72 hours later…
Liam stared blankly at the several golden unique staffs he had crafted lying down on the ground like garbage. On the other side, there were failed products of the epic-grade staff heaped up.
Though the two piles were constantly increasing in size, there was no improvement in the quality of the forged weapon.
"It seems that I have hit a wall." Liam rubbed his chin in deep thought, unable to find where he was going wrong.
"Would it help to take a look at the finished staff?" Lyana, sitting on the side and petting Luna, slowly suggested.
Liam's eyes instantly widened. Something like that was also possible?!
He did not think of this, as this was not how things worked in the human kingdom. One cannot simply buy or take a look at an Epic-ranked item.
"Do they really have weapons for sale, or is it like an exhibit?"
"Ummm… it's in the training arena. The elves can borrow and train with any weapon of their choice." Lyana explained.
Seeing the finished product would definitely help. "Let's go right away." Liam stood up in excitement. The two of them, followed by the guards, soon reached the place.
His reputation with the elves was still on the friendly level, and he hadn't gone to the next stage just yet, but it seemed like that was enough as he was allowed into the training arena without any issue.
However, the inside of the training arena was completely different than what he had imagined. Numerous elves were sparring with each other and practicing combat on the grounds.
It was a sight to see the elemental spells being used so fluently. Some of the elves could also use close combat techniques and spells that cost mana.
Liam clenched his hands as he looked around. He hadn't seen that many elves in action except for the lower-level patrolling elves, so this was very new to him.
Things considered extremely difficult by the human kingdoms were being easily executed right before him. His own fighting spirit was kindled as he watched the different sparring matches.
"Ummm… Liam… this way." Lyana gently reminded him as he seemed to have forgotten why he had come here in the first place.
"Right." Liam smiled and followed the elf. The two of them walked over to the interior of the training grounds, where there was surprisingly another teleportation gate.
The guards standing next to the gate did not look concerned seeing Liam, so he as well went ahead and helped himself to the gate.
Immediately, the duo was teleported to another area, which was not all that different from the earlier training grounds except that the elves here were more extravagantly equipped.
"This is a training area for the noble families," Lyana explained.
"No wonder they have access to epic grade items for training." Liam nodded in understanding. The two of them walked over to the elf monitoring the borrowing of weapons.
Unlike the previous training grounds, the weapons here were all showcased in a neat and orderly fashion as each of them was very valuable.
"Welcome, Lady Lyana. What would you like to borrow today?"
Lyana in turn looked at Liam, whose eyes glossed over all the items in the display. The weapon he was trying to craft was a staff, more specifically, "Staff of the Moon Temple."
"There." Liam pointed to the silver staff lying inconspicuously on the second row.
The elf immediately frowned upon hearing him and acted like he hadn't heard Liam speak. "It looks like my reputation is not enough after all." Liam smiled and turned to look at his free pass in the elven land.
Lyana immediately spoke on his behalf and asked for the staff. Now the elf finally responded. "Right away, Lady Lyana." He picked up the staff and made a few markings on the book in front of him.
He then extended it to hand it over to her when suddenly another hand reached in between and grabbed the staff.
"Ha ha. Lady Lyana, it's been a while. I heard that you were out on a mission. When did you get back?" A tall and handsome elf stood in front of them.
"I am doing well, Lord Saevel." Lyana answered curtly without giving any other explanation.
Hmmm? Acquaintance? Liam looked at the two of them, but for some reason, Lyana seemed uncomfortable.
"That's good to hear. If you are signing up for a training session, then we can practice together." The other elf continued chatting without getting the hint. He could see Liam standing beside her, but he completely ignored him.
On the other hand, Liam was also doing the same as his eyes were only on the staff the elf was holding. He was mildly annoyed that he had to wait to examine the weapon personally.
Thankfully, it looked like the elf was also not interested in conversing with this person, so she ended it quickly. "I apologize, Lord Saevel. I am rather busy at the moment. Perhaps we could meet at another time."
"Oh? Yes, yes. Another time it is then." The elf then acted as if he was going to hand over the staff, only to pull it back at the last minute.
"By the way, I heard that Lady Lyana is spending a lot of time in the smithing building these days." The elf's eyes finally landed on Liam as he said this and added with a chuckle, "Perhaps this new friend is the reason for your interest?"
"Lord Saevel, I think you are misunderstanding things here." Lyana immediately tried to smooth everything over, but the other person smirked.
"If my lady really wishes to learn how to forge weapons, then I will be more than willing to guide you personally. There is no need for you to rely on these outsiders."
"I am-"
The elf did not allow her to talk and continued to boast about all the recent items he had forged. On the side, the other elves standing near him also intervened to elaborate on how amazing Lord Saevel was.
Finally, Lyana herself lost patience and spoke up. "Lord Saevel, may I please have the staff? We can leisurely talk about this later. I am afraid I am a little short on time now." She bit her lips in frustration.
"Oh, my bad. I almost forgot." The elf once again acted as if he was going to give her the staff, but at the last moment, he took it back again.
Liam's lips twitched on seeing this. This was getting old. Why did they have to run into this problematic bastard now? He has already wasted too much of their time.
Even Lyana was not amused as she called him out, "Lord Saevel! We have already reserved the staff!"
"Ha Ha Ha. I am just joking, Miss Lyana. Please don't mind me." He gave her the staff finally, and she in turn handed it to Liam.
The elf frowned as his gaze landed on Liam as well, "Oh! The staff was for your friend, huh?" He paused and added, "He doesn't seem too pleased with me. Hmmm?"
One of the elves standing near him immediately interjected. "Listen, human. Who do you think crafted this weapon in the first place?"
Liam's brow arched up as he was genuinely impressed. So this elf was not all talk?
But the next instant, the lackey added. "Hmph. Fool! This weapon is crafted by Lord Saevel's master! It's your privilege just to be able to look at something like this."
"Hmm. That's enough. Let's leave Lady Lyana and her friend to practice." Thankfully, the group of elves walked away without creating a bigger commotion.
Liam ignored them and looked at the splendid staff in his hand. It was light and comfortable, but at the same time, he could also feel how powerful it was.
Though an Epic rank item and a Legendary rank item could not be compared, an Epic ranked item had its own strength and was head and shoulders above countless other weapons.
<Ding. Staff of the Moon Temple>
