Chapter 363: Chapter 239: Forging "Dreams" (2)
Zhou Chen’s skills in the field of Alchemy hadn’t fallen behind. "Blue Dream K2" was a Matrix that only a Second-Level Alchemist should be able to master, yet he had carved the Matrix onto all four glass bottles in just half an hour.
His speed was so great that it astonished many of the Alchemists watching the Sword Forging Competition.
After carving the sealing Matrix, Zhou Chen and Renie began to set up the "I Have a Dream" Secret Ceremony in the room.
The function of this Alchemy Secret Ceremony was to collect people’s dreams and aspirations, converting them into Spiritual Energy. In the fields of Alchemy, Forging, and Mysticism, "Dreams" were precious Extraordinary Materials.
Setting up the Secret Ceremony required quite a few materials. Fortunately, Renie’s Storage Artifact was exceptionally well-stocked, containing all the necessary Extraordinary Materials.
After setting up the "I Have a Dream Secret Ceremony," Zhou Chen set up a Barrier Array in the room to prevent any fluctuations from leaking out.
Once everything was complete, he had the four children hold the glass Alchemy Bottles and walk into the Secret Ceremony one by one.
"Joey, what is your dream?" Zhou Chen asked.
Joey felt all distracting thoughts vanish, his mind becoming unprecedentedly calm and peaceful.
A wind blew from afar, tousling his hair.
Joey blinked, and the scene before his eyes instantly changed. He saw an azure sky, a field of lush green grass, and an endless mountain range. Nestled below the mountains was an idyllic town surrounded by a crystal-clear lake. Small boats drifted across the lake’s surface, creating a gentle and beautiful landscape.
"It’s so beautiful. I want to paint this scene..."
Joey murmured softly, "My dream is to become a Painter."
As his words fell, a brilliantly colored, resplendent, and magnificent ball of light appeared in the glass Alchemy Bottle.
The other three children and Old Jack stared wide-eyed, having never witnessed such a magical scene.
"Yiwen, you’re next. What is your dream?"
Little Fatty Yiwen walked into the Secret Ceremony and felt a sense of inner peace and tranquility. In a daze, he saw himself in a cozy doll shop. The plush dolls filling the shelves were like his friends, and many children his age or younger were cheerfully picking out dolls, their smiles full of joy.
He said, "I really like dolls. I want to open a handmade doll shop."
"Martin, what is your dream?"
The bespectacled bookworm, Martin, stepped into the Secret Ceremony. He saw himself standing on a desolate, barren, gray landscape. Looking up, a beautiful blue planet filled his vision. All around him was the vast Cosmos and an endless starry sky.
He said, "I want to be an astronaut. I want to land on the Moon."
’An astronaut? Not bad...’ "Jenny, what is your dream?"
Jenny entered the Secret Ceremony. She saw herself piloting a plane, soaring through the sky. The land, oceans, and mountains flashed past below as she flew freely high above the heavens.
She said, "I want to be a pilot. I want to soar freely in the sky."
The glass Alchemy Jars in the four children’s hands filled up with Spiritual Energy. It was kaleidoscopic, as splendid and colorful as childhood Dreams.
"Where should we start the Forging? This space is too small to work in," Renie asked.
"Let’s go to my basement. There’s a lot of space there," said Joey.
The group went to the basement of Joey’s House. It wasn’t used to store much, making it a perfect place for Forging.
Renie pulled an Anvil and a Forging Melting Furnace from her waist pouch, leaving the children and Old Jack dumbfounded.
"Is that Doraemon’s pocket?"
"In a way, I guess so." Renie waved her hand. "All of you, stand back. Don’t get close. You won’t be able to handle the high temperatures."
Zhou Chen set up a Barrier within Renie’s Forging area to block the heat, lest they set Joey’s House on fire.
"Light the furnace," Renie said, looking at Zhou Chen.
"Okay!" Zhou Chen nodded. He walked to the furnace and injected the Molten Fire. The pale flames instantly roared to life, and the temperature inside the furnace skyrocketed, spreading intense heat.
He uncorked the glass Alchemy Bottle with a POP. The kaleidoscopic Spiritual Energy inside gushed out, all of it falling into the flames.
Next, Zhou Chen poured in the Spiritual Energy from the other three. His expression was focused as he controlled the flames for the calcination, shutting out all external interference. It was as if the only thing left in the entire World was the furnace before him.
Under the effect of the Molten Fire, the splendid, colorful "Dreams" were rapidly purified and fused, turning into a pool of fantastical liquid. Finally, they condensed within the flames into a shimmering Iron Ingot. The slightest mistake in any of these various transformations and processes would have meant all his efforts were for naught.
Seeing the fusion succeed, Zhou Chen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He dazedly came back to his senses, only to find himself drenched in sweat, his clothes soaked through.
He was facing a completely new and unprecedented field, so he had focused his mind from the very beginning, becoming exceptionally concentrated and serious—so much so that he even forgot to make a wish.
The entire calcination process took no more than ten minutes, yet it had consumed over fifty percent of his Spiritual Power and thirty percent of his Physical Strength.
Fortunately, he had succeeded in the end. He had successfully given physical form to a Formless Object, taking a huge step forward in the Forging Realm. This was a hallmark skill that marked the transition between Forging Realms!
"Not bad. Now it’s my turn."
Renie’s eyes narrowed and the corners of her mouth lifted, revealing a fighting spirit and drive. The blood in her veins seemed to turn to magma, setting her entire being ablaze with fervor.
’As a disciple of the current Fire God, I can’t let Zhou Chen outdo me!’
Using a pair of tongs, she took out the multi-colored Iron Ingot and placed it on the Anvil. Essence surged in Renie’s right hand, coalescing into a silver Forging Hammer. Its face was carved with numerous ornate patterns, its quality clearly extraordinary at a glance.
CLANG!
The Forging Hammer fell, sending sparks flying. Renie’s expression also became extremely focused as she entered a state of complete absorption.
’I have to display all of my Forging Skills and surpass my usual abilities by two, even five times. Only then can I successfully craft this Extraordinary Weapon. I need absolute focus!’
Zhou Chen didn’t interrupt, instructing Joey and the others not to disturb her either. He stood beside Renie to observe, studying her Forging techniques. ’She’s a personal disciple of the Fire God. It would be a waste not to watch.’
He observed for a full four hours.
Renie was drenched in sweat and panting heavily. Her Physical Strength and spirit were severely depleted, but her movements never stopped. Her eyes, however, grew as bright and scorching as burning torches.
She had entered the zone.
And the Forging had only just begun.
’There isn’t much time. I can’t waste any more of it...’ Zhou Chen finished his observation. After resting for a few minutes, he prepared to go talk to the church’s Priest.
·
「Akita Town Church.」
Countless townspeople sat in the church, listening to the Priest’s sermon.
The town had been plagued by a series of murders recently, and an ominous atmosphere shrouded everything. Only in the church could they find a sense of security.
The Priest was a kind and gentle old man. He had a magnetic voice, and his speech and mannerisms were so graceful that people couldn’t help but want to be near him.
Even when selling Holy Water and Crosses, he carried himself with a sense of sacred duty, compelling many townspeople to voluntarily open their wallets and buy them.
After a long while, the sermon ended. The townspeople took the Holy Water and Crosses they had purchased and left one after another. It was then that the Priest noticed a young man in the back row who had not left.
Strangely, the young man was wearing a Tinfoil Hat.
Zhou Chen stood up and walked straight to the Priest. He put his hands together in a prayer-like gesture and bowed slightly. "Priest, I’d like to ask you some questions, if you don’t mind."
Seeing his Buddha-like gesture, the Priest’s eyelid twitched. He asked kindly, "Of course you can, my lost lamb. What troubles you?"
"It’s about the recent murders in Akita Town."
"Oh, this again. I’ve lost count of how many people have come to me about this."
The Priest’s expression grew slightly more serious, and his tone became more like that of a charlatan. "Akita Town is being corrupted by an evil power. The sheriff and the out-of-town investigators are doing their best to find the source of that power. I can assure you, it is the work of a Demon from Hell. It is tempting people’s hearts and spreading sin."
"A Demon? What kind of Demon?" Zhou Chen put on a look of bewildered gravity, like a complete newcomer who had just arrived.
The Priest’s face was solemn.
"The King of Demons, who gathers the Demon Power of the seven Original Sins. His name is..."
"—Satan!"
"Satan?" Zhou Chen blurted out, losing his composure for a moment.
"That’s right. Satan."
The Priest nodded. "I discovered the conspiracy behind the murders in an ancient book. It all begins with humanity’s seven Original Sins..."
