Chapter 1057 - 517: Divine Artisan Showdown (Part 2)

Chapter 1057: Chapter 517: Divine Artisan Showdown (Part 2)

The person used remarkably clever techniques, sparking Ernest’s interest. He purely treated it as entertainment, carrying the trial through to the end.

Only five people passed the trial and could face the so-called Divine Artisan in a one-on-one competition.

Everyone else was defeated, and in the end, hope was pinned on Ernest.

At this stage, things were no longer simple. Ernest, after a long time, was filled with fighting spirit, ready for a big undertaking.

He hadn’t crafted Legendary Equipment for many years because such an act required intercepting the World Law, consumed enormous resources, and could cause intense turmoil, shaking the world. If not controlled well, it could even trigger a violent Magical Disaster, so he usually wouldn’t do it.

If the opponent truly had something, then to truly compete, only a Legendary Creation would do.

Due to Ernest’s status and position, not only were his ideas not obstructed, but they also garnered the support of all of Lamania. Countless people were willing to offer materials and provide support.

This confrontation would surely shake the heavens and the earth, yet it didn’t remain in the annals of history.

This was supposed to be an impossible matter.

The above past events come from the notes and essays collected by Li Ang and the party during their exploration of Ernest’s Secret Vault, integrated with the family history of Farlonio.

The exploration slowed down upon reaching the middle area of the vault, as Ernest lived here for a long time, even possibly until his death, so there were not only records left after coming here but also things from before he built the place that he had moved over.

He seemed to have treated this place like a workshop or home, with things scattered everywhere.

It has been three days since this part of history was compiled.

During these three days, the Sky Knights each embarked on their exploration. A Xiang mainly took charge of the investigation of the vault’s structure and entrances, while Li Ang, due to his deep connections, primarily integrated history and information.

However, although there were several mechanisms suspected to be vault doors that couldn’t be opened without destruction, no easy way out was found.

Because the relationship was important, and there was no rush to leave, the group decided not to destroy the mechanisms and to find the control center first.

Previously, everyone had reached the central area to have a look. Those who were not Artisans could only look up at the massive structure tens of meters high in awe, while Li Ang and Falo confirmed that it was indeed a "Forging Furnace".

But it was very unconventional. The operation method did not conform to the norm; it was clear Ernest tried to create many modules to piece together to function, indicating he wasn’t just aiming to make an ordinary Forging Furnace but was striving for an extraordinary achievement.

Li Ang felt the thing looked increasingly like a Mechanical Creation Furnace.

The Forging Furnace was connected to the entire energy system of the vault, and the energy seemed to have completely drained.

However, be it replenishing or repairing, a console was needed, and here, unlike a Mechanical Creation Furnace, there wasn’t one found on the edge of the circular structure, so analyzing all the information Ernest left behind was the urgent priority.

Ernest’s serious attitude towards that competition was quite crucial, irrespective of order.

In the scattered information records, whenever the competition was mentioned, the language was carefully considered, cautious. Yet it felt as though he had a strong desire to express at those times but was restrained by certain matters, thus refraining from detailing, only expressing various sentiments.

"He becomes sentimental at such times; did you notice?" Diao sarcastically commented.

"That’s exactly it," Falo nodded in affirmation.

"You’re his descendant, don’t you know any secret records?" A member of the Cloudwalkers Guild asked Falo, since she liked reading literary works and had been sent by A Xiang to help organize information.

As for Lily, who also claimed to be a reading enthusiast, the unamusing texts quickly made her drowsy, eventually joining the exploration team. Once the exploration was sufficiently underway, she would sit quietly on the side, a bit like a nun praying and chanting. According to her, it was to communicate with "Little Baha," something she often needed to do.

"Hmm, I’ve said everything I can say," Farlonio answered in a low voice. "Even this competition isn’t mentioned at all in the family history. Even the grandson of my ancestor, who is my several-times great ancestor, didn’t leave a name."

Li Ang, who had been contemplating, lifted his head: "Was there an organization of these manuscripts according to age during the collection?"

"Of course," Diao replied. "When the Great Witch had me read the ancient scrolls, she mentioned the importance of understanding these scrolls’ own sequence, as well as the sequence of their recorded contents, to avoid unnecessary work or going down the wrong path, so I’ve sorted them out."

The brown-skinned young girl stood up and pointed out the categories: "This side is his middle-aged notes; this side is later. Those without time written, I’ve coarsely divided them according to language usage. And then, there are also classifications for well-organized written pieces and messy drafts with disjointed sentences."

"It’s good to have you here."

Li Ang withdrew his gaze from the embarrassed Farlonio and the stupefied literary enthusiast young girl.

"Did you think of something?" Elaphia came back to her senses.

Li Ang found it peculiar, seeing the Blondie Douding’s behavior; she had never zoned out thinking about matters before, and he didn’t know if she did in private, but she’d never done it publicly before. Yet recently, this had happened more than once.

The most obvious instance was on Sword Platform Island, when she learned of Li Ang’s situation, but he already knew the reason. And this time was also clear; it was upon seeing certain records of Ernest. Throughout the entire information integration process, she hadn’t said much, often lost in thought, and then gazing at Li Ang with a strange look, which made him very conscious.

Li Ang glanced at the remaining stack of papers that was more than halfway done and then looked towards Diao: "Where’s that pile of drafts?"

"Uh? I clearly placed it over here?" Diao got up and searched, perplexed.

"It’s, it’s with me..." Farlonio raised her hand softly.

Elaphia sighed as she held her forehead: "Hurry up and take it out."

"Don’t, don’t be mad. I just thought it wasn’t necessary to look at them first."

Farlonio smiled reluctantly, pulling out a stack of yellowed pages from her large backpack.

Even though nearly a thousand years had passed, the vault seemed to have special measures to reduce Spirit and Magic Flow loss, so the time’s wear on the papers wasn’t severe, and they hadn’t decayed.

Elaphia spoke sternly, "I helped Diao with the classification, and I specifically asked this crafty merchant to look at the drafts."

"Alright, no wonder."

Li Ang understood why Farlonio had a pained expression.

Ernest’s drafts were the hardest to read, most were calculations and simulations from when he was constructing the vault; even with Artisan knowledge, one had to think to know what he was building at that time. Due to different work states, a third of the writing was neat, while the remaining two-thirds were either scribbled or seemed to wander all over the place, with unclear meaning.

Precisely because of this, Elaphia felt that Falo, as a family member and an Artisan, might be easier at recognizing them than others, so she entrusted the task to her, not expecting her to be cutting corners.

"I thought you’d sorted them out already. I didn’t expect you to be slacking off. Do you know how much progress you’ve delayed?" Blondie Douding spoke in anger.

"I know, I know," she replied.

"This time, let’s work together to help." Li Ang suggested helplessly.

He thought of this because of the "Fire Thief."

Previous analysis and organization had made it clear that this term was crucial to the elderly Ernest, but he mentioned it rarely; he was reluctant to write much, and each time it seemed to touch upon certain thoughts, leading him to mention it amidst his sighs, such as prior self-doubt.

This sort of content would mostly be found in drafts and essays; such a state and time likely corresponded to his last days before his death.

Although it might be difficult for some to accept, even Ernest, who could craft Legendary Creations, ultimately did not complete the Forging Furnace in the vault.

His several sighs highlighted this matter, and the relics left in the vault also confirmed this.

Ernest’s attitude gave Li Ang a feeling—Ernest believed that even if he became a "Divine Artisan," he remained a mortal, but if he completed the thing in the vault, he would have crossed that threshold.

In the end, he did not become an extraordinary existence.

With the reading of the drafts, not only did new information emerge, but it also filled in some previous details.