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[MA] 403. A Genuine Extension
🕑 Added 2024-04-04 21:55:15 +0000 UTCPrevious Chapter — Table of Contents — Next Chapter
[Announcement: I'll take a week off in June, from the 1st to the 8th. I need the time to organize a lot of stuff in my life.
Late chapters: 0 (this was the last one)
Chapters this week: 0/2
Next chapter: Thursday (2 chapters)]
Some of Shen's metaphysical senses were like having an out-of-body extension of himself. He felt the world through his Laws like invisible spiritual fingers prodding around and sending sensory feedback to his mind.
The spear before him was something else altogether.
It was like sensing a partial copy of him before himself, like a broken mirror of which he could only glimpse his Path—less than half of it. He could tell the weapon had three core Laws that called to him, but not which they were. Still, he was that spear in a way.
He also wasn't, not entirely. It was disconnected from him. But if he just made the spear his, who knows what wonders would become available to him?
A warning tugged at his mind: the sneaky A-rank lady had crafted it for him.
But the shadow had claimed the Gardener had cleansed the A-rank's influence from the weapon. Their following words also contained wisdom; indeed, the Gardener was an S-rank who ruled over the World Tree. He had easier ways to mess with Shen. Unless, of course, this was some twisted sense of entertainment, but Shen couldn't live his life afraid of 'maybes' without any evidence of them being true, and he had found none.
So Shen stepped ahead and extended his hand toward the spear.
Before he touched it, the Armory told him a few things about it. The window he got contained a few more lines than any other item he had identified until now.
「GARDENER SECT — ARMORY IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM
Item: Un'Re
Craftsmanship Tier: A+
Usable Tier: C+PEAK
Synced Core Tier: B
Type: Weapon
Sub-Type: Spear
Primary Materials: Abyssal Twig (A-), Anointed Avon Alloy (A-)
Origin: Upper Trunk – Unnamed Subspace (A)
Primary Artisan: E'vania – Destiny Realization Realm
Secondary Artisan: The Gardener – Law Elevation Realm
Primary Crafting Technique: Realized Harmonization
Core Laws: Spear's Shaft, Wind's Gentle Breeze, Lightning's Conductivity
Enchantments: Resistance (B+), Sharpness (B+), Oneness (A+)」
According to everything Shen knew about item tiers in general, this spear was miraculous.
It was an A-tier work of art, but when actually used, it merely touched the ultimate limit of what would be considered a C-tier item. That was only interesting; the miracle was that if someone with compatible Laws held it, it would be as good as a B-tier weapon. In other words, despite his unmastered Laws, his weapon would be as good as the weapon infused with mastered Laws by a B-rank fighter. He had never heard of such a thing being possible.
The materials were A-, and once more, the word "Abyss" tried to stir his memories. Tribulation Lightning blocked them. He was somehow connected to the Abyss, but the Heavens wouldn't let him recall how.
Anyway, this weapon had been made with A-tier materials, contained all three Laws the A-rank lady had mentioned might be suitable as a weapon core for Shen, and had B and A-tier enchantments.
That's right. Not only would it behave as a B-tier weapon in his hands, but it even had B-tier enchantments. To all intents and purposes, it was an actual B-tier spear while held by him. Shen doubted he could break that weapon even if he tried his best.
Not that he wouldn't try.
Ever.
The moment his hands touched the spear, he understood the Oneness enchantment.
Shen truly became the spear in a way he couldn't fully comprehend. That was another miracle. His True Center expanded to encompass the spear's existence as if they were one.
The weapon became a genuine extension of himself. He felt it like he could feel his limbs. He was that spear. Except that limb felt slightly unnatural, as if his arm had been put in a freezer and felt a bit more rigid than it should.
Now he understood why the old lady had been against giving him a weapon with Spear's Killing Weapon at its core. The constant feedback might indeed stir him the wrong way. Even if he resisted it most of the time, it might push him to make the wrong decision during extreme situations and change him over time.
This weapon held no such danger, though. Its three core Laws supported and counter-balanced each other. The thing was perfectly harmonized with itself—and with Shen himself.
Sharing his True Center with it also meant sharing his soul. In other words, this spear was immune to meta-physical attacks from non-mastered Laws. Moreover, he instinctively knew his True Center wouldn't get damaged if the spear broke. The Oneness enchantment was that impressive. It made the spear one with him but in a safe way. Shen wondered if every good A-tier weapon had it.
He ran his fingers through the darker-than-black Abyssal Twig shaft. The polished-looking wood was cut to more than perfection, absolutely seamless. There was no friction at all. Shen could only hold it on the vertical because he was the spear. Him being the weapon also meant he felt his fingers running through it as if touching his own skin.
He touched the edge of the Anointed Avon Alloy spearhead next. The thing also had no friction. It was astoundingly beautiful, also perfectly cut, a crafted goldish silver metal that released a sort of pure aura he couldn't explain. It felt holy somehow. By the "Avon" in its name, it might've been formed using the blood of an A-rank holin's wings. He wondered if it was the old lady's.
Shen released the spear and could control it effortlessly, moving it around as if it were his own self. He didn't need to use his Laws or qi. If he added qi to the spear before releasing it, he'd be able to use the energy from a distance as if it were his own body. That might come in handy in the future.
The only thing that weapon lacked was a tassel, but he wouldn't dare to attach one to it—and not because it would just fall off from the frictionless thing if he tried. This was a masterpiece. It was the kind of thing that should not be wielded by someone like him. Shen still had some pride but had to recognize this object's sheer craftsmanship and perfection.
Shen was not worthy.
If this was a trap, it was too good for him not to bite. He wouldn't give up on this spear for anything. It was already his—already him. But regardless of whether it was a trap or not, it was so marvelous, so beyond him, that he had to bow down to its maker.
Literally so.
Shen cupped his hands before himself and bowed low in the spear's direction. Lower than he had ever since waking up. Lower than his waistline. Low enough to reach his knees' height.
Kowtowing was the only way to display more humility and gratitude than that. If not for the earlier exchange with the A-rank lady, Shen might've done it. Alas, the current him wouldn't prostrate himself before someone that scheming. It would mean almost ultimate submission, and he couldn't be at such a sneaky being's back and call; it would go against his Honor.
"Wha– What's that?!" E'forion asked, bewildered beside Shen. "A personal gift from Elder T'rael?!"
Before Shen could reply, T'rael himself did. "This one would never dare to gift one of Elder E'vania's masterworks to this one's own children, much less to an Outsider."
His words were loud and heard by everyone, who turned to stare at Shen. He didn't like the way almost everyone looked at his spear—at himself. Being one with the spear did mean he sort of was an object, but he was his own object. Being looked at with such greed infuriated him.
"Grandmother?!" E'forion exclaimed. "When?! Why?!"
"Elder V'ania personally gifted the Outsider with this spear," T'rael announced to everyone, even louder this time. "Spit on her charity at your own peril." He then turned his head back to where he had been looking, seemingly ignoring Shen.
His words had the desired effect. Almost everyone looked unwilling but eventually turned their heads away from Shen.
An A-rank had decided to give him something, so they would only second-guess the A-rank if they were sure they could avoid her eyes.
E'forion said nothing for a few moments. He just stared at the spear. Then, he asked, "Can I hold it for a bit?"
"No," Shen quickly replied, then added less briskly. "It has an enchantment that makes me feel as if it's my own skin."
The spear was like a limb. He did not want to be held by anyone. Not to mention the awkwardness if E'forion decided to trace his fingers on the spear as Shen had done.
"Oneness?!" the young holin shouted. "Grandmother gave you a weapon enchanted with Oneness?!"
The commotion re-attracted the Armory's customers' attention. Shen decided to grab his spear very possessively and stand straighter as a clear warning.
He would kill for his weapon if needed.
He would die for it if the B-rank tried to take it from him.
"Is it a good enchantment?" Shen asked.
"Good?! Good?!" E'forion laughed dryly. "Only the very best spearmakers at the Destiny Realization Realm can do it. At least one of the materials must contain half their blood essence." He stared at the goldish silver spearhead. "That's my grandmother's blood you're wielding."
Shen nodded. He had already guessed part of it. That was impressive, but he couldn't marvel more at the spear than he already had.
"I owe Elder E'vania," he declared.
The shadow had said this was an apology gift, but the old lady didn't need to do this much. Shen was indebted to the sneaky woman—as much as he disliked it.
E'forion looked at him as if he were an idiot. A moment later, he shook his head. "You have no idea, Outsider. Do you want to buy armor now?"
Shen nodded. "A cultivator robe, if possible," he said while flying in the general direction of the robes on display. "How much does B armor cost on average?"
E'forion shrugged as he followed. "You must ask Elder T'rael."
Shen bowed to the man and repeated the question. A whispery voice replied beside his right ear, though the elder never moved. "Two hundred high-purity stones. Your one hundred fifty high-purity spirit stones could afford a B- protective robe, but they all have core Laws, and none compatible with your Path. You must choose between a C robe with a compatible Law for seventy stones or a C+ one for seventy-five." The two mentioned robes came flying towards him without his input.
T'rael was much more helpful now that an A-rank Elder had gifted Shen the spear. That was only natural. Power was respected anywhere.
The items' prices were a bit strange. B- items should be considerably more expensive than C+ ones, but that didn't seem to be the case. However, a Lawless C+ item being only slightly more expensive than a C one with a core Law did make sense, as they were effectively as good as each other if wielded by someone with a compatible Law. The main difference should be the superior materials or craftsmanship used on the C+ one. Shen wasn't sure about the craftsmanship; perhaps adding a core Law to an item was harder than making a Lawless item of a higher tier.
One robe was pure black, the other pure white. A quick check revealed the C+ one indeed had better materials, C+ instead of C. It also had C+ enchantments. None of that would matter once its core Law came into play; at least, not in combat.
Shen picked the Lawless armor simply because it would be more convenient to gift someone else in the future. Look-wise, it was just a cultivator robe. It had five enchantments: Physical Resistance, Fire Resistance, Light Resistance, Qi Repelling, and Self-Repair.
"Thank you, Esteemed Senior," Shen said while bowing to the B-rank. He nodded and resumed ignoring him.
Shen changed clothes right there, then asked E'forion. "Can I get a spatial ring anywhere with my spare money?"
The young holin sighed and provided one for Shen himself. Shen stored his old robe and broken twig inside. He had no plans for the twig except not littering the Armory with it. There was no reason to abuse a B-rank's hospitality.
"This is it," Shen said. "Time to fight."
It would make sense to get used to his weapon in most other situations, but there was no need in this case. He couldn't become more used to himself if he tried.
He bowed one last time to T'rael and left the Armory to crush the guy's likely descendant.
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Comments
Zaim İpek
Oh, I could answer the first one. Carl didn't invent Karma. He mastered the law/axiom/whatever and made it central to his own path and realization, but he didn't invent it anymore than the elf queen invented seasons.
Kurt A
I have a question: how did the Drow Maiden get a Karmic realization if Karma was created by the Eternal Emperor? Second Question: could you explain the process by which the EE discovered his wife was a spy/traitor? That was one of the more confusing chapters waaay back.
Zaim İpek
My question is how often do you design a new species. Surely you didn't have the full list of races completed at the story start, and new ones seem to appear at a semi-regular pace. But how quickly are you creating them? Do you have a growing backlog of alien races just waiting to pop up in the story, or do you create them spontaneously in the chapter where they first are mentioned?
