"Wait, I can help. It'll save Senior's time," Zac quickly said. He hadn't forgotten the suggestion of Akke's disciple. The Tool Spirit was clearly bored and looked for something interesting. Didn't he have just the thing?
"You?" Akke scoffed, what he thought of that offer clear as day.
Zac suppressed the pain of speaking with the old Tool Spirit. He quickly brought out his [Omnitool] and a Life-attuned metal. Without missing a beat, he extracted a few strings of heterodox spirituality that didn't suit Verun's needs. The metal remained utterly stable afterward, and it gained a slightly shinier luster to reflect its new spirituality. Zac usually wasn't this smooth in his handling, but he had prepared this presentation just for the occasion.
"Void..." Akke mused, looking up at Zac in surprise. "You're an inheritor of the First People? Is it Dasorm?"
"It is," Zac said, shocked at having his means seen through at a glance.
"That is interesting..." Akke said before shaking his head. "Still, I can tell your mastery is trash. You are no blacksmith, and what you've unearthed from Dasorm's teachings is too shallow to matter. It's not like you can share the good stuff, can you?"
"That's..." Zac grimaced. It was true. He couldn't so much as peek at the higher layers of [Cosmic Forge], let alone impart them to others.
"That's it, then," Akke lazily said as the Low D-grade metal floated into his hand. With a light squeeze, it was completely crushed. Before the spirituality could disperse, an intangible pressure forced the metal back together. Some of the essence was left outside, causing its transformation to be greater than after Zac's adjustment. Not only that, the altered metal was extremely stable.
"Your presence will only slow me down," Akke said.
"I can pay!" Zac smoothly shifted gears without missing a beat, taking out the Wendimar Clan token. "Help my companion as much as one Limitless Merit will allow. I'm sure you can exchange that with the Empire for something you find more useful."
"A Limitless Merit?" Akke looked at Zac with a raised brow. "You didn't steal this, did ya?"
"I swear on the emperor, it was freely given," Zac said.
"The emperor is a liar, so what good is it to swear in his name?" Akke scoffed, unable to hide the greedy gleam that had appeared in his eyes. "Well, for Pustor, I could make an exception and help elevate your companion."
"Then—"
"First, show me how you wield her. Use your technique," Akke said.
"Senior can tell?"
"Hurry up." Akke impatiently waved his hand, his action another hammer against Zac's soul.
Zac was already dizzy at this point from repeated tempering. Thankfully, battle was engraved into his bones, and he directly delved into his Evolutionary Stance. Soon enough, the pain was forgotten, then the heat. He moved through the workshop, Verun's joyful cry echoing as vines creaked. The purpose of his actions faded. All that remained was the axe and the constant struggle for survival.
Seasons came and went; lives rose and fell. It was constant, yet ever-changing. Evolution was the chain that linked it all together. It allowed even mortals to transcend death by becoming part of something greater. It was—
"Having fun?"
The voice cut through the noise with thunderous force, and Zac was once more back in the workshop. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead as he saw the streams of superheated energy pouring from two of the lava vats into his body. The pools responding to the Peaks of Chaos and Conflict had reacted to his technique, and some of its emanations were drawn in by his dance.
Just a few minutes had passed, yet Zac's body was about to overload with their fiery energies. While incredibly pure, the energy didn't appear to have any use for his cultivation. Zac would normally not have let it get close, yet this time he'd subconsciously absorbed it. It was all because of the sudden spark of enlightenment.
It was only now that Zac realized the terrifying amount of enlightenment that permeated the workshop. He'd been hit by the spiritual hammer of Akke's voice the moment he entered and had been kept off balance since, preventing his notice. The enlightenment was on a completely different level compared to the amounts that permeated the Left Imperial Palace on the outside.
The difference couldn't just be explained by the workshop existing in the past when the palace was fully operational. This had to be the result of the Theomore Dynasty diverting a significant chunk of their purified enlightenment to their valuable guest elder.
"Thank you, Senior, and I apologize," Zac said with a hoarse voice as he expelled the heat that threatened to set him on fire.
"You're not the first to get swept up, and you won't be the last," Akke scoffed, his laugh levying another round of punishment on Zac's smoldering form. "I can see what you're aiming for. What about your other weapon?"
"My other..." Zac drawled as he felt a strong pull from within the [Shrine of Kanba].
His Draugr half emerged in the cave. The dwarf was neither surprised nor interested in the presence of an undead clone. His full attention was on [Love's Bond] hanging from his neck. Once again, Zac was disarmed without being given the chance to react.
"Now this is something else. This lass has decent foundations. Her origin is that of the Heavens, yet not. There's also a trace of the Imperial Workshop. Did the old ghosts back in the capital figure out how to mimic its mark?"
Zac's brows rose in surprise before realizing it made sense. [Love's Bond] was originally created by the [Divine Investiture Array] he earned in the Tower of Eternity. That thing didn't pop out of thin air. The System had made the array, so why wouldn't the concepts it borrowed come from the Divine Workshop? He had seen plenty of prototypes of the System's inner workings throughout the trial.
"There's a problem with the integration," Akke continued as Alea was forced out. She solemnly looked at the ancient Tool Spirit with a mix of trepidation and hope.
"Does senior have a solution for me?"
"A solution to the greed of man? Hardly. What you're trying to accomplish goes against the natural order," Akke grunted. Before they could despair, he added, "Transforming into a spirit, though? That's possible, but you're far from qualified in your current state. Having incorporated a flame is a start. I can help you take another step in the right direction."
Turning to Zac, he continued, "She needs a boost if she's to follow you. You mortals have a tendency to run along headfirst without stopping to breathe. I suppose it's because of your short lifespans. I can feel you're particularly bad in this regard."
"The universe keeps pushing me forward," Zac awkwardly said.
"Sure, blame the Cosmos, I don't care," Akke said. "What's important is how you're going to pay for it all. I don't do half-measures, and my services don't come cheap."
Hiding the pinch, Zac took out his [Court Cycle Token]. Using some unknown method, Akke extracted most of the Limitless Merit it stored. Only some scraps—less than what the Anima Court awarded—remained. Just like that, Zac was broke within an hour of arriving at the Left Imperial Palace.
'You don't have to if you need it. I'll soon integrate the flame, and my advancement will be faster afterward,' Alea quickly said upon seeing the pain in Zac's eyes.
"It's fine. I have what I need already, and it's a small price if it can help you out," Zac said.
He wasn't just saying that. Limitless Merit could no doubt be traded for all kinds of amazing stuff. Zac wouldn't be surprised if half the Faith Gates had similar opportunities as Akke. It didn't matter much to Zac. Having it was good; not having it was fine. His cultivation was already rounded out and without any glaring issues. Rather than more resources, what he really needed was time.
More than anything, Zac couldn't bear a repeat of what happened to Verun. With Ultom opening its gates and the Flamebearers gathering in the same spot, the struggles would only get fiercer going forward. If Akke was able and willing to give Alea another push, he would be a fool not to take it.
Next, Zac repeated his axe-dance, this time showcasing [Love's Bond] and his Inexorable Stance. This time, he went a step further. He kept the whispers of truth under control as he stepped through the familiar patterns.
"Edgewalker," Akke murmured upon seeing the unmistakable connection between Zac's techniques.
Zac didn't stop. When he'd completed a full circuit that displayed the entirety of his Daos, his movements shifted. At the same time, his human body joined in, his other half carrying the same mystery to each step. It was like his bodies flickered in and out of existence, appearing without warning and leaving without a trace.
He was using the true face of his techniques, incorporating the Void. Secret be damned. This ancient Tool Spirit had seen through Zac from the moment he entered, and he even knew about Dasorm. Perhaps he could draw some inspiration from Zac's true Technique when reforging his weapons.
"Edgewalker. Void of Dao to birth Chaos," Akke nodded when Zac finally stopped. "It's been done before, though not with such painless integration. You have a good chance of advancing the path if you can defend your Dao in the future."
"Thank you," Zac said.
"Anything else?"
Zac ignored the Tool Spirit's increasing annoyance as he mentioned anything he could think of, including displaying most of his skills.
"I get it, I get it!" Akke finally exploded with impatience.
To Zac's horror, Akke's true body stirred. As if it had been restless for too long, it rose and slammed into the hammer. Zac's vision filled with erupting volcanoes and continents fracturing, unleashing the forces it kept stockpiled in its depths. The next moment, he woke up lying on the ground. He got back to his feet on unsteady legs, thankful that Akke had some conscience left.
Zac would've been bloody paste if he hadn't shielded that strike. More terrifying was that the world-ending strike hadn't left so much as a scratch on the marred anvil. That begged the question: just how much force was imbued into the strikes that left the anvil disfigured? Zac wasn't the only one to realize. Alea's eyes flickered, and Verun released the low, throaty growl of a cornered beast. Haro was so afraid that he'd fully retracted his vines into the Worldring.
"You're awake?"
"I've embarrassed myself," Zac said with an ugly smile, inwardly complaining about this old hammer's lack of restraint.
"I know you're worried, but remember I'm but one step on their journey. Cultivation is a never-ending treadmill for both spirits and cultivators. You've paid me well, so I'll make sure to bring them in line with you and improve their foundational quality."
"Then I leave them in your care, Master. Shall I wait in the lobby while you work?" Zac asked. While he was loath to leave his weapons behind, he wasn't sure if he'd survive observing Akke's smithing session from a front-row seat.
"I don't care. Come back in five years. I'll have them ready for you," Akke said.
"Five years?" Zac shouted in horror as he felt a force of rejection pushing him out of the workshop. "Wait, senior!"
The old dwarf ignored his call. He was already occupied turning Verun over with long, spindly hands. A huge cupboard with hundreds of compartments appeared out of nowhere, each giving off immense spatial fluctuations. His hands were reaching into different cupboards one after another, bringing out various priceless materials.
'It's a mobile treasury! I can smell so many goodies inside!' Esmeralda shrieked, her voice trembling with greed.
Her words were entirely superfluous. Zac could feel a powerful pull of destiny coming from every single compartment, and that was in spite of whatever seals protected the spirituality of the treasures within. That cupboard represented a fortune of inestimable value, countless times greater than the combined wealth of the Atwood Empire and everyone in it.
Zac was not in the state of mind to marvel at the display of wealth. His mind was fully occupied with the 'five years.' Where would that leave him? Where would it leave his companions? This couldn't happen. When his pleas fell on deaf ears, Zac went so far as to activate [Void Zone] to weaken the pull on his body. Following that, Zac opened up two vortices with his Spirit Tools in hopes of snatching them back.
The plan failed spectacularly. The vortices shattered like eggs against stone when they came in contact with Akke's hands. At least his actions made the Tool Spirit stop and turn around in annoyance.
"Brat, you of all people should not care about a few years. I sense the mark of millions of years on you," Akke said.
Millions of years? It took Zac a moment to guess what the Tool Spirit was talking about. He was able to sense the many different epochs of the Left Imperial Expanse he'd visited since the trial began. Between the earliest encounters in Black Zenith to Terea Wendimar's lantern and his current state, millions of years had passed.
Akke continued before Zac could come up with an excuse. "Just do what you've done so far to jump between points in the past."
"You know?" Zac said, his question more a statement of fact.
"Why wouldn't I? I helped build the damn thing," Akke said, a smug smile appearing on his face. "I'm very happy to know it worked out. Makes the past millions of years worth it."
"... I'm sorry," Zac said.
"What does it matter? I'm still me. My pursuits are still the same." Akke shrugged. "Besides, I'm a Tool Spirit, a true child of the Cosmos. I'm probably still out there somewhere in your time, so why should you feel sad?"
"That's... probably true," Zac said before recalling the issue at hand. "Still, the past and the present remain separated. I can't stay in the past for five years, and I'm not sure what would happen with anything I leave inside. Senior, I think I have to reject your—"
"Reject? No way!" Akke said with enough force to nearly knock Zac out again. "This is my domain, created by my own hand. Its operations follow my will. In this place, in this time beyond time, all is possible. The Left Imperial Palace is a forge of miracles."
The hammer hummed, causing a shimmer of Imperial Faith to sweep through the workshop. Its nature subtly changed in a way that Zac couldn't understand.
"Wait!" Zac said, quickly throwing out a ring when the old dwarf looked like he would pummel him for real. It flew through the air, stopping in place just before Akke. "Five years is a long time away from home. Please allow my plant to accompany my companions during that time."
The dwarf scoffed and turned around. Nevertheless, the ring remained in place while Zac was thrown out, which he took as acquiescence. The trial was ongoing when he emerged with the same burly human overlooking the attempts with a bored expression. He perked up when Zac emerged and walked over.
"He took on the job?" the blacksmith asked.
"Why so surprised? He's a blacksmith, isn't that what he does?" Zac asked.
"I guess, but what master has been working on the past millions of years..." The blacksmith shook his head, not continuing his train of thought.
"Can I ask, why does it take a supreme blacksmith like Master Akke five years to reforge my weapons? A D-grade blacksmith only needed a few days last time."
"What Master does goes deeper," the apprentice said with awe. "For lack of a better word, it's rebirth. It's genuine Cosmic Alignment. In this place, where there is no taint and divinity in the air, the results are even better."
"Rebirth? Cosmic Alignment?" Zac's eyes gleamed. The treatment really sounded like something worthy of the exorbitant price.
"Is there anything else?"
"That's—" Zac couldn't bring himself to immediately leave.
Despite Akke's assurances, he wasn't comfortable stepping through the Faith Gate just like that.
He commissioned a new set of artisanal axes to match those he used in his life as a woodcarver as a guise to stay a bit longer. Zac hovered by the Faith Gate while the burly blacksmith went to work. When he walked over a few hours later, Esmeralda had completed a comprehensive set of tests with treasures and spare Spirit Tools.
"This trial will last another thirty years. Try to come back before then. Otherwise, the handover will get more complicated," the man said.
"Thank you. I hope you find another apprentice-brother," Zac said before stepping out.
Zac was flooded with immense relief when he saw a fiery rune appear on [Adaptive Symbiosis] and the bonds that linked him to his Spirit Tools. It felt similar to Sendor's protective marks, only its function was different. It allowed Zac to maintain his bond with his companions even when outside the memory domain. It felt a lot like when his bodies were in different memories. Zac could tell his companions were there and nothing else.
'You're expecting the courts completing their pillars will move time along here,' Esmeralda said as they emerged through the Faith Gate. When Zac nodded, she continued, 'This is a big gamble. You even threw in your little houseplant. Are you sure about this?'
"The die was cast the moment he accepted my Limitless Merit. He clearly would rather die than part with it," Zac said. "At that point, I figured I might as well go for broke."
'Fair enough.'
Not having Haro would weaken his infighting and the use of [Primal Edict], but it would by no means leave him helpless. He still had his spare axes, which had barely seen any use. His Draugr half was in much worse condition, having lost both axe and chain. Besides, leaving Haro behind was for a good cause.
Like Zac, Haro's main issue was lack of time. The Skyrender Vine had fed on the Dao of Supremacies during the battle between Mox and the Imperials, and he was later replanted in fertile soil created by Roan himself. Adding the elite corpses and various treasures he'd fed on throughout the trial, Haro was like a powder keg of untapped potential.
If he could stay a few years inside Master Akke's workshop, he would get the chance to digest his opportunities. The workshop itself also represented a tremendous opportunity. While Haro wouldn't see any shocking gains like the Spirit Tools, he could draw inspiration from the lava pools of Conflict and Chaos while lapping up Ultom's enlightenment. In fact, even Zac was jealous of the treatment, though it would expose the young vine to Akke's fiery temperament.
"Five years," Zac sighed as he looked up at the treasures growing out of the mountain. "Looks like we'll have time to see what else the palace has in store."