Grand Ancestral Bloodlines

Aberardus turned back toward Ryu with a smile. But, his face fell when he saw that Ryu continued without any intention of turning back.

'This damned brat!'

Without asking Ryu for his opinion, Aberardus' hand reached out and a suction force pulled Ryu toward him. Then, he flashed inside, not giving Ryu a chance to do or say anything.

Ryu felt himself being yanked back, but let alone the fact he was heavily injured, even if he was in peak condition, there was nothing he could do to fight back against the strength of a World Sea Realm expert, at least not with any normal means, and definitely not when the two were so close together.

Toward this series of events, Ryu could only be speechless. Why was this Aberardus so eager to use a favor of his? This was still the favor of a Sky God after all, it was endlessly valuable. He could only chalk it up to the old man being a bit eccentric.

By the time Ryu had organized his thoughts, he found that the temperature around him was skyrocketing to a degree that even he felt. The fact he noticed the temperature change as a bit more than a passing commentary went to show just how great the heat was.

Soon, Ryu's vision cleared and the large expanse of what could only be described as a mad science project laid out before him. Pipes, gears, and billowing steam snaked through the laboratory. Some connected to cauldrons, other cut into the walls, floors and ceiling to destinations unknown, and yet others were connected to a chair turn throne of metallic machinations.

On this odd chair throne was maybe the oddest man Ryu had ever laid eyes on.

Supreme Blacksmith Okie had the face and facial hair of an adorable old man one might want to help across a busy street. His wrinkles had wrinkles and his hair was like sparse vegetation on a desert plain.

However, Supreme Blacksmith Okie's body was like that of a bronzed body builder. In fact, his head seemed a size too small for his robust figure and there was even a clear and dividing tan line that separated his head from his collarbone.

If Ryu didn't know better, he would have thought that Supreme Blacksmith Okie was a lich who prolonged his life by stitching his head to different bodies. The sight was truly that peculiar.

Despite sensing them come in, Okie qi continued to work the valves of his special throne, controlling the temperatures across the room and managing the output of steam and air. Several minutes passed by before he slapped the armrest of his throne of pipes and gears, causing the lid of a cauldron to fly off before being caught by some sort of magnet on the ceiling.

"Alright, Abe brat, what do you need of me?"

Aberardus began to speak a bit too quickly, apparently afraid that Ryu would say something irreparable and get them thrown out.

"This is how it is…"

Aberardus quickly explained everything that he had heard from eavesdropping on Ryu's conversation with his son without the slightest hint of shame. He let it all spill forth, clearly still afraid that Ryu would interrupt him.

Ryu shook his head and smiled. It was rare to meet people like Aberardus in the martial world. Ryu had experienced a lot, but this was definitely a unique instance. It could only be said that Aberardus was what you would call a 'good person'. Though, just thinking that left Ryu with a weird feeling. Just went to show just how rare such a thing was.

Okie's gaze shifted from Aberardus to Ryu. He frowned slightly, seemingly only now 'noticing' Ryu's mask.

Aberardus coughed lightly. "Please excuse this. This young one's identity is a bit sensitive for the time and he has many enemies."

Aberardus didn't try to use the excuse of the Necromancy Guild. He had no confidence in lying in the face of a Sky God. Of course, Ryu wouldn't have had a problem lying, but not only would Aberardus' reaction have likely given him away, but he wasn't really being allowed to speak right now anyway.

"I see… It seems you're more arrogant than I thought. To actually want the services of so many of us at once."

These words were clearly aimed toward Ryu and it suddenly had become inappropriate for Aberardus to continue answering for him. Without a choice, he could only nudge Ryu with an elbow and give him a stern warning with his eyes.

"I want the best." Ryu replied.

Okie's brows shot up.

'Well, that's not a bad answer.' Aberardus inwardly began to pray. He felt like he was losing years off his life following this brat around. Why was it that Ryu's actions had always seemed so entertaining when he was just a third party watching on, but now he felt so stressed?

"People often know what they want but very rarely understand what they need. What good would treasures forged by me do you if you can't use them? With your strength, just the weight alone would be enough to cripple you of their use, let alone the amount of qi and skill you would need.

"I invited you in here both because of the favor I owe Abe brat and because your character is a small bit to my liking. I would advise that you choose a lesser Blacksmith to forge a weapon that is appropriate for your use."

Beads of sweat began to poor down Aberardus' forehead. Not only was he beginning to feel the heat of this forge, but he knew that Ryu didn't take advice well, especially when that advice was framed in such a way. Okie was essentially saying that Ryu's deductions were worthless.

Of course, things weren't necessarily this way. Even when Ryu's relationship with Ailsa wasn't particularly close, he had still allowed her to berate him and correct his path.

That said… That was only because Ryu had believed that Ailsa was correct back then. Okie, however, was very much wrong.

"That would only depend on the design of the weapon, wouldn't it?" Ryu replied unperturbed.

Aberardus choked on air.

"The design?" Okie's gaze narrowed, his vision shifting from Ryu to Aberardus. However, at this point, the latter was trying to think of a method to turn back time and stop himself from ever having step foot in here. This Ryu would truly be the death of him. In the future, if he managed to survive, he would definitely make sure to only observe this 'fun' from a distance.

Ryu mentioning the design was like a layman speaking to a Herbologist about gardening or a Ruin Master about history. It was just a step short of a blatant slap to the face.

Obviously, Ryu's words implied that he had a design that would ensure that this wasn't a problem. So, why was Okie, as an esteemed Supreme Blacksmith, struggling with it?

The design should always be left up to the Blacksmith. At lower levels, a customer might have their own preferences. But, the higher order the Blacksmith, the more skilled they were at refining a design for a client based on a single glance.

For someone to come to a Supreme Blacksmith with a design in mind was nothing short of courting death.

Ryu shook his head. All these old people were even more arrogant than he was. Forget it, since he was here anyway, he might as well do what he could to get what he needed.

"The weapon I need is unfamiliar to you all to begin with and you will need to collaborate with Supreme Blacksmith Wynhorn to complete it. If you each have your own designs and thoughts, it would never work. From the very beginning, it would have to rely on my thoughts and specifications."

Okie's harsh gaze lightened a small tinge when he heard this. That was right, Aberardus had mentioned that his services were only needed for the polearm of the weapon. In that case, obviously the rest would be completed by someone else.

However, this wasn't enough for him to back off entirely. After all, what design could a brat like Ryu possibly have? If he had to waste his time working on the design of a person whose skill was lacking, his own skill would only regress. He had no will to do this. If it wasn't for his good relationship with Aberardus, he would have directly kicked them out.

It was then, though, that Ryu raised his hand up and began to draw in the air.

At first, Okie's expression was indifferent, but the deft control of Ryu's qi caused his pupils to constrict.

Thin lines of transparent blue qi pressed, pulled and curved through the air, slowly forming a three dimensional structure of ever growing complexity.

Ryu's control didn't falter for several hours, his almost monotonous movements contrasting the beautiful display before him. It made it difficult to accept exactly what was happening.

Then, he stopped, a gorgeous structure hovering before him.

Okie's expression became supremely difficult to read…

"Who are you?"