turned around and invited Shin. "Come inside. It is not safe to take here. Let's go to my workshop."
Shin entered and closed the door behind him before following behind Berlin.
When he entered the shop, Shin could not help but frown deeply due to the sight that he saw inside. The shop was completely different from what he last visited. The racks that were full of weapons and equipment were now empty.
Seemingly able to read what was running inside Shin's head, Berlin suddenly said with his back still facing Shin. "You are confused why the business suddenly becomes like this?"
"Haha! It is because I get tired of getting requests from those annoying nobles. They keep on requesting more batches of equipment that they use to equip their army. I can't waste my time supplying them with war weapons and satisfying their greed, can I?"
"If I do that, I will not have the time to do my research in weapons and armor. I already have a lot of ideas on how to forge more powerful equipment after I reforge your sword, so I do not have the time to entertain those people."
Shin nodded his head in understanding after hearing those words. He could not help but agree with each of the words that the Saint Blacksmith had said.
After a brief pause, Berlin continued. "Due to that, I am forced to disguise myself while telling everyone that I am focusing on my forging technique. I just recently broke through the Saint Rank, so it is only natural for me to consolidate my current realm."
"The funny thing is no one dared to question my decision because I am the only Saint Rank Blacksmith within the kingdom. Everyone wants to earn favor from me, and no one wants to provoke me, which is what I find funny."
"And the reason why you close the shop is?" asked Shin curiously even though he already had an idea why.
Berlin chuckled once again as he responded. "It is just to make sure that no one will be suspicious. It is also to prevent those Otherworldly Individuals from annoying me. They keep on keeping and trying to get something from me, so I close the shop and make sure that no one will be disturbing me again."
He then paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder before continuing. "As for you-… You are an exemption. Given our relationship, I can say that we are somewhat friends. Am I right?"
Hearing that, Shin secretly heaved a sigh of relief as he was not sure that he could at least ask Berlin some favor.
After that, the two continued to chat with each other as they went deeper inside the shop. It did not long for them to arrive at the secret room where the hidden teleportation formation was located.
Familiar with the entire process, Shin just stood at the center of the room while waiting for Berlin to finish all the preparations. He did not wait long as the old dwarf immediately activated the formation.
Not long after, Shin and Berlin appeared at the volcano where the old dwarf had built his workshop.
When they arrived, Berlin quickly went straight to the point and asked. "So, what is Sir Envoy want from me this time? Given that you immediately visited me not long after testing your sword, I can tell that this must be something that must be happening."
Shin smiled bitterly when heard that before explaining everything. He mentioned about the dimensional key that Kentas had given him and his plans.
It took a few minutes for Shin to finish. Berlin remained silent and continued to listen. He did not interrupt Shin even for a moment and just patiently waited for the young man to explain everything.
Berlin did not immediately respond as he was thinking about something. He then turned to Shin and asked something somewhat unrelated to the main issue. "What is your relationship with the 'Phantom King'?"
Shin was slightly confused at first before realizing that Berlin was talking about Kentas. However, he still could not immediately reply as he was not sure how he was going to respond. In the end, he could only say. "I guess I can be considered as his successor since I am learning under him."
Given that Shin had the Phantom Swordsman as his Secondary Combat Class, so it indicated that he was a student of Kentas. What confused him a little was how Berlin addressed that mysterious guy. 'Phantom King? I guess this title has some weight on it given that Berlin takes this seriously.'
But after putting more thought into it, he found that it was not that strange since based on what he had heard, Kentas was one of the active heroes of the Atlas World. That title alone was more than enough to tell much story.
Moreover, it was clear that this Phantom Swordsman Class was an Ascended Class, so there were still some mysteries in it that Shin had not discovered.
Meanwhile, Berlin remained silent for a few minutes as he fell in deep thought. Shin waited patiently as he could tell that there was some history behind this.
The Saint Blacksmith was lost in his thoughts for quite some time, making Shin a little uncomfortable. It was only after half an hour that Berlin finally opened his mouth. "I see. This is rather interesting."
He then turned to Shin and then back to his usual demeanor and said. "I will make that dimensional key for you. I can even make you a better one that can connect you both in the Phantom Island and the independent dimension that you are talking about."
Shin was surprised and could not help but ask. "Is that possible? And if it is, I think that it will be hard."
Berlin chuckled and said. "Of course, it will be hard to create one. I also have to ask some help from a decent Time Mage to create one."
"But it is necessary since items that a Saint Rank Blacksmith should be at this level to be worthy of their name."
He then paused briefly before continuing with a mystifying tone. "But I can't just craft you one for free, don't you think?"
lightsΝοvεl ?οm Shin chuckled and replied instantly. "Naturally!"
Berlin slapped his thighs as he said. "Alright! I will hold onto that promise! But I will save it for now and use it when the time is right."
He then stood up and went inside his workshop. "This will not take that long but I need to look for a friend of mine to help me cast the time and space magic on it. You can come and take it two days from now."
"Alright, I understand," said Shin. Even though he was somewhat in a hurry, he still understood that it was not easy to create such an item.
Shin was about to leave when he heard Berlin added. "Don't leave just yet. Stay inside the volcano for today."
"Today is one of the rare occasions when this volcano calms down. It is a rare phenomenon that only happens once in hundreds of years. You can't miss it."
Shin paused his steps and turned around, looking at the blacksmith.
Understanding that Shin was asking him to explain further, Berlin immediately added. "It is called the 'Sleeping Tyrant'. It is the time when the volcano reaches its 'coldest' temperature."
"It will start in two hours at the very least and end tomorrow at noon," Berlin picked up an item from the stone table and tossed it to Shin while continuing. "Use that token when you find yourself in danger inside this volcano. It will instantly send you out once you channel your mana into it."
"Remember to observe the changes within the volcano. Everything! You have to observe everything, especially the transition between the heat."
"Since you have learned that breathing technique from me and even modified it to suit your style, I have high expectations for you."
"This rare phenomenon is one of the reasons why I want to build by workshop here. Once it starts, you must fully concentrate on it and absorb everything that you can get as much as you can."
Seeing that slight confusion on Shin's face, Berlin chuckled and continued. "This phenomenon is one of the things that inspired me to create that breathing technique. It can help you greatly on your progress."
He then paused for a moment and squinted his eyes as he stared intently at Shin's body. He could see the mixture of different elements enfolding the latter. He became even more interested when sensed the thick Metal and Earth Elemental Mana from Shin.
He then nodded his head before adding with a mystifying tone. "Who knows-… you may even get something that will surprise you greatly."
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