Chương 117: Forging a new Weapon

It took Joe an extra day to recover from his 'lesson' at the hands of Esha and Corel. He also had to promise a meal out with Esha and Gao, Corel's idea, of course. She said she'd let him know later how he could make things up to her. The smile she wore when she said that made Joe suspect it wouldn't be too terrible, so he wasn't overly worried. Before returning to Zevra with the items needed to forge his new staff, he slipped quietly into the village for one final errand.

In the dead of night, he made his way to the apothecary's shop. It was abandoned. No sign of Anthony's wife or daughter, something he was relieved about. The memory of killing Anthony still weighed on him. It had been a reflex, a strike born of panic and fury, and now he regretted it. The man's death left him with no answers, only more questions. Joe searched the shop for an hour, pocketing anything that looked valuable, but he found nothing useful.

With no new clues and a heavy mind, he returned home, still haunted by the mystery. By the next day, he arrived at Zevra's house with every item she had requested. True to form, she was waiting outside.

"I don't have all day! Hurry up!" she barked, shaking her cane at him as she waddled back inside. Joe leapt up after her, shaking his head, and poured her a cup of tea once he was inside.

"We don't have room here, and I will not have you cluttering my house with your trinkets. Did you prepare an area to craft your stick?" He had not.

"I know a place with plenty of room," he admitted.

"Excellent. Pick me up and take me there. Hurry!" He strapped the old Voldura to his back using his barding and careful hands and carried her to the weapons yard near the training grounds. Alice, Felicia, and the brats were there, practicing hand-to-hand combat. They all paused when they saw him appear with an old Voldura strapped to his back, but they were used to his eccentricities by now. Within moments, they went back to sparring.

From the corner of his eye, Joe noticed Tevenny, Valeri, and their friend Shanna the second watching from a distance. Tevenny glanced his way a few times, though she didn't approach.

"Who are they?" Zevra asked, her sharp eyes flickering toward the trio.

"Your new neighbours. They will be staying here for the foreseeable future," Joe replied. Zevra gave a curt nod, then promptly ignored the trio. Instead, she crouched, chin in hand, as she inspected the ground. After a moment, she jabbed her cane at a spot beside the nearby wall.

"This will do. Put the forge there. Then we'll need a heat absorption array for the gems."

"Heat absorption array? You didn't mention that. Should I check the pillar store?" Joe asked, already pulling out his pillar.

"Bah!" Zevra snapped, waving her cane at him like he was an unruly child.

"I don't need any low-grade arrays from that blasted system shop. I make my own." She rolled up her sleeves with surprising energy. Joe perked up at that. He'd rarely seen her do anything beyond berating him, and now she suddenly moved with purpose, her frailty vanishing. His eyes widened as he watched her trace a design across the dirt with her cane. In ten minutes, a complex pattern took shape, a large circle laced with crisscrossing lines and geometric symbols.

It resembled a star chart or an astrological map, intricate and mesmerizing. She allowed him a few minutes to gawk before swatting the air at him.

"Enough staring. Pour some mana into it. About ninety per cent of your mana bar." Joe blinked.

"That might be… a lot. I've got really high intellect and wisdom. Do I really need that much?"

"Oh?" Zevra's tone dripped with sarcasm.

"Really high? How high are we talking? Don't exaggerate. It can't be that..." Joe pulled up his status screen and paused in surprise. He hadn't checked it since Tevenny's operation, and the numbers had jumped. His profession had climbed to 168, and both classes had reached 160 after slaying the dragon. He also had a mountain of unspent stat points besides.

"Wisdom: 6, 924. Intellect: 9, 113," he said flatly. Zevra's eyes widened for just a heartbeat before she turned away.

"Pour in thirty per cent," she ordered. Joe shrugged.

"Okay." He released the mana as instructed. The array lit with a steady glow, pulsing with contained power.

"Now place the gems inside. This will hold for five days before it needs a refill. Don't forget, or the whole forest might burn…" Zevra said, jabbing her cane at him again. Joe pulled on the heat-resistant gloves he had prepared and, moving with care, set all twelve gems into the array. The oppressive heat faded instantly, contained by the formation. He gave a satisfied nod before he received a painful crack on his back.

"What was that for?" he yelped.

"For doubting my array. Now set the forge up!" Zevra barked. Joe shot her an annoyed glare but complied, setting up the forge and pulling out a table for the rest of the materials. When he revealed the peak E-grade infused sapling, Zevra waddled forward and snatched it up. Smoke curled from it as she examined it with sharp eyes.

"Where did you get this?" she demanded. Joe raised a brow, surprised she didn't already know.

"From a dragon I killed. Quite the epic tale…" She cut him off with a scoff and dropped the sapling back onto the table.

"I suppose that will do. Well done." The praise caught him off guard, though it vanished as quickly as it came.

"Now, these are the steps you must follow. Everything must be done exactly as I..." Joe pulled out a notepad and began scribbling notes as she dictated. By the time she was finished, she was grumbling about her back and demanded he carry her home for her midday nap. When Joe returned to the forge area, it was already crowded with curious mice.

"What is this for?" Shanna asked, eyes wide as she peered at the sapling.

"This was from the dragon?" Joe nodded.

"These are the materials I need to forge my new quarterstaff." As if summoned by fate, Gao appeared at the edge of the group, her eyes burning with barely contained curiosity. Joe hid a smile; he already knew what she was thinking. He withdrew Jingu Bang, the staff humming softly in his hands, and gestured for Gao to sit opposite him. Once she was settled, he closed his eyes and spoke with mock solemnity.

"Dear spirit of the Monkey King, it is with great sadness that I must announce the passing of the torch. I present to you your future owner, Gao of House YuanYuan." Gao chuckled but raised her hands above his. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Gao, do you accept ownership of Jingu Bang? Do you promise to look after him, in sickness and in health, till death do you part, or until a new owner is deemed worthy?"

"I do," Gao said, voice steady. Shanna whooped and clapped, quickly joined by the others. Joe lifted Jingu Bang one final time. The staff had been his companion through countless battles, the weapon that had kept him alive. He placed it gently into Gao's waiting palms, knowing it was in good hands. With the impromptu ceremony complete, Joe shooed the onlookers away. The forging of his new staff awaited. The first step was the simplest: infusing one hundred mana crystals with his own mana.

Since he had a surplus, Joe decided to experiment. He picked one crystal and carefully poured his enriched mana into it, watching as the yellow glow bled into the facets. The process stung faintly, but nothing he couldn't handle. He set it aside, then filled another with his normal mana for comparison. Placing the two side by side, he waited ten minutes, curious to see if anything would happen. When no change appeared, he grinned.

"Enriched it is. What could possibly go wrong with more power?" Of course, filling them came at a price. By the time he had emptied his second mana bar into a hundred crystals, his body ached from the backlash. It took three hours to complete the task and another two hours of quiet rest before he felt steady again. Recovery was faster than usual since he wasn't channelling skills, just emptying raw mana. But without pills to refill his enriched bar, he had to rely on natural regeneration.

It took six hours before it was full again. During his break, he caught Teveny watching him from across the grounds. He chuckled and lifted a hand in greeting. She waved back, but Valeri appeared a moment later and whisked her away. Joe shrugged, leaning back in his chair to enjoy a moment of peace under the sky. Peace that lasted only five minutes.

"Hey, I heard you were making a new weapon… but it looks like you're just lounging," Felicia teased, striding over. Joe gestured at the chair beside him.

"Actually, I could use a second pair of eyes for the next step. You busy?"

"Not at all," she said, her interest piqued.

"Perfect. The next part isn't too hard, but…" He scratched the back of his neck.

"I'm not exactly blessed in the artistic department. Ever done any carving before?" Felicia smiled, reaching into her storage. She produced a small stone figurine and set it in his hand. It was Corel, every delicate feature captured in flawless detail.

"This is my current project," she said, clearly pleased. Joe blinked, studying the exquisite carving.

"You don't happen to have a crafting profession, do you?"

"Sculptor," Felicia replied with a proud smile. He let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"Of course you are. First person I ask, and you're a sculptor. Maybe high Luck really is better than I thought… Nah… I need help carving the perfect staff. Now this is what I had in mind," Joe said, launching into an animated description while Felicia listened with quiet amusement. The first version she carved was simple: a smooth, unadorned quarterstaff about eight feet long, slightly longer than Jingu Bang's usual form, though that staff could shift its length at will.

Joe hadn't figured out how to add a size-changing feature to his new weapon, so for now he set that aside. He had asked Felicia to keep it thick so there would be room to shape the tips with carvings later. Unlike Jingu Bang, whose ends were covered in ornate golden snakes and monkey faces, Joe wanted this weapon to be simpler, more restrained, something that felt like him. Something more Farmer-like. Felicia decided to run a few practice runs on some random branches before diving into the real thing.

As Joe sat watching, his gaze drifted across the training grounds where Corel was speaking with Varaiya and several Voldura. When she noticed him, she lifted a hand in a small wave. He returned it before turning back to Felicia with sudden inspiration. Stripping his toga, he tapped his chest.

"Can you sketch my bond tattoos for me?" he asked. Felicia accepted the pad he handed her, and with deft strokes she captured the twin designs. When she handed it back, the likeness was exact. Joe studied the work, impressed.

"I really haven't made enough use of your skills. I might have more projects for you later, if you've got the time."

"For the right price," Felicia replied, rubbing her fingers together. Joe chuckled.

"Fair enough. Now, here's my idea." They began weaving the tattoos into the design for the staff's tips. The template took shape quickly, incorporating both of his bonds, but when he studied it, the image felt hollow, as if something vital was still missing. He scribbled page after page of additions, none of them right. By nightfall, his desk was scattered with discarded sketches.

"Thanks for your time," he said at last, rubbing his temples.

"Let's pick this up tomorrow." The next day, they tried again, layering symbols and adjustments onto the design. He couldn't explain why this mattered so much, only that he couldn't settle for anything less than perfect. Eventually, he dismissed Felicia with thanks and decided to step away to clear his mind. This turned out to be good timing. For the first time in a while, his communicator blinked with an incoming message. Joseph Caldwell! Come and visit me at once! I haven't seen you in such a long time! - Sarah.

Joe burst out laughing as he snapped the device shut. Maybe a visit to Heliopolis was exactly what he needed. When Joe arrived at Heliopolis, he greeted Sarah and Kai with a bow. Sarah ignored all formality, leaping into his arms and squeezing him in a ferocious bear hug, murmuring a flood of thank-yous into his chest.

"That's what friends are for, Sarah. Kai would've done the same if he were in my shoes," Joe said, patting her head gently.

"Then why did you run off? I've been healed for over a week, and you never came by," Sarah mumbled. Joe smiled.

"I thought you two deserved some alone time before I came barging in." She swatted his arm but whispered another soft thank you before tugging both him and Kai along at her whim. What she wanted, he soon discovered, was for him to grow flowers at her daughter's grave, with the anniversary of her passing drawing near. Joe worked in silence, carefully nurturing the blossoms until the grave was surrounded by living colour.

They shared a quiet moment there before heading back for a meal together, catching up on everything they'd missed.

"Hakeem is still inside that Gate you found," Kai said between bites.

"He said the quest inside will take another two months at least."

"That makes sense. I think I spent three months in the Monkey King's inheritance Gate," Joe replied. Kai, mouth full of steak, tried to speak again.

"Ssooom whhattt hhaavve yooouuuu beened doiiingg?" Joe chuckled before explaining his recent adventures, Tevenny's new body, their adventures searching for mana veins, and his plans to forge a new quarterstaff.

"So that's where they went," Sarah said, smiling.

"I knew Esha and Gao were staying with you now, but I wondered what happened to those three."

"Wait… Esha and Gao are living with me?" Joe blinked, realizing he hadn't noticed how long they'd lingered. Sarah laughed.

"You really didn't notice?" Joe scratched his head with a sheepish grin.

"Well, I guess it makes sense, now that I think about it." The three of them spent the rest of the evening trading stories and laughing before it was time for Joe to return home. But before leaving, he paused at Sarah's daughter's grave once more. Standing among the fresh blossoms, he bowed his head in prayer. As his gaze lingered on the flowers, inspiration struck him like a lightning bolt; he suddenly understood what his staff's design had been missing all along.

The next morning, Joe all but dragged a bleary-eyed Felicia from her bed, bombarding her with his new idea before she had even properly woken. Together, they began sketching furiously until, after an hour of adjustments and debate, they arrived at the perfect design. The template merged a blooming bush with flowing rose petals, entwined with a sphere of flames and encircled by a single black leaf that curled around the whole like a protective nest.

Joe watched on as Felicia began work on his enchanted branch and transferred the design to the staff's tips, her hands steady as she carved. While she worked, Joe prepared the other details, cutting strips of hide from the beasts he had slain long ago in India. The leather was smooth to the eye but rough to the touch, providing exactly the grip he needed once wrapped around the staff's centre.

He also readied two ribbons, one for each end, their purpose both practical and showy: they would flutter in the wind with his movements, distracting opponents while adding a touch of flourish to his strikes. He was torn on what colours to use for the ribbons, but in the end, he settled on a deep purple for both. Three hours later, Felicia leaned back with a tired smile as the completed carvings gleamed in the light. Joe followed soon after, securing the leather grip and fastening the tassels into place.

When he finally hefted the staff, he gave a few test swings. The balance was rough, not yet right, but the length felt perfect, and the design was beautiful to behold. The foundation was complete. Now came the true test, the moment to fuse it with the sapling.