Modern Patriarch

Chapter 107: One week

It took Yao Shen a few more hours to prospect two more chunks of Lumenite Ore that were suited for his purpose. The process of mining them was as painstaking as ever, requiring him to be meticulously precise without the slightest room for error. Thankfully, with the Divine Sense and reflexes of a Soul Emperor, Yao Shen could live up to that punishing standard.

The two newly mined chunks of Lumenite Ore were roughly half the size of their predecessor and Yao Shen did not hesitate as he placed one on either side of the half-finished chest-plate, next to the arm holes.

The stapling technique, as Yao Shen had come to term it, was the final trial that he had to surmount before he was capable of forging an entire set of Lumenite Armor. One of the reasons why the Dwarves Lumenite Armor was so enigmatic to the other races was because not only had they managed to forge defensive equipment from an incredibly delicate ore, but they had also found a way to make different parts of the armor mesh together seamlessly.

Even with Runebound Oresplitter, Yao Shen could not imagine a way of making functional armor with a single chunk of ore, unless it was literally forged around the body of the cultivator who it was designed for with no way to remove it in the future.

The answer to his conundrum was far simpler than he had imagined.

Yao Shen pushed the sealed chunk of Lumenite Ore that was next to the chestplates left arm-hole forward, until they made physical contact. His other, empty hand snaked inside the half-finished chestplate that was in the unchange state, applying pressure from the other side.

Is that how I need to do it? Yao Shen asked Vondar for confirmation, not willing to waste the hours and precious lumenite he had invested into the center-piece.

Indeed, Vondar confirmed. However, I would recommend using an earthen construct to hold the ore in place whilst you use Runebound Oresplitter yourself.

Naturally, Yao Shen replied, even though he suspected Vondars reason to be more out of reverence to the ancient dwarven artifact over practical ones.

He channeled his earth qi and a five-fingered earthen hand clawed its way out of the earth, replacing his own as it firmly held the Lumenite in place, pressing against the center pieces arm hole.

Carefully, as he regulated his breath, he rolled the cylindrical batons rim in such a manner that it overlapped between the ores uneven surface and the unchange arm-holes own periphery. Pressing into the unprocessed and the processed metal at the same time made their boundaries meld, whilst Yao Shen applied force from the inside to prevent the metal from sinking inwards. Thankfully, Runebound Oresplitters properties did not apply to organic matter, otherwise he shuddered to imagine the consequences.

Ten minutes later, when he was done with the welding portion of the process, he stapled the small chunk of lumenite to the center-pieces left arm-hole by tapping around the recently welded region with his hammer invoking the unchange rune.

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A long, weary sigh could be heard as Yao Shen finished the process. Next was to heat treat and roll the ore, but the challenging part had been completed.

But before Yao Shen got to it, it was time for a well-deserved break.

A week went by in the blink of an eye. All-Haven had been completed, yet the first mortal citizen was yet to move into what was supposed to be their capital.

The logistics involved in the process were complicated, as food, water and lodgings had to be arranged for the mortals willing to make the journey from their respective villages to All-Haven. Yao Shen had left standing instructions not to allow the mass-migration until he had returned from his forging and thus, Zhou Hui, who was spearheading the mission, had complied.

Around forty percent of the Mortals had agreed to shift, once they were shown how luxurious their new accommodations would be via the use of communication mirrors allotted to the disciples incharge of recruitment. The others were not willing to upend their way of life on the mere whim of a cultivator, wanted to wait and see how the lives of their fellow mortals would change or were simply too set in their ways to want or even appreciate that change,

Even those who had agreed to shift to All-Haven hadnt done so because of their unshakable faith in the righteous path cultivators. Some mortals simply saw the will of cultivators as inevitable, so it was better to comply and get better treatment as opposed to defying their will and suffering for it later. Others saw a chance to live under the protection of cultivators, away from the sporadic beast tides that resulted in hundreds of casualties each time they did happen.

Only a few among the mortals saw it as an opportunity, perhaps only those that understood the true value and potential for commerce as they put forth their applications to own a shop in the Commercial District one that would be run by mostly mortals, for cultivators.

Zhou Hui was content to organize the information in preparation for Yao Shens return, knowing that transporting mortals without the presence of the Azlak Plains lone Soul Emperor could be disastrous, given the damage the unassuming region had inflicted upon Gavril Arkael of the Ancient Codex.

An ancient disaster hungered for blood just outside the boundary of their sect and Zhou Hui did not intend to give it reason to strike not just yet.

All-Havens auction house had began to bustle, even without having officially opened yet. Every morning, hundreds of disciples and guardians would rush to the Auction House, all in a mad dash to get their first.

The funds raised from the sale of the auction house shares was finally being utilized to fill its expansive storerooms with wares. Word had spread and the auction house could afford to pay above the market rate, offering especially lucrative rates for old and damaged family heirlooms, incomplete or flawed technique scrolls and artifacts obtained from exploring the Nayun Forest among other resources.

The more eccentric or the greater an items antiquity, the more the Auction House wanted it. Zhou Hui had initially been skeptical of the strategy proposed by Yao Shen, but none of the representatives invited to manage the inventorying process on behalf of their respective shareholders had any interest in defying Yao Shen and already, Meili Zhu had identified an incomplete body cultivation technique that none of the three sects seemed to be able to identify and a rusted sword that contained an exceptionally powerful spiritual beasts blood droplets, concealed in its hilt.

As for Yao Shen himself, his expression was somber as he stood before a wooden stand that was placed next to the anvil that had been serving as his workstation for the entirety of last week.

On the stand, elegantly displayed, was a full-plate set of armor forged entirely out of lumenite.

His armor.