"What do you think can enhance a weapon or device capability." Al Casendra wrote on the board beside him.
"Your highness, I don't know. Many factors could enhance the capability of any devices." Old James responded calmly.
"For example, let's look at the materials they use to make the device or weapon. If it is a common metal or stone. It would ordinary no matter what. However, if they use uncommon or rare metals. Then the device will be powerful and durable." He added.
"So, are you saying common metal can't be useful," Al Casendra wrote on the board calmly. He stood beside the board and stared intently at Old James's face.
"Not that." Old James shook his head and exhale slowly. "In bigger cities. There are ways to use common metal or materials to produce power beyond their capability."
Hmm?
Al Casendra raised his brow slightly. 'I knew it!' He shouted in his mind.
"So…" He added to the next line.
'Why is the prince so persistent on the enhancement of common materials.' Old James wondered in his mind.
"When I was still young. I came across some teaching. Though I didn't have the privileged to learn more about them. But I heard they are what make those mages with lower rank kill higher ranks…" Old James creased his brow, trying to remember.
"Yes… I remember. Runes and Smiting Fire. Any device with runes will become more powerful than usual."
"What do you mean by smiting fire." Al Casendra quickly wrote on the board. His eyes brightened. 'I've read about runes. This is the missing puzzle.' His heartbeat quickly and his blood pumping with exhilaration. Yet, he maintained his cold, expressionless face.
"You know, your highness. Some metal can't be smith by normal fire. So they need a high-rank fire to be able to smith it. We have the red, yellow, blue, and so on fire. Red is the lowest."
Al Casendra nodded. 'So that's why my family are popular and powerful.'
He picked the writer and wrote on the board. "What Grade is your fire?"
"Yellow Grade 2, rank 5" Old James said proudly.
Al Casendra didn't bat any eyes at the smuggle expression on the old man's face. His hand quickly danced on the board.
"Do you have any idea on rune inscription. Also, send me all the books on runes to me immediately."
Seeing the seriousness on Al Casendra's face. Old James swallow the lumps in his throat and nodded like a pecking bird. "I have a basic idea on rune inscription and smiting. But I still haven't grasped the cruise on how to add it to weapons or devices."
"Hmm— Ah, yes. I have some basic rune smith book in my work— no, at the office. I will go get it now." Quickly, Old James scurries away.
Al Casendra didn't care about Old James's behavior. His brain was thinking about how to study runes in the shortest time and how to implement it in his research. 'This should be the bridge between science and magic.' He thought. And the more he thought about it, the more assured he was.
'I can't wait to study these runes.' As a fanatic researcher and scientist. The idea of gaining more knowledge makes his blood boil.
Pa Pa.
He tapped his table twice and wait impatiently for his helper to arrive. In a jiffy, Cole arrived inside the study and bow. "Your highness."
Al Casendra didn't wait for his greeting. He picked his writer and scrambled a series of words on the board.
"Get me Sir John immediately."
"Alright." Cole dashed out of the room.
Al Casendra couldn't wait for Sir John. He dashed toward the huge bookshelves in the study and began to search for rune smiting and rune inscription.
A couple of minutes later, a series of guards rushed out with Sir John behind them. Since long-Fall Pass had fewer people. The large street was quiet with few to no people on the street. In a couple of hours, all the houses in Long-fall Pass had been questioned if they had a book on rune inscription and runesmith.
Lost in his study, Al Casendra wasn't aware when the time wisped by. Suddenly, he heard a loud yell, coming from outside.
"Your highness. Your men have returned." Cole shouted on the top of his voice. He had been knocking on the door for quite a few minutes. Yet, Al Casendra didn't seem to hear. Left with no choice, he resorted to shouting.
Hmm!
Al Casendra woke up from his deep learning. He stretched his body and a few cracks echoed in his body. He stood and rubbed his forehead. His eyes caught the darkness outside and a slight gasp escape from his mouth.
'I don't know that time has already fast spent.' He mussed and stepped out of his study.
Seeing Al Casendra, Cole bowed and said. "Your men have been waiting for you in the training ground for the past one hour."
He nodded and headed toward the training ground. 'I'm famished.' He thought and his stomach growled lightly.
On the training ground, hundreds of men and women lay on the ground with sweat all over their bodies. Moreover, some had various deep injuries on their body. Their clothes had turned to rags. The past one week was hell for them.
"His highness has arrived." A voice shouted.
At once, the group lying on the ground scrambled to their feet with some difficulty and took a military stand. Some couldn't stand very well, but they gnashed their teeth to stand straight.
Al Casendra mounts the podium and his eyes dart from one face to another. No one dare to avoid his gaze while their heart missed a beat. 'Hmm, their aura has changed. Better.'
He picked a writer and wrote on the board on his left.
"Well done. Though your performance is bad. I won't comment on it for now. But I will take note of it."
'Fuck!' Tami shouted in his mind. He had already expected such a comment from the prince.
'I knew it.' Damie bit the corner and took a cursory look at Tami, and their gaze met. The two snorted and averted their gaze.
"Where are the beasts?" He wrote.
"There sir." Damie and Tami answered together, pointing at the back of the training field with some woods.
Al Casendra followed their finger's direction and saw the beast chained. He nodded and write on the board.
"Go get some rest. We meet at 5:00 a.m tomorrow. Dismiss."
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AN: Vote and comment for more chapters.