"How dare you touch your grandfather even a little!?"
Kiri had just reached out when the Manyullyn Cleaver on the table suddenly shouted.
Of course, just shouting wasn't enough. It even weirdly moved back a bit, avoiding the hand that was reaching for it.
"What... hey!?"
Honestly, Kiri was stunned, and her hand, which was reaching out, froze mid-air out of reflex.
"Master, save me!"
However, taking advantage of Kiri's momentary daze, the purple giant blade suddenly floated up without any decorum, and with a flash, hid behind Fang Mo: "That nasty woman doesn't look like a good person at all; she seems to want to break me..."
"Huh?"
Kiri was completely stunned at this point. She looked at the Manyullyn Cleaver in surprise: "This... a talking weapon? How is that possible?"
"The weapon is alive!?"
"Isn't that strange?"
"So amazing... this weapon looks so powerful!"
In fact, it wasn't just Kiri; even the surrounding onlookers, including the residents and adventurers of Hendon Myre, were equally shocked by this scene.
Especially those adventurers who seemed to be Ghost Swordsmen. They looked at their own rusty iron swords or wooden sticks in their hands, then looked up at the snow-bright, sharp edge of the Manyullyn Cleaver behind Fang Mo, revealing a look of envy and longing in their eyes.
At this moment, Fang Mo also began to speak.
"This is a demon sword—Apophis."
He said calmly: "As a demon sword, it occasionally speaking a few words is normal..."
"Huh? What?"
However, just as Fang Mo finished speaking, the Manyullyn Cleaver suddenly turned its blade, and in a straightforward tone tinged with confusion, it said: "Master, isn't my name Manyullyn Cleaver? What's wrong with you, Master? Don't you remember me? I've accompanied you through countless days and nights!"
"Damn it, Manyu..."
Hearing this, Fang Mo's face immediately darkened.
He didn't expect that the life enchantment would backfire on him too.
Back then, watching Logan being tormented by Old Man Chigar in the X-Men world was amusing for Fang Mo. But now, after enchanting the Manyullyn Cleaver with life, it was also ruining his moment. For a moment, he understood Logan's feelings at that time.
"You idiot... can't you see I'm trying to look cool?"
Fang Mo lowered his voice and whispered to the Manyullyn Cleaver: "From now on, you are called Apophis!"
"But, Master, you need a name change card..."
"I'll have Steve eat you right now!"
"I'm sorry, brother..."
The Manyullyn Cleaver shivered as if scared, then deliberately turned its blade again and shouted loudly: "Everyone, look at me! I have an announcement! I am the demon sword Apophis! Tremble, losers!"
"What? Demon sword?"
Seeing this, Kiri was a bit confused. Being from the Celestial Realm, she knew little about magic. Currently, the demon sword was still sealed in the Screaming Caverns, with few people aware of its origins: "What exactly is a demon sword?"
Not just Kiri.
Even the adventurers of Arad didn't know the intricacies of this.
"Demon sword?"
Hearing this, the adventurers started whispering among themselves: "Sounds impressive, huh?"
"Apophis, that name sounds so cool."
"I've been adventuring for decades, and this is the first time I've seen such an intelligent weapon."
"This young warrior has obtained such a weapon at a young age, he must have an extraordinary background. Kiri might be in big trouble this time."
"Hmph... that damn woman broke all my gear, I'd be glad to see her in trouble."
As a mentor for the Gunners, Kiri had some strength. Hearing the murmurs around her, she couldn't maintain her composure, and her smile became strained. Looking at Fang Mo, she couldn't shake a sense of foreboding.
"Heh... hehe..."
Kiri forced a smile: "Young man, your weapon is extraordinary. If you strengthen it further, it could become even more powerful."
"Oh, really?"
Fang Mo responded noncommittally.
"Of course."
Kiri pointed to the display stand next to her again: "Look at these weapons, each one has been enhanced more than thirteen times, but even so, they can't compare to your magic sword... because the better the weapon, the stronger its attributes will be after enhancement."
"What if it fails?" Fang Mo asked, rubbing his chin playfully.
"Don't you have cushions?" Kiri said confidently. "If you don't believe me, you can test it with the cushions first."
"Well, you have a point," Fang Mo nodded deliberately. "Alright, strengthen this golden sword ten more times, and then I'll use these cushions to test it out."
"Well... okay," Kiri frowned but, after glancing at the Manyullyn Cleaver next to her and contemplating for a moment, she agreed.
Quickly, she picked up the golden sword and began tinkering with it again.
This time, the enhancement process took longer, and by the time it was finished, it was already afternoon.
Due to the bustling nature of Hendon Myre, someone had spread the news that 'a warrior wants to enhance a talking weapon,' and the surrounding crowd grew larger and larger, almost to the point of being impenetrable. Clearly, everyone wanted to see the spectacle.
Noticing the crowd, Kiri realized the situation had escalated.
However, she wasn't particularly afraid since she had already paid taxes to the Principality of Bel Myre. Moreover, this so-called enhancement was a consensual business transaction.
Rather than being scared, Kiri was more excited.
Given the circumstances, the young man across from her probably couldn't back down. To be honest, Kiri wasn't foolish; she could sense that the other party had been teasing her, which made her a bit angry. Today, she was determined to put this 'talking magic sword' into her forge no matter what.
Once Apophis entered her enhancement furnace, it would be her victory.
"Hehehe..." Kiri smiled as she handed the golden sword to Fang Mo. "Young man, your cushions are ready. Shall we begin the official enhancement?"
"Alright," Fang Mo replied with a meaningful smile. "Let's start by testing the waters with one cushion."
As he spoke, Fang Mo picked up the initial wooden sword and placed it in the enhancement furnace, added some furnace rock carbon and crystals, and pressed the switch.
"Oh, it's starting!"
Seeing Fang Mo begin the official enhancement, the surrounding crowd grew tense and excited.
Accompanied by a piercing roar, the enhancement furnace soon started operating. This time, the machine's operation lasted unusually long, several minutes in fact, before it abruptly stopped. A soft 'click' was heard, and a gentle glow emanated from the furnace's crevices.
"This light... it succeeded!" exclaimed an experienced adventurer. "This guy's luck is incredible, the first cushion succeeded!"
"Nonsense!" retorted another dejected adventurer nearby. "Last time, I used cushions for a long time, and they all worked, but when it came to the main event, it shattered. I was so angry I couldn't eat for half a month."
"That's not necessarily true," another adventurer chimed in. "At least your cushions succeeded. Unlike me, all the cushions shattered, and then the weapon followed suit."
Despite the adventurers' discussions, Kiri paid them no mind. Seeing the enhancement succeed, she happily congratulated Fang Mo: "Looks like you're in luck today, young man..."
"Hmm, let's try another one," Fang Mo replied nonchalantly, replacing the sword with an iron one and starting the enhancement.
Kiri just smiled and waited quietly for the process to end.
Unexpectedly, Fang Mo continued to successfully enhance several iron, wooden, and golden swords without any sign of failure.
"Master," even the Manyullyn Cleaver was tempted: "How about trying me?"
"Oh, give it a try," Kiri laughed. "There's no risk in the first ten enhancements. Your weapon is so magnificent; it would look even better if it glowed."
"Hehehe..." Fang Mo gave Kiri a sarcastic smile.
Just as Kiri felt a bit uneasy from being stared at, Fang Mo suddenly grabbed the handle of the knife and inserted the Manyullyn Cleaver into the machine.
Accompanied by the clanking sounds of the machine, the ten rounds of enhancement were completed in no time.
A faint white glow appeared on the Manyullyn Cleaver.
"Huh?"
Seeing this, Fang Mo felt somewhat surprised.
What surprised him was not the success of the enhancement, but that the enhancement machine actually worked on the craftsman's soul weapon. This was quite unexpected. It seemed Kiri's enhancement furnace was indeed something special.
"You are incredibly lucky today."
At this moment, Kiri approached again: "It would be a shame not to take advantage of such good luck. You still have some cushion items, don't you want to try again? If it doesn't work out, I can buy the padded items at a high price..."
"Aren't you encouraging me to enhance my main weapon?"
Fang Mo glanced at Kiri, raising his eyebrows slightly.
"Heh, such decisions are up to you." Kiri smiled innocently and then patted the furnace, saying, "But I can suggest enhancing the cushion items. Don't waste your good luck."
"Hmm... that makes sense."
Fang Mo nodded cooperatively, then took some cushion items and placed them into the furnace.
Once again, luck was on his side. The padded items inexplicably succeeded and began to emit a faint red glow.
Clearly, they were just ordinary iron and wooden swords.
But somehow, they exuded a mysterious powerful energy field.
"They really all succeeded..."
Seeing this, Fang Mo feigned a surprised expression, looking at the cushion items and then at the Manyullyn Cleaver in his hand, as if in deep thought.
"Your luck today is indeed extraordinary."
Kiri's eyes gleamed as she saw Fang Mo's reaction, and she spoke up: "I've never seen anyone as lucky as you... Of course, I'm not urging you to enhance your main weapon, but you should trust your judgment. Such luck is rare."
"Um, master..."
On the other side, the Manyullyn Cleaver couldn't help but speak up: "I think I can do it too!"
"That makes sense."
Fang Mo gave Kiri a nonchalant look, then, as if making a big decision, he raised the Manyullyn Cleaver and placed it into the enhancement furnace, shouting: "Damn it, let's do this!"
"Hahaha..."
Seeing this, Kiri laughed happily, a glint of cunning in her eyes.
This guy took the bait.
Although he initially caused trouble, I'm not someone to be trifled with... Want to fight me? Heh, now that the weapon is in the furnace, it's out of his control.
Thinking this, Kiri felt a surge of joy.
However, at this moment, something unexpected happened.
Just as Fang Mo's hand was about to touch the enhancement button, he suddenly turned and grabbed at Kiri, pulling her forcefully.
"Give it here!"
"Ah!"
Kiri screamed as her hands, which were pretending to hug her chest, were pulled apart. A strangely shaped mini remote control flew out due to her failed cover.
"Let me see your true colors!"
Fang Mo didn't hesitate, swiftly pulling the Manyullyn Cleaver out of the furnace and using its back to lift the iron casing off the furnace, revealing two completely different structures inside.
The front end of the furnace resembled a furnace chamber, but the back had two strange metal grinding wheels, almost identical to a disassembler.
In the middle of the furnace was a mechanical arm-like structure controlling the furnace chamber and grinding wheels. An antenna was attached, seemingly receiving some signal. There was also a hidden slot below, containing various colored crystals.
"What... is this!?"
The onlookers were stunned.
"Is that Norton's disassembler?" Some knowledgeable adventurers immediately recognized it and furiously shouted: "Damn you! Refund!"
"What the...!?"
The Manyullyn Cleaver couldn't contain its anger anymore and spun towards Kiri's head: "Damn it, I'll blow you up!"