Cast iron, Damascus steel, carbon steel, and bronze are the most common metals used in sword fabrication. However, if it is a saber, carbon steel and cast iron become the most common materials.
It is possible to use stainless steel as well, which reduces maintenance requirements but reduces the blade's durability.
"The brat came from a clan that dealt in weapons so she must have a good idea of how to maintain a blade." I think in which direction I should focus when forging Mingten's saber. "In that case, focusing on durability shouldn't even be a problem."
I'm obviously going to make her fulfill her part of the agreement she's going to have to help with the saber forging since she's supposed to be my assistant, but just so that shit doesn't go wrong, I'm going to test her as a striker first.
In addition to the metal and Mingten's function, it remains to be seen whether it is possible to embed a lapis, and what its attribute should be. Wind, probably or one the brat plans to use to advance to the third stage.
"Okay with the details decided on which floor do the tower members store the materials?" Damn, there must be a map of the tower itself in my office or at reception where the brats activated the 'void catalyst'.
I'll try my room first since it's the closest.
As expected there is a map, along with a book on the rules and history of the Tower.
The map shows the Tower in profile cut to represent the interior, with indications of the functions of each floor.
The book is aptly named 'Introduction to Stargazing Tower'.
Whether it even takes a whole book to introduce the history of the Tower is a question I really don't want to consider.
The warehouse is on the lower sixth floor by the way.
The book has a simplified catalog of items that Tower members can pick up according to their ranks.
Hwang decided to give me the title of Vice Master of the Tower since having two people at the top of the hierarchy and on top of that trying to hide one of those people is impractical, so we used a position that did not exist before and that most people will ignore thinking which is only a substitute for incidentals.
By the way, the positions that someone can occupy in the Tower are: recruit, resident, research assistant, researcher, professor or chief researcher and the newly created deputy master/vice master.
Recruits often end up doing miscellaneous tasks to clear time for researchers to concentrate, residents and assistants do much the same thing except residents are not allowed to enter some places the Tower controls and perform experiments outside of a researcher's supervision, assistants have most of the authorizations that a resident lacks in addition to only needing prior authorization if they want to participate in an experiment.
Researchers have autonomy to start independent projects, how much will be invested in it is decided by a council of professors, and they are also responsible for evaluating and teaching recruits and residents.
The professors are the ones who decide which research has priority, resources and schedules, in addition to being part of the external relations delegations with other factions.
And then there's me and Hwang who we serve as internal and external deterrents, after all we know that when many people get together it's easy for some to think they'll go unnoticed if they do something wrong, but with two seemingly invincible monsters overseeing everything these ideas tend to get suppressed.
Of course there are other benefits such as salary, housing and access to information and technologies exclusive to the tower.
And the benefit that I will enjoy is to be able to remove materials from the warehouse without having to pay a price, there is a maximum limit however, and the most famous creation of the old star: artificial lapis stone.
There's the fact that artificial lapis wear out quickly but that's easy to compensate: just use a bunch of them.
I already know what I'm going to do with the brat's weapon attribute.
The brat took the cultists' granite lapis and must be thinking about using it or borrowing the Baha's fire one to advance, but she clearly isn't sure which is the better option.
In that case why don't I make a weapon that is also a test drive of most attributes.
A nine-ringed saber would give me the perfect excuse to incorporate artificial lapis into the weapon.
As I'm going to have to shape the stones into rings in addition to making the sword I'm going to give myself a teaspoon and choose a metal which I find easy to work with and I'm used to, my focus remains the resistance of the blade obviously.
Um, I also have to drag Baha to the warehouse to see if he can pull out any weapons despite his position, he and Mingten are recruits by the way.
*********
After answering the old monster's questionnaire, I return to my newly inhabited room to review my cultivation and the techniques that I will pass on to Kaz.
My Wind Ki that corresponds to the first stage, creation and stabilizing the dantian, can't be improved any further. On the other side of the equation there is Rupture Ki which is naturally unstable, so I purposely never build up as much of that energy.
In short I'm at the energy limit of what my current stage can handle.
I think what's left is trying to create the vacuum for the third stage.
Wind is reasonably malleable so creating a vacuum with this attribute is relatively easy, the fact that I always fail makes me think that if someone chooses an attribute that is harder to control it must be impossible to advance.
The problem of who chooses something impossible to control.
I silence my distractions thinking like this and go back to meditating.
The wind around me subtly changes and moves according to my breathing, when I feel that I have absorbed all the Ki I could, I focus my attention on my dantian, in it I try to control the ki in order to leave a blank space, a point let the wind ignore it and pass it around instead of filling it.
Technically I could try to introduce a third type of Ki now, however as I can only maintain two bridges or lines, as connections established through Synchro are called, I have to relinquish control of one of my Ki types.
Which is heaps risky considering that rupture Ki clashes with anything.
So my plan of advancement is to improve my Wind Ki control until I can keep the vacuum stabilized for a long time even after I cut the connection and change one of the bridges to introduce the third Ki.
Half an hour passed as I practiced and reflected on my progress.
"The gallon drinker must be going to the forge by now."
*******
After storing Fire Ki to the point where I feel like I'm developing a fever, I stop meditating and the ring of fire dissolves around me."An increase of a fraction of a percent."
To put it in clearer terms, it's somewhere between 0.001 and 0.003.Without the lapis stone I can't even make a spark.
In comparison I think the old monster training is already giving clear results, at least in terms of stamina and mentality.
"I'll see if I can find anyone else willing to answer my questions."
I start to climb the stairs to the upper floors of the tower, where the damn reception that caused the horde of beasts is located, I also find the main culprit: Jill.
"Hello." I say pulling Jill out of her daydreaming state.
She has the reaction of a scared cat, or in this case someone who has been completely distracted at work and has just realized that everyone has noticed.
Is that why she and Talavar get along?
"Hah hello, Vaha?" She returns my greeting, but who the hell is Vaha?
"It's Baha, with a 'b'." I correct her and to avoid further discomfort I change the subject
"Kaz and Mingten mentioned that what attracted the beasts was an item called 'Void Catalyst', but neither of them clearly explained why it caused the stampede." Obviously I'm just avoiding my discomfort.
"Could you explain it to me in their place?"
She looks at me with embarrassment and nervousness written on her face.
"I'm sorry!" She almost screams as she bows towards me, apology accepted on the condition that no more death traps are left lying around.
"O.k. Just try not to do one of those again, and I was serious when I asked about that catalyst." Better get the conversation back on track before it gets even more confusing.
"It's easier to explain about it if you know how the three types of beasts develop their powers." She starts muttering thoughtfully.
"Three? You can start the explanation there, I only know two types: fierce and demonic." The two types that are basically common knowledge.
"It's normal not to know about the third type since some consider them descended from divine beasts: mystical beasts. What differentiates the three types is how they develop, the fierce ones grow in physical attributes, the demonic ones gain abilities according to what they devour and mystics are naturally synced to an attribute."
By the sound of it, the mystic and demonic beasts stepped out one step ahead of everyone else.
"With these abilities, how come demonic and mystical beasts aren't more common?" With that natural advantage it is strange that they are not the dominant species.
"Baha, the Master has commented that he suspects you of being a Ligverborge. Now think about what happened to that legend." Jill answers me with this comparison, which leaves me speechless for a few seconds.
"Well despite their rarity there are rumors of an organization called the 'Pantheon' which is ruled by mystical and demonic beasts and controls two of the eleven worlds by shadows." I think from discussing facts, she went to gossip and rumors but managed to pique my curiosity.
"Which worlds?" I ask, making light of this possibility.
"Bloody Star Sea and Eternal Dawn." She responds without noticing that my skin has gone a little paler.
First the cult the old monster calls trouble, now an alliance of beasts controlling two worlds from behind the curtains. What's wrong with the world called 'Eternal Dawn'.
Well, the alliance of beasts are just rumors, considering how crazy the things a Synchroner does seem to the average person, absurd rumors should naturally arise.
"Well it's just a rumour, if normal people saw the training that Mingten and I do, rumors about zombies would soon spread." I speak trying to make my mind stop imagining my future trip there, which only ends in death.
"Actually..." Jill starts to speak "They would call you calamity puppet."
New word added to list of words I hate: Actually.
"Will I regret it if I ask what that means?" Again I ask the irresponsible receptionist.
Is Mingten's addiction to using nicknames instead of names contagious by any chance? I scold myself in my mind.
"No, it's a strange condition that people who touch the liquid that makes up a Sea of Calamity have." That doesn't alleviate my concerns. "And the only sea of calamity on Gaia is on the southern continent."
"You mean I don't have to worry about it unless I go there?" I ask for confirmation.
"Yes." She responds instantly.
After that I go back to my room and when I close the door and a question comes back to my mind:
What the hell is a 'Void Catalyst'?