[Author's Note: For bonus chapters, the goal every week is:
- 25 Power Stones
- 50 Power Stones]
Volume 2 Chapter 9: Tria's Crafter Friends
Tria observes the trio's reaction before she start to speak.
Tria: "I can see by the looks on your faces that the three of you are quite disturbed. As you can hear, I like to use this mode not only because it's my preference but also for the additional effects it brings. Firstly, it greatly disturbs the listener, as you've experienced. Secondly, it conceals my identity, making it hard for anyone to determine my gender from my voice. Lastly, it's difficult for anyone to learn the pattern usage of different voice combinations if I were to use the controlled mode. That's all."
After her explanation, Tria removed the mask she had been wearing and asked the three of them, who had been listening intently.
Tria: "Do the three of you have any more questions?"
Eve asked.
Eve: "Could you explain what an artifact is?"
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Tria: "An artifact is a very broad topic, and since it will take a lot of time before we finish talking about it, I will just simplify it. However, I will not discuss how an artifact was made, what the requirements are, or the materials needed to craft a certain artifact. An artifact is created by a person who have a crafting profession, such as a blacksmith who can make a weapon-type artifact. Artifacts also have different effects depending on the maker's intention and the materials they were made with. Some rare artifacts can even increase certain stats of the user. For an artifact to be considered the best, it must have one of these qualities: [Soul Bound], [Growth], or [Indestructible]. Having one of these qualities will attract a lot of attention, not to mention having all three. It will not only make kingdoms compete for it, but the entire [Race] will also become involved in obtaining it. I will stop explaining about artifacts since it will take a long time, perhaps a few days before we finish talking about it."
Tria paused for a moment before continuing to speak.
Tria: "I once had a few friends who wanted to create an artifact that could change its shape after seeing me use [Blood Magic] to craft various weapons during a fight."
When Tria began talking about her friends, a reminiscent look crossed her face, softening her otherwise cold expression.
Pepper: "Did they succeed in making one?"
Tria: "Not at the beginning, but eventually, they succeeded in creating a complete set of artifacts with the [Soul Bound] quality and a modified [Growth] quality on them."
Pepper: "But it's not the best quality since it didn't have all three qualities."
Tria: "That's where you are wrong. At first, I also thought they failed to create the best artifact, but their creation was on par with an artifact that has all three qualities."
Eve: "How?"
Tria: "They successfully copied how we vampires repair our weapons created with blood magic. However, this isn't the reason their artifact set can rival one with all three special qualities. They made their artifact set with a different requirement for the [Growth] quality to take effect. Instead of needing high-quality materials or different conditions, they made the [Growth] quality activate when the artifact was destroyed. This is where the repair effect comes in, and over time, the artifact becomes a bit tougher and stronger. They named this quality [Destruction Growth]. When they gave it to a worthy user, it started out weak, but after many years of use, its toughness could even rival an artifact with the [Indestructible] quality."
Carmilla: "So it should be the most powerful artifact by now, right?"
Tria: "Unfortunately, not."
Carmilla: "What?! Why?!"
Pepper: "What happened?"
Tria: "When the first owner was about to die of old age, he traveled to find the creators of the artifact and returned it. This way, after his passing and the [Soul Bound] quality lost its effect, they could give it to another worthy user, just as they had chosen him as the first user of the artifact set. A few months after he returned the artifact set, he passed away, and the [Soul Bound] was undone. The creators of the artifact then sought out another worthy user for the artifact set."
Pepper: "Did they find a second user?"
Tria: "They did, and after handing it to the second user, they discovered that the artifact set had lost all the accumulations of the first user. Not even in their wildest imagination did the artifact creators think that, after it lost its [Soul Bound] quality to its first owner, it would also lose its accumulations, which could rival the most powerful artifact in the world at that time. They only found this out when they selected a new user."
Eve: "Why did the artifact set lose its accumulation?"
Tria: "Just as everything in the world is kept in balance, the artifact set would break the rules of the world if it kept growing stronger without limits. It would eventually disrupt the world's balance. So, this is how the world maintains equilibrium with the artifact set. Each time it changes its owner, it needs to start all over again."
Carmilla: "So what happens to the artifact creators?"
Tria: "As for the creators of the artifact, many years later, they were approaching the ends of their lifespans. Before they passed away, they decided to pass the artifact to the one among them with the longest remaining lifespan in their group, which was an [Elf] with a hint of [High Elf] bloodline, granting her the longest lifespan among them all."
Carmilla: "So is the artifact still with your [Elf] friend?"
Tria: "Unfortunately, no."
Pepper: "Ehh, why? What happened?"
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Tria: "It's because, like the other creators of the artifact set, she passed away, even though she's from the [Elf] race, which has a very long lifespan compared to other races. Having a hint of [High Elf] bloodline, even if it's just 1%, should have added a hundred more years to her natural lifespan. However, no one can truly beat the passage of time, except for those who belong to an immortal race that never dies from old age unless they are killed. Since we are also an immortal race, there's no need to worry about dying from old age."