Chapter 324 - 319: Divine Weapon Prequel

Chapter 324: Chapter 319: Divine Weapon Prequel

Back when the battle for Jilian’s body had just ended, Qin Xiaoxia and Su Su had already studied the residual power left in the vicinity of the village.

By combining their Perception of the power at the scene with the Witch’s divination, it wasn’t difficult to deduce the area’s purpose.

Everything has its limits. While this level of power radiation was quite effective on ordinary Soldiers, providing a certain degree of enhancement to their mental fortitude and physical constitution, it was useless for Evolvers.

Its main advantage lay in its suitability for large-scale military training.

However, its true purpose wasn’t just this minor enhancement of mind and body. This level of improvement was still not enough for a Soldier to withstand gunfire with mere flesh and blood. At best, they would have better stamina, carry more weight, and possess greater endurance. Of course, their marksmanship might also become more accurate, but it was not enough to transform them into Super Soldiers.

The training area’s real function was to temper their willpower and help them overcome feelings of fear and oppression.

In future wars, they would have to face a greatly increased number of non-human entities, and the resulting psychological trauma would be a difficult chasm to cross.

Jilian was a transcendent being who far surpassed conventional Demons. Those who trained in the area of its residual influence and overcame the mental obstacles would not necessarily be entirely free of fear when facing other strange creatures in the future, but they wouldn’t be paralyzed by it and would still be able to perform.

Perhaps due to limited training resources, or perhaps because they had also considered this point, the think tanks of various nations all unanimously chose to have their junior and senior officers be the first to undergo the training. This was arguably the most correct decision.

Over a dozen military barracks were built on the vast land surrounding the training area. One military airfield was no longer enough, so two more were under construction.

The armies of various nations had already begun selecting officers from their elite units, preparing against the clock. However, agents from each country’s special divisions naturally had priority.

...

The eight Forged Gold Monsters from the Zevari World were another major surprise. Keeping them in the Dawn Association’s Forging Secret Realm meant there was now hope for high-quality Magic Steel Weapons in the future.

But from a human perspective, these so-called "absorbent bodies" seemed to be a kind of mystical, reactive substance. In the initial stage, they acted like a super-adhesive. Then, as the Forged Gold Monsters began to forge with their miraculous techniques, the process of gradually blending the alloy into a unified whole resembled some kind of special reaction.

After searching through all the materials on Dawn Silent Moon Island and adding the Demon materials that Dawn had stockpiled over a long time, very few items could be called "absorbent bodies." It wasn’t a specific substance but rather the product of a strange phenomenon or a coincidental natural occurrence.

Like the creation of a legendary sword, they could only be stumbled upon by chance, not sought out deliberately.

It was possible that of two steel bars, one could be an absorbent body while the other was just ordinary steel, even though they were essentially the same material. A weapon forged using an absorbent body as a base and incorporating other steel would be far superior to other steel weapons.

However, this kind of material certainly couldn’t be used to forge Magic Steel. The Forged Gold Monsters themselves had said they needed a "suitable absorbent body," which naturally meant one specifically for Magic Steel.

This theory and concept left all the Craftsmen of the Dawn Association stunned. Among them were former artisan Blacksmiths like Gu Hao, as well as experts in materials research. None of them had ever conceived of a metal-forging concept that deviated so far from science.

But since the Extraordinary Realm was a reality, the theory wasn’t entirely incomprehensible once proposed.

「Half a month after the Ancient Demon incident.」

In the Dawn Association’s Forging Space, a special blade test was underway.

In the association’s material warehouse,

a Forged Gold Monster nicknamed "Big Brother" searched for a long time before finally finding a piece of iron.

He then personally used this unremarkable piece of material as the core, applied special additives, and employed fusion-forging techniques, spending a full day crafting a steel sword.

"SZZZZZ..."

The red-hot blade was plunged into water for a final quenching and processing. Soon, an elegantly shaped longsword with a curved tip, perfect for gripping, appeared in the hands of one of the Forged Gold Monsters.

It was another weapon, forged in the same way and identical in appearance.

One had been made with an absorbent body, while the dozen or so that followed were not.

Dozens of Dawn’s Craftsmen observed the entire demonstration. As news spread, other members of the Silent Knight Order on the island gradually arrived at the Forging Secret Realm to watch from the periphery.

The number of people on site had already surpassed two hundred.

Including the special "No. 1" blade, there were fifteen steel swords in total. The Forged Gold Monsters passed the weapons to the surrounding Craftsmen and Knight Order members for inspection.

The weapons were passed around the crowd, and the TING TING TANG of fingers flicking the blades could be heard from time to time. After about ten minutes, the weapons were returned to the iron platform in the forging square.

The Forged Gold Monsters nodded to each other.

"Well then, the blade test begins. Please observe carefully, you powerful members of this unknown race."

As soon as he finished speaking, Big Brother held out the No. 1 blade in one of his hands. Another Forged Gold Monster, holding a sword in each of its four hands, brought the four blades down in succession.

"CLANG!" "CLANG!" "CLANG!" "CLANG!"

The force behind the swings was so immense it seemed the swords themselves would snap. Four sharp cracks rang out in succession.

"TINKLE." "CLATTER." "TING..."

Four broken pieces of the swords fell to the ground.

A slight stir went through the crowd. The combat members of the Knight Order all looked excited, while every one of the Craftsmen wore a solemn expression.

"Now it’s my turn."

Big Brother brandished the No. 1 blade and charged violently at the other three Forged Gold Monsters, who were holding the remaining steel swords.

After another flurry of clashing metal, every steel sword except for the No. 1 blade had been broken in two.

As for the No. 1 blade, its edge was only slightly rolled, with a few small nicks.

"Without understanding the function of an absorbent body and failing to use the proper forging method, it is very easy to waste a precious one, reducing it to an impure, mundane material in the great furnace."

From a human point of view, Big Brother’s manner of speaking was the most over-the-top and theatrical of all the Forged Gold Monsters, which was precisely how he had earned his nickname.

Admittedly, clashes between bladed weapons are affected by factors like the application of force, the point of impact, and even Extraordinary Powers such as Magic Power. But this test relied entirely on brute force and sought to keep the conditions as consistent as possible, serving as a very direct demonstration of the absorbent body’s special properties.

"An absorbent body does not have to be the same metal; it doesn’t even have to be a metal at all. Through an adaptive metal-fusion reaction, we can easily determine which materials are suitable for it to merge with."

"Then what about Magic Steel? What kind of absorbent body does it need? How do we find one? Or... do you have a method to create this magical substance?"

The voice was as loud as thunder and highly recognizable.

"Commander!" "Commander, when did you get here?!" "Commander!" ...

A wave of awe-filled voices rose from the crowd.

The one who had asked the question was none other than Baru, who had found time to return to Dawn Silent Moon Island.

He now stood two meters tall. In his explosive state, his body would even transform, reaching a height of 2.3 meters. His explosive muscles made him look like a wild brown bear, and his mere presence generated an immense sense of pressure.

However, in his normal state, Baru’s file within the United States’ Division 19 still listed him as an ordinary person with evolutionary tendencies. His exaggerated muscles were attributed mostly to bodybuilding.

The Forged Gold Monsters all bowed their heads to Baru. They now understood the meaning of the word "Commander."

"That depends on how much Magic Steel you have," one of them replied. "As it is one of the most magical of metals, we have naturally done some research on absorbent bodies for it."

Baru looked to South Wind at his side and gave him a slight nod.

"Alright. Follow me to our Magic Steel Library."

South Wind snapped his fingers. The Forged Gold Monsters found themselves in a different Secret Realm; the forging platform and the surrounding crowd had all vanished.

This layer of the Secret Realm was composed entirely of gray. Everything in the surroundings appeared ashen and colorless, and even their own bodies were tinged with gray.

The castle before them was the same.

The Forged Gold Monsters, however, did not look at the castle. Instead, as if sensing something, they turned to face a hill on one side of the island.

There, a metallic luster of various colors shone, completely out of place in this monochromatic space.

Like giant crystal clusters, a whole field of sharp, angular metals grew there, covering every visible part of the hill.

They varied in type and color, but without exception, all of it was Magic Steel.

The Transformation Array in the Refining Room at the Association headquarters had greatly increased the efficiency of converting Magic Energy Crystals into Magic Steel, but this naturally placed immense pressure on their Crystal supply.

But the Golden Red Blood from Jilian’s remnant was far more potent than Mumu’s tree sap—to an almost absurd degree.

The blood of an Ancient Species had caused Crystal Ore production to skyrocket. Perhaps this was the first time in history anyone had dared to use the blood of an Ancient Species in such a manner.

Furthermore, with the arrival of the Forged Gold Monsters, demand for Magic Steel was expected to soar, so Qin Xiaoxia had decided to ramp up its production.

With the Transformation Array running nonstop and other metals being continuously added, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.

Normally, in a one-off alchemical conversion, the Magic Steel would be produced in the form of Metal Ingots.

But with the continuous conversion process, the Magic Steel actually began to "grow" inside the Refining Room, forming clusters like metallic crystals.

It would only stop when the Refining Room ran out of space.

Because the Red Demoness and Su Su found them beautiful, the metallic clusters were simply placed on the hill as they were brought over, creating a unique landscape.

So now, the hill in this layer of the Secret Realm was covered in a spectacular forest of beautiful, colorful Magic Steel clusters of all sizes. From a distance, one could easily mistake it for a mountain growing Magic Steel from its very core.

Without Gou Junbao’s past contribution, and without the Transformation Array developed based on that unique characteristic, there would not be another scene like this in the entire endless Void.

"So, what do you think? Is this enough?"

South Wind’s tone was slightly smug, but he didn’t hear the cheers he had expected.

When he walked around to face the Forged Gold Monsters, he found that all four of their eyes were twice their normal size. They were completely petrified.

Magic Steel was one of the rarest magical metals. While not an absolute rule, it often grew alongside high-purity Magic Energy Crystal Ore.

The quantity on the hill was indeed immense, but what was most peculiar was its volume and shape.

Usually, discovered pieces of Magic Steel were no larger than a fist. They were typically scattered companion deposits, not the result of an entire ore vein’s transformation, but rather the product of metallic elements converging in an environment rich with Magic Energy.

Perhaps some powerful Magic Creature existed that could create such a scene. But for these beings, who possessed a fanatical, faith-like reverence for magical metals, this was nothing short of a Miracle.

"Gods... do they really exist?!!!"

Big Brother murmured to himself, his voice trembling slightly.

This Magic Steel itself contained a small number of natural absorbent bodies. To create a larger quantity, more could be formed through a process of homogenization.

The Forged Gold Monsters no longer held back any of their techniques, throwing themselves into the task of creating absorbent bodies with an eagerness that surpassed even that of the Dawn Association’s own Craftsmen.

They tossed various materials that possessed their own magical properties into the environment rich with Magic Steel, conducting an exclusionary screening process through temperature changes.

Generally, some special, adaptive-like changes would occur. It was considered a success whether the magical substance influenced the Magic Steel or the Magic Steel influenced the substance. The only difference was that the former case limited the resulting Magic Steel’s applications, while the latter held far greater potential.

And the Forged Gold Monsters possessed a technique to reverse this process. As long as the first signs of a change appeared, they could steer it in a favorable direction and drastically shorten the immense time the process would naturally take.

In the following days, various materials obtained from Demons, such as wings and Blood Crystals from the Ancient Demon Remnant, were moved to the hill. Even some Demon Vines and other Magical Plants were planted among the Magic Steel clusters.

The most conspicuous additions were three enormous, silvery-white pillars resting on the side of the hill.

Big Brother and the other Forged Gold Monsters had never imagined that the small "chopsticks" Master Sage had shown them before were actually made of this miraculous substance. It reminded them of a legend from Zevari.

As if on a Pilgrimage, at the beginning and end of each day, the eight Forged Gold Monsters would plead with South Wind or someone else to bring them to this layer of the Secret Realm to perform their worship ceremony.

Originally, they had believed the legends were merely the unrealistic fantasies of their ancestors.

Countless eons ago, in the not-yet-lost history of Zevari, the Forged Gold Monsters had ushered in an age of Divine Weapons.