Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 584 [Star of Gravel (Golden Legend)]

Two days later.

In the Principality of Darkness, on the border of Fafnir, in the vast fortress built in the Val Valley, the saints have returned.

"……Roar."

Quesanx, the "Dragon of Justice," carried Luo Xiu as he landed on the Great Rift Valley. As he landed, he let out a low hiss, and Luo Xiu could sense that his mood was not calm.

On the way back.

Quesanx was always somewhat uneasy—perhaps due to Demosth's influence.

Although He did not actually face the Dragonblood Knight Commander, He could still glimpse the battlefield through Luo Xiu. He did see the remnants of the ancient dragons that were "imprisoned" and "enslaved" by Demosth. For Quesanx, it was indeed a scene of purgatory.

Luo Xiu knew.

For Quesanx, it was like facing a mountain of corpses piled up by his own kind… Demosth’s “divinely forged” alien holy sword was equivalent to the “Banner of Ten Thousand Souls” for Quesanx. And this was the first time Luo Xiu had truly felt fear from Quesanx.

Luo Xiu knew what Quesanx was thinking.

Or rather, it is knowing what He fears—after truly witnessing Demosth's methods, no ancient dragon could help but feel fear towards Demosth.

"……Roar."

At this moment, Rosh had dismounted from Quesanx's back, and he was lowering his dragon head, letting out a low roar—

"...If possible...Luo Xiu. I don't want to face that person, that man named Demosth."

He was like... those dragon hunters of my time, who took pride in slaying dragons. But those dragon slayers did it for honor and for survival, while that man... the man named Demosth, slew dragons simply for pleasure...

【…】

Luo Xiu heard these voices coming from Quesanx.

It is clear that Demostre greatly shocked Quesanx.

He was indeed deeply impressed by that "Dragonblood Knight Commander." In fact, Luo Xiu had no doubt that if Demostre had truly encountered the "Dragon of Justice," Quesanx, he would have been excited and wielded his dragon-slaying blade against him.

"..."

“I will try my best,” Luo Xiu replied, and reached out to gently stroke his dragon neck.

He was calming Quesanx, trying to help him recover from his pounding fear, while his gaze drifted deeper into the rift—to the camp of the “Sand” dwarves.

The first thing Luo Xiu did upon returning to Val Fortress was to visit Mir.

Before setting off from Val Fortress for Fafnir, Mir had nearly mastered the ancient dragon arts taught by Quesanx. He was close to advancing to become an "Ancient Dragonsmith" with the fifth level of the [Intelligence] destiny.

Its landmark step is to successfully forge a true "Ancient Dragon Artifact"—that is, a weapon or piece of equipment that has reached the "Legendary" quality and has the attribute "Remnant of a True Dragon".

Before leaving Val Fortress, both he and Quesanx had left him ample materials. Now, it was time to return and examine Mil's work.

"..."

Luo Xiu was thinking about these things.

He sensed that the ancient dragon Quesanx beside him was only slightly frightened, but would quickly calm down on its own, so he smiled and asked Him:

"Do you think my dwarf friend, Mil of the 'Sand' race, can forge a true Ancient Dragon Artifact?"

"..."

"……Roar."

He can do it.

Quesanx was successfully diverted from the topic—

He is one of the very few truly talented blacksmiths I've ever met. Even if his skills aren't yet refined, he possesses genuine, pure passion, and... an unparalleled perseverance.

We've been gone for almost a week, enough time for him to complete the final step of the forging process. Perhaps he's currently immersed in it, and you might even witness his success.

“I hope so too.” Luo Xiu nodded.

Indeed, when the conversation shifted to "Mir" and stopped discussing "Dragonblood Knight Commander" Demosth, Quesanx's dragon body stopped trembling slightly.

"Roar."

Go and take a look, Luo Xiu.

In Luo Xiu's ears, he heard Quesanx's voice—

I'll wait here.

"Okay." Luo Xiu nodded.

Quesanx was all set. Rosh then walked forward, and soon the outline of the "Gravel" dwarf camp came into view.

There were many familiar faces; they were the "Sand" dwarves that Luo Xiu had once saved.

There are also many players stationed here, most of whom are craftsmen who belong to the Fangbei Academy and are using the dwarf camp to carry out various forging activities.

When Luo Xiu entered the camp, everyone who saw him showed him great respect.

"Greetings, Archbishop."

"Hello, Archbishop."

"archbishop!"

"..."

When the dwarves of the "Sand" tribe saw Luo Xiu, they all stopped in their hurried steps and offered him a devout and respectful greeting. Luo Xiu responded with equal gentleness and asked them:

"Where is Mir?"

“The master craftsman is in his tent,” a young dwarf craftsman replied respectfully. “He has been there since yesterday, and he instructed us in advance not to let anyone go in and disturb him.”

"I understand." Luo Xiu nodded with a smile.

He already had a vague idea of ​​what Mil was doing.

So he walked in the direction the young dwarf had indicated, and soon he saw the tent flaps of Mil's camp.

He lifted the curtain and went inside.

Luo Xiu saw several furnaces boiling with red water, emitting a bright red light and an unusually high temperature.

In the middle of those furnaces—on the ground they surrounded—dwarves, bare-chested and swinging their strong arms.

Mil was holding a deep silver forging hammer in one hand, while his other hand pressed down on a heavy bench vise, holding a reverse scale that had been forged into a ring shape.

The hammerhead struck rhythmically, again and again, producing a clear, long "clang, clang" sound. Sparks flew from each strike, and the object beneath his hammer gradually took shape.

Mir was completely absorbed and absorbed in the forging process that was underway.

His eye sockets were somewhat sunken, with dark marks around the edges, as if he hadn't slept for a long time. But the expression on his face was full of passion and excitement, as he tirelessly forged his craft.

He didn't even notice Luo Xiu's arrival.

Luo Xiu stared at Mir, and amidst a symphony of "whoosh, whoosh—" and "clang, clang—", he walked to a chair and sat down.

He has already performed panel detection on the items that Mir is forging.

That was undoubtedly the prototype of an "Ancient Dragon Artifact," and it had already been forged to the final stage!
Luo Xiu sat down in the chair, smiling as he observed Mir's final forging.

He watched as Mill swung his hammer tirelessly, sweating profusely, repeatedly making the most meticulous inscriptions and carvings.

Who knows how many more times he swung the hammer, how many more complex and overlapping patterns he etched upon it?

The overlapping dragon scales and various inlaid materials had completed their final shaping. Mil grinned, put down his hammer and chisel, and used a vise to pick up the nearly finished piece.

The quenching furnace was right beside him. He first looked at it, then, gripping the handle of the vise with his right hand, he plunged the still half-red-hot semi-finished product completely into it—

—Sizzle!!

The sound of an explosion suddenly arose, followed by a gradually dissipating sound, and a misty vapor of dark red and grayish-white vapor rose up.

The furnace boiled as a result, and the extremely hot quenching oil splashed up continuously, landing piece by piece on Mir's exposed skin, leaving burn marks.

But Mil didn't even furrow his brow; he simply stared intently at the quenching furnace.

With one hand, he kept the forging prototype immersed in the quenching oil, while with the other hand, he placed his palm on the inverted blade on the table and made a forceful cut.

——Wow!
Blood gushed from Mil's palm; he felt the pain, but he didn't even flinch.

The severed hand was then moved to the top of the quenching furnace. Blood dripped down, merging into the boiling oil.

—Wow!!

A deep red mist of blood immediately filled the furnace, but it quickly receded inwards.

"Blood Tempering" is a crucial step that can greatly enhance the concentration and activity of spiritual energy that a forged item can bear—this is also a forging technique belonging to the ancient dragons that Mir obtained from Quesanx.

Staring at the furnace from which blinding smoke rose.

Mir's eyes were filled with tension, but gradually, that tension turned into excitement, exhilaration, and joy.

Even Luo Xiu, who was watching him, had sensed it.

A surging and rich power was slowly condensing from the furnace.

That symbolizes a kind of throbbing, supported by the unusual heat in the air.

That symbolizes success—

This time, Mir has indeed succeeded!

This time, he attempted to forge the "Ancient Dragon Artifact," and he successfully forged the basic prototype of its foundation!

—Sizzle!!

The explosive sounds of vaporization continued to echo until they gradually faded away. Mir then lifted the rudimentary form of the finished product from the oil quenching liquid—

An ornament resembling a swirling flame.

It was an accessory made by connecting several dragon scales with engravings in advance and then forging them together using the ancient dragon forging technique.

It's like a cloak made up of pieces of dark red gemstones.

Its surface glowed with a dark red light, making it appear as if it reflected the rolling red clouds.

Although it has not yet undergone final polishing and sealing, the forging of the "Ancient Dragon Artifact" has already achieved all its qualities and effects.

It has no name yet, because its forger, Mil, has not yet decided what to call it.

And when Mir took it out of the furnace.

He staggered slightly, and after completing the forging, he seemed to finally succumb to exhaustion.

But he still managed to brace himself against the table with one hand, preventing himself from actually falling, and the finished forging was placed steadily on the shelf on the table.

"..."

"Success..."

"..."

Mir murmured.

His eyes hadn't left the completed ornament since it was removed from the furnace. Only then did Luo Xiu stand up and walk towards Mir with a smile.

"You succeeded, Mir."

Luo Xiu said with a smile.

"..."

At this moment, Mil, who had just heard Luo Xiu's voice, turned his head toward Luo Xiu somewhat hesitantly.

A look of surprise flashed in his eyes, as if he didn't know when Luo Xiu had returned to Val Fortress, or when he had entered.

But he didn't ask, he just nodded and said in a hoarse, aged voice:

"Yes...it was a success."

"I never dreamed... that one day I would be able to forge a true 'Ancient Dragon Artifact'... Ah. Perhaps I will be able to leave my mark, along with this thing..."

"..."

What are you going to call it?

Luo Xiu asked with a smile.

Mir gazed at the ornaments he had created, lost in thought for a long time.

"—【Star of Gravel】."

“My origins…the shattered continent, the homeland of ‘sand’. For generations, we have not forged anything that can truly be called a ‘sacred artifact’.”

“Let’s start with me. It is the Star of Gravel, mine… and a sacred artifact that my people can be proud of.”

"..."

When Mir said these things.

In Luo Xiu's panel, his detection of the sacred artifact revealed its name.

Also displayed is the detailed panel content of [Star of Gravel]—

【Equipment Name: Star of Gravel (Gold Legendary)】

[Equipment Type: Accessory/Cape/Exceptional Equipment/Ancient Dragon Equipment]

[Equipment Efficiency: Mana Cost -35%, Health Regeneration +35%, Mana Regeneration +35%]

[Equipment Enhancement: Intelligence +133, Perception +192]

[Equipment Requirements: Any Destiny Level 5, Intelligence Attribute 324+, Perception Attribute 775+]

[Equipment Characteristics Overview]

【Ancient Dragon's Soul (Weapon Trait/Inherent): "Star of Gravel" initially has 2 stacks of "Ancient Dragon's Soul". When the wielder is equipped with "Star of Gravel" in battle, one stack of "Ancient Dragon's Soul" is added for every 20% of maximum health or mana consumed, up to a maximum of 6 stacks.

For each stack of "Ancient Dragon's Remnant" added to "Star of Gravel," the cooldown time of the equipped item's skills will be reduced by 6%.

【古龙之歌颂（主动技能/固有）：当“古龙残魂”迭加3层及以上，可发动固有技能“古龙之歌颂”——消耗1/2/3层“古龙残魂”，令1/2/3项处在冷却状态的技能，冷却时间缩短60％/80％/100％。

Every hour, the cooldown of the same skill can be reduced up to 2 times through the inherent skill effect of "Ancient Dragon's Song".

【Remnant of the True Dragon (Sacred Relic): This is one of the remnants of the True Dragon. When used simultaneously with other weapons or equipment bearing the "Remnant of the True Dragon" affix, it triggers "True Dragon Resonance." For each "Remnant of the True Dragon" weapon used or equipped at the same time, the effect of each "Remnant of the True Dragon" weapon is increased by 10%, up to a maximum of 50%.】

【…】

……

(End of this chapter)