On the other side, in Inazuma City's Amenoma Smithy, the master and apprentice sat panting on chairs, while on the anvil lay a slender sword billet, about four feet long.
Under the effect of the ore provided by Morax, the sword billet presented a golden-yellow hue overall, while the northlander billet was slightly duller. These two materials, forged together, formed a beautiful pattern on the blade.
Sizzle.
A deep purple eye appeared in the Amenoma Smithy. As the eye gradually expanded, Raiden Ei's figure slowly emerged from within.
Upon seeing the God's arrival, the master and apprentice disregarded their rest. They immediately stood up, picked up the forged sword billet, and presented it with both hands to their God.
Raiden Ei did not take the sword billet but instead observed it carefully. After confirming there were no issues, she lifted the sword billet with one hand and sent it into Isshin Pure Land.
"Well done. I am very satisfied."
Amenoma Tougo proved his ability to the God through his actions. The sword billet he and his apprentice forged together met Raiden Ei's standards.
It is well known that Inazuma's sword forging styles all originated from the Raiden Shogun. One can imagine how stringent that standard must be in Raiden Ei's mind.
Their ability to meet it also indirectly demonstrated their superb craftsmanship.
"You are the only surviving lineage of the Raiden Five. Inazuma's sword forging techniques still need you to revive them. Can the Tenmoku style bear this important responsibility?"
In the past, Inazuma's sword forging techniques were on par with Liyue's mining industry, but due to the Fatui, they have declined. Raiden Ei does not want sword forging to continue its decline.
Of course, she did not know that the one who caused all of this was Balladeer, as she was meditating in Isshin Pure Land at the time.
"Of course we can! To restore the glory of Inazuma's sword forging, we are duty-bound!"
An old warhorse still dreams of galloping a thousand miles. Although Amenoma Tougo was old and could no longer ascend, he could still teach others!
His stamina wasn't as good as before, but his mind wasn't broken.
"Very good. I will have the Okuzume allocate funds to you to expand your workshop. You should also take on more apprentices to pass down your craft. Of course, the most important point is to prioritize quality over quantity."
"Inazuma's sword forging once held a reputation that echoed across the continent, and your Raiden Five were indispensable. However, your decline also made me realize something: character is more important than Talents."
"That is all I have to say. Ponder it well."
After Raiden Ei finished speaking, she opened her Eye of Stormy Judgment again and disappeared from the Amenoma Smithy.
Hearing the words from the God, Hajime seemed a bit confused, but Amenoma Tougo fell into deep thought. He was one of the few survivors of that incident and knew most of the truth.
Actually, besides Tenmoku, one lineage of the Raiden Five still remained, but that lineage had already lost the art of sword forging, changed their name, and completely ceased to engage in any forging-related industries.
"Alas... it's all the evil deeds of human hearts."
Amenoma Tougo sighed slightly. Fighting over something unfounded, besides the Fatui's instigation, it was mostly due to human nature.
"Hajime, human hearts are inscrutable. You must know that even a person's expression can be faked, so how can we know what they are thinking?"
"Therefore, before doing something, you must think carefully and ask yourself, why am I doing this?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. You get what you pay for. If someone promises you benefits, before agreeing, you might want to think carefully about what you will lose."
Hajime nodded, his expression serious, "I understand, Master."
He was a bit stubborn, but not foolish; he could distinguish between good and bad advice.
Normally, when Amenoma Tougo explained the Tenmoku style essentials to him, he would always say "yes, yes, yes," because he already knew them by heart.
If he still said "yes, yes, yes" now, he would truly be a big fool.
Hajime firmly kept his master's words in mind. Suddenly, he remembered that this was exactly the Tenmoku style's essence!
Steady and persistent, like water dripping through stone, every step must be grounded.
Perhaps the Tenmoku style taught him not only the art of forging but also principles for living.
...
Raiden Ei returned to Tenshukaku. After disembarking, she handed control back to the Puppet Shogun, while she herself, in Isshin Pure Land, looked at the sword billet with a serious expression.
Lightning emerged from Raiden Ei's hand. The forging of the sword billet was completed by mortals, so the techniques used were mortal techniques.
But the subsequent process would be completed by a God. A God forging a blade naturally could not be viewed with common sense.
The purple lightning in Raiden Ei's hand grew increasingly intense, then suddenly expanded, encompassing the entire sword billet. The whole thing looked like... a furnace formed by lightning, or perhaps an electric furnace?
A purple feather was thrown in by Raiden Ei. This was a feather from the ancient Thunderbird. Of course, it also had a more commonly known name—the Remnant of the Thunderbird.
In the late stages of the Archon War, Inazuma had largely unified. The Thunderbird, soaring through the sky, suddenly went mad for unknown reasons.
Due to the unique nature of Tsurumi, Raiden Ei initially did not want to interfere, but she extended her hand towards Seirai Island.
Ultimately, Raiden Ei ended the Thunderbird with Musou no Hitotachi. Its body, formed from lightning, directly erased a part of Seirai Island from the map when it fell, and this feather was a remnant left behind by the Thunderbird at that time.
She had a total of nine Thunderbird feathers. These items, imbued with the power of an ancient Archon, were excellent materials for forging katana.
Only one feather circulated on the continent, forming an artifact through the passage of time and thoughts. As for the feathers she possessed, they could not be called artifacts.
Of course, if they were left outside, they could also transform into artifacts over time, but according to her plan, all these feathers would likely become the cornerstone for forging this katana.
The feather, once thrown in, was quickly decomposed by the rampaging lightning and then integrated into the blade. Simultaneously, at the tang of the blade, the character 'Lin' slowly appeared.
Raiden Ei had not forgotten the Nine Words Incantation that Shiki had mentioned.
Suddenly, the sword blank began to tremble violently, and then, to Raiden Ei's surprise, it absorbed all the lightning she had released, leaving nothing behind.
Clang!
Losing the restraint of the lightning, the sword blank fell to the ground, which caught Raiden Ei off guard, as this situation was not in her predictions, was it?
Raiden Ei picked up the sword blank and carefully probed it with her mental power but found nothing amiss.
"Strange, what's going on?"
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