Chapter 838: Act 18 – The Knight and the Blacksmith
What Monica mentioned was that the Valurun Warrior Hall had finally been completed. Before leaving Valhalla for Ampere Seale, Brendel had instructed Monica to construct the buildings that Valhalla could build at that stage sequentially. Although the focus was on training Wind Archers and completing the first phase of Valhalla to enter the second phase, during the idle time while he traveled to the Frost Forest, Monica still found time to finish the construction of the Valurun Warrior Hall. Perhaps it wouldn’t be accurate to say it was finished, as this hall had just been completed, and the Light Spirit girl had come to report it to him just a few days ago.
In fact, the reason Brendel initially focused on Wind Archers for Valhalla’s early development was because he had ready Tree Spirit Archers as a source of troops, and also because there was no introduction for the Valurun Warrior Hall in Valhalla—unlike the Wind Elf Archer Camp and Tree Nest, which clearly stated what troop types they produced, how to train them, and what prices and resources were required, allowing Monica to provide explanations.
However, the description of the Valurun Warrior Hall was merely a single sentence—this is a functional building.
Brendel had only seen such vague descriptions on auxiliary buildings like the Wizard Tower, Moon Tower, and Crystal Pool; these buildings generally required players to figure out their uses after building them, but the Valurun Warrior Hall sounded like a training building similar to Erluin’s noble barracks, yet the introduction was so unclear that Brendel felt it was quite unusual. However, at that time, Duke Toniger was starting out, and was about to face a potential war, so Brendel dared not indulge his curiosity in such matters, choosing instead the more stable Wind Elf Archer Camp.
But this did not mean he was not curious about the so-called Valurun Warrior Hall; in fact, as a player, he was dying to know, and today, his curiosity could finally be satisfied.
Although Monica’s gaze was somewhat evasive when she reported to him, making him feel something was amiss—
The first circular road of Valhalla was still formed during the initial stage of this World Tree’s growth—this circular road spiraled up to connect to the treetop square area, capable of accommodating three to four coaches side by side, resembling a wooden street—currently, there were not many buildings on this circular road; only about a dozen Elf Arrow Towers surrounded it; these towers seemed to have grown from the tree trunk, closely integrated with the wooden street, and between the towers, living walls made of vines were connected that reached about chest-high on a person, resembling battlements, one side thorny with naturally formed crenellations. Additionally, there were many ancient tree-like buildings between the arrow towers; these ancient trees had faces growing on their trunks that mostly kept their eyes closed, only occasionally conversing with the patrolling Tree Spirit Archers; these were the Tree Nests, whose root systems were in fact the vine roots guarding the entirety of Valhalla, with the number of Tree Nests having already reached over two hundred, while more than two thousand root guards could completely secure the upper area.
The Valurun Warrior Hall was located between these Tree Nests, as if extending from the circular road, supported by two thick branches. The architecture on the platform appeared extremely grand and spectacular. The magnificent hall somewhat resembled the Viking longhouses Brendel had seen in his past life, but was far more magnificent. The interior of the building was spacious and bright, supported by twelve giant pillars that held up the hall’s towering arches. In the center of the hall, several giant warriors, three to four meters tall, were practicing combat skills against each other. They held long spears or heavy swords, pairing off in groups of two or four, sparring with loud bangs and sparks flying; even Brendel’s arrival did not attract the attention of these heroic warriors.
Those were Cloud Giants.
Brendel watched these giants with delight, both amazed and curious. Once, the noblest bloodline among giants came from Milos—but the Frost Giants had long since become history, and their descendants, the Cloud Giants and Fire Giants, after the War of the Saints, were displaced like other People of Silver on the earth, leaving only a tribe of Black Iron descendants residing north of today’s Hammer Mountain Range, i.e., the Hill Giants tribe of the Hallowed Temple of Earth. Fire Giants were said to be both warlike and brutal in legends, while Cloud Giants were a legendary race whose splendor rivaled that of Silver Elves. They lived on the Sacred Mountain where storms ceased, adhering to tradition, and during the Twilight War, the king of the Cloud Giants found a human baby and raised him. That human child later became the most famous hero in history—the Knight of Azure. The legendary Cloud Giant tribe that raised the Knight of Azure in his formative years was a mystery both here and in the game.
In fact, this was Brendel’s first time seeing these giants in person.
Their skin was very pale, differing greatly from the often imagined barbaric appearances; both Cloud Giant warriors and observing craftsmen wore exquisitely crafted armor or elegant clothing. Most had neatly trimmed sideburns, resembling figures who walked out of Greek mythology from his past life; their eyes were light blue, like gemstones, and their hair was golden and gleamed in the light. The weapons they wielded had beautiful etchings covering their surfaces, yet remained as sturdy as ever, showing no fear of sparks flying from their collisions.
Once Brendel, Monica, and Princess Medisa crossed the hall, the Cloud Giants finally noticed for the first time. They halted their activities and looked toward them. A giant in a white robe with golden edges stepped out from the crowd. Upon seeing Brendel, he seemed to recognize his identity and bowed slightly, “Noble Lord, I am Bud, a craftsman from the Cloud People, it’s an honor to serve you.” The giant spoke with a gentle voice that exuded a refined gentility. However, even so, Brendel could sense the extraordinary aura emanating from him.
“Hello, it is my honor as well,” Brendel responded, “Are you a spirit?”
“He is Bud, my lord!” Medisa exclaimed softly. “He is the most outstanding craftsman in Cloud Giant history! Ah! Behind him are Gorgu, Aisrede, and the King of the Forge, Aftirodi—they are all the greatest masters of different eras! Goodness, they are all in Valhalla!” Aside from Bud, Brendel did not recognize any of these names. However, Bud—the legend of him forging the Azure Spear through Gaia’s hand was a story well-known among most on the Vaunte continent. He was the greatest craftsman in Cloud Giant history, even deserving the title of Divine Craftsman; as for the others, Brendel could tell from Medisa’s tone that they were by no means ordinary.
They were all beings of at least the same level as Bud.
“Very few still recognize us in this world, young lady; may I ask your name?” Bud inquired.
“Medisa, I am a Silver Elf, Lord Bud,” Medisa respectfully replied. Brendel had never seen her offer such humility, even in his presence.
“Oh, Silver Elves, I have heard of you,” the giant craftsman expressed with realization, “I heard that the Minren discovered a tribe in the Holy Silver Valley; that should be your kin, right? At that time, you must have just begun learning to use the Laws, breaking free from ignorance. I imagine many years have passed since, and you must have established a splendid civilization by now. History ebbs and flows, one civilization rises among the rivers of time, shining brilliantly in its era; seeing you reminds me of the past.”
Medisa blushed a little, bashfully responding, “Lord Bud, our era has already passed; this is now the era of the noble lord.”
Bud paused, then sighed, “Has it already been so long? It seems that the River of Yilian has flowed quite a distance.”
Brendel listened to the conversation between Bud and Medisa, his heart shaken to the core—according to Monica’s description, Bud and his companions appeared in the hall at the moment of its completion, and what kind of beings were they? He naturally knew all too well.
Craftsmen—whether blacksmiths, tailors, cobblers, or candle makers were categorized as a separate profession in the game, just like scholars and alchemists; they were part of the vast life profession system within Amber Sword. As craftsmen, they had to learn specialized skills. In the game, different professions not only limited the ceiling level of specialized skills but also provided bonuses to various professional skills; for example, blacksmiths provided substantial experience bonuses for forging, smelting, and preparing skills. Yet even so, to elevate a professional skill to level twenty and reach the grand master level, one had to achieve more than one hundred and fifty levels in the corresponding life profession.
Although the level for life professions is more lenient than that for combat professions, it was still a long process, requiring at least ten years of game time. Only upon achieving this requirement could a craftsman be called a master of the profession.
But what about the divine craftsman?
Once the skill level exceeds twenty, the craftsmanship is transcended, with each subsequent level up being a rare opportunity. When a skill reaches level twenty-five, one may be called miraculous, nearly in the realm of the Dao. A divine craftsman would require all their contributing professional skills to reach that miraculous level. As far as Brendel knew, throughout the game’s history, there were only three divine craftsmen among players, each belonging to the three most powerful player organizations of the time. Among NPCs, there was one, the forging master in Madara, Bohemond. Brendel remembered that Bohemond had a mentor-student relationship with Tam in alchemy; it was uncertain whether Madara had discovered him by now.
But throughout the history of Amber Sword, only one individual was ever given the title of divine craftsman: Bud.
And now, this legendary figure stood before him, bringing along seven or eight others who might also be divine craftsmen, likely about to serve Valhalla. Brendel’s current feeling was akin to being hit by a flying pastry; although he had sensed something from Monica’s frantic tone, he never expected the surprise to come so suddenly. After all, Monica had said, “Noble lord, you better come see! There’s been a huge incident! A lot of strange beings appeared in the newly completed Valurun Warrior Hall, they seem to be spirits!”
Brendel thought Valhalla had sent him a few instructors, akin to figures like Monica, but he never expected it to be Bud.
This was Bud—
It took him a while to respond, interjecting, “Lord Bud, are you the master of this Valurun Warrior Hall?”
Only then did Bud stop his conversation with Medisa, clearly delighted to encounter a ‘familiar’ face. He turned his head, nodding, “I am indeed the master of this hall. Valurun means ‘courageous and fearless’ in the language of giants. This hall is seen as the resting place for the bravest warriors in our myth. The craftsmen there tailor the finest weapons and armor for them, and after enjoying a bountiful feast, they take these weapons and head out to battle.”
“Wait,” Brendel seemed to realize something, finally understanding why the Valurun Warrior Hall, despite being called a warrior hall, had such a vague description—it was a pitiful name! He couldn’t help but look up and ask, “Lord Bud, do you mean this is a blacksmith’s shop?”
Bud nodded again, “That is one way to put it.”
Upon hearing this, Brendel felt no disappointment; rather, it should be said he was exceptionally excited. He couldn’t help but eagerly ask, “Does this mean you will stay in Valhalla to forge weapons and armor for Valhalla’s warriors?”
“Certainly, my lord. Valhalla is the final resting place for our spirits. We never expected it to see the light of day again, and it is an honor for us to contribute our abilities here,” Bud responded.
After hearing this sentence, Brendel took a deep breath, nearly wanting to leap for joy. If he were in the game, he surely would have! After all, this was a divine craftsman! The legendary master of craftsmanship, along with seven or eight similar figures. With them serving as blacksmiths for Valhalla, what would the future look like? Brendel could already imagine an army fully armed to the teeth, even their inner garments made of fantasy-grade equipment, rampaging across the continent. His mind was filled with thoughts of ‘I am invincible,’ but after having been the ‘noble lord’ for a while, especially under the verbal scolding of Antinna, he managed to calm down considerably, forcibly suppressing his excitement to inquire, “Then would it be possible for you to forge armor and weapons for my army?”
“That is indeed my responsibility, my lord,” Bud replied.
“Excellent,” Brendel exclaimed without hesitation, “What materials do you need? Just let me know, please definitely help me forge one hundred sets of fantasy-grade ranger armor and longbows; it would be even better if they could be completed in a hurry!”
In his imagination, this was simply a trivial matter for Bud and his group. These were bona fide divine craftsmen, with even one having truly forged a divine weapon—not that kind of third-rate junk divine weapon, but the Azure Spear! Getting such divine craftsmen to forge fantasy-grade weapons and armor wouldn’t be much harder than ordinary craftsmen forging whiteboard armor. As long as there were sufficient materials and magical crystals, having them craft standardized fantasy equipment would be like child’s play. Brendel had personally witnessed a quasi-divine craftsman forging fantasy armor; although it wasn’t yet standard armor, a staggering 87.3% success rate had left him dumbfounded.
For fantasy-level equipment, a less than 12% failure rate was entirely acceptable. “No,” Brendel shook his head, “it shouldn’t be considered acceptable; it should be viewed as a considerable fortune!”
However, Bud unexpectedly shook his head in response to this seemingly simple matter: “That… is probably not going to happen.”
“Why not?” Brendel was taken aback, “Is it a matter of time?”
“No,” the divine craftsman shook his head again, “It’s because it cannot be done.”
“Cannot be done?” Brendel asked, bewildered, “How could that be? You are the legendary divine craftsman!”
Bud smiled wryly and shook his head: “My lord, that was in the past. Our current strength is closely tied to the power of Valhalla. Valhalla is still just a newborn territory, so our capabilities and experience levels are still quite limited.”
“Ah?” Brendel hadn’t expected that just after having a delightful dream, he would face this harsh reality. Suddenly, he realized that Valhalla was also part of the Amber Sword game system. Within the game, it seemed rather unlikely that a newborn lord could directly acquire divine craftsmen, and moreover, a whole group of them. Reflecting on it, this was indeed somewhat unreasonable. If others found out, wouldn’t it create chaos? After a moment of thought, he understood that while Valhalla had immense potential, that potential referred to future development; one day, Bud and the others might indeed restore the pinnacle levels as Valhalla grew, but that was a prospect of the distant future.
After Brendel regained his composure, he understood that the so-called “one day” was certainly a long way off, especially given Valhalla’s current resource consumption level; perhaps one day it would become the most legendary fortress in the world, but before that, it would surely consume legendary amounts of resources.
This design was quite consistent with Amber Sword game’s usual style; it was undeniably enticing. It presented a truly tempting cake while also informing you that you had to walk step by step and couldn’t eat like a glutton.
He was dazed for quite a while, before reluctantly accepting this disheartening reality, unable to suppress his disappointment as he asked, “Then, Lord Bud, may I ask what level you are currently at?”
“Roughly equivalent to your two masters,” Bud replied.
Brendel was taken aback, then he spotted his two craftsman masters, Tam and Berun, among the giants. They had even arrived earlier than he did, evidently. Now they must have been thriving here, considering the majority of people here were colleagues of theirs and legendary elders. Interestingly enough, due to Valhalla’s limited power, the skills of these legendary craftsmen were currently comparable to theirs; otherwise, given Tam and Berun’s levels, they would likely only appear as elementary students in front of these figures.
However, Brendel hadn’t expected that Bud and the others’ levels would be limited to such a dreadfully low standard. To say that they were at a low level would be generous. Although Tam would gain considerable fame in the future, he could only be considered a talented alchemist at this moment; calling him a master was merely an honorific. Meanwhile, Berun, although of master caliber in the past, had long entered a downward spiral after being imprisoned in Grudin Dungeon for so long. He was now on par with Tam; while they were standout talents in Toniger and even among all of Rendener, they would only be considered first-tier within Erluin and not exactly top-class. Throughout the entire Hallowed Temple of Fire and even within Fanzan and Saint Ausoor’s territories, countless masters at their level existed.
Brendel originally thought he had gained a batch of divine-level talents, but he had unexpectedly only acquired a group of top-level craftsmen. Although their future potential was uncertain, the far-off prospects of tomorrow felt distant; at the moment, he was quite disheartened. This was the gap between dreams and reality.
…
(PS: Went to get vaccinated, took a little time. Touching everyone, let’s add a few more words as compensation.)
