Chương 73: Chapter 72 The Bride Search

"Here, Karath." Gerina handed Karath a carefully sharpened bone axe. The axe he presented to Kaden the previous day had been the final weapon intended for an individual warrior. Karath could still create more if he forced himself. Drake bones remained, and shaping them into throwing spears would produce terrifying secondary weapons. However, using such precious material for disposable spears seemed wasteful. Karath also had several important uses planned for the remaining bones.

The weapon Gerina now handed him was one of them. This axe was intended for Karath himself.

"Heh heh heh." Karath accepted the bone axe with a sinister smile and returned to the warehouse. Holding the weapon in his left hand, he manipulated mana and created a spell above his right. Hummmmm. Screeeech. Sharp blades of wind circled his hand and ground against the drake bone. The sound filled the warehouse. Despite the unpleasant conditions of sawing bone in the middle of summer, the smile never left Karath's face. He was carving a magic circle into his future weapon.

All the weapons he had created for the village warriors had merely been practice for this task. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Magic functioned by arranging mana into specific patterns and producing extraordinary effects. That raised a simple question. Why should a mage need to manipulate mana personally every time? If the pattern itself were engraved into an object, the spell should activate automatically.

The only requirement was that the pattern receive enough mana. As Karath had mentioned before, mana flowed through everything in the world. A magic circle could theoretically be drawn upon dirt, stone, or any other material. The problem was that ordinary earth and stone contained too little mana to power a spell. A magic circle drawn upon a boulder the size of a house might barely activate a First Circle spell.

Producing Third Circle magic would probably require engraving a circle across an area as large as the entire Bloodclaw settlement. Drake bone was different. Mana flowed through it in a dense concentration. It possessed both high mana conductivity and strong storage capacity. A single bone axe contained enough mana to support approximately a Second Circle spell. Karath had no intention of being satisfied with something so weak. As always, he planned to cheat.

Second Circle magic would not inflict serious damage even upon a troll. Karath had not originally known how to engrave magic into an object. One of the earlier books briefly mentioned the process. Later, he found an advanced volume among Renstein's works and read it repeatedly during his evening studies. He had prepared everything before beginning. He practised cutting. He studied the theory. Only after completing those preparations did Karath attempt the engraving.

"Heh heh heh heh." Hummmmm. Screeeech. His sinister laughter, the whine of the magical saw, and the sharp grinding of bone combined into something suitable for the soundtrack of a horror film. Karath continued carving the magical pattern for a long time.

"... ath."

"... arath."

"Karath!" A voice behind him finally broke his concentration. Karath stopped the spell and turned.

"Uncle Goldin? When did you enter?"

"Goldin has been standing here and calling you for some time. What are you doing that makes you look so delighted? You have been laughing continuously." Karath had asked the question in surprise, but Goldin looked even more bewildered.

"Ah. Karath will show you later. You will be shocked. Krahahaha."

"If Karath says it will be shocking, Goldin looks forward to seeing it. Everything you create is already astonishing."

"Then prepare yourself. Why did you suddenly come to the warehouse?"

"The chief called for us. He told Goldin to bring you to his house."

"Both Karath and Uncle Goldin?"

"Yes." Karath tilted his head, unable to guess the reason.

"Let us go." He rose reluctantly. Leaving the weapon unfinished was disappointing, but Grild would not summon them without cause. The explanation Karath heard inside the chief's house, however, left him confused.

"A bride search?" What kind of ridiculous nonsense was this?