“Top-grade Artifact Spirit…” Qin Lun shook his head with a bitter smile. He only had a little over thirty thousand Shattered Crystals left on him—how could he afford a top-grade Artifact Spirit?
He had not even sponsored the temporary team emblem for Frank and the others to enter the mission world; it was bought by Didi using the leftover resources from learning potion-making.
“Without a top-grade Artifact Spirit, it won’t reach Dark Gold quality. What a shame for this World Tree Longbow!” The old gnome looked very regretful. As a forging master, failing to make good use of materials was his greatest sorrow.
“Master, I remember many Dark Gold Equipment don’t have Artifact Spirits. Only Legendary Rank equipment must have Artifact Spirits, right?” Qin Lun thought for a moment and grew puzzled.
“You’re not entirely correct. In fact, once the equipment and items of you Apostles reach Blue Quality, they gain a certain spirituality. This spirituality is essentially the Artifact Spirit, but it hasn’t awakened on its own like a Legendary Artifact Spirit.”
The old gnome smiled and explained, “But your World Tree Longbow’s laws aren’t compatible with the Shattered Starry Sky, so it has completely lost its spirituality. To give an analogy, while Dark Gold Equipment of Apostles doesn’t have the wisdom of Legendary Items, they are still living beings. The World Tree Longbow now is just a shell; it has the potential to become a Legendary Item but lacks the soul of an ordinary creature.”
Qin Lun nodded slowly. The old gnome’s analogy was vivid and easy to understand. He had originally thought that items like the World Tree Longbow and the Undead Sacred Artifact could only be broken down into basic material. Now it seemed that by infusing an Artifact Spirit, they could still regain some of their power.
However, equipment above Dark Gold had strict compatibility requirements for Artifact Spirits. An unsuitable Artifact Spirit wouldn’t just fail to merge with the equipment—it could damage it. Although the World Tree Longbow had lost its spirituality, it was still an intact shell. But if it were internally damaged, it wouldn’t even be as good as regular equipment material.
“Your World Tree Longbow is a cold weapon with a simple structure and excellent material. From my perspective, I still hope you’ll consider not breaking it down. It’s better to wait until you find a suitable Artifact Spirit and ‘revive’ it later!” The old gnome advised sincerely.
“I understand!” Qin Lun nodded, then pointed to the Undead Sacred Artifact and asked, “What about this item?”
“Oh, right, there’s also this strange staff!” The old gnome tugged at his white beard, his expression turning serious. “If I’m not mistaken, this should be a burial object from ancient times, right?”
“Burial object… yes, that’s right!” Qin Lun was momentarily stunned, but upon second thought, calling the Undead Sacred Artifact a burial object wasn’t wrong. After all, Liches and Necro Knights were, in a way, already dead!
“This thing… it can’t really be called a ‘shell.’ It’s not completely ‘dead.’ Do you understand what I mean?” The old gnome frowned.
“Not dead!” Qin Lun raised an eyebrow. Clever as he was, he certainly understood what Francis meant, and he asked with pleasant surprise, “Are you saying it’s still a complete piece of equipment?”
“No, no, it’s not equipment. Its original function and abilities disappeared along with the dissipation of its equipment laws. However… because it was exposed to intense death energy and Yin energy for a long time, the material of the equipment has been corroded by the death aura.”
The old gnome stared at the Undead Sacred Artifact but did not touch it, speaking cautiously, “Although this item has lost its original laws, the death energy in its material hasn’t completely dissipated. It won’t affect you Apostles, but ordinary living beings shouldn’t be in prolonged contact with it, or their bodies and minds will be eroded.”
“Can you repair its function, at least partially?” Qin Lun inquired carefully.
“No, I’m just a forging master. Even if I had a suitable Artifact Spirit, I wouldn’t be able to do anything with it. This item resembles a magical artifact more than a weapon. You’ll need an enchantment master or an inscription master to repair it!” The old gnome shrugged helplessly and continued, “And similarly, I don’t recommend breaking it down either. If fused into a Weapon Case, it would affect the effectiveness of other equipment materials.”
“Alright!” Qin Lun thought for a moment and then put away the Undead Sacred Artifact staff.
“Leave the World Tree Longbow here. I’ll need its dimensions when I craft the Weapon Case.” The old gnome began counting the equipment materials in front of him again. After a while, he frowned and picked up the Frost Gem and the Elemental Burst Bead. “These two items…”
“Heh, these two items aren’t exactly equipment materials; they’re more like energy sources. My liquid funds are limited, so I plan to give them to you to offset part of the forging cost.” Qin Lun explained with a smile.
“Offset the forging cost?” The old gnome’s expression turned odd, and he shook his head with a laugh. “The Weapon Case you need already has such a large piece of Starfall Iron as the main material; that’s enough. I’ll supplement the rest with other miscellaneous materials. The total cost, including the crafting fee, will be a bit higher than last time—around fifty thousand Shattered Crystals. Surely an Apostle like you wouldn’t lack fifty thousand Shattered Crystals, would you? If you really don’t have it, I can’t let you owe me!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t make you work for free!” Qin Lun felt somewhat helpless.
Apostles might not return every time they entered a Quest World. Major races like the Demon Clan and the Elven Race didn’t mind investing in promising Apostles, but Francis definitely couldn’t afford such investments. So, forging fees were usually paid upfront.
Qin Lun only had thirty-five thousand Shattered Crystals on him and still owed Lost fifty thousand. This time, he really had to sell some things.
“As for this Frost Gem and Elemental Burst Bead…” The old gnome pondered for a moment before asking seriously, “Do you just want the Weapon Case to hold all these weapons together for quick switching in battle, or do you want to add some other abilities?”
Qin Lun’s eyes flickered. Apostles themselves had Storage Spaces and could switch gear quickly during combat. However, an Apostle’s Storage Space usually contained more than just weapons and equipment—there were other items too. So, when retrieving something, one needed to concentrate, which inevitably involved a reaction time.
A Weapon Case didn’t have this drawback. It allowed the use of the most suitable equipment anytime, anywhere, enabling seamless transitions in battle. To put it in gaming terms, it was like a continuous combo that could chain enemies to death without interruption.
Being able to incorporate the World Tree Longbow, Burial of Light and Darkness, Frostwind Chaser, Claw Chain, and other equipment into a portable Weapon Case—turning it into something like the integrated weapon used by the Little Red Riding Hood girl from Grimm Academy in the World War II World—was already impressive. Adding other functions was beyond the imagination of a forging novice like Qin Lun.
“What other abilities can a Weapon Case have?” Qin Lun tentatively asked Francis.
“Heh, it seems you’ve never encountered a Weapon Case before!” The old gnome proudly stroked his white beard. “Actually, combining several weapons isn’t your original idea. Many Professional Apostles in Devil’s Horn come up with this idea after reaching the middle-to-high ranks.
In addition to holding an Apostle’s most handy weapons, a Weapon Case usually has several auxiliary functions. Let me give you some examples to help you consider.
For instance, some Apostles responsible for main attacks in a team might modify their Weapon Case into a turret or a flamethrower; those focused on defense might turn it into a shield or even a small particle barrier; some auxiliary Weapon Cases can transform into short-range flight tools; others are simple Medical Kits or even refrigerators for spare limbs.”
“Flight tools? Refrigerating severed limbs?” Francis’s words opened Qin Lun’s eyes.
If Fortress and the Lost Novices had flight tools back in the Toril World, probably more of them would have survived. As for refrigerating severed limbs… Apostles might seem not to need them, but in actual adventures, even if they had precious limb-regeneration medicine, sometimes they couldn’t use it in front of Plot Characters.
Moreover, the regeneration cycle for limb-regeneration medicine was usually quite long, making it less convenient than a limb refrigerator. Besides, Qin Lun thought of some human organs even more useful than limbs that could allow Apostles to unleash greater combat power.
For example, among the five Serial Killers, Joker Grant’s Virus Bloodline gave him powerful regeneration abilities. But aside from wearing the Joker mask, his offensive capabilities were somewhat weak. If he could temporarily fuse with a powerful creature’s heart during battle, the situation would be completely different.
Of course, the Weapon Cases Francis mentioned were probably quite large and might not be able to accommodate Qin Lun’s various Apostle equipment while having these special functions. Still, as examples, they certainly gave him many new ideas.
Thinking about his own needs, Qin Lun cautiously asked, “Master, with the materials I have now, what other functions can my Weapon Case have?”
“Heh, you’re quite practical—not asking me to make something unrealistic.” The old gnome thought for a while and replied, “Based on your requirements, your Weapon Case won’t be very large. I’ll try to minimize its size and increase the speed of weapon switching…
On that basis, using the Frost Gem as an energy source and adding the elemental activity of the Burst Bead, I can try to give it one or two combat abilities. As for what combat skills those will be, I need to think carefully. I’ll only have a clue after the design is complete.”
“Alright, after signing the contract, I’ll leave these things with you. As long as the basic requirements are met, you can decide the rest of the design!” Qin Lun waved his hand with a smile. As a novice in forging, sometimes it was more important to trust the capable.
Before signing the Soul Contract, Francis went to his own forge again to pack up the necessary tools, informed his family, and then returned to the Order Front headquarters.
Crafting a Weapon Case was different from the previous upgrade of Burial of Light and Darkness. Upgrading Burial of Light and Darkness was just about improving quality, while crafting a Weapon Case involved designing and forging a new piece of equipment. The old gnome estimated it would take at least half a month to complete. During this period, he would have to eat and sleep at the Order Front headquarters, and he also needed to sign a Soul Contract with Qin Lun.
In the Shattered Starry Sky, all beings—whether Apostles or natives—were bound by Soul Contracts. This type of contract was actually a form of protection for the natives. Without such contracts, forging masters like Francis would have been silenced by Apostles countless times.
This was a characteristic of the Shattered Starry Sky. Due to the existence of Apostles and Apostle Cities, forging, alchemy, inscription, magic, technology, and so on in this dimension were all extremely advanced. A forging master like Francis, even in a vast alternate world like Toril, would be considered a legendary craftsman across the entire continent.
By the time Qin Lun returned to his villa, the sky was already growing dark. He looked up at the night sky outside the window and dialed Kelly’s private number.
“What, it’s only been a few days and you’re looking for me again! Did you fall for me, huh?” On the other end of the Projector, the Female Martial Artist looked up and yawned. Her eyes had heavy dark circles—it seemed she had been partying nonstop since returning.
“Relax, you’re kinda cute when you’re not scheming against people!” Kelly deliberately crossed her arms, revealing a generous expanse of smooth, pale skin, and leaned close to the Projector, giving Qin Lun a flirtatious look. “I can cut you some slack. Spend the night with me, and I’ll cover your team fee. How about that?”
“Ahem…” Qin Lun couldn’t help but cough lightly, speechless as he pulled out a gold-trimmed card and waved it in front of the Projector.
“You… Did you get that from the Toril World?” The moment Kelly saw the card in Qin Lun’s hand, her sleepiness vanished. Her phoenix eyes widened as she asked.
“I want to sell it. You helped me a lot this time. Since I’m selling, I might as well repay your favor.” Qin Lun said calmly.
“Getting you to owe a favor sure is tough!” Kelly looked at Qin Lun with a complex expression, then glanced at the item in his hand and said quietly, “But every time you offer a deal, it’s something we high-rank Apostles can’t refuse.”
“Let me ask you one last time—are you sure you want to sell this? You should know, this thing is extremely hard to get, very… very precious!” Kelly licked her lips and asked breathlessly.
“So what?” Qin Lun glanced expressionlessly at the item in his hand and said indifferently, “To me, it’s just a pretty card. I’ve gotten it twice already, and there will be a third, fourth time… But you—are you sure my favor is only worth the priority purchase right for this card?”
Kelly fell silent, her eyes slightly dazed.
