Two hours later, the group had finally recovered their bearings and were once again ready to continue their journey.
Originally, Lux only wanted to let everyone rest for an hour. But, after seeing that there were no signs that the Monsters were targeting them, he decided to extend their rest by one more hour, so that everyone could fully recover.
No one talked to Lux during the journey because they didn't want to interrupt his concentration. They only followed behind him as he chose the best paths in the forest that would ensure their safety.
An hour before sunset, Lux decided that they should rest for the night and continue their journey the next day. He didn't know what kind of Monsters were on the prowl at night, so he planned to summon all of his Named Creatures, as well as Skeleton Soldiers, to guard the perimeter of their temporary campsite.
Grandma Annie had bought a tent with her because she didn't want her two disciples to freeze from the coldness of the night.
Lux also had brought tents with him that he shared with Gerhart and Cethus. However, the Dragon Born didn't know how to set up his tent, so Lux ordered the Skeleton Gang Bangers to do it for him.
For some reason, Cethus flinched the moment the Skeletons approached him. Clearly, the memory of the one-sided beating he received from them was enough for Cethus to put them on his "must not provoke" list.
"Thanks," Cethus replied after the Skeleton Gang Bangers finished fixing his tent, which earned him a brief nod from the Undead, whose sole purpose was to make their opponents feel as if they had been screwed a hundred times over.
Randolph was staying inside Lux's tent, so the old Dwarf did not need to set up a tent of his own.
After dinner, everyone went back to their tents to rest, while the Undead Army guarded their camp from potential threats during the night.
Eiko fell asleep as soon as she laid on top of the soft pillow that Iris had made just for her.
Lux and Randolph, on the other hand, weren't able to sleep right away. Because of this, the two decided to chat with each other about random things in order to kill some time.
"There is this organization of Blacksmiths that called themselves, Hephaestus," Randolph said. "All of their members have Transcendent Flames, and according to the information I heard, there are only around twenty members in the group.
"This organization isn't bound by race, so the Blacksmiths from different cultures gather to share smithing techniques, as well as unique recipes with their members every three years. It is every Blacksmith's dream to be part of this organization. I felt the same way in the past, but not anymore."
"Oh? Why did you have a sudden change of heart, Master?" Lux asked.
Randolph sighed as he told his disciple that this illustrious organization wasn't the same one he idolized when he was younger.
"They have become too greedy," Randolph replied. "Also, almost all of their members approve of their respective Kingdoms going to war, so they can gather more resources and increase their Ranks through forging.
"It's a heartless practice, and I for one didn't want to forge Legendary Equipment for the sake of wars. True, I did make equipment for profit, but I will never stoop as low as them. I'm not fond of wars. Never was, never will be. Even if I grow old in a piss-poor village, I would rather remain true to my ideals than let them be tainted by greed."
Lux remained silent as he digested his Master's Words. Right now, he had one Legendary Artifact, and this was given to him by Great General Sherlock after the war ended.
The Artifact that Lux received was called the Elemental Heart.
This Legendary Artifact had the ability to summon Greater Elementals.
—-----------------------
(A/N: This is the Hierarchy of Elementals)
– Lesser Elemental
– Elemental
– Greater Elemental (Deimos)
– Elder Elementals (Argonaut)
– Ancient Elementals (Dreadnought)
—-----------------------
The Tempest Elemental was a Fusion Elemental that combined the powers of Lightning and Air. Its rank was an Elder Elemental, whose strength was at the Argonaut Rank.
Lux's artifact could summon a Deimos-Ranked Alpha Elemental of any of the elements he wanted. However, he could only summon one of them at any point in time.
If the Half-Elf were to summon an ordinary Elemental, he could summon four Elementals at any given time.
If Lux summoned a Lesser Elemental, the Half-Elf could summon eight of them at the same time.
This artifact would enter a cooldown period of three days each time it was used, so it was more of a Trump Card that would allow the Half-Elf to reverse situations in a pinch.
Of course, this artifact was crafted by a Transcendent Jewel Smith of the Highest Caliber. Great General Sherlock even told Lux that there was a possibility of upgrading the Legendary item into a Demigod-Ranked Item if he could fuse the hearts of Ten Argonaut-Ranked Elder Elementals to the Elemental Heart.
The Elemental Tempest was one example of an Argonaut Ranked Elder Elemental, and with Lux's current strength, defeating it was only a pipedream.
"Don't worry, Master," Lux said. "You don't need to join such an organization. After all, our Guild is a hundred times better than them."
Randolph chuckled after hearing Lux's words.
Indeed.
His guild was the only Mythical Guild in the world, and when compared to Hephaestus, the Transcendent Organization of Blacksmiths was nothing.
Also, the Guild, Heaven's Gate, had a 20% Bonus Success Rate when crafting items. This meant that there was a higher chance for Randolph and Grandma Annie to create Legendary-Ranked Equipment, Pills, and Potions.
"Lux, if there comes a time when these Transcendent Blacksmiths wish to join our Guild, what will you do?" Randolph asked as he eyed his Disciple with a solemn gaze. "Adding them to our Guild will surely boost its strength by leaps and bounds.
"I'm sure that they will do everything in their power to get into your good graces. When that happens, you don't need to think about my opinion. You can accept them if you wish."
Lux wanted to tell Randolph that the only Blacksmith he needed was him. However, the Dwarf's strong and steady gaze made him feel that saying these words might not be the best reply that he could give to his Master.
"I don't mind letting them join," Lux replied after careful consideration. "However, they must first pass your approval, Master. If they are guilty of using their skills to instigate wars, then they have no place in our Guild. Just like you, I am not fond of wars. Never was, and never will be."
The corner of Randolph's lips rose up after hearing Lux's answer. Truth be told, he wanted his Disciple's Guild to become powerful. Because of this, he didn't shy away from the idea of having more than one Transcendent Blacksmith working to equip their Guild Members to the teeth.
"Aye." Randolph nodded. "I'll make sure to pick only those who meet our Guild's requirements. Thank you, Lux. Because of your answer, I have overcome the bias in my heart."
Randolph knew that not all Transcendent Blacksmiths wished for war to happen. If there were those within the group that shared the same ideology as him, he would definitely do his best to poach them from Hephaestus.
As a crafter himself, he knew that the Guild Buffs were simply too good to be ignored. Also, the status of the one and only Mythical Guild in the world was more than enough to tempt anyone to jump ship if they were given a chance to hug Lux's thigh.
An hour later, Lux and Randolph finally went to sleep.
Neither of them knew that the Elemental Tempest, who had observed them for the past few hours, was busy communicating with the other Guardians, who had protected the Wanid Kingdom from all outside interference for the past hundreds of years.
