Chapter 122: Enchantment and Magical Items (Part I)

The young boy rubbed his cheeks with both hands, his gaze vacant as he stared at the ceiling, while his lower body continued to move unconsciously.

Time truly flies. In the blink of an eye, Fergus’s blacksmith shop had been open for ten days, and due to the dismal business, Master Yuna had been spending her free time researching the properties of “Dimmokyn.”

From their conversations, he learned that this material was usually used as an additive, combined with other metals to enhance hardness and flexibility, creating alloys for forging weapons or armor.

However, how much of it was needed to produce a magical interference effect, and what ratios would avoid weakening the sword’s blade or the armor’s toughness—these were questions that required careful observation and practical experimentation.

Victor knew of two places where ready knowledge of “anti-magic armaments” could be obtained.

One was the “Flame Rose Knights” of Vigima. Siegfried had accidentally let it slip that their research into Dimmokyn had progressed so far they could create “anti-magic metal bombs,” devastating weapons capable of disrupting magic.

Victor imagined that these bombs, once thrown, could interfere with or even completely seal off all magic within a considerable radius.

The other was the “Eternal Fire Temple Guard” in Novigrad, the world’s most prosperous city, attracting the strongest mages globally. To deter the finest sorcerers, the most advanced anti-magic weapons would be necessary.

This golden city ensured the Temple Guard lacked neither funds nor suppliers, so anti-magic metals were surely widely integrated into their equipment.

Yet, both factions were not to be trifled with. Such strategic knowledge was tightly guarded, making it nearly impossible to seize the technology openly.

To acquire it, one would have to infiltrate their organizations; a straightforward theft was virtually a “mission impossible.”

...

Returning to the shop, Angeline chatted with Yuna for a while, handed over the feminine products she’d been asked to purchase, then strode toward the inner room.

Following the wooden sign’s instructions, she knocked twice on the door, and upon hearing the boy’s voice inviting her in, she opened the door and stepped into the alchemy workshop.

The scene that greeted her left her somewhat dumbfounded. Victor was standing by the cauldron, but his posture was utterly relaxed—reclining in a lounge chair, casually stirring the concoction with his feet.

His eyes were empty, fixed on the ceiling, lost in thought.

“Are you sure this is safe? You won’t cause an explosion, will you? The shop was just freshly renovated.”

His carefree attitude was so laid-back and bold it made her uneasy.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been doing this every day for the past few days. Radovid’s face is deeply etched in my mind. Even if I stirred it with my bare foot, I’d still manage to brew crowns,” Victor replied nonchalantly.

Resigned, Angeline sat down beside him and placed the shopping basket on his stomach.

The boy sat up and casually flipped through some items. “Huh!? Wyvern tail marrow fluid—I actually managed to buy this!” A bright smile spread across his face as he swiftly tucked it into the herbal pouch for preservation.

Seeing this, Angeline cleared her throat gently. “Victor, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Sensing her seriousness, Victor turned his head, fixing her with a grave expression. “What is it? Did something happen during your outing today? Is it about Vivaldi’s exchange business? He trades so many ducats every day; if he finds it suspicious, you could switch to Orens tomorrow.”

“Uh… no. The banker’s happy. He’s currently in need of more crowns, and every time I visit the bank, they treat me like a VIP. Today, he even asked after you, expressing admiration—probably trying to pitch financial products.”

Victor shrugged. “In the near future, I will entrust him with many financial products when the signs of war appear.” Then he raised his hands expansively. “So… what’s the problem? What did you want to talk about?”

Regaining her composure, Angeline asked earnestly, “I want to ask, Victor, is becoming a demon hunter really that important to you?

Given the seventy percent mortality rate of the Herb Trial, if you had all the necessary materials today, would you want to try it immediately?”

His foot stopped stirring, though his lower body continued its motion. “No, I roughly understand what you’re worried about. I promise, unless absolutely necessary, I won’t use the unrefined herb potion.

Besides, didn’t we agree that our main goal now is to elevate our miraculous alchemy to mastery? Then we should be able to ignore side effects and create potions guaranteed to succeed.

So don’t worry—I won’t take risks,” Victor assured her.

“Then I can rest easy…” The moment she finished speaking, the cauldron shimmered with iridescent light, signaling yet another batch of exquisite Radovid the Fifth crowns had been produced.

Victor scooped out dozens of crowns from the pot and called after Angeline, who was about to leave.

“Don’t rush off. While there’s time, let’s do some ‘enchanting’ so you can see the new powers our captain has gained.”

“Huh!?” The girl’s expression turned intrigued. “Enchanting?”

“That’s right! Enchanting. After meditating outside Vigima City, my mental strength has greatly improved. Though I can’t cast spells, I can use miraculous alchemy to transfer magical effects.”

“What do you mean by ‘transfer’?”

“It’s faster if I just show you. Remember the amulet I gave you to resist the ‘Catriona Plague’?”

Thinking of that item, her face darkened. The so-called “flea-repelling amulet” was just that—flea repellent—talked up like it could really block a plague.

She rummaged in her pocket, pulled out the amulet, certified by Banard Academy, and tossed it to Victor.

...

Two hours later, when the iridescent light shone again, Angeline lay sprawled in the lounge chair, utterly exasperated.

She yawned deeply and sarcastically remarked, “I must say, this ‘direct demonstration’ is really fast.”

“Shut up. Getting it done in two hours is already quite an achievement.”

Leaping from the chair, the girl stared at the glowing cauldron.

Victor’s so-called demonstration was to toss her sword and the flea-repelling amulet into the cauldron and stir them together.

Now, the water in the pot was crystal clear, with only the “Skellige steel sword” remaining; the flea-repelling amulet had vanished without a trace.

“Oh!” She sniffed, sensing something ominous. “So you’re not going to tell me that this sword is the legendary—”

Before she could finish, Victor’s voice cut in, low and resolute, “—Exactly! It is the ‘Sword that Resists the Catriona Plague.’”

Blinking and suppressing the urge to mock, Angeline strapped the “Flea-Repelling Skellige Steel Sword” back to her waist.

“Thanks. Well then, I’m heading up. I still have some books to finish today.”

Victor reached out and grabbed her hand, his expression one of frustration. “What kind of attitude is that? It seems you won’t understand the greatness of enchanting unless I show you some real skill. Remember, this is transferring magical effects!”

“Yeah, my flea-repelling amulet is now a flea-repelling steel sword. Fantastic!”