Chapter 472: Workshop
He had initially intended to take a full tour of the vessel’s fitted rooms, but after Isla decided to come along, there was really only one proper place to spend some quality time with her.
The workshop could even be turned into her own little personal space, since he did not really see himself using it much if it was used for what he suspected, and he could also give her the workbench at the same time, once they were inside, of course.
Killing two birds with one stone.
"Come on." He opened the door with a simple turn of the well-crafted handle and led her inside.
However, the scene that greeted them was something neither of them had expected. Both their mouths fell open as the massive view of the workshop unfolded before them.
It was not merely a room: It was an entire crafting hall!
The ceiling was high, far higher than it had any right to be inside a vessel that looked so small from the outside.
Soft white light poured down from above, illuminating rows of polished worktables, storage walls, tool racks, furnace stations, platforms, basins, shelves, and several strange devices neither of them could immediately recognise.
The air smelled faintly of metal and smoke.
Several workstations were arranged in perfect order, each one fitted with smooth white surfaces and glowing formation lines.
Some had mechanical arms folded neatly above them, while others held floating crystal lenses that looked like they could magnify even the smallest microscopic objects.
Along the far side of the room, sealed cabinets stretched from floor to ceiling, each marked with plain writing that looked like it could be changed at will depending on what you put inside the cabinet.
At the centre of it all stood a large circular platform.
It was engraved with dozens of interlocking formation rings, and above it floated a faintly transparent interface, waiting to be used.
Isla was the first to mutter. "What in the seven heavens is this?" All it took was one glimpse of something she truly loved to break her out of her shell.
Her hand slipped out of Elion’s. Before he could even say anything, she stepped forward, her eyes wide and shining.
She moved in the room slowly at first, becoming faster and faster as her gaze darted from one table to the next, from the tool racks to the inscription platforms, then to the furnaces and sealed cabinets.
Her earlier shyness seemed to fall away piece by piece. "This is... Is this a workshop?" she whispered. "How is it even possible to make something like this?"
The greatest workshop she had ever seen was Solron’s personal workshop, and a massive amount of funding had been splashed to build that workshop for the grade four crafter.
What she was seeing before her was on another level. The place may have been empty, but that did nothing to take away its beauty.
Elion smiled as he watched her. "Do you like it?" The place was definitely fantastical, and he would have spent longer appreciating it, but the sight of Isla losing her wits like this was just better.
They simply could not be compared.
Isla turned toward him sharply. "Yes! Yes, of course I like it!" she said, almost too quickly. She seemed to realise how loudly she had spoken.
Her cheeks flushed. "I mean... very good."
Elion chuckled. Isla walked toward one of the worktables and ran her fingers lightly over its surface.
The moment her hand touched it, the formation beneath the table glowed softly. A mechanical voice sounded from somewhere above them.
[Workshop access detected.]
[User: Isla Starhaven.]
[Guest permission granted by Master Elion Nova.]
[Basic crafting functions unlocked.]
Isla froze.
The table began to hum and move as several hidden compartments slid open with soft clicks, revealing neatly arranged tools of different sizes and shapes.
Hammers, carving needles, rune pens, measuring crystals, fine-bladed cutters, mana clamps, small vials of alchemical ink, and many more items Elion did not recognise.
Isla’s lips parted.
She slowly reached for one of the rune pens, holding it with the kind of reverence most people reserved for holy relics.
"This..." Her eyes widened. "This pen is perfect."
Elion leaned against the doorframe with a smile. "Is it?" Isla nodded quickly, forgetting her nervousness again.
"Yes. It is light, but not too light. The grip is made for long use. The mana flow channel is thin but smooth, and the tip is flexible enough for fine lines without shaking..."
She suddenly stopped her mumbling and looked back at him, embarrassed. "I am sorry. I am speaking too much again."
"No," Elion said immediately. "Keep going."
He smiled. "You already know that I like listening to you talk about things you love."
Her face turned red; she looked down at the rune pen in her hand. Very softly, she said, "Thank you."
Elion walked closer.
"You know," he said, looking around the massive workshop, "I was thinking this place could be yours."
Isla turned to him. "Mine?"
"Yes."
Elion gestured around. "I will probably not use it at all. I might come here to mess around, but you are the real crafter."
Isla stared at him as though he had just said something absurd. "Elion, this is..."
"Too much?" he asked.
"Yes!"
"Good."
"That is not a proper answer."
"But it is my answer."
Isla looked helpless. "This is not something you can just give someone so casually."
Elion smiled. "I can, though."
Her fingers tightened around the rune pen. "Elion..."
He looked at her more seriously. "Isla, you left behind a whole world. Your home, your title, your family, your workshop, your tools, your projects, everything."
Her eyes trembled slightly as Elion’s voice softened. "I cannot give all of that back to you." He gestured around the room. "But I can give you a place to start again, doing the thing you love most."
Isla’s lips parted, but no words came out: She lowered her gaze and her shoulders trembled slightly. "Elion," she whispered.
He stepped closer and gently placed a hand on her blonde head. "You do not have to say anything."
Isla shook her head. "No. I..." She took a slow breath. "I want to say thank you."
Elion smiled. "You already did."
"Then I want to say it again."
He chuckled softly. "Go ahead."
Isla looked up at him. Her ocean-blue eyes were bright. "Thank you."
Elion’s expression softened. "You are welcome... Oh, right."
Isla blinked. "What is it?"
"I have another gift for you."
Her eyes widened. "Another?"
Elion grinned. "Yes." He raised his hand, and a square black plate appeared in his palm. At first glance, it looked simple and incredibly plain.
The moment Isla saw the faint formation lines hidden across its surface, her breath caught. "What is that?"
Elion smiled. "A mobile workbench."
Isla stared at him. "A what?"
"A Mythical Grade mobile workbench, actually."
Isla went completely still.
Elion gave her a shameless smile. "I thought you might like it."
Isla stood completely frozen for several long seconds.
Then she slowly reached out with both hands, as if afraid the object might vanish if she touched it too roughly.
Elion placed it carefully in her palms. The moment the black plate made contact with her hands, it lit up with faint golden lines.
[Owner registration available.]
[Would Master Elion Nova like to transfer ownership?]
"Yes. Transfer ownership to Isla Starhaven."
[Confirmed.]
[New Owner: Isla Starhaven.]
The black plate pulsed once and unfolded, and they had to step back to give it space as layer after layer opened like a blooming mechanical flower, revealing a large crafting station that was larger than a standard one, yet far more complex than anything Isla had ever seen.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Elion watched her reaction and felt a quiet satisfaction settle in his chest.
’Totally worth the effort.’
Judging by how silent she had gone after he transferred ownership, she had to be reading the enchantments on the workbench. The way her eyes seemed to twinkle more and more with every second that passed told him as much.
Once she was seemingly done, Isla looked up at him with disbelieving eyes.
"Elion..." Her voice trembled. "This is too much."
He smiled. "Then make something worthy of it."
Her fingers closed around the workbench with quiet determination as she looked at him with the most vibrant smile he had ever seen.
"I will." Without warning, Isla suddenly leapt up at him.
Elion barely had time to react before she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, holding him with all the strength she could muster.
"Thank you so much," she whispered, her voice trembling.
"You already said that, Isla," Elion replied softly. He smiled as he held her close.
Seeing Isla show so much emotion, he had to say that gifting someone something useful might probably be the most satisfying thing one could ever do in their lifetime.
It was definitely up there with sex of course. That particular act was in another realm of satisfaction.
Judging from how intensely Isla was trembling in his arms, he could tell that she was sobbing.
Tears of joy or sadness?
Probably both.
So he let her. Elion gently stroked the back of her head. "It is alright," he said quietly. "You can cry if you want."
Isla shook her head against his chest. "I am not crying though."
Elion looked down at her. She was definitely crying. "If you say so."
She let out a small, shaky laugh, and before he could say anything else, she suddenly pulled back and looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks.
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