Chapter 26: Curios and the Alchemy Workshop

Although Father Fang held Wang Yu in high regard, the lad’s raw strength remained woefully insufficient; he would have to claw his way up inch by inch before heading to the Imperial City in ten months’ time.

Yet, the bond forged with Father Fang would at least ensure his path ahead was somewhat less treacherous.

As he prepared to depart, Garcia called out to Wang Yu, who turned, one hand stroking Torrent, his expression laced with confusion.

"Are you not going to ask about Leonard?" Garcia looked at Wang Yu, speaking the name that had become so familiar to him.

"The old knight? Well, how should I put it?" Wang Yu scratched his head, glancing at the gauntlet in his hand.

"I’m not one for prying into other people’s secrets. If Leonard didn’t want to talk about it, I knew there was no need to dig deeper."

"Often, we all know there are things the other would rather not say, yet we maintain a silent understanding. Don’t you think that’s true of me as well?" Wang Yu smiled.

The old knight had died without regrets; choosing the life of a wandering knight was a path he had embraced willingly.

Wang Yu did not know why a member of the Night’s Edge would choose to wander, but it mattered little; if the old knight kept his silence, Wang Yu would not press.

Wang Yu had never made a habit of meddling in the lives of others; he had never questioned Avia about her family, nor had he pried into Lilia’s origins.

As for the old knight, if he had not seen fit to explain his past while he lived, Wang Yu would not fret over it now that he was gone.

Perhaps, should the opportunity arise and he grew stronger, he might learn the truth, but Wang Yu would not force it.

Watching Wang Yu with a complex expression, Garcia clicked his tongue.

With Wang Yu putting it that way, what more could he say? Truly, this character of his made one yearn to call him a friend.

He reached out and struck Wang Yu’s chest with a fist. "You fellow, hurry up and get stronger. If the chance arises, we shall surely be fine comrades-in-arms!"

"What, are you not returning?" Wang Yu caught the implication in Garcia’s words.

He had assumed Garcia was merely visiting Oakclaw Town to check on Avia and the progress of his mission, but it seemed he had no intention of returning to the cottage in the woods.

In their brief time together, Wang Yu had grown fond of this earnest, solemn man; like the old knight, he possessed a reassuring sense of reliability.

"Indeed, I am returning to serve in the kingdom’s army. The situation is volatile, and the friction between Seuvintan and the kingdom grows by the day."

"Though the Night’s Edge maintains a certain detachment, we must participate when faced with the specter of total war."

As he spoke, Garcia suddenly looked embarrassed; it was hard to imagine this handsome man with the face of a hardened warrior showing such bashfulness.

"Well, if you could, tell Lilia for me—five years. Just wait five more years..."

Wang Yu raised an eyebrow; the unspoken words hung heavy in the air.

"Right, take this. It isn’t much, but it is a Curio, and it should be of some help to you..."

Perhaps eager to change the subject due to his own awkwardness, Garcia pulled a book from his tunic and handed it to Wang Yu.

"A Curio?" Wang Yu was taken aback. He knew the value of such artifacts; why would Garcia gift him one?

"No need for such surprise. It’s a rather lackluster item, quite useless, really. Don’t you have a notebook?"

"You can use this as a better one," Garcia said, smiling at Wang Yu’s astonished expression.

Garcia spoke lightly, but Wang Yu knew how rare and precious Curios truly were.

Curios were unique to this world, unrelated to the Void, magic, or alchemy.

They were objects imbued with special properties, and these properties often possessed an absolute, immutable power.

Take, for instance, the Curio on the Alestler border known as the Phantom Knight’s Standard.

No one knew where it had been discovered, but it was the ultimate weapon of the Kingdom’s Knights.

Its effect was simple: once wielded by a commander, up to one hundred legionnaires would transform into phantom knights.

These knights could ignore magic, physical matter, and sorcery, charging in a straight line at incredible speeds for twenty kilometers; everything in their path was rendered irrelevant until they reached their destination.

It was a terrifying instrument of war. The most classic engagement involved the Lionheart Knights of Alestler against the northern barbarians.

Three thousand knights charged the barbarian stronghold, risking all.

After suffering the loss of two thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven men, they successfully breached the twenty-kilometer mark of the barbarian king’s fortress, Winterhold.

Just as the barbarians were cheering their slaughter of the knights, drinking deep from the blood of their fallen foes, the Grandmaster of the Lionheart Knights, Leon Leonardo, roared and waved the Curio—the Phantom Knight’s Standard. Sixty-three phantom knights launched a charge that shattered the barbarians’ hope.

That day, the phantom knights pierced through every obstacle, storming Winterhold. The barbarian king’s head was hung high atop his own fortress, and the snowfields echoed with the wails of his kin.

Sir Leon Leonardo was subsequently named one of the four dukes of the kingdom, hailed as the Lionheart King.

Now nearly a hundred years old, he relied on his strength, which had long surpassed the Great Knight tier, to guard the northern border, where all foreign enemies trembled before the mere thought of his phantom legion.

However, as Wang Yu took the book from Garcia, he understood why the man called it useless.

"This is called the Endless Page. The name describes its nature—it is a notebook that never ends, no matter how much you write."

"If you wish to flip the page, it will turn to whatever content you desire, but the content must be written by your own hand. Anything not written by you will not be recorded."

"The only benefit is that it truly cannot be damaged, and it is convenient to carry."

Listening to Garcia explain the properties, Wang Yu understood why it was considered a mediocre Curio.

It wasn’t exactly useless—it was quite practical—but as a Curio, it lacked luster. A magical grimoire could easily replace it.

Furthermore, magical grimoires could be inscribed via incantation; with enough mana, they could achieve the same infinite-page effect.

One could even have others write in them, whereas the Endless Page required one’s own hand.

The only standout feature was... Wang Yu took the book and tossed it above his head.

The book, which looked quite mundane—its sheepskin cover yellowed and frayed—turned ethereal and vanished into the crown of his head.

Though it seemed gone, Wang Yu could sense it hovering just above his mind.

With a mere thought, the unassuming notebook dropped back into his hand.

"This is quite good! Thank you!" Wang Yu was satisfied; it might not be overwhelmingly powerful, but with proper development, he could surely find some unique uses for it.

"Don't mention it. As you would say—yes, a 'long-term investment.' I don't know where you come from, but some of your phrases are truly... marvelous?"

"In any case, I have high hopes for you." Garcia waved his hand, signaling him not to dwell on it.

"Wang Yu, you must be careful. The situation on the continent is unstable. A great storm may arrive within a year or two. You must hasten your growth."

"In the coming turmoil, everyone is but a pebble caught in the tide. If you are not large enough, not hard enough, you will either be swept away or crushed to dust." Garcia’s tone turned grave as he gave his final warning.

Wang Yu nodded. He had long sensed the coming storm; his relentless pursuit of strength was precisely to meet the years of upheaval ahead.

"Then, farewell. And do help the little one, Avia. What she may have to face could be far more than what awaits you."

"Understood. Though, in the end, who helps whom is not yet certain. You know her talent; compared to her, I am quite pathetic."

The knight waved to Wang Yu in farewell, and Wang Yu returned the gesture.

Garcia turned and walked away with a carefree air, saying nothing more; men, after all, were simple creatures.

Wang Yu tossed the Endless Page above his head, letting it turn ethereal and follow him.

He climbed onto Torrent’s back and called out for Avia to mount up; it was time for them to return as well.

……

"It seems you truly have high hopes for that knight-errant," Father Fang remarked, watching Garcia walk away.

"You jest, Father. Are you not the same? Did you not say his potential was truly immense?"

"Indeed, his raw power is abysmal, yet he possesses a truly singular ability. To reach through the spiritual plane and interfere with the Void—that is a feat meant only for divine arts. Do you realize what this implies?"

"Could it be?" Garcia’s gaze drifted toward the sky above Father Fang’s head, the implication hanging heavy in the air.

"Stop dragging the gods into everything! The gods are not omnipotent!" Father Fang’s eyes flared, and he dealt a sharp, stinging blow to the top of Garcia’s head.

The tall, brawny knight bowed his head before the even more imposing priest. Though it sounded strange for a priest to claim the gods were not all-powerful, such was the way of the followers of the Church of Light.

What occupied his mind more was the familiar sensation; his teacher still loved to cuff him, and oh, how it stung.

"Simply put, it means his potential is immense. We in the Blade of Night have need of such talent."

"The Kingdom has been stable for too long, becoming bloated and convoluted. The nobles’ lust for power has blinded them completely."

"Only the infusion of fresh blood can transform this decaying, rotting kingdom. Whether it be a rebirth after collapse or a restart after a slaughter, that fresh blood is essential."

……

Wang Yu rode in the saddle, Avia clinging tightly to his waist behind him.

Torret galloped with abandon, the howling wind whipping the girl’s golden hair into a frenzy. Wang Yu, sporting a buzz cut, had little hair to be ruffled.

Clutching his waist, she found it difficult to adapt to such breakneck speed, no matter how many times she rode.

Watching Wang Yu happily tossing the pouch in his hand as they raced along, the coins inside clinking with a crisp, rhythmic sound, Avia sighed.

"You seem very happy, Wang Yu!" Avia asked, squinting against the wind, observing his joyful smile and the dancing coin purse.

"I am! This reward is truly generous—ten whole gold coins!" Wang Yu beamed.

This was the payment for the investigation mission he had just completed. To Garcia and Father Fang, the reward for a low-level task was negligible.

But Wang Yu was a penniless wretch; before receiving this, his theoretical net worth was exactly zero.

"Is it a lot?"

"It isn't?" Avia’s question left Wang Yu stumped. On second thought, Avia was a noble, after all.

To her, this sum was indeed modest, though despite being overlooked at home, she never lacked for necessities.

"Ah, you lot are all so wealthy. Honestly, I’m just easily pleased by a bit of coin!" Wang Yu shouted over the roar of the wind.

"Oh?" Avia curled her lip. This guy was such a simple soul, always so easy to please; it was almost enviable.

Yet, for some reason, having this fellow—who could be so dense in certain respects—by her side made her feel strangely at ease. She couldn't quite fathom why.

"Then, take mine as well?" The young mage kept one hand locked around Wang Yu’s waist while fishing a purse from her satchel with the other.

Inside were another ten gold coins, her share of the reward.

"What? That won't do. A knight’s squire doesn't take from their master, haha!" Wang Yu refused quickly, though he looked delighted.

"Take it!" Driven by some sudden, inexplicable petulance—and perhaps a lingering trace of her earlier annoyance—the usually gentle girl showed a rare streak of stubbornness.

Taking advantage of Wang Yu’s inability to let go of the reins, she shoved the purse directly into the pocket of his leather armor.

"The boss is generous!" Wang Yu stopped playing coy and said with a hearty laugh.

"You’re using those strange words again, ah!" The girl meant to complain, but Torret suddenly leaped over an obstacle, causing her to lose her balance and shriek as she tightened her grip on Wang Yu’s back.

Two people and one horse wove through the woods on their journey home.

Around three in the afternoon, Wang Yu and Avia returned to the Forest Cabin Magic Academy.

Upon arrival, they found Lilia standing at the door, which was quite odd. Usually, this unreliable witch was buried in her laboratory and rarely emerged, teaching Avia only when the mood struck her. Why was she standing at the door today?

"Did Garcia not return?" Seeing Torret carrying the pair, Lilia walked over, scooped Avia into her arms to rub her cheeks, and asked Wang Yu, who was busy unharnessing the horse.

"Mm, he said to tell you to wait another five years for him. Just five years!" Wang Yu mimicked Garcia’s tone from earlier.

"That brat..." Lilia laughed, though her eyes drifted away. Her hands rubbed Avia’s cheeks with increased vigor, causing the girl to whimper in protest.

A brat, indeed. Considering Lilia’s age as an aunt, calling Garcia a brat seemed fitting enough.

"Well, I must return to the Spellbinder Wizard Tower in a while. While we have time, I must teach you one final, crucial lesson."

"Every powerful mage must be a competent alchemist. Hmm—and knights, too!"

"Is that so?" Wang Yu was noncommittal, thinking to himself: I don't know about mages, but didn't that last bit just expose your true nature as a lecherous woman?

"Anyway, follow me and see. You’ll need to master this over the next month, starting with the basics of the alchemy workshop."

Lilia said, releasing her claws from the girl’s face and letting her hide behind Wang Yu.

She led them behind the cabin, where Wang Yu noticed something new.

Charred bricks, a towering furnace, and the scorching crimson flames burning beneath it. Wang Yu found the sight familiar—wasn't this a blast furnace?

"Yes, this is what you’ll be learning next. It is the first and most fundamental step of alchemy!"

"You must use this to learn the unique properties of materials. This is the gateway to alchemy."

Fine, so it’s chemistry class. Wang Yu was a science student; he felt no pressure here.

"Now, for the first step—it’s quite simple. Try using this workshop to smelt the iron ore I’ve prepared for you and forge a longsword."

With that, she placed a large chunk of iron ore before Wang Yu and tossed a magic stone into the base of the furnace, causing the flames to roar to life.

The young mage stood blankly before the furnace fire, stunned. Wang Yu ground his teeth; well, alchemy, starting with smelting iron...