Purr was genuinely beating Kevin, raining one paw after another down upon his head.
Kevin merely held his head between his paws and dodged repeatedly with his tail tucked, turning the sweltering forge into a scene of complete canine-and-feline chaos.
In truth, under normal circumstances, it would have been effortless for a large golden retriever to deal with a little black cat. One press of a paw would have pinned the cat down and ended any fussing.
Even though Purr could cast fireballs, Kevin had now broken two layers of his seal. It was honestly hard to say who was stronger.
However, Kevin had always indulged Purr. In fact, the one who spoiled Purr the most in the entire household was not Karen, but Kevin. After all, Karen would never let Purr ride him like a horse, but the Evil God was entirely willing, even finding great joy in it.
"*Ahem*..."
The roughhousing only ceased when Karen walked in and cleared his throat.
During the days Karen had been away from home, Purr had been bored on her own and inevitably ate a bit more to pass the time.
Lately, staying at the estate with Karen, she was revered by the younger generation of the family as a venerable ancestor and had consumed no small share of "offerings."
As a result, Purr was noticeably plumper than before. At this moment, puffed up with indignation, her face looked even rounder and thoroughly adorable.
Of course, most females disliked being called "chubby and cute," even if she was currently a cat.
"Karen, come arbitrate! This dumb dog is going way too far!"
Even though she had been the one to strike first, the cat still felt the need for an arbitration.
"What happened?"
Karen sat down on a nearby chair. The heat inside was intense, and the seat was rather hot to the touch, but there was no helping it. His own cat and dog were in here forging and upgrading a weapon for him, so he felt too embarrassed to complain about the heat and suggest they go outside for an iced drink to talk it over.
Purr leapt onto Karen's shoulder. She intended to pour out her grievances right away, but hesitated, reaching out a paw toward the Memory Compass instead.
"Radio fairy, bring that compass over."
Alfred walked over, picked up a pair of tongs, retrieved the compass, and set it down before Karen.
Purr reminded him, "No need for tongs. The heat is for engraving the internal array formations, not for melting it down. This little bit of heat is nothing to it.
"Its material is memory metal, also known as Maniko steel. An alchemist named Maniko smelted it. Of course, the smelting method isn't particularly special; it's just that the ore is difficult to obtain and extremely rare, which makes it quite valuable."
With that, Purr hopped down from Karen's shoulder and stroked the compass a few times directly with her cat paw.
Alfred nodded. "Understood."
Karen found it somewhat amusing. Purr wasn't sharing trivia out of a passion for popular science; she was laying the groundwork for her impending disagreement with Kevin. Giving this advance explanation made her seem more professional.
In any case, she was taking advantage of Kevin's inability to speak.
A ripple of spiritual power emanated from Purr's paw. The compass began to spin, and immediately afterward, black steel plates flew out one by one, circling around Purr's body.
This compass was, in fact, an assembly of these steel plates.
"This is good stuff. Both in terms of material and craftsmanship, it's top quality. That fun-seeker really has an eye for things."
"The fun-seeker" was the nickname Purr had given Neo.
As a member of the old Allen family, she had always adhered to pirate tradition: anyone she spent a fair amount of time around received a moniker from her.
"I'd like to hear more details, if treated as an investment."
After all, it had cost thirty-five thousand Order coupons. Although Karen had told Neo he would reimburse him after the hearse modifications were finished, barring any surprises, the money would definitely have to be paid.
"I imagine that fun-seeker bought this intending to have it upgraded and reforged as well. Once upgraded and reforged, its value could easily double."
"That much?"
"Because an excellent blacksmith, array formation master, or rune master who reaches a certain caliber will never be short on point coupons. Therefore, while this transaction seems to carry a huge profit margin, what you're actually spending is your personal favors."
Karen nodded. That matched what the Section Chief had told him earlier.
"Do you want to give it a try?" Purr released her paw. The steel plates that had been circling her were all recalled, reforming into the shape of a compass. "It has one flaw: controlling it demands a great deal of spiritual power. But for you, that hardly qualifies as a flaw."
Karen reached out, picked up the compass, and channeled his spiritual power into it. A faint yet unmistakable resonance stirred within.
*Buzz!—*
The steel plates all flew out, circling around Karen.
Karen attempted to control them. Very quickly, the plates snapped into neat alignment, stacking along a curve to form a blade, then snapping upright into a sword, and subsequently scattering outward to reassemble into a shield.
The basic structure of each steel plate remained unchanged, but their edges and curvature could undergo slight adjustments, offering countless possibilities for separation and assembly.
In short, it closely resembled a children's toy capable of modular transformation, yet its sharpness was lethal.
At the same time, it could channel elemental attributes, meaning it could serve as a primary or offhand weapon, as well as defensive gear.
It was also extremely convenient to carry. The compass could actually be folded down further; a sheath similar to a boot-knife holster on the side of his boots would easily hold it.
Coupled with the advantage of his abundant reserves of spiritual power, it was indeed an exceptionally well-suited weapon for him. The Section Chief's choice had been truly spot-on.
"So, what are you two arguing about?" Karen asked, recalling the steel plates.
"The dumb dog's idea is to carry out a comprehensive overhaul on its existing foundation—enhancing its power capacity, its responsiveness to the user, its defensive capabilities, and so forth...
"You can think of it as doubling its value from thirty-five thousand coupons. And for the dumb dog and me, that wouldn't pose any difficulty at all."
*Then isn't that a great idea?*
Karen hesitated, then asked Purr, "Then what is your idea?"
"Kevin wants to double its value. My idea is to multiply it tenfold, or even a hundredfold."
Karen did not get carried away upon hearing that. Instead, he looked at Kevin and asked, "Is the risk very high?"
Kevin nodded.
"Shut up, dumb dog!"
Kevin's canine eyes widened. He hadn't even made a sound.
"My idea is to elevate the tier of the runes and array formations engraved inside as much as possible, sacrificing most of its other balances—even sacrificing its normal operation—because this item is simply too intriguing."
"Too intriguing?"
"Exactly, meow! Think about it. If you treat it as an integrated whole, pursuing completeness imposes numerous limitations. But if you treat it as an extreme, singular work, there are very few restrictions, and the direction and scope of improvement can be immense—this big..."
Purr gestured as widely as possible with her two padded paws.
"My recommendation is: don't you have that soul inside you? Give this item to it. Let it drive the compass and these steel plates, effectively tailoring a physical vessel for it.
"Then, it would be equivalent to owning a weapon with an item spirit.
"In that case, many redundant features can be stripped away, leaving it entirely optimized for the item spirit's performance. Maniko steel naturally possesses a strong affinity for souls in the first place."
"Integrating an item spirit..." Karen pressed his lips together. "That's no longer something an ordinary, skilled blacksmith can accomplish, is it?"
"Of course. Normally, item spirits have to be nurtured over time, and it depends on luck. Most implements have zero chance of birthing an item spirit. Divine artifacts have a higher probability only because of their unique nature.
"This thing you bought for thirty-five thousand Order coupons wouldn't develop an item spirit even if you left it sitting for ten thousand years.
"Mmh, even to this day, infusing an item spirit into a sacred relic is regarded as an almost impossible feat. A temporary tethering is doable, but forcefully integrating one from the outside to achieve mutual nourishment and a positive cycle..."
"There are no successful precedents?"
"There are."
"Hm?"
"In a sense, I'm one. Didn't Diss refer to me as an extremely powerful sacred relic? While I might not be extremely powerful right now, my tier is exceedingly high."
Purr grabbed her tail and continued, "Why are you able to wield the power of Light? Because you signed a symbiosis contract with me! From another perspective, I am the item spirit of this God of Light's finger.
"You completed your purification through me and gained the power of Light.
"Therefore..."
Purr turned to Kevin and shouted, "I have extensive experience!"
"*Woof, woof, woof, woof!*"
"Alfred, translate."
"Yes, Young Master. Kevin says that Purr's situation is an isolated exception, lacking general applicability, because she was inherently a genius—and genius itself is an uncontrollable anomaly. If forged according to Purr's method, there is an eighty percent chance that this newly purchased weapon will be ruined directly into scrap iron."
Hearing this, Karen asked, "Meaning there is still a twenty percent success rate?"
"*Woof, woof!*"
"Out of that remaining twenty percent, there is a ninety-nine percent probability that the Thousand Phantoms you brought out from the Gate of Samsara... will dissipate on the spot and perish."
"*Tsk*..."
Karen couldn't help drawing in a breath.
"That's not how it is! That's not how it is!" Purr said, thoroughly dissatisfied. "I've already lowered the difficulty! What I want to craft isn't a permanent vessel for an item spirit, but a temporary one! That is, whenever you need it, Karen, you let that mud loach enter the compass; when you don't need it, it leaves the compass and remains inside your body. That way, the difficulty drops significantly."
"A temporary one?" Karen frowned slightly.
"*Woof, woof, woof!*"
"Kevin says that this temporary arrangement will cause the weapon's durability to deplete rapidly. As a rule, it would require major repairs after three uses, because the internal rune pathways would have to be reinscribed."
"Then it's like a chicken rib. Oh, no—rather, the cost-effectiveness is far too low."
Hearing that, Alfred immediately repeated "chicken rib" several times in his mind.
*Young Master used it to denote poor cost-effectiveness. My intuition tells me this must be an idiom from that other language.*
"That problem can be solved," Purr stated as if it were obvious. "Just have that mud loach repair it itself! Karen, you only need to supply the spiritual power inside you, and that will be enough to support the mud loach in completing repairs on the weapon on its own."
Kevin froze. Clearly, Purr hadn't mentioned this proposal to him earlier.
Of course, that wasn't entirely Purr's fault; the reason they had started fighting earlier was also because Kevin had interrupted her suggestions too many times.
For Kevin, having just broken a layer of his seal, this was an extremely delicate moment in his relationship with Karen. Karen naturally expected to see results, and Kevin was obliged to deliver something, all while carefully calibrating the degree of what he displayed.
If his performance was too outrageous, there would be absolutely no hope for the next layer of the seal.
Thus, upgrading and reforging this weapon was his tribute prepared for Karen, and he attached great importance to it.
"Is it feasible?" Karen asked, noticing the shift in Kevin's expression.
"*Woof, woof, woof, woof.*"
"Kevin says that if it's merely a matter of following a fixed repair protocol, it is indeed doable, as the Thousand Phantoms inside you possesses remarkable intelligence.
"However, from the perspective of the entire design implementation, the risk remains substantial and the difficulty remains high.
"Still, if it serves only as a temporary vessel for an item spirit, the likelihood of the spirit being destroyed upon failure is reduced."
"Then let's do it,"
Karen made his decision.
Thirty-five thousand coupons was no small sum, but as long as the danger to Thousand Phantoms was minimal, he could afford the loss.
"How long will it take?" Karen asked.
Purr replied, "We can finish tonight. Actually, we've already done the preliminary work. Leave Thousand Phantoms here, go eat and sleep, and we'll be done."
"Alright."
Karen nodded and extended his hand. A coiled mosquito-incense shape manifested in his palm.
Thousand Phantoms did not enlarge, deliberately making itself appear harmless.
"Go on," Karen instructed. "Be obedient."
Thousand Phantoms drifted up and flew toward Kevin. In its eyes, the primary boss was Karen, and the one ranking second was the golden retriever before it.
"Dead mud loach, over here!"
Thousand Phantoms hesitated for a moment, then promptly wheeled around and flew to Purr. It considered Kevin terrifying, but the cat in front of it was capable of chasing Kevin and beating him.
Purr raised her paw, allowing Thousand Phantoms to coil around it, and warned, "In a moment, I'll teach you a rune path. You'd better memorize every bit of it. If you can't, a creature that stupid doesn't deserve to freeload in my household. Understand?"
Thousand Phantoms nodded at once.
"All right, you two keep at it. I'll head over to the performance hall to check on Old Saman and Count Rekar."
Stepping out of the forge, Karen and Alfred let out a long sigh of relief almost simultaneously. It was truly roasting inside; for Purr and Kevin, two fur-covered creatures, enduring that environment was no small feat.
Leaving the castle and entering the performance hall, Karen stroked the coffins while extending the chains of Order from beneath his feet to link with them, his consciousness sinking inward.
Although the two lying in the coffins could not yet be awakened to perform tasks, they were employees he had reserved for the future. Whenever the opportunity arose, offering them mental comfort and encouragement was necessary—after all, bosses loved doing that sort of thing.
Karen first entered Old Saman's consciousness, but failed to find him in the "graveyard setting." When Karen transitioned into Count Rekar's massive ship, he found Old Saman sitting beside Count Rekar, fishing together.
"Looks like the two of you are getting along quite well."
Karen's arrival brought them a pleasant surprise. The three sat together, with Karen primarily recounting what had transpired outside recently and sharing his own experiences, while Count Rekar and Old Saman chimed in from time to time with commentary.
The time spent chatting passed quickly. When Karen prepared to depart, both made a single request: hurry up and fill the other coffins with new people. Otherwise, their lives were excruciatingly boring, and they had long reached the point of being sick to death of each other's faces.
Karen smiled at Old Saman. "If you're sick to death of looking at him, why did you come over to his ship to fish?"
Old Saman retorted, "Since I'm going to be sick anyway, I might as well use the vomit to chum the water."
...
When Karen's consciousness returned to his body, he found that Alfred had shifted him from a standing posture into a seated one.
"What time is it?" Karen asked, rubbing his neck.
"Young Master, it's eleven at night. You spoke with them for quite a while."
"There was no helping it; they're too lonely. Before I left, they insisted that I bring in new faces. Unfortunately, Madame Gandiro won't be coming over for the time being."
"I will keep an eye out for suitable candidates."
"*Heh.*" Karen chuckled. "Why does that sound so odd?"
"Would you like to dine first?"
"Well, I am a bit hungry. Call for a meal. We'll eat in the forge to see how Purr and Kevin are progressing. Hopefully my thirty-five thousand coupons haven't gone down the drain."
Stepping into the forge once more, the hearth fire had already gone out, and the temperature had cooled.
Seeing Karen enter, Purr remarked, "Ooh, you chatted for that long?"
"Yeah."
"This is the first time I've learned that dead people lying in coffins are chattier than the living."
"Perhaps. You can talk about anything with them. Where's the weapon?"
"I'm sorry, *wahhh*, Karen, I was wrong! I squandered your thirty-five thousand point coupons! I'll drink less coffee in the future to make it up to you, meow!"
"*Heh.* The fact that you asked about my chat the moment I walked in proves you succeeded."
"Can't you play along with me for once?"
"I'll cook fish for you tomorrow. My injuries happen to be fully healed."
"Deal, meow! Mud loach, come out."
Thousand Phantoms emerged from Purr's fur and flew sluggishly back to Karen.
Karen asked in confusion, "Why did it end up looking like this?"
"I don't have much spiritual power to feed it. It's only natural for it to become weak and listless after leaving you."
"It shouldn't have happened that fast."
"Well, I wouldn't know about that, meow."
Hearing that, Kevin stole a glance at Purr.
Karen understood immediately. Thousand Phantoms had likely suffered through hours of mental torment from Purr and was on the verge of a breakdown.
"Did it learn it?" Just to be safe, Karen still asked.
"Of course. After all, it had such an exceptional teacher."
Feeling Thousand Phantoms return into his body and begin rapidly replenishing soul and spiritual energy from him, Karen said, "Then give me a demonstration. Where is the compass?"
Kevin pushed forward a stack of steel plates from in front of him. It was no longer in the shape of a compass, but had transformed into an elongated rectangular block resembling several decks of playing cards neatly stacked together, making it far more convenient to carry on one's person.
Having replenished itself from Karen, Thousand Phantoms flew out of his body and submerged into the stack of steel plates. Without waiting for Karen to issue a command, it drifted behind him in accordance with their usual habit of coordination.
*Clack!—*
Like scales fanning out, a mantle of black enveloped Karen completely, forming an unbroken barrier of defense.
Immediately followed by a crisp *whoosh*, the black retreated and reformed behind Karen as three pairs of metallic, pitch-black wings.
With a gentle flap of the wings, Karen's feet lifted from the ground, and he floated into the air.
Thousand Phantoms' consciousness reached out, requesting the empowerment of the chains of Order.
Karen released the chains of Order. Guided by Thousand Phantoms, they poured entirely into the wings behind him, as though infusing them anew with muscle and bone.
*Hum!—*
In an instant, the span of the wings expanded once more. A mere few flaps whipped up the sound of shearing air. Combined with the solemn, majestic aura bestowed by the chains of Order, Karen looked as if a fallen angel straight out of a fresco had descended upon the world.
Purr waved her paw and declared in high excitement,
"Just for the looks alone, it's totally worth it, meow!"
Chapter 547