Chapter 579: The Catalyst That Awakened the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword
For the next few days, whenever the girls went to class, Marcus followed the map Silas the Wanderer had given him and traveled between the surrounding islands, grinding monsters and collecting whatever useful gear he could find.
Once the girls logged into the game, however, the routine changed completely. They would head to the beaches to surf, wander through the jungles, fish along the shoreline, and enjoy the tropical paradise that was Dragon’s Roar Island. With its warm climate, beautiful scenery, and countless places to explore, Twin Wing Island was practically made for a vacation.
The most spectacular place was undoubtedly the enormous circular volcanic crater sealed by the Divine Artifact, the Glacial Ice Sword. Snow blanketed the slopes that spiraled down from the crater’s rim, turning the entire formation into what looked like a gigantic white bowl when viewed from above while riding Blackie.
The girls quickly discovered that the crater had another use besides sightseeing. With a surfboard, someone could start at the upper edge, ride down the snowy slope at incredible speed, and, if their technique was good enough, launch themselves across the crater and land on the opposite side. The sensation was incredible.
Naturally, they also spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to unlock the Glacial Ice Sword. Unfortunately, they still hadn’t made any progress. Judging by how firmly the Divine Artifact remained sealed, they probably weren’t strong enough to deal with it yet.
Twin Wing Island was, without question, a paradise.
Marcus had to admit that the Town Lord had treated him generously, too. The mansion he’d been given stood right in the center of the town square and was clearly designed for visiting dignitaries from the mainland. Compared with it, the mansion in Dragon’s Peak Citadel looked like a cramped little shack.
Its greatest feature was a massive swimming pool supplied by hot springs running through the island’s volcanic network. The water was warm, crystal clear, and so comfortable that Marcus could spend hours soaking in it without getting bored. The beautiful women enjoying the pool certainly helped.
Every one of them was stunning, and with scenery like this surrounding them, Marcus could easily imagine staying on the island indefinitely.
Five days later, however, it was time to return to business.
Marcus and the girls arrived at the blacksmith’s workshop and stepped inside. A gigantic furnace roared in the center of the room, its crimson flames burning so fiercely that they seemed capable of consuming almost anything. Suspended within the furnace was the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword, still wrapped in an icy-blue radiance.
Blacksmith, Ironstone, was straining against the bellows with all his strength, pumping wave after wave of air into the furnace and sending the flames roaring against the motionless blade.
Marcus looked from the younger blacksmith to his father, whose expression had become increasingly grim. "Still no luck?"
The two blacksmiths had originally estimated that they would need five days to finish forging the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword into a Divine Artifact. Now the evening of the fifth day had arrived, yet despite five full days of intense heating, the blade blank had barely changed.
The older blacksmith let out a heavy sigh. "Lord, the lava in this furnace comes directly from the volcanic core beneath our island.
"I even added the Mythic-grade scroll Scorch the Heavens to strengthen the flames. At this point, the temperature is already approaching the level of the True Fire of the Three Realms, yet this blade blank still refuses to melt or change in the slightest. I simply don’t understand it."
His gaze shifted toward the materials laid out nearby. Two of them had come from the town’s vault: the water-attuned Mythic-grade Water Dragon Jade, which was compatible with the sword’s existing energy, and the near-Divine-grade Heaven-Cleaving Explosive Stone, a rare material capable of greatly increasing a weapon’s sharpness and destructive power.
Beside them was his family’s treasured Mythic Forging scroll, Ask Heaven Six Strikes. Everything they needed for the forging process was ready. Everything except the one thing that mattered most.
If the blade blank refused to melt, none of those materials could be incorporated into it. Worse, the longer the furnace continued burning, the more dangerous the situation became. The violent clash between the furnace’s overwhelming fire and the sword’s powerful water-based energy could eventually destabilize the weapon and destroy the Divine Artifact blank altogether.
"Lord," the old blacksmith continued, his expression heavy with frustration, "I suspect the Iceflame Black Serpent Men used some unique method to temper and forge this weapon. Without a proper catalyst, something connected to the forging method they originally used, I’m afraid this Divine Artifact blank may be impossible to refine." He looked genuinely distressed.
He had repeatedly assured Marcus that he and his son would complete the weapon, and now they couldn’t even get the forging process properly underway. For a master blacksmith, there was perhaps nothing more humiliating than having a priceless weapon sitting in his furnace while being completely unable to do anything to it.
"So it needs a catalyst," Marcus murmured. He stepped closer to the furnace, studying the strange blade for a moment before reaching into his inventory. "Let me try something."
Marcus pulled out four items: the Iceflame Dark Stone, the Iceflame Blue Pearl, the Frozen Serpent Gallbladder, and the Blackflame Ice Flower seed. All four had been obtained from the corpses of the Iceflame Black Serpent Men.
"Old man, I picked these up from those serpent men. Maybe one of them will work."
Without waiting for an answer, he tossed the Iceflame Dark Stone into the furnace. The result was immediate.
Rather than being reduced to ash or melting into the furnace, the dark stone shot toward the blade as though it had been drawn there by an invisible force. The moment it touched the Blackflame Ice Flower Sword, it spread across the blade like liquid, coating its surface in a thin layer. The pitch-black blade suddenly began emitting a faint red glow.
"Lord!" The old blacksmith’s eyes widened. "It’s working! The blade is finally beginning to melt! But the catalytic energy still isn’t enough!"
Excitement completely replaced the frustration on his face. ’As expected of Lord Stonehaven. He really is extraordinary.’
Marcus, meanwhile, simply grinned. "Not enough? I’ve got more."
He tossed both Iceflame Blue Pearls into the furnace. Just like the Iceflame Dark Stone, the two pearls were drawn toward the blade and melted into its surface, spreading through the weapon and merging with the strange energy already flowing through it.
After spending five days inside the furnace, the blade had already accumulated an enormous amount of energy, and with the addition of the two pearls, that energy finally began to surge. A deep crimson glow pulsed across the blade.
Marcus didn’t stop there. He threw the Frozen Serpent Gallbladder into the furnace. The moment it entered the flames, the energy inside the furnace surged again.
The Blackflame Ice Flower Sword still retained its characteristic icy-blue aura, but beneath that layer of frost, the entire blade had now turned a brilliant, almost blazing red.
"Lord, that’s enough!" the old blacksmith hurriedly shouted. "Don’t add anything else! If we put in more, we may lose control of the energy!"
Marcus’s hand paused just as he was about to throw the final item into the furnace: the Blackflame Ice Flower seed. He quietly withdrew his hand. That was convenient. He hadn’t been particularly eager to sacrifice the seed in the first place.
The old blacksmith immediately began preparing for the actual forging process. The two rare gemstones were now ready to be incorporated into the weapon, the Ask Heaven Six Strikes scroll was prepared, and the furnace was finally showing signs that it could affect the stubborn blade.
For the first time in five days, there was genuine hope that the forging might succeed.
Twenty minutes passed. Ironstone pulled on the bellows with everything he had, his arms trembling from the strain, but the flames still weren’t hot enough. The Blackflame Ice Flower Sword had finally melted into a searing red mass, but instead of becoming increasingly concentrated, the molten material had begun to stagnate. They were running out of time.
"More air! More heat!" the old blacksmith shouted at his son. "If this continues, the Divine Artifact will be ruined within another thirty minutes!"
Stoneheart gritted his teeth and pulled harder on the bellows. "Faster, you lazy brat! I told you to work on your strength, but you never listen! Now we’re paying for it because we don’t have enough firepower!"
The old blacksmith was practically ready to tear the bellows out of his son’s hands and operate them himself, but he couldn’t afford to abandon his position. The Ask Heaven Six Strikes required his complete concentration, and if he divided his attention between controlling the forging technique and operating the furnace, the entire process could collapse.
All he could do was watch the flames and shout at his son to work harder.