The first rays of that morning marked the completion of the first full month since the arrival of the widely-known supreme forger in the city, called FatFluke.
Inside the forging workshop, the whale was alone, eyes closed in meditation. With extreme lightness, the doors opened, and a somewhat aged figure emerged.
The whale opened their eyes, and their gaze met Detue. He was at the first level of the Core Formation Realm, but clearly, his cultivation was unstable and fragile. He had broken through to this realm by stacking expensive pills and resources. However, his true power was much inferior, and he would never advance further in life.
’Judging by his life force... he must be between 400 and 500 years old,’ Bruno commented. ’In this realm, on average, people live up to 600. He’s old, but if he consumes a five-ring Yang pill, his appearance should rejuvenate immediately, and he’ll be able to sustain himself well into his last years.’
Alm just scoffed, indifferent, and the whale waved to Detue, who approached. The whale had asked Doara to summon him, saying that they wanted to run some tests and confirm some ideas for their furnace. She didn’t hesitate or have any suspicion, trusting the slave seal. Of course, Alm created another one, making her feel the seal on him and think it was hers.
As the old man approached, they spoke lightly. "I will start working on the metal. Even before it’s complete, you should start creating the inscriptions. The timing must be perfect to fuse them even more perfectly without delay."
Detue nodded slightly, and the whale turned calmly, extending their hand toward the furnace already heated to the limit. Suddenly, Detue saw a subtle spatial rune glow, and from the void, liquid metal was poured into the shape of the forge. At that moment, all the laws bent toward that metal.
In a few minutes, the whale began to cool and eliminate impurities with all their Forge God-level technique, refined over several days. Detue observed the silver metal with firm eyes; on the surface, the old man seemed fine, but Alm and Bruno clearly felt his subtle fluctuations. This old man recognized this metal, and he was extremely surprised not to know about the existence of mithril before.
The whole process was carried out with extreme care and slowness. There was no abundance of mithril available, and any slight mistake could result in an explosion, destroying this extremely rare metal on this planet.
After five hours, Detue felt it was the moment and began creating the inscriptions with extreme care. The type of inscription used was chosen by Doara, being informed to him in advance.
Detue took about five hours to finish, and in a planned synchronization, it was exactly the time the furnace was removed from the forge in a perfect state. The whale moved with precision, adjusting and placing the inscriptions; when they were fully fixed on the furnace, it began to radiate laws and silver brilliance. But without any warning, the sacred furnace ascended as if entering the void.
All phenomena disappeared after the furnace was placed in the inventory, but Detue’s eyes fixed where the furnace had been, taking a few seconds for him to wake up dazed and turn to the whale.
Then, the old man bowed slightly and spoke tremulously. "Sir... please, destroy the furnace."
The eyes of Alm and Bruno were fixed on the old man. He didn’t know about the existence of mithril, and now they confirmed that he was unaware of the slave seal that Doara had placed on him. So they spoke lightly. "Why would I do that?"
The old man looked into the whale’s eyes and spoke seriously. "Doara... I’ve known her since the first day she studied alchemy. We were disciples of the same master."
Detue sighed, recalling a distant past, and continued with regret. "I suspected that she was seeking something all this time, but I never imagined it was this sacred metal. Now everything makes sense... the dwarves are honest and spontaneous... for them to have caused such a commotion, refusing to forge and trying to destroy everything. She must have planned to build something terrible and nefarious."
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Alm and Bruno were fully focused on sensing Detue’s true intentions. Alm was initially confused. This old man remembered Doara from the past, and a strange feeling arose in him. But Bruno quickly understood the obvious; there was something between them, but it never progressed.
"You don’t really need to destroy it; she trusts me, and I will confirm its total destruction. Just keep it hidden, and later, you can sell this furnace at a much higher value in the future," he said seriously, something that would be considered a betrayal worthy of death.
"I trust the dwarves, and I know her better than anyone. Nothing good will come of this; if you simply say it was a failure, she won’t be able to punish or kill you since the dwarves are gone," he added, but he was clearly unsure in the last part.
The whale breathed calmly, and their eyes met; soon, he asked, "Even if you didn’t know the truth, you should already understand that old woman was seeking something sinister. If you like the dwarves so much and saw everything happen, why didn’t you leave? Are you hopeful that she’ll give up?"
Detue smiled awkwardly and murmured, "I’ve given up hoping that her greed will be satisfied." With a heavy sigh, he continued, "As soon as I saw the dwarves reveal themselves, I decided that the time to leave had come. But then your friend intervened... noticing his talent, I decided that I shouldn’t let her have him, so I stayed, taking him as a disciple."
Detue’s gaze lightened. Almin seemed to have made a good impression on him. "After the first interactions, I realized that his talent wasn’t bad, but I was relieved to feel that he wouldn’t stay here for long."
Alm and Bruno nodded satisfactorily. This old man was observant and had sharp senses. Almin was someone with pure and straightforward intentions; he couldn’t lie or maintain a lie for long. After he relaxed a bit, it was simple to sense his true intentions.
"I had been thinking of leaving for a long time. After Valmin left, I would go and find a place to die far from human intrigues. I always liked the dwarves, and with the connections I had, they would accept an old man like me." He spoke softly, and another slight pang passed through him. Clearly, he thought for a moment about Alnia, who would want to follow him.
Alm and Bruno didn’t need to exchange words mentally. It was clear that Detue was a decent person; no one could lie or hide something from them. His only regret was not having more time and youth to live with Alnia a little longer.
Bruno then nodded and spoke. "I have a proposal that is in your interest. But the cost will be quite high."
The old man turned to them, curious. Little did he know how much his next decision would alter his life.