Steel and Mana

Chapter 57 – The First Artifact

While I was waiting for the blacksmiths to create the cuffs, I began designing what I wanted to do first, the 'water treatment' appliance and its follow-ups. The formation to clean the water was already ready and modified to take in CC; I just needed to create the blueprint for it to be made. With the idea of installing a heating system in my head, it has become my top priority to finish. Then, I can use the filtered water to recirculate it into the heating system while the remaining waste will be sent to be composted and either used by us or traded away. As to who? Well, that will be my mother's or her students' job to figure out.

"That looks really complex, Master..." Luna whispered, not wanting to disturb me, but she couldn't hold it back while watching the multiple pages worth of drawings.

"It is, yet not. It is like playing Lego or the game Pipes. I just need to design it well. I will probably build a huge purifying castellum at the end, which will have the formation installed within. Then, we can collect the sewage in it, and from there, clean water will be redirected to multiple others. The first will have to be accessible for people to regularly maintain and clean out the separated waste."

"Who will work it? It doesn't sound... nice."

"It isn't. But there are always people who are, well, limited." I shrugged, remembering Merlin's previous report. "It is a small percentage, but we still have around 2-3% of the population who can barely be considered literate. I won't let people who can't and won't work have their homes for free. I am not a charity. Want to live here? Put effort into it. Refuse to do so? I will relocate them."

"Won't they be living on the streets then? Or start resisting you?"

"Let them try. I won't stand still and watch my city be ruined! I am not a charity, nor am I an idealist. I am banking on the fact that the people built this place, and they will want to protect it as theirs. Those who are slacking off or are disruptive will be ejected by them naturally, so there should not be much opposition. If there is, I will use force to remove said individuals. I am building this place so we all can enjoy life together; anyone who is disrupting that goal will be dealt with without mercy."

"I am not really versed in things like this, Master, but later on, people will forget it... Just look at the capital city!"

"It could be the case, yes. But that is going to be the problem of the people of that time to solve. I can't do everything; I am no God."

"Ehehe, that is true~!" She giggled, making me reach out and pinch her buttocks.

"Cheeky! Anyway, I am concentrating on the now and trying to do my best. I am not a born leader, a social engineer, or someone versed in psychology. I will do what I feel is right and logical and see what comes out of it."

"I understood none of that, Master."

"No matter! What you need to understand is that the people here lived in what I would call poverty. You called this place a land of barbarians, and in a sense, you weren't wrong. With the changes I brought in, a new way of life opened up for them. One that they didn't think about before. I want them to understand this and instill the thought in them that they must protect it. It is part of the classes Merlin is holding to the kids, teaching them that the way we live here is superior and they ought to value, nurture, and defend it."

"Isn't that indoctrination, Master?"

"Oh?" I smiled, surprised she knew about that word, "It is. If you want to look at it like that, you're welcome to do so. But it is also the truth! Does it really matter if it results in the fact we have a stable, clean city with its people working together in harmony and can enjoy their lives?"

"I suppose not..." She murmured, thinking hard, playing with her hair in the process. "I do like the idea of living leisurely and happily..."

"We got really far from talking about my blueprints, huh?" I laughed, happy to see she didn't worry about voicing her opinions.

"Because that is way too abstract for me, Master! I can only see lines and squiggly numbers that make no sense."

"Those numbers do give me a headache because I will need a lot of iron to make the pipings. Still, the mines are being constantly deepened and worked on; with the smithies firing up, work can be done. The start is slow, but it will slowly kickstart the industry. I may even need to establish a mining guild the same way..."

"I'm finished!" Sasha's voice interrupted us as she hurriedly entered my study with a beaming smile, binging in a fat stack of parchments and laying them before me.

"Ooooh? Let me see!" I sat up quickly, looking them over, praising her multiple times.

It was the best choice to leave the design of this spell to the number one fire mage I know. Her innate talent showed itself as I could see a complex magic formation before me, utilizing no less than 20 pieces of CC. In turn, it will be highly configurable and act as the primary system, responsible for heating the water and bringing warmth to all the houses in the winter. Looking at it, it was a very thought-out model as one CC was bigger than the rest, being its 'key,' so to speak. Without it, the formation would be dormant, so I would only need to put it in place at the start of winter, conserving its integrity and power during the warm months.

"I also made a smaller version, which we can add to the aqueduct at set intervals. It will help prevent water from freezing in the winter!" She continued explaining in high spirits, almost jumping from one foot to another.

"Great! This winter was especially harsh; I already got reports of multiple pipe failures that will need to be replaced now that the snow has begun melting. We will insert them then! Nice job, my future Archmage!"

"Arch-what?" Luna asked, looking back and forth between us.

"It will be Sasha's second title besides being my Queen. She will lead all the witches and wizards under me!"

"You expect more?" They asked me simultaneously.

"Of course! I would be disappointed if that doesn't happen."

...
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Five days after I had given the task to the blacksmiths to create my very first artifact, I was notified by the Minister of Industry that they had finished.

"Earlier than I expected." I nodded while eating my breakfast, even inviting Paxon to join us. "That is a good sign. I'd like you to bring the finished products to me, and I will test them myself. When I have chosen the one I like the most, I will call upon you and announce the name of the first Forgemaster!"

When Paxon delivered them to us, I took them to our usual test field, close to the city. I was already thinking I should wall it off, cleat it up, and create a proper testing zone guarded by my soldiers. It could be done soon as it was already getting warmer, and we were blessed with a sunny day. It meant that the temperature finally climbed above 0 Celsius, slowly making the snow around us begin to melt. After arriving at the spot and unboxing all of them, I couldn't help but examine them individually, astonished at their craftsmanship.

"I won't lie; I expected a much rougher result."

"They are used to creating small stuff, no? What else would you need here?" Luna asked, shrugging, which in turn made me smile.

"Exactly. They mostly made horseshoes, tools for the homes and everyday use. But this also proves something else for me!"

"That is?" Yuri hummed curiously. She was also present for this testing round, and it was Sasha who answered her, not me.

"They take pride in their profession. Wouldn't you want to give your all when you get the chance? Seeing all of them, it is clear that they were happy to be given something different. It was finally not just a boring 'let's make another pan,' instead, it turned into 'let's do our best' for their king."

"Exactly!" Merlin nodded happily, agreeing with everything Sasha was saying, and I saw him making notes, probably to include it in his lessons.

"I understand... maybe." Yuri shrugged, scratching her head, watching me finish examining the bracelets and placing them on a table. "Tsk, you gave them gold?"

"One of them was brave enough to go and ask for it. When Paxon relayed the request to me, he was sweating like crazy!" Merlin giggled happily, "I gave the authorization. It wasn't much anyway, and if it doesn't get chosen, we will just melt it back."

"You let them have it? Just like that?" Luna gawked because, for her, it was unbelievable that a kid, even if he was the Prime Minister, would make a decision like that without consulting with me.

"Why not? Merlin is my Prime Minister. I trust him to make such decisions. This is why I chose him to take up the role. I can't and won't micromanage everything."

"Hehe..." With a happy laugh, Merlin was blushing and wiggling back and forth, enjoying my praise just as much as Sasha's hand on his hand, ruffling his hair with affection.

"Back to the products! I see they all followed the blueprints, and the dimensions are down to the letter, but their design is unique."

"This one looks really nice!" Yuri exclaimed, picking up the one that was made out of gold, of course.

"I am not surprised you took that, but that is not the one I am most satisfied with."

"Oh? Which one, then?" Merlin and Luna asked at once while I turned towards Sasha, watching if she had guessed it yet.

"This one?" When her finger pointed to one that was made out of iron, it made me smile because she guessed it right away.

"You know me best. It may look 'simple' at first glance, but it is not. Look at its inside; the one who made this used wood, which is then cushioned and covered with leather. Hold it, touch it, and you will feel that the inside of it is soft. Then he worked the iron around it, on the outside surface, attached to the wood. The iron is there to be two things: Decoration and what holds the CC in place. The one who made this went beyond the task."

"Because it's fancy?" Yuri asked again, but I shook my head.

"He understood the task. He did not only look at the blueprint and begin blindly following the instructions. He used his brain. Yes, the others' works are great and masterful, too. Just look at how they formed and decorated them or found the solution to make the socket for the CC work. It is all unique, but this one is more than that! He realized it is to go on a person's hand, and for that, it needs to be comfortable. Especially if it is going to be worn for an extended period of time. I never disclosed this in my blueprint, yet this one gets it. I like it the most!"

"So why test the rest?"

"Because," I turned towards Luna, who asked the question, "I don't know if the way an artifact is made influences its capabilities or not. My guess is not, but I need to be sure. Your turn, Sasha!"

She nodded happily as she took out a thin, needle-like rod and began concentrating on it. A moment later, it quickly turned scarlet, and she began using it as a pencil, drawing up the magic formation and engraving it onto all of them.

"What's that?" Merlin asked, wiggling his eyebrows, feeling the strangeness emanating from it.

"CC." I answered calmly, watching Sasha work. "I made it from the thin strands Yuri brought back and spun a few together. As you can see, it becomes the perfect engraving tool with Sasha's magic. Don't worry, I will make one for you too!"

When she was finally done, it was Merlin's turn as we put them one by one onto his wrist. My first theory was quickly confirmed as the bracelet's design or materials had zero impact on its effects. What mattered was the formation and the CC.

"I... I can't." Merlin said while gasping, trying his hardest to summon his powers. "The moment I call for it, I feel like I'm being pinched, and then it goes away!"

"Even if you try your hardest?"

"Yes."

"Perfect..."

"But..." Yuri chimed in, sounding concerned, "Couldn't she simply... take it off?"

"Mikan could." I nodded, forming a small smile, "And we will see if she will or not. This is not just for Elyzien but for Mikan, too. If she can wear it for me, I can trust her. If she can't? She is all yours."

"Oh... I won't say no to that offer! I like her body!"

I couldn't help but feel the hair stand on my arm after I saw Yuri's smile and the sharp light in her eyes for a brief moment. Well, I really hope, for Mikan's sake, she won't make the wrong choice when I visit her tomorrow.