It took a long while before the Iron-Heart Patriarch finally snapped out of his shock. He wiped his rough, large hands vigorously on his work clothes, his eyes flashing with the fanatic glow unique to master craftsmen. “Speak up, kids. What kind of gear are you looking for? Even if I have to work these old bones to dust, I’ll make them for you!”
Po Kong immediately patted the scales in front of him and shouted, “I want a full suit of armor made from these! It has to look especially majestic and domineering! Ideally, it should have lots of special features, like flying, diving, breathing fire, and all that... Basically, the flashiest thing possible!”
“Nonsense!” The Iron-Heart Patriarch glared at him and said irritably, “Are Dragon King scales something for you to waste like that? And adding all those features—once you reach the Saint Rank, they’ll be nothing but a burden! I can see you’re not far from the Saint Rank yourself, aren’t you? I’ll forge it for you according to the highest specifications of a Saint weapon. How does that sound?”
“Hmm... these scales are enough to make a full set of plate armor. I just need to carefully select the auxiliary materials to pair with them.” The Iron-Heart Patriarch walked in a circle around Po Kong, carefully sizing up his physical build, and nodded.
“Can we really not add those extra features? It would be so cool! Hey! Patriarch, can’t you reconsider?”
Po Kong wasn't ready to give up and tried to press further, but the Iron-Heart Patriarch ignored him entirely and walked straight toward Xia Duo.
Compared to Po Kong, Xia Duo’s requirements were much simpler. She gently stroked the pair of curved dragon horn cores and stated her needs: “Use these for the bow’s limbs and the dragon sinews for the string. I only have two requirements: it must be compatible with my fire-attribute battle qi, and it must grant the arrows ultimate penetration.”
The Iron-Heart Patriarch raised an eyebrow and glanced back at Po Kong. “That’s not difficult at all. You’re a sensible girl, unlike that loudmouthed boy. The pinnacle of weaponry is simplicity, don’t you understand? Being overly pedantic is never a good thing!”
“Fine, fine~ I surrender! I trust the master’s choice!” Po Kong raised his hands with a smile, signaling that he had just been talking.
“That’s more like it... As for this...” The patriarch hummed and turned his gaze toward the seven-colored dragon crystal, which was nearly as tall as a floor, a look of hesitation crossing his face.
“A dragon crystal, a dragon crystal... and one nurtured by a Dragon King’s mana! If it were only the size of a fist... or even a washbasin, I wouldn't have any issues. But this piece you’ve provided, Little Star, is too unique...”
“It’s not just its exaggerated size, but its internal properties. It’s actually not very suitable for a single weapon. Having too many elements jumbled together isn’t a good thing for one person.”
Before Starlight could speak, Moen spoke up for him: “You needn’t worry about that, Patriarch. Starlight possesses multiple magic affinities. This dragon crystal might very well be the most suitable thing for him on the entire continent.”
“Multiple elemental affinities? But that’s not right... He’s so young and possesses such strength... Hiss... Could it be that...?” The Iron-Heart Patriarch seemed to realize something and suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.
For long-lived races like the dwarves, the existence of the Radiant Elemental Body was not some vague legend. Some of the older clan members might have even seen the previous possessor of the Radiant Elemental Body with their own eyes.
Starlight nodded silently, confirming the patriarch's suspicion.
“If that’s the case, then it’s not surprising! But... do you still have enough time?”
“You can rest assured on that. I’m not the type to sit around and wait for the end. I’ve already made some preparations for it.”
The Iron-Heart Patriarch looked into Starlight’s determined eyes and didn't press further. After a soft sigh, he continued on his own: “I guarantee on the honor of the Iron-Heart family that I will do my absolute best for these items you’ve requested. However, you will need to wait a while for the completion.”
“To ensure the quality of the full armor and the longbow, even if I prioritize the schedule, it will take two to three months to finish them.”
“As for this dragon crystal, it will take even longer. A conservative estimate would be nearly a year. Can you accept that?”
The group exchanged glances and indicated that it was no problem. They trusted the reputation of the Iron-Heart family; they wouldn't do anything to tarnish their own name.
“The timing is fine. By the way, Patriarch, how should we calculate the labor costs? For the sake of my grandfather’s face, how about giving us a discount?” Po Kong nodded to the patriarch and said with a smile.
To his surprise, the other party shook his head decisively. “I won’t charge you labor costs. After all, you’ve done Cinder City a great favor this time. Besides, there will be some leftover scraps from your materials; just let those be my payment.”
“Eh? That’s enough? I didn't expect you to be so easy to talk to! Also, you said ‘the two of us’—what about Little Star’s?” Po Kong blinked, asking curiously.
The Iron-Heart Patriarch paused, seemingly organizing his words. After a long moment, he looked at the dragon crystal in the center of the room with a look of pure intoxication and said loudly:
“To be able to forge such a divine object is the lifelong pursuit of every craftsman. To be able to make even one in my life makes it a life worth living. How could I possibly charge him money?”
“That’s not right, is it!? I remember when you forged that batch of spirit armaments for my family, you charged a huge sum. How come you aren’t even charging Little Star? There’s definitely some favoritism here!” Po Kong joked, a teasing look on his face.
“Hmph, how is that the same? Making spirit armaments for the House of Mars is for profit, but this thing will allow my name to be recorded in the history books! I bet if the other three old fogies saw this dragon crystal, they’d be too excited to even walk.”
The Iron-Heart Patriarch paid no mind to Po Kong’s teasing. After getting the group's consent, he moved all the materials into the warehouse at the back.
With the forging commission completed, the four of them prepared to say their goodbyes. After all, given their ages, they couldn't really find much in common to chat about with an old dwarf who had lived for hundreds of years.
Before they left, the Iron-Heart Patriarch seemed to suddenly remember something. He looked up and asked them, “Haven’t you been with that boy Stark lately? If you see him later, remember to remind him—his Coming-of-Age Ceremony is approaching. Has he actually prepared for it yet?”
Upon hearing this, the four looked at each other. They only then remembered that when they first met Stark and Maela, they had mentioned something about it. However, after everything that had happened recently, they had completely pushed it to the back of their minds.
“Alright, we’ll let him know.”
...
“I say... Little Star, do you think Stark forgot about it himself?”
On the way back to the laboratory, Po Kong couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
“It’s hard to say. Aside from when Maela brings him food, I haven’t seen him step out of the lab once these past few days.”
“Not necessarily. Maybe he’s already prepared everything inside the lab?” Moen was more optimistic, expressing her trust in Stark.
Xia Duo smiled. “There’s no use talking about it now. Come~ let’s make a bet and see how his preparations are going.”
“Deal! I’ll put down ten gold coins that the kid completely forgot!”
“I’ll bet that Mr. Stark is already prepared.”
“Then I’ll go with Moen.”
...
When the four knocked open the laboratory door, they found Stark fast asleep, slumped over a square instrument in a bizarre posture. He was practically wedged into the gear sets beneath him, with a long string of drool hanging from his mouth, threatening to drip onto the floor.
“...Oh no. I think our ten gold coins are in trouble!” Starlight suddenly felt a sense of foreboding and looked at Moen.
Sure enough, when they woke Stark up and informed him of the Iron-Heart Patriarch’s warning, he jumped up from the instrument like a cat that had been electrocuted.
“AAAAAAAHHHHH???? What’s the date today? I completely forgot!!!!”
“Don’t panic yet, there should still be time, right? Po Kong, what are you doing? ...Fine, you and Xia Duo won!”
Starlight watched the panicked Stark while helplessly pulling out ten gold coins and stuffing them into Po Kong’s hand.
Rate on N.U.
