Chapter 50: Equipment Reforging
The blacksmith paused mid-step as he passed Su Xiao, then continued on his way after a moment.
"I just killed Qis. Not planning to avenge him?"
Su Xiao needed to ascertain the blacksmith's stance, since he required the man's help to reforge equipment using the Ash Furnace.
"Qis Elman... died long ago. The Qis I remember would never have accepted the power of an Ancient God."
The blacksmith gave a faint smile, feigning indifference, though his lips trembled almost imperceptibly.
The three brothers of the Salvation Church were the true saviors of Doom Town. Unfortunately, they stood alone, and their superior, the Archbishop, harbored ill intentions.
When Qis chose to accept the Ancient God's power, in the blacksmith's heart, that man was already dead. Using the power of an Ancient God was one thing—the blacksmith and the Immortal Man both wielded it in battle—but accepting it was another matter entirely. That led to the erosion of the soul.
What the Archbishop, Qis, and the Orphan of Resentment didn't know was that the power of the Ancient God was far more terrifying than they imagined.
This Ancient God power didn't have three aspects. Besides light, darkness, and fire, there was a fourth: the mind. Anyone who accepted this power would be influenced, their mind gradually becoming that of an Ancient God.
[Notification: You have triggered a special event: Farewell of an Old Friend.]
[Your personal reputation level with the Blacksmith has increased to Friendly.]
[Due to the Hunter's Charm attribute, your personal reputation with the Blacksmith has only increased to Neutral-Friendly. Please refrain from extreme actions, or you will be attacked by the Blacksmith.]
In Su Xiao's view, Neutral-Friendly was reliable enough. At the very least, it meant the blacksmith would help reforge the equipment without issue.
"Blacksmith, you know how to use the Ash Furnace, right?"
"Of course."
"Use it to reforge a bracer..."
"That will require a lot of Starlight Iron."
The blacksmith looked troubled, his brow furrowed as he seemed to recall how to operate the Ash Furnace.
"Starlight Iron is no problem."
"Besides the Starlight Iron, there's also my fee."
The blacksmith added as he walked ahead.
"Shouldn't you be free of worldly desires in your state?"
Baha eyed the blacksmith, who glared back, clearly irritable.
"Do you take me for free labor? But... since you defeated the Archbishop, I'll waive the fee this time."
The blacksmith returned to the corridor, and soon, flames roared to life in the smelting furnace.
Su Xiao retrieved the Ash Furnace from the team storage space. Before long, the blacksmith had the furnace glowing red-hot, waves of searing heat washing over them.
[The Ash Furnace has been successfully activated.]
[The Hunter may select one piece of equipment for reforging. If selecting a set, up to 2–8 pieces can be chosen simultaneously. After reforging, the set will merge into a single piece, with improved quality.]
[Reforging requires a large amount of equipment as fuel. The quantity of equipment used will affect the success rate.]
...
Seeing these prompts, Su Xiao removed the Black King three-piece set.
As for equipment to use as fuel, he only had the [Ring of Oblivion (Epic)] for now, which was clearly insufficient.
Su Xiao had four Holy Spirit chests. The problem was, if those chests yielded equipment, it would likely be Holy Spirit rank. Using Holy Spirit equipment as fuel...
That wasn't just wasteful; it was overconsumption of resources. The quality of fuel equipment wasn't the higher the better. Ideally, it should be one rank above the Black King set. The Black King set was Legendary, so Epic equipment was best for fuel.
Holy Spirit rank had too strong a supernatural essence, which might actually increase the risk of failure. If the blacksmith couldn't control it properly, the final quality of the Black King set might not even reach Epic.
Opening chests on the spot was unreliable. Su Xiao had another method. Reforging required the supernatural essence within the equipment, not the equipment itself.
Su Xiao now had half of the Holy Spear. Although it couldn't be taken out of the Light and Dark World, its supernatural essence could be utilized. Through the Ash Furnace's refinement, Reincarnation Paradise would classify this as resource fusion, not affecting the reforging.
Besides the half Holy Spear, there was also Qis's staff-blade. This weapon was at least Holy Spirit rank. Su Xiao's approach was to break the staff-blade into three segments. It took him nearly an hour, using Alchemy assistance, to snap it into pieces.
When a weapon was damaged, its supernatural essence dropped significantly. That was exactly what Su Xiao wanted. It ensured enough essence without "quality overflow," making it easier for the blacksmith to control the heat.
The blacksmith was somewhat angry. This staff-blade was his creation. On the surface, it was said to have broken in battle, but the blacksmith wasn't foolish. He had heard the rumbling from the altar earlier.
The blacksmith said nothing more. He was a man who repaid favors. Su Xiao had killed the Archbishop, restoring his sanity. Regardless of Su Xiao's motives, the blacksmith only cared about the result.
Su Xiao placed the Black King three-piece set inside the Ash Furnace, then put the broken Holy Spear and staff-blade into the furnace's blazing flames. The Holy Spear and staff-blade dissolved rapidly.
[Reforging success rate has reached 83%.]
Su Xiao tossed the [Ring of Oblivion (Epic)] into the furnace, raising the success rate to 90.5%. One Epic piece only increased the rate by 7.5%. If he relied solely on Epic equipment, he couldn't gather enough.
Seeing this, Su Xiao retrieved a sniper rifle from his storage space. Named [Devouring Annihilation], it was an Epic sniper rifle he had phased out.
The type of equipment didn't matter; only the supernatural essence counted as fuel. After adding the [Devouring Annihilation] rifle, the success rate reached 100%.
"You can begin now."
The blacksmith gripped a long-handled iron clamp, holding a mold cup filled with molten red iron. He had melted the Archbishop's scepter to activate the Ash Furnace.
Along the furnace's edge, the blacksmith poured the molten iron inside. With a whoosh, orange-red flames erupted, the extreme heat forcing Su Xiao back several steps.
"Damn it!"
Baha turned and fled, feathers on fire, a testament to the temperature.
Even with Su Xiao's physique, he had to retreat several meters away. Yet the blacksmith stood right before the furnace, even gripping the bellows beside it and starting to pump. The bellows were so heavy that anyone with Strength below 140 points would struggle to move them, let alone pump them continuously, which required immense endurance.
Whoosh, whoosh~
Sparks flew everywhere. The corridor grew even hotter, the walls glowing red. Su Xiao retreated outside the corridor, while the blacksmith inside didn't even furrow his brow. Everyone had their expertise. When it came to enduring heat, Su Xiao couldn't compare to the blacksmith. In battle, however, the blacksmith would likely fall to Su Xiao's blade.
"It's a bracer, covering the hand as well, right?"
"Yeah."
"It'll take at least until tomorrow to finish. If only I had some wine."
"After the reforging, there will be good wine."
"Not now?"
The blacksmith, working the bellows, perked up.
"..."
Su Xiao pointed at the glowing red wall. Any wine brought out now would explode from the heat. The blacksmith understood and refocused on the furnace's temperature.
After staying in the church for a few hours, Su Xiao exited through the main door. He needed to find the Serpent Sisters. Even without the Black King set now, if a fight broke out, he had no fear.
The sky was still shrouded in thin mist. The dim moon had faded, and the sun was beginning to emit a faint glow. The whole of Doom Town seemed a bit brighter, though the change was barely noticeable.