area51novel Page 42
Page 42
At this moment, his face regained its lazy expression.
Merlin glanced at Gawain as he drew the fake holy sword, then praised him:
"The sun's darling, your future is limitless."
Congratulations on becoming the master of this meteorite-sized sword! I eagerly await the day you become an invincible knight.
After saying this, Merlin turned around and, leaning on his long cane, walked towards the stone wall entrance to the natural cave.
But Gawain didn't leave in a hurry. He held the fake "Sword of the Sun King" and looked at Arthur beside him.
He noticed that Arthur was staring at the last sword stuck in the stone, a decorative sword with a thin, long blade.
Merlin walked halfway and realized that the two people behind him had not followed, so he stopped and looked back.
Soon, he also noticed Arthur standing still, staring at the remaining sword stuck in the stone.
Before Merlin could speak, Arthur snapped out of his reverie and asked Merlin:
"Mr. Merlin, why is the genuine product of your alchemical masterpiece a decorative sword?"
Arthur was curious:
Why would Merlin, an alchemist, go to the trouble of forging a decorative sword for the knight class?
Generally speaking, forging weapons is the skill of blacksmiths.
Alchemists excel at making potions and creating strange and extraordinary things.
Upon hearing Arthur's question, Merlin smiled knowingly and chose to guide him to think about it:
"My lord, with your knowledge, you must know the purpose of a decorative sword, right?"
"A decorative sword, also known as a ceremonial sword."
Arthur answered succinctly:
"Used in church ceremonies and awarding ceremonies, it is a sword that bestows upon knights a higher status and power."
Merlin nodded and continued, following Arthur's lead:
"This decorative sword stuck in the stone is indeed a sword that bestows upon the knight a higher status and power."
But it is also an extraordinary thing, and extraordinary things must have extraordinary characteristics.
Merlin paused, then looked at Arthur with interest, and continued in a seductive tone:
"So, does Your Lordship wish to know what extraordinary properties I have bestowed upon it?"
Arthur didn't reply; he frowned slightly and fell silent.
A short while later.
Arthur shook his head:
"No need."
Curiosity killed the cat.
Merlin's tone alerted Arthur, so he quickly suppressed his curiosity.
After this little incident ended.
Arthur and Gawain followed Merlin's footsteps and arrived together in front of the stone wall.
Then, as Merlin raised his staff again to cast a spell, the thick stone wall once more transformed into a mirage, allowing them to pass through it.
Soon, they returned to Merlin's Stone Gate Treasury.
Merlin seemed to be in a good mood after making the deal with Gawain for the fake Holy Sword.
He led Arthur and Gawain to the middle of the vault before stopping.
Then, he raised his staff and waved it upwards.
As white magical energy fluctuations appeared, fluorescent objects illuminated the dark space.
Arthur and Gawain observed carefully and discovered that the source of the fluorescence was a strange mushroom with a mouth.
This strange mushroom emits a fluorescent glow to dispel the darkness only after inhaling the magic from Merlin through its mouth.
Using the fluorescent light of the mushrooms, they were able to see the collections on the shelves on both sides of the aisle where they were located.
Then Merlin said to Arthur:
"My lord, you still have three Wind Elemental Essence Gems as your bargaining chip."
The value of the extraordinary artifacts and collectibles on the shelves in this treasure trove we are in now is all within your grasp.
So, you can choose any item that interests you, and I will tell you its specific value.
Arthur nodded after hearing this, and then began to choose.
Soon, he found his first favorite item among a collection of strange and unusual items—a set of four warhorse braces and leggings.
Arthur picked up the wrist and leg braces bound with hemp rope, looked up at Merlin, and asked him about their value with his eyes.
"2 Wind Element Essence Gems".
Merlin first stated what he needed to exchange, and then explained in detail:
“I call this set of wristbands and leg wraps ‘the baptism of blood and sweat’.”
Its owner was once a warhorse that had fought countless battles without ever being defeated.
War did not kill it, but time did.
Thus, after the warhorse died, it developed a deep obsession.
This obsession influenced the wristbands and leg wraps it wore in life, ultimately transforming them into a remarkable set of objects.
Arthur remembered Merlin mentioning that "extraordinary things must have extraordinary characteristics," so he followed up with the question:
"So, what are their extraordinary characteristics?"
"Delays fatigue in mounted warhorses and enhances their awareness of danger."
Merlin paused, then continued:
"But the trade-off is that warhorses that have been 'Baptized with Blood and Sweat' will experience increased pain from damage when attacked."
Therefore, warhorses of ordinary temperament cannot handle this extraordinary bracer and leg guard.
At this point, Merlin immediately thought of the dark-maned horse Arthur had led when they first met, and then pondered:
“I see that your warhorse is of good quality, and its temperament is fierce, which is just right for this extraordinary thing.”
After listening to Merlin's explanation and analysis, Arthur quickly made a decision:
“Then I will exchange two Wind Essence Gems for this set of Warhorse Bracers called ‘Baptism of Blood’.”
After saying that, Arthur began to caress the wristbands and leggings with obvious affection.
Arthur now has one Wind Essence Gem left.
Next, Arthur picked out several more items from the shelf that looked somewhat appealing.
But after inquiring with Merlin, he learned that their value was more than one Wind Elemental Essence Gem.
Therefore, after weighing their value against the first extraordinary thing he had chosen, the "baptism of blood and sweat," Arthur rejected them all.
Finally, Arthur picked up a rectangular jewelry box from an inconspicuous corner of a cabinet.
He opened the jewelry box, and what caught his eye was an exquisite women's silver necklace.
Upon close inspection, one can discover that its surface is also engraved with mysterious runes.
"Hmm! When did I put this in this area?"
Upon seeing the exquisite necklace in the box Arthur opened, Merlin showed a rare look of confusion and fell into deep thought.
Arthur was puzzled:
What's wrong with this extraordinary thing?
"It's nothing, I just hadn't figured out its exact origins before, and then I didn't expect it to end up here."
Merlin finished thinking and responded to Arthur:
"But you don't need to worry, I have studied its extraordinary characteristics quite thoroughly."
Its essence is a talisman, which can protect the wearer from a certain degree of harm.
However, its carrier is not its owner.
Because, to be precise, the protective function of this exquisite necklace is achieved by having its owner bear the harm for the wearer.
Therefore, if the lord has a woman he admires, he could exchange for this exquisite necklace and give it to her.
Only one Wind Essence Gem is needed.
When Merlin said those last words, he had no intention of selling the artifact.
But what he didn't expect was.
Arthur immediately spoke up after he finished speaking:
"Then I won't be picky anymore, I'll just take this nameless amulet."
Chapter 49 Lawson's Stone Dagger
Merlin paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure:
"can."
With that, the deal between the two was complete.
Arthur has already spent all 10 Wind Element Essence Gems extracted from the corpse of the Tier 3 One-Eyed Wolf.
After getting what he wanted, Merlin was in high spirits, a pleased smile spreading across his languid face.
"Lord from Blackrock Territory, it's a pleasure to cooperate."
After offering the compliments, he reminded Arthur:
"Ten Wind Element Essence Gems are just my estimated number to be refined."
If we extract even more Wind Elemental Essence Gems by then, we can discuss the subsequent transactions in more detail.
"Ah."
Arthur expressed his understanding.
Having said that, Merlin prepared to leave the Stone Gate Treasure Vault.
But Arthur called out to him:
"Mr. Merlin, please wait a moment, there is something else I haven't said yet."
After saying that, Arthur took out a small, coarse cloth bundle from his pocket.
On this journey, he sought out the alchemist Merlin, not only to refine the elemental essence from the corpse of a third-tier one-eyed wolf, but also to fulfill a commission from someone else.
—A request from Lawson, the Thunder Badger Knight.
Merlin stopped and looked at what Arthur was holding:
"Hmm! Is this demon skin?"
After hearing this, Arthur stared at the coarse cloth in his hand with a puzzled expression.
When he first received the item from Lawson, he examined it closely and found that although the coarse cloth was wrinkled, it did not have the fiber characteristics commonly found in cloth.
Based on his knowledge and experience, he couldn't discern the material.
So Arthur asked Merlin:
What is "Demon Skin"?
"As the name suggests, it is skin cut off from a creature called a demon."
Merlin feigned deep thought and began to explain the origins of the demon:
"Demons are monstrous forms created by humans stitching together the flesh and blood of various demons and twisting it into their bodies."
Although human intelligence and talent surpass those of almost all other races in the world, the physical body can never escape the short lifespan of a mere hundred years.