Once the symbol had fully stabilized and formed, Luo Shuhang’s gaze sharpened, and he tapped it lightly with two fingers.
The pale golden spiritual symbol trembled slightly, then transformed into a stream of light that floated forward and silently seeped into Su Chen’s eyelid.
Su Chen’s eyelid twitched. He faintly felt a cool sensation and looked down at the War Boots on his feet.
Sure enough, a faint, hazy light was flowing across their surface.
"So this is Spiritual..." Su Chen found it quite profound and wiggled his feet.
"The stripping method is more difficult. You need to immerse the weapon with your own Spiritual Power bit by bit. This process is quite complex," Luo Shuhang continued, explaining the key techniques, like how to sense the Spiritual with one’s Spiritual Power.
’Huh... My Secret Artifact seems to have been saturated with my Spiritual Power from the start.’ Su Chen’s expression turned odd for a moment. ’This doesn’t seem that difficult after all.’
"Hmm..." After listening, Su Chen nodded. "Captain Luo, if you’re not busy, could you come with me to the Professional Support Department?"
Luo Shuhang’s face lit up, and he quickly stood up. "Not busy, not at all."
The two of them left the main building, making small talk. Inevitably, their conversation drifted to the matter on everyone’s mind lately: the disappearance of the Morning Star Tier Professional.
He sighed. Only after following Su Chen onto the Flying Device did he say, "If something were to happen to Venerable Qin Yun, our Sect would become the weakest of them all."
Worry was plain on his face. Many people within the Sect, including Wei Zhenghong, felt the same way.
Because of the Flame Fire, the Bronze Ancient King was unable to leave the Ancient King Hall.
In other words, their Ancient King-level combatant could only be used defensively, waiting for enemies to attack their home base. This was already a major disadvantage.
If another Morning Star Tier Professional were to die, the Bronze Sect’s standing might not plummet, but their interests would undoubtedly suffer.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, Luo Shuhang cursed himself internally. He had just remembered that the Star Seed in front of him and Venerable Qin Yun didn’t get along.
But he couldn’t just pivot and say he hoped something terrible would happen to Venerable Qin Yun, either.
"Yes, let’s hope Venerable Qin Yun is safe," Su Chen unexpectedly agreed.
The awkwardness on Luo Shuhang’s face eased somewhat, but he couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. After all, Venerable Qin Yun had... no, it wasn’t just an intention. She had already acted against this Star Seed.
The Professional Support Department—officially, the Department for Assistance with Professional Requirements—was so large that it wasn’t located on Copper Heart itself. Instead, it was situated in one of the three satellite cities that orbited Copper Heart from below.
The vast majority of the Sect’s families, numerous subsidiary departments, and the residences of its regular members were all located on these three satellite cities, named Yunlong, Beiming, and Silver Mountain.
The two were headed for Silver Mountain City. Although they were in a standard-issue Flying Device, they were descending from Copper Heart, so all traffic lanes were cleared for them.
It was a direct route, but even so, the journey took two to three hours.
Luo Shuhang had already contacted the Professional Support Department on the way. When they parked the Flying Device and emerged from the hatch, they saw a group of people already waiting.
"Your Excellency Su Chen, what a rare pleasure!"
The man in the lead walked forward warmly. He wasn’t tall but looked sharp and capable. "I’ve admired you for so long," he gushed. "It’s a rare opportunity to finally meet you in person!"
"My name is Liu Zhengan, and I’m one of the Stewards here."
"You’re too kind, Steward Liu," Su Chen replied humbly.
’These people are all wily old-timers in the Sect. They know how to talk to anyone, saying one thing to your face and another behind your back. Only a fool would take their flattery to heart.’
"You’re being so polite, I’m really not used to it," Steward Liu joked.
The heads of these subsidiary departments were clearly not on the same level as the Stewards in the main halls on Copper Heart. His own Tier was only Tier Six.
He led the way, saying, "Come, come, right this way. I’ve prepared a welcome banquet for the two of you."
Su Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly.
But Luo Shuhang cut in, "Old Liu, honestly. How many times have I told you not to bother with all these pleasantries? His Excellency Su Chen has urgent business; he doesn’t have time to sit around drinking with you."
Luo Shuhang seemed to know him well, speaking in a half-joking, half-serious tone.
Steward Liu’s expression faltered for a second before he broke into another smile. "Ah, is that so? In that case, I was being inconsiderate."
However, Su Chen smiled. "It’s nothing that urgent. Steward Liu is just being kind. Since everything is already prepared, we should go."
Hearing this, Steward Liu’s smile broadened. The small banquet didn’t last too long, and there were only three or four people present.
Su Chen put on no airs, happily trading toasts during the meal. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Steward Liu led the two of them into the tallest building in the Professional Support Department complex.
Inside the humming elevator, Liu Zhengan said, "You require weapons to be forged, correct? I’ve already arranged for three senior Caster Masters to be seconded from the forge for you."
"Each one can forge a Tier Five Weapon from scratch. With the three of them overseeing the work, you can rest easy."
"Then I must thank you," Su Chen said with a smile. ’But,’ he thought, ’if I had just snubbed him, I wonder if this Steward Liu would have been quite so accommodating.’
’He would have still made the official arrangements, of course, but it’s hard to say what the minor details would have looked like.’
Just as Su Chen required, Liu Zhengan had arranged for a spacious and brightly lit room, fully equipped with a high-grade forging furnace and all sorts of other equipment.
Three senior Caster Masters were already waiting inside. The calluses on their hands were thick and coarse, and their skin was dark, almost tinged with the color of charcoal.
Su Chen greeted them one by one, and they each introduced themselves.
All three seemed a bit reserved. While senior Caster Masters weren’t exactly rare, to them, Su Chen was a very important person.
After the pleasantries were exchanged, Su Chen asked earnestly, "Gentlemen, if I want to create Tier Five Weapons as quickly as possible, what kind is the fastest to make?"
"Speed is the priority?" Now in their element, the uncertainty on the three men’s faces vanished. They conferred in low voices for a moment.
The eldest, a man named Song Yang, answered in a deep voice, "If speed is the main concern, we suggest you make daggers. They require the fewest materials, the fewest steps, and have a simple design. As long as we have a steady supply of materials, we can forge one in five to seven days."
"Daggers." Su Chen nodded. "What else? I need to make five different types."
"Other types... Daggers, swords, sabers, axes, and spears are all typical melee weapons. We know the forging process for each of them by heart, from experience to every last step."
Song Yang reeled off the weapon names as if listing his own family heirlooms.
"Alright, let’s go with those five, then." He turned his gaze to Steward Liu.
Liu Zhengan said at once, "Will the three Caster Masters please draw up a list of the necessary materials for me? I will submit it to the Sect for requisition."
This kind of support from the Sect was subject to approval, of course.
Even though this service was only available to members of the Holy Hall, there were still many of them. The Sect couldn’t just approve any request, especially one that was incredibly difficult or resource-intensive.
The request had to be within a reasonable scope, and the resources required couldn’t be excessive.
Disregarding Su Chen’s status, the request itself was normal for a Tier Five Professional, so the approval process wouldn’t be difficult.
But then Su Chen spoke up again. "Steward Liu, would it be possible to send these three gentlemen, the necessary equipment, and all the materials to my Floating Island?"
A round trip between Silver Mountain City and his Floating Island would take the better part of half a day. It was a complete waste of time.
"Send them to the Floating Island..." Steward Liu’s expression flickered. The request was outside of standard procedure. He could refuse, and Su Chen would have no grounds to complain.
’However,’ he thought, ’this Star Seed is humble and easygoing. We had a great chat at the table earlier.’
He waved his hand magnanimously. "The travel is indeed a hassle. I’ll have everything sent over. As for our three Caster Masters, I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip. Your work stipend will be increased by twenty percent."
Getting a bonus, Song Yang and the other two naturally had no objections and nodded eagerly.
After settling the matter, Su Chen and Luo Shuhang departed, seen off with great enthusiasm by Liu Zhengan.
Luo Shuhang came back with him but didn’t go onto the island itself. He tactfully said his goodbyes at the port.
Before he left, he made sure to tell Su Chen to contact him directly if any other questions came up.
As Su Chen stepped out of the Flying Device, he saw a Mimic Mechanical Body waiting at the port, holding a silver-white metal box. It was the delivery of the Embers of the Centennial Furnace Fire.
"That was fast." Su Chen reached out to take the box. He opened it for a peek, and a wave of scorching heat hit him in the face, making him lean back instinctively.