The Smiling Death

Chapter 514: Artifact

"Ah, young man! You’ve arrived much earlier than I expected."

The dwarf behind the counter smiled warmly as he looked at Amon.

He barely reached Amon’s chest in height. His thick brown hair had been neatly braided, matching the long brown beard that covered much of his face. His muscular arms and broad shoulders immediately revealed years of hard work at the forge.

His sharp eyes then shifted toward the person standing beside Amon.

"Oh? Princess Selena, you’ve come as well?"

Selena smiled faintly.

"Of course. Didn’t I tell you I’d be paying for the repair?"

The dwarf let out a hearty laugh.

"Haha! Of course I remember."

Amon stepped forward with a smile.

"Hello, Daren. How have you been?"

The dwarf craftsman nodded.

"I’ve been doing well."

He then looked toward the woman standing on Amon’s other side.

"Oh..."

His eyes widened slightly in recognition.

"If I remember correctly, you’re a professor from Arcadia Academy."

Adelia smiled politely.

"That’s right. It’s been a while, Daren."

"Haha! My memory is still as sharp as ever."

"It certainly is," Adelia replied with a light chuckle.

"I wasn’t expecting you to remember me."

Daren folded his arms proudly.

"A true craftsman never forgets the faces of his customers."

He suddenly looked back at Amon.

"Now then... Come over here, boy. Your artifact is finally ready."

He disappeared behind the workshop door for a brief moment before returning with a beautifully crafted wooden box.

Carefully, he placed it upon the counter.

Click.

The lid slowly opened.

Inside rested a bronze-colored metallic cube.

Ancient runic patterns covered every inch of its surface, each line engraved with incredible precision. The metal had been polished until it reflected the surrounding light beautifully, making the entire artifact appear almost brand new.

Amon’s eyes widened.

"Wow...It looks completely different."

Daren folded his arms proudly.

"Haha! I told you. I repaired every damaged internal rune and restored the outer framework. It should function just as well as when it was first created."

Amon carefully picked up the cube.

It felt surprisingly heavy for its size.

As he slowly turned it in his hand, he noticed dozens of intricate runes spread across every side.

"So..."

"How do I use it?"

Daren nodded.

"I’ll explain everything."

He pointed toward the cube.

"This is a teleportation artifact as you know. To open a portal, it requires good amount of mana."

He continued calmly.

"The farther your destination is, the more mana it consumes. The increase isn’t linear either. The required mana rises exponentially with distance."

He continued, "So, if you wanted to teleport across an entire kingdom—or even to another kingdom—you’d need a tremendous amount of mana."

Amon immediately frowned.

"So... Does that mean I won’t be able to use it for long-distance travel unless I become much stronger and greatly increase my mana reserves?"

Daren shook his head.

"Yes...but there’s also another method. Fortunately, the artifact was designed with better method."

Amon’s eyes lit up.

"What method?"

"The artifact contains several interconnected rune arrays. One of those rune arrays serves as a mana storage system."

He pointed toward one of the engraved symbols.

"Whenever you channel your mana into the artifact and mentally command it to absorb mana, the appropriate rune will activate automatically. You don’t need to memorize individual rune patterns."

"The artifact recognizes your intent."

Amon looked impressed.

"So... I can charge it beforehand?"

"Exactly."

Daren nodded.

"You can gradually fill its internal mana reservoir whenever you have spare mana."

"But that’s not all. You can also use external sources."

He picked up a small mana crystal from beneath the counter.

"Mana stones. Mana crystals. Or nearly any object capable of supplying magical energy. The artifact will slowly absorb that energy and store it inside itself."

He placed the crystal back down.

"So instead of exhausting your own mana every time you teleport...you simply consume the mana already stored within the artifact."

Amon’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That’s incredible. So I can charge it over time before making a long journey."

"Precisely."

Daren smiled proudly.

"That’s exactly how it was meant to be used."

Amon continued examining the cube.

"What about destinations? Is there a limit to how far i can go?"

"There is no limit for how far you can go... but there is limit on how many places you can go."

Daren raised one finger.

"This artifact can store up to ten locations. Each registered location acts as an anchor point. You can freely teleport between any registered locations as long as sufficient mana remains inside the artifact."

Amon nodded thoughtfully.

"So how do I register a location?"

"It’s simple. You must physically stand at the exact spot where you want the portal to appear."

He tapped the cube lightly.

"Then channel your mana into the artifact. Focus on the command to register a location. The appropriate rune will activate automatically. As long as you’re clearly imagining your current position, the artifact will record it as one of its teleportation points."

"So the portal will always open at that exact location?" Amon asked?

"Correct. The more precise you are when registering it, the more accurate future teleportation will be."

Amon looked impressed.

"So I don’t need to draw magic circles or perform complicated rituals."

"Not at all. The artifact handles everything. You only need mana and clear intent."

Amon hesitated before asking another question.

"Are any previous locations still stored inside it?"

His thoughts immediately drifted toward the mysterious island—

The Grave of the Celestial Tree.

For a brief moment, he wondered if that place might still be registered.

Daren slowly shook his head.

"I’m afraid not. To repair the damaged rune network, I had to completely erase the previous teleportation matrix. If I hadn’t done that, conflicting rune patterns could’ve caused the artifact to malfunction."

"The storage is completely empty now."

"You’ll have to register all ten locations."

Amon nodded in understanding.

"I see."

Daren smiled.

"Think of it as starting with a fresh map."

"You can now choose whichever places are most useful for you. And also you can erase them and add another in it’s place."

A broad smile spread across Amon’s face as he looked at the restored artifact in his hands.

"Great!!"