Chapter 55: The First Magic Wand in History
Kurtz glared at Duller. "When this Holy Sword is forged, if you upgrade everyone's equipment in our team, I'll pretend this never happened."
The old dwarf's face instantly became troubled. His calculating mind immediately began tallying the costs.
Upgrading equipment for so many people was no small expense. Just for that beardless dwarf, forging and upgrading his battle-axe and armour would take considerable effort.
Not to mention everyone else.
The only thing that made the old dwarf feel better was that upgrading equipment for a magic-user like Kurtz wasn't difficult; he only needed to create some magical tools.
"Mr. Kurtz, this is a bit too much..."
"I'll give you another dragon scale!"
They'd picked up seven or eight intact pieces of this item on the battlefield, but unfortunately, it was still far from enough to make a shield or armour. Now, it was just right to use as compensation.
It could be said to kill two birds with one stone.
It was a pity that the situation had been urgent at the time. He and Serie were both thinking about how to kill that giant dragon, so their magic was released with maximum power. Subtlety had been the last thing on their minds during that life-or-death struggle.
If only he'd known, he should have focused more on penetration, aiming for the opponent's head, so that the dragon's body wouldn't have been blown to pieces.
Upon hearing that Kurtz was willing to add more compensation, the old dwarf instantly shut his mouth.
After considering the pros and cons, he still gritted his teeth and agreed. The profit was simply too tempting to refuse.
Just as the two were talking, Serie appeared silently at the workshop entrance. "What are you doing?"
It was only when Kurtz saw the setting sun scattered on Serie's shoulders outside the workshop that he realised he'd seemingly spent an entire day here without noticing. The golden light made her silver hair seem to glow from within.
It could only be said that activating the magic crystal had indeed taken too much effort, making him not notice how quickly time had passed.
Duller's hand trembled, almost dropping the finished magic staff. "E-Elf Miss! We are making Mr. Kurtz's designed... uh, magic staff!"
Serie walked into the workshop, her footsteps silent on the stone floor. She was initially curious as to why Kurtz hadn't returned yet, so she'd come to check.
Now, hearing that he'd already finished making the magic staff, she had the idea of trying it out. Her expression carried that particular mix of skepticism and intrigue.
Serie took the magic staff and examined it carefully.
It was very light, allowing her to pick it up easily, and it wouldn't hinder her movements in combat. It was clear that Kurtz had specifically considered the magician's stamina when designing it.
A beautiful blue crystal was embedded at the top, and the staff itself was made of greyish-yellow wood. It felt tough to the touch and made a crisp sound when tapped, like striking metal rather than timber.
"This is made of profound ironwood. Don't let its light weight fool you, its hardness is absolutely no less than steel."
Duller said proudly, stroking his beard. Only a dwarf master like him could forge a long staff made of profound ironwood in a single day.
Ordinary dwarf craftsmen would take half a day to process this kind of wood, not to mention the subsequent processing. The material was notoriously challenging to work with.
Hearing Duller's boasting, Kurtz also looked at the magic staff in Serie's hand.
He somewhat wanted to see what kind of material this wood was, light in weight but comparable in strength to steel?
In some countries, it would simply be the best choice for building materials. The construction applications alone could revolutionise architecture.
Serie ignored the old dwarf's boasting. She just ran her fingertips over the patterns on the staff, frowning slightly. "Did you design these magic runes, too?"
Theoretically, the dwarves shouldn't be able to come up with these magic runes; only magic users could design them.
"I designed them," Kurtz admitted directly.
"You designed them?" Serie was a little surprised, her composure cracking for just a moment. "But I didn't teach you..."
Kurtz continued, "I deduced them in reverse based on the magic you taught me."
Is this what a genius is?
Even though she was already mentally prepared, Serie was still shocked. Her ancient experience had shown her many prodigies, but this was different.
It was already remarkable to be able to understand the principles of her own magic, but to be able to deduce in reverse and design corresponding magic runes from it.
This man's talent was genuinely terrifying.
Could it be that he wasn't human at all, but the reincarnation of some god? The thought flickered through her mind unbidden.
However, Serie did not show her thoughts, but released magic from her fingertips, modifying Kurtz's runes. Her touch was precise, each adjustment deliberate.
"The runes here can be replaced to make the flow of magic smoother."
After modifying, Serie injected magic power, feeling the changes brought by using the magic staff. The difference was immediately apparent, like the distinction between swimming upstream and downstream.
It was indeed effective. The speed of casting magic was faster.
Seeing Serie's magic just now, Duller said, "That was... an elf's secret rune?"
Duller had seen elves cast it a long time ago. At that time, it was also about engraving runes on equipment, but he was just a dwarf apprentice then and had no chance to get hands-on, only watching from a distance. The memory was precious, one of his few glimpses into the secrets of Elvish craft.
"Mm," Serie admitted it openly and directly, then threw the magic staff to Kurtz. This action made Duller even more puzzled, and before leaving, she didn't forget to turn around. "Remember not to work too late."
Her tone was reminiscent of a wife reminding her husband not to come home too late from a social engagement.
The casual intimacy of it surprised even her.
However, Serie probably just said that out of concern for her companion.
At least, that's what Kurtz thought.
After Serie left, Duller rubbed his hands excitedly. "Amazing! A magical tool adjusted with elf secret techniques will definitely become a masterpiece!"
Elf secret runes originated from the core magic of the elf race. Elves rarely displayed them in front of outsiders.
Duller was somewhat confused as to what the relationship between that elf miss and Kurtz was. She could actually hand over a magical tool inscribed with secret runes to him.
He was a dwarf and could not understand these secret runes, but Mr. Kurtz was a magic user and could completely understand and learn these runes.
'Was she not at all worried about him leaking these? The trust implied was staggering.'
Temporarily setting aside the doubt in his heart, Duller spoke. "Try to see how effective it is?"
Kurtz gripped the magic staff and injected magic power into it, attempting to cast the simplest illumination spell. The wood felt warm against his palm, responding to his touch.
Buzz!
A dazzling ball of light instantly appeared, much faster than Kurtz's usual casting speed, and the magic power required to maintain it was also reduced by about one-third.
"This effect is indeed good." Kurtz looked at the magic staff with satisfaction, testing its weight and balance. "Not only can it speed up magic casting, but it can also reduce magic consumption."
Being able to speed up magic casting was already very satisfying for Kurtz, as he hadn't meticulously designed this item. He didn't expect such a surprise now, that it could also reduce magic consumption.
Duller smiled and said, "It might be related to the magic crystal Mr. Kurtz provided. After all, such high-purity crystals are scarce now. Of course, Miss Elf's modifications also provided some help."
Outside the workshop, Serie had not left, leaning against the wall with arms crossed. Her expression was carefully neutral, but her ears remained tuned to the sounds within.
Listening to the exclamations from inside, a smile appeared on her face.
Sure enough, this man always brought her surprises. The thought carried more warmth than she was willing to admit.
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