The Cornflower Witch

Book 3: Chapter 87: Crafting the Demon-Breaking Silver Blade, (4)

After hearing Sylutia’s request, the receptionist glanced again at the paperwork in her hand and at the girl across from her, her face showing hesitation.

“Are you sure you can do this? The materials are very precious. If the process fails, the losses will be huge.”

“How about this,” she continued, “you practice first with relatively lower-tier materials. Otherwise it’s hard for me to recommend you.” As the receptionist, she would be fined if she carelessly assigned a task to someone unqualified.

Sylutia didn’t get angry at the response. After all, she was only a Second Tier apprentice; taking on a job that even Fourth Tier mages might not accept was understandably hard to earn trust for.

“Then what kind of work would I need to present to get approval?”

“At minimum, you must produce a Third Tier item with the same enchantment,” the woman explained.

“I can handle the consignment for you and apply to waive the intermediary fee.”

“I understand.” Sylutia scanned the list of exchangeable materials currently available.

If she used Second Tier materials, an outstanding blacksmith’s forging plus high-quality enchantment could reach the equivalent quality of a Third Tier product. But if she wanted the absolute best results, Third Tier materials would be superior.

Still, since this was to demonstrate skill, she didn’t need to chase extremes. Sylutia picked two ingots of Mithril (Second Tier), a small amount of Scarcegold (Third Tier), and considered the gem powder needed for the enchantment; the ruby she had just received was perfect.Leaving the Task Hall, Sylutia headed to the college’s forge rooms. There were many rentable chambers for students and guild members, each equipped with high-grade forges and tools that could emit intense flames on demand.

After she stated her purpose, a staff member gave her an introduction.

“You want to rent a forge room? They’re divided into different levels. The lowest is Level Two, up to Level Five, generally corresponding to forging items of the same tier.”

“You look like a freshman. I recommend Level Two for practice, it’s cheaper.”

...

“Starting off aiming for a Third Tier item? Ambitious. Just be careful not to injure yourself.”

“Half-day rent for a Level Three forge is ten gold coins. Let me see—oh, you’re the freshman chief of this batch. By regulation you get a 30% discount, so it’s seven gold coins.”

Sylutia paid seven gold coins. The staffer led her to a forge room and explained each piece of equipment.

“This is for smelting and forging metal. If you’ve taken the course you’ll know how to make molds. As for metal composition and forging recipes, that’s complex—every school has its own secret formulas.”

Sylutia inspected the ducts connected to the side of the equipment. They seemed to reach somewhere underground. When the switch was turned on, high-temperature flames would gush out, and these flames carried a partial Gold Steam aspect, which effectively aids melting and shaping.

No wonder it costs ten gold coins; the operational costs are high.

Besides the smelting and forging setup, there were various cooling liquids and machining tools for grinding and cutting. Tools hung on the walls; everything was provided.

After explaining the machines and their uses, the staffer listed safety notes.

“If an accident occurs, press the emergency button on the wall lightly and staff will rush in. Please pay attention to safety.”

“I know, thank you.”

After the staff member left, Sylutia remained alone in the forge room.

She took the ingots from her carrying case and was momentarily unfamiliar with the equipment, then began the smelting process.

She gripped the handle and the blazing flame surged from the nozzle. The searing blast lit her face, whipping her hair and gown about.

After a brief experiment, Sylutia stopped.

She glanced at the tools hanging on the walls and then at her clothes, shaking her head slightly.

An afternoon of this would probably yellow her hair and garments. She needed some protective measures.

The room did have thick heat-resistant suits, but they were communal. Sylutia was reluctant to wear something others had used—she had a slight case of fastidiousness.

After thinking for a moment, she stepped back, closed her eyes to concentrate, then opened them. A pair of pale-blue magic hands manifested before her.

She guided the magic hands to grasp the tools on the bench and began to work.

The flame spat out again, but Sylutia stood farther away. Watching the metal melt in the fire, she remotely guided the magic hands to perform various operations.

First she smelted the metal and poured it into the standard blade mold provided, then extracted the raw blade blank and carried out further forging work.

Soon the room rang with crisp hammering sounds, but the hammer wasn’t wielded by a person—it was the pale-blue magic hands. Sylutia stood a short distance away, using her Discernment Eyes to continuously analyze the material’s condition. She added auxiliary powders to improve the internal structure of the blade and remove impurities.

Handling Second Tier materials wasn’t overly difficult. Through constant analysis and feedback, Sylutia quickly discovered new techniques.

Watching her work, the blade blank that started as Second Tier—Good quality—rapidly rose in grade to Second Tier—Rare. Among blacksmiths with the Gold Steam aspect, such skill was exceptional. In effect, she had raised the forging quality by three steps: Good to Excellent to Superior to Rare.

After she achieved a Second Tier—Rare blade blank, she melted the small piece of Third Tier Scarcegold into a thin strip and bonded it to the blade’s edge, then hammered and forged it until it gradually integrated.

Compared to Mithril, Scarcegold-produced elements yielded a sharper, tougher edge, which significantly enhanced the blade’s lethality.

When the fusion finished, the blade blank’s quality finally broke through to Third Tier—Standard. The forging entered the next stage.

Sylutia placed the blade blank on another platform, clamped the hilt to fix it, and began grinding and cutting to form the edge. Once that was complete, she started inscribing enchantment runes inside the blade.

Because the lines and channels of the inscription were internal, the enchanter relied entirely on mental power to manipulate the etching. Any slight instability in mental energy would cause the lines to break and create irreparable flaws.

During this process, enchanters often use potions or trinkets to stabilize their mental state. Sylutia didn’t need such aids; her mental power was already strong enough, and a Third Tier enchantment was not overly taxing.

After about an hour, the internal enchantment inscription was finished.

[Blade Blank (Third Tier—Excellent)], Enchantment: Sharpness·High Speed

Sylutia removed the blade blank and fixed it again, then picked up tools to inscribe the external runic patterns, also using the magic hands.

Compared to manual engraving, the magic hands were slightly less precise. She started slowly; after about an hour of adjustment she became more proficient.

Before long, the outer lines on the blade were complete. She took a short breath, rested a few minutes, and resumed the inner inscriptions.

By dusk, the external enchantment lines were fully inscribed. The final step was preparing the gem powder, infusing it into the lines to activate them.

Enchantments vary—some activate without extra materials, but others require the aspect power inherent in gems to take effect.

After half an hour, the ruby she had obtained earlier had been ground into a fine powder and fully integrated into the blade. Sylutia adjusted and tested repeatedly; by night the sword was fully formed.

[Demon-Breaking Silver Blade] (Third Tier·Rare); Effects: Demon-Breaking·Unhealing·Blood·Sharpness·High Speed

Holding the hilt, Sylutia felt immediate familiarity. When she infused her own aspect power into the enchantment runes while swinging, a faint red glow surfaced along the blade.

She tested cutting a sample in the room. A thick piece of steel parted like butter under a light stroke; the effort required was minimal and the speed astonishing, as if air resistance had been weakened.

With this sword her combat power would likely double. She could probably defeat the spirit knight who had troubled her before with three strikes. No wonder so many people chased excellent weapons.

Because she’d forged it herself, the balance and feel were tailored to Sylutia. After testing, she felt a little reluctant to sell it.

Maybe she’d keep it as a memento. She didn’t currently have another weapon, and carrying a sword was practical.

She left the room, returned the forge rental, and went home to sleep.

The next day was a weekend. Many students were preparing for next week’s final exams, so the campus was quieter.

Sylutia went back to the Task Hall to submit the sword for inspection.

“Did you really make this? So quickly.” The receptionist covered her mouth in surprise, incredulous.

“Yes. I don’t know if it meets the job’s requirements.” Sylutia thought to herself that if she had better materials and tried again, she could likely push the quality even higher.

“Wait a moment, I need to contact the appraiser.” The receptionist rang the bell to call the resident appraising mage.

Soon an appraiser carrying a small case arrived. He examined the sword, opened his box, took out several lenses, fitted them to a frame near his nose, and began inspecting carefully.

A faint glow shimmered across the lenses; patterns of light appeared as he probed different aspects.

After about ten minutes, the appraiser removed the lenses, nodded solemnly, and said, “An outstanding piece, worthy of a skilled expert.”

“This sword’s quality can be classified as Third Tier—Rare. It’s one step from Perfect. With better materials, it could break through,” he said, shaking his head slightly with regret.

Hearing the appraisal, Sylutia whispered to herself. She wanted better materials too, but money was tight and she was a little attached.

She had intended this as a transitional piece to demonstrate skill, but the final product exceeded expectations—and now she didn’t even want to sell it.

With the result confirmed, the receptionist prepared to assign the Demon-Breaking Silver Blade task to Sylutia as agreed.

“The materials have been provided by the employer. Accompanying personnel will pick them up later.”

“The task requires Superior quality. If the final product is only Excellent, you’ll receive twenty percent of the reward. If it’s below Excellent, you must cover forty percent of the losses,” she explained.

“I understand.” Sylutia nodded.

Not long after, another staff member brought out a metal chest. They went down to the Task Hall’s lower forge room, which had full equipment but was less used and pricier than the room Sylutia had rented yesterday.

“Because this is a task, the rent has been prepaid by the employer, so you don’t need to pay. You have three days to complete it. Any extension requires you to pay additional rent,” he said as he opened the door.

The silver metal chest was set on the table and opened, revealing neatly arranged materials inside. At the center lay a captivating silver-colored metal.

[Mithril] (Fourth Tier), a rare metal material. Its enchantment affinity is excellent and it boasts superior toughness. Even a small amount significantly raises an item’s quality.

Under the lights, the Mithril shimmered with shifting hues. Its aura was enthralling. When Sylutia touched it with a finger, a cool, clarifying sensation passed through her.

She nodded slightly and spread her hands; four pale-blue magic hands appeared at her side.

“Begin.”

Sylutia immersed herself the entire day in forging and fine-tuning. Mithril performed even better than she’d imagined, revealing aspects she hadn’t fully accounted for.

Fortunately, provided she didn’t embed a gem enchantment in the final product, the material could be reforged repeatedly. After three trial attempts she finalized the plan and began full production.

The next day at noon, while many in the Task Hall went to lunch, Sylutia emerged from the underground forge. She shook her head lightly, wiped sweat from her brow with her sleeve, and carried the finished silver greatsword out.

At the hall she submitted the completed blade for review.

“Only a day and a half and it’s done?” The receptionist looked at the slightly exhausted girl in surprise.

“Yes. I worked through the night, so I finished a bit sooner.” She was a little sleepy. Even she would be tired after a day and a half of intense focused work.

“Wait a moment, I’ll have someone inspect it.”

As before, a familiar appraiser was called to examine the sword in detail. After about an hour of thorough testing, he provided his verdict.

“Amazing.” The appraiser removed his glasses and wrote the final line of data on the form.

“This sword’s quality reaches Fourth Tier—Perfect. I can hardly find any flaws. Every performance metric exceeded expectations—by about 30% compared to the Rare tier—so I classify it as Perfect.”

Sylutia breathed out and leaned against the counter to rest.

About ten minutes later the receptionist gently woke her.

“Miss Hedra, wake up. The completion report has been filled out for you.”

“Oh, it’s done?” The girl rubbed her eyes and looked at the paper in front of her. Beside it was a small box representing her reward.

“Yes. The payment is 760 gold coins, one piece of Mithril, and two Third Tier aquamarines.”

“Thank you.” Sylutia took the box and opened it, confirming a lovely piece of Mithril and two gemstones were inside.

When the formalities finished, the receptionist, clearly hesitating, watched the girl as if wanting to ask something. When Sylutia prepared to leave, she could no longer hold back.

“Miss Hedra, which tutor are you currently apprenticed under? A student with your talent is very rare.”

Sylutia shook her head. “I haven’t chosen a tutor yet. That usually happens in third year.”

“I still have progression and exam prep to do. Thank you.” With that she hugged the small box and left the Task Hall.

She didn’t want to take any more tasks today; she needed proper rest before next week’s exams.

Watching Sylutia’s departing figure, the receptionist lingered on the miracle the girl had created, then remembered her duties.

“Almost forgot. I need to notify Mr. Westman.” She moved aside, wrote a note, and handed it to an attendant to deliver to the recorded address.

Meanwhile Sylutia returned to Black Rose Palace, put down her earnings, took a hot shower, and sank into bed, falling into a deep sleep.

Before she knew it, the first semester at Tetis College was nearly over. Her biggest improvement this term had been in crafting and enchantment techniques.

Three days later, after the final exams, Sylutia unsurprisingly took first place. This time none of the classmates were surprised; it seemed expected, leaving teachers a bit puzzled.

“Why did Hedra take first? Why didn’t the other freshmen congratulate her? Are they isolating her?” one teacher wondered aloud.

“No, I don’t think so. Hedra is still well-liked.”

“Look—many people are inviting her to the Silver Bell Festival’s evening banquet.”

In the hall, freshmen sat in their seats, some discussing grades, others planning holidays, but most eyes were on the girl who looked like a black swan.

“Chief Hedra, may I invite you to the Silver Bell Festival’s evening banquet?” The event included a dance segment—many couples arranged to attend together.

“No, I invited first. Please consider my invitation first, Chief Hedra.”

“That’s impossible—I asked yesterday.”

Sylutia found herself surrounded, looking a bit helpless as she considered how to escape. She’d only learned in the last two days that the Silver Bell Festival included a dance segment.

Finally, to prevent the bustle from escalating, she raised a hand and announced, “Stop.”

“I appreciate everyone wanting to spend the Silver Bell Festival with me, but I’m not looking for romance right now, and I don’t want you to quarrel over this.” Her gentle voice flowed through the hall, clear as a bell.

“So please don’t invite me anymore. I will attend the festival, but I will not dance with anyone.” Her firm answer dashed hopeful expectations and quieted the room.

Some felt disappointed but relieved—better not to be selected, than to have her already reserved by someone else. That possibility would have been the worst blow.

As the crowd dispersed, Sylutia prepared to leave the classroom. Peline fell into step beside her and asked in a low voice, “Miss Hedra, have you prepared a formal gown for the Silver Bell Festival? If not, I can help you choose one.”

“Well...” Sylutia remembered the outfit she’d worn last year.

Though she could reuse it this year, as the freshman chief it would seem too plain. Last year she’d been a guest and didn’t need to appear on stage; this year she would be the freshman representative.

“I’ll prepare one.”

Being the chief came with many headaches. Sylutia thought she might need to visit Grace Aerial or stop by Ying Zi’s Wisteria Flower Moon shop.

If she could attend under the name Sylutia, it would be convenient. Then she could wear the [Gilded Silk—Deep Green Lace Gown] straight onto the stage. After all, it’s a Fifth Tier—Rare quality dress; even an imperial-level wedding would find it lavish and dignified.