When night falls, looking down from the sky, every house in the royal capital of Lane is lit up, and it looks like there is a different kind of exquisite prosperity.

The Void Duke's Palace, located on the seventh avenue of the kingdom, has finally fallen silent again recently after a period of activity.

But with Kaidi. With the visit of Rak, the former No. 1 alchemy blacksmith of the Duchy of Lane, the Void Duke's Mansion once again successfully broke into the sight of many nobles. In fact, many nobles still can't figure out how someone can really go from a pioneer knight to a duke at the pinnacle of power in the kingdom in less than two years, like those fairy tales that coax children.

After the war with Dabion, the archives of the Kingdom of Lane received the registration of more than a dozen nobles totaling more than thirty pioneer knights.

Those who are ambitious are not just those nobles who already have status.

And it is said that now Lane's most famous bard intended to be Sean. Connery, the Duke, wrote a biography.

Of course, the nobles who are currently looking at Sean's Void Duke's Mansion are more concerned about Kaidi. What did Lark, the alchemist, go to Sean's house for?

After almost a dozen hours of hard work, Sean and Caddy. Lark finally got some time to rest.

At this time, Sean is taking the former Duchy of Lane alchemy blacksmith Cady, who now completely puts himself in the position of apprentice. Lark heads to the restaurant. Here, the servants and the cook had already prepared their dinner, along with Vigna, Marton, Cecilia, Rena, Shephaneo, and others. They're very interested in Kaidi. Rak's arrival still showed enough enthusiasm, after all, a high-level bronze craftsman no matter what the occasion. As long as it's not an adversarial relationship, it's still very popular.

Dinner wasn't too long – in fact, it was very short.

Perhaps because Sean is from Earth, he has always eaten very quickly.

Of course, in terms of aristocratic etiquette, Sean's behavior is naturally very impolite. Because according to aristocratic etiquette, if Sean is a guest. Then he must eat at the same frequency as the master, neither too fast nor too slow, and the most perfect way is to finish the meal at the same time as the master finishes a meal; And if as the master's side. Sean's pace of eating is slower, but it can't be too fast, because there is a minimum time limit for each dish, usually about twenty minutes per dish.

But. Sean's eating habits directly omit many steps such as appetizers, appetizers, and so on. Straight to the main course. And, often, it only takes five to ten minutes for him to declare that he is full. According to the aristocratic etiquette of the dinner table, once the host has eaten and stopped the knife and fork, it is equivalent to announcing the official end of the dinner, and the knife and fork must be stopped regardless of whether everyone else is full or not.

However, because Rena, Shephaneo, and Cecilia have all followed Sean for a long time, and they are all people who have been on the battlefield. Therefore, they are all used to Sean's eating habits and ways. They even thought that this was the most standard marching and eating speed - all the soldiers under Sean's command. Meals never lasted more than five minutes, so over time everyone was used to not following aristocratic etiquette.

As for Marton and Vigna, although these two are elves, they are in a perennial war area like the Savage Lands, so they have long forgotten about the elven etiquette that is more complicated than the Anthropocene realm. Compared with the speed of eating, the two of them are only fast and not slow compared to Sean, so they can naturally keep up with Sean's rhythm.

The only trouble is Kaidi. Lark is a middle-aged man.

He was indeed stunned for a moment when he saw that it was the main course and not other appetizers or something, and then when he saw the other people gobbling up, his appetite was almost half gone. However, he insisted on eating a little for the sake of politeness, and when Sean stopped the knife and fork, he also stopped the knife and fork at the same time - or for him, it was actually equivalent to relief.

At this point, the dinner officially ended - it took seven minutes, and this was because Sean was really tired from a long day of work, so he ate an extra main course.

"Then, Mr. Cady, I'll arrange for someone to send you back." Sean looked at Cady. Lark, and then spoke.

"Wait a minute, Lord Sean." When Sean turned his head to look at Rena, Vinya, and Marton, Cady hurriedly spoke, "Sean-sama, I have something I want to talk to you about, I don't know ......what to do."

"Lord Sean, please allow me to leave the table first." Hearing Cady's words, Cecilia spoke immediately, "My magic experiment upstairs is just halfway through. ”

Cecilia has never embarrassed Sean in front of outsiders, although many people now regard her as a sister, but in fact the two of them are not related by blood at all, and only Aldolph, William, Clov and Rena know the secret. At this time, Cecilia's words naturally seemed to outsiders to be a sign of great respect.

And hearing Cecilia say this, the others are not stupid, so they naturally say goodbye one by one, and of course Sean will not have any opinion on this.

After only Sean and Cady were left in the restaurant, Sean spoke: "Mr. Cady, just say anything." ”

Cady nodded, then spoke, "There are a few questions I'd like to ask Lord Sean. ”

"What's the problem?"

"About the black energy that bursts out during forging and tempering......"

Hearing Cady's words, Sean knew what Cady's wanted to say, so he didn't wait for him to finish speaking and said, "That's charging." ”

"Recharged?" Cady was a little puzzled, "Isn't that the area of expertise of magicians?" ”

"Hmm, you haven't cultivated martial arts, so it's normal that you can't understand." Sean thought for a moment, and then explained as intuitively as possible, "There are also forgers like me who have mastered certain martial arts skills. Someone who can unleash vindictiveness. Therefore, occasionally some forging equipment, we can also perform actions similar to charging, which can greatly improve the quality of the equipment. It even comes with some special abilities. ”

"Special abilities?"

"Yes." Sean nodded slightly, "Like a forger with a fire attribute fighting spirit, if they charge the equipment, then they can improve the fire resistance of the equipment or have a certain fire attribute related effect." In the same way, if it is other attributes, it can also attach some related attribute abilities to the equipment, which is the same as the charge that magicians use when crafting jewelry, alchemy items, and even magic items, so I also call it a charge. ”

"I see." Cady nodded knowingly. "So in the afternoon, Lord Sean, what is the effect of your charge for that epic sword...... Dark energy? ”

"Yes." Sean didn't deny it.

Although it is true that people with dark energy are relatively rare in this world, they are not absent.

Spells such as manipulating the undead are dark magic. However, although necromancers are disgusting and even targeted for expulsion by churches and countries, they are not included in the ranks of infidels, and in the same way, warriors with dark fighting spirit will naturally not be treated as infidels. It can even be said that dark energy is also one of the supporting points that constitute the system of this miracle continent. Therefore, no matter how much evil tendencies are there. Nor will it lead to the same results as with the infidels.

And Sean, when he was forging in the afternoon, he finally chose to consume fifty percent of the dark energy to recharge the dead bones. For this reason, he had to consume a pilgrim's holy water to suppress the dark energy in his body, and this time the result was not without harvest for him, at least he probably knew what kind of fate the so-called "dark slave" of the Dao would be.

"That'...... Lord Sean, do all those high-quality demonic equipment need to be recharged? Cady asked again.

"It's not." Sean shook his head to deny Cady's cognitive error, "The so-called charge. It's just an aid, but it's not necessary. If the quality of the material you choose is good enough. And if there are no mistakes in the crafting process, then you can make gold-level demonic equipment even if you don't need to charge it. And it's important to note that the idea that you can make high-quality demonic equipment with a charge is also very wrong and dangerous. ”

"Why do you say that?"

"For a martial arts forger, excessive charging will cause the Dou Qi in the body to become mixed and impure, which will not only cause some damage to the body, but also lead to a decline in the quality of the equipment due to the deterioration of the quality of the Dou Qi." Sean opened his mouth to explain, "Secondly, not all demonization equipment or even more advanced equipment is suitable for charging, which is also related to the martial forger's own fighting spirit. …… Just imagine, if a piece of demonic equipment with a water element is attached, but you are filled with fire attribute fighting energy, what will be the result? ”

Kaidi. Like a schoolboy, Lark pondered the outcome of the question, then nodded thoughtfully. But soon, he spoke again: "This can only be said to be a mistake, so dangerous? ”

"Dependency." Sean whispered, "And a series of problems that arise from dependency. ”

Seeing the look of confusion on Cady's face, Sean added again: "Once you find that charging can improve the quality of equipment, then it is very likely that you will rely on this special forging method. As a result, there will be damage to the forge itself as I mentioned earlier, as well as a decrease in the quality of equipment. In addition, the greater danger is that it will limit the thinking and innovation of the forger, because you will continue to make equipment that is more in line with your own fighting attributes, and will not try new materials, and the result will naturally be conceivable over time. ”

"I see." Cady sighed, a look of satisfaction on her face.

Sean can understand this demeanor, because when he was in the game, once any difficult question was answered, or when he successfully cleared a dungeon to obtain a new piece of equipment, props, etc., he would have such a satisfied demeanor. From this point on, Kaidi. Lark and Sean are actually the same kind of people, they are not very ambitious, but for some reason they are willing to put in ten or a hundred times the effort.

"Dou Qi charging is also a skill of the blacksmith. It's just that this technique has great limitations. Seeing Cady's demeanor, Sean couldn't help but talk more.

Cady nodded humbly.

Of course, he knew what the limitations of the Dao were—only by becoming a martial artist could he use this special forging technique. And with Kaidi's age, even if he wants to become a martial artist now. It was already impossible, so he naturally couldn't use this forging technique. Therefore, he also understood that Sean meant this sentence to him in order to make him give up this whimsical way of forging.

"And." Seeing Cady's already understood look, Sean added, "There are also high and low levels of charging skills. Smiths who are really good at using this technique will not charge them at will, but will use them according to the situation. There are a lot of different techniques involved. …… You can simply understand it, and what I say to you in detail will not be of much benefit to you. ”

"I see." Caddy said she understood. "That'...... Lord Sean, what kind of effect will your charge from yesterday do to that epic sword? ”

"It's hard to say." Sean shook his head, "But it doesn't conflict with the bones themselves, after all, the main material for forging bones is the leg bones of the demon lord." Therefore, the charge of the Dark Fighting Qi can still increase some power and effects. Although the main material I used in the transformation was mainly to break demons. However, it is actually a dark forging material, but it may be affected by the Stone of Order, and the dark ability will probably be suppressed to a certain extent. …… Of course, on the whole, there will definitely be a significant increase in the power effect and even the amplification ability brought by the epic equipment. ”

"I don't know if Lord Shaun is willing to take an apprentice." After a moment's hesitation, Cady. Lark suddenly said bluntly, "With Lord Sean's current skills. Bringing an apprentice is definitely more than enough. ”

Hearing Kaidi's words, Sean knew that Kaidi must have thought that he had studied under a certain great master in the forging world.

But considering my current age. No matter how you look at it, it is obvious that it is impossible to be self-taught—because even if you are a genius, you must need a master to lead you through the door. But no matter how talented a genius craftsman is, he can't become a mid-tier goldsmith at the age of twenty-five or six—in the history of the Craftsman's Guild, the youngest goldsmith is thirty-three years old, and this is still a true craftsman who only indulges in the forging world.

And Sean?

His current public identity is not only a duke, a master of the Silver Realm, but also a military strategist, politician, etc., and although it has not been officially disclosed, there are basically many people who know that the identity of the Tao also includes prophets, soothsayers, appraisers and knowledgeable scholars - of course, in terms of prophets, soothsayers, and appraisers, Sean feels that they can actually be collectively called divine sticks.

You must know that although the Miracle Continent is a world full of miracles and miracles, its essence is still a world world that pays attention to every point of hard work and one point of harvest.

So instinctively, Sean didn't want to deny Cady's speculation.

"You mean, you want me to take you as an apprentice?" Sean looked at Cady.

"Yes." Kaidi nodded seriously, "I hope to be able to become your apprentice, and I want to learn more advanced forging techniques." ”

"We're a bit of a big age gap." Sean frowned.

"Lord Sean, I remember that you Cinnas people have a slang saying, 'The master is the teacher', right?" Cady said in a deep voice, his attitude and expression were very serious and serious, without the slightest hint of hypocrisy, "Since this is the case, then age should not be a reason for you to reject me." ”

"But even if you become my apprentice, I won't have much time to teach you." Sean spoke.

"I know it." Kedi nodded, "I know that Lord Sean, you will definitely be very busy as a duke, especially the just concluded Dabion War and the upcoming martial arts festival, but as long as you have time to give me a little guidance, then this will be enough." …… Moreover, with my current level of forging, I can help you, as long as Lord Sean agrees, I can return to the Void Realm with you later. ”

"So what about your property here in the royal capital?"

"I'll sell it and put all my money into the construction of the Void Realm."

Hearing Kaidi's words, Sean must be false if he wants to say that he is not moved, a high-level bronze craftsman who is attacking the silver craftsman master, no matter how you look at it, it is still of great benefit to the development of a territory. Especially Sean knows very well that this era is about to enter the era of magic technology because of his advance, and when the time comes, ordinary equipment weapons will be replaced by magic weapons, and the status of magicians will be greatly reduced, so the status of the alchemist on the contrary will be greatly improved.

Whether in terms of immediate or long-term interests, Kaidi. Lark and the Void Collar are tied together, and Sean has nothing to lose.

So after thinking about it for a few seconds, Sean agreed to Cady's proposal and officially put Cady. Lark was accepted as an apprentice. And Sean didn't keep this matter a secret, so the next day, Cecilia and the others knew that Cady was already Sean's apprentice, but they were not surprised at all, on the contrary, if Cady was not impressed by Sean after seeing Sean's skills, then Cecilia, Rena and others would really be surprised.

However, it is precisely because Sean and his followers take it for granted, so naturally no one will publicize this kind of thing, so the outside world does not know about Cady. Rak, the only alchemist in the former Ryan Kingdom, is now Sean's apprentice. It's just that for those old politicians and aristocrats with a keen sense of smell, they still smell something unusual.

Because, in the next few days, Kaidi. Lark officially moved to Sean's Void Duke's mansion, and spent his days researching and discussing with Sean on the science of forging, and watching Sean's transformation of the dead bones throughout the process. In the process, Kaidi. Naturally, Lark learned a lot of things - and while these knowledge and skills are very common for players, they are still very impactful in this era, after all, many skills and knowledge are gradually developed by players in the middle of the game.

And Cady, in the process, gradually understood the reason why Sean could become a goldsmith - of course, this is purely Cady. In Lack's own opinion, Sean is just a player with the help of the system's functions after all. However, in front of outsiders, Sean did behave impeccablely, any forging steps he was as precise as an instrument and a textbook, without the slightest mistake or mistake, it was completely impossible to make any mistakes with such a perfect and precise forging.

Therefore, on the day of the official convening of the martial arts festival, Sean finally completed the preliminary transformation of the dead bones.

In the same way, he has already thought about the next second phase of the transformation plan, and has chosen a new name for the transformed bones.

The Black King. (To be continued......)