WeTried Translations
Translator: [IncomeElastic]
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Became a Blacksmith the Rankers Are Obsessed With ◈
Chapter 91
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Never Let Yourself Be Tempted
* * *
"Take it all... all of it!"
Did that include Yeomhwa herself?
... I was in favor.
Anyway, the precious ores and gems spread out before me.
Even at a glance, none of them looked ordinary.
Let me take a closer look....
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[Afterglow Stone][★★★★☆]
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『Even after the sun has vanished past the horizon, its light lingers.』
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A single gem, a rich, elegant orange in color.
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[Flame-Vein Iron][★★★☆☆]
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『Iron ore that grew feeding on fire.』
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Even ores I was seeing for the first time.
At a glance, they seemed like materials obtainable only within the Tower.
If they'd been available outside the Tower too, most of them would've already turned up among the materials the imperial family gave me.
A whole armful of gems and minerals stuffed into the bag.
And beside that, a pile of gold bars, too...?
"... Are you sure you're not about to go bankrupt?"
"Huh?"
Yeomhwa blinked, looking like she had no idea what I was talking about.
"Um... pfft, uh... Lionel."
"Yes."
"Big sister's a High Ranker."
"Oh."
"And believe it or not, I'm the daughter of a wealthy house."
"That... does show."
Yeomhwa had that look of wealth about her the moment you saw her.
The kind of vibe that said she'd been raised precious in a house with real money, or however you'd put it.
Nothing particularly strange about it.
"... Really? First time I've heard that."
"......?"
From her clothes down to her whole style, she was obviously rich.
If that was really the first time she'd heard it... I hoped she'd take a good hard look at her usual conduct.
Anyway, I edged my way toward the minerals laid out in front of me.
I had no personal interest in the gold bars. What I'd taken an interest in was over here.
"You're really giving me all of this?"
"Yep! Actually, even this isn't enough, but... I raided the family vault in a hurry and brought what I could for now."
It was more than enough.
My head was already spinning with ideas for what to make.
"There we go."
After a moment's thought, I hefted the sack of ores over one shoulder and the sack of gems over the other, straining a little under the weight.
Well. It'd be rude to keep refusing what someone's offering.
"Thank you."
I bowed deeply toward Yeomhwa.
"I'll put it to good use."
"Yep!"
Yeomhwa smiled, satisfied.
"But you're not taking the gold?"
"I'm not really into collecting gold trinkets."
"Hmm... then should I go trade this for more of those, too?"
Yeomhwa asked, pointing at the sacks slung over my shoulders.
"......"
That would be great, actually.
Even if I took the gold, the whole point would just be to convert it into materials anyway.
But it felt shameless to just say "sure" right away, so I kept my mouth shut.
Yeomhwa seemed to read my expression and nodded.
"Got it! Got it completely."
"Ha ha...."
"Want me to carry these to the workshop for you? Carrying heavy stuff stunts your growth, you know."
"...... I'd appreciate it."
My growth plates were damn precious, after all.
Yeomhwa took the sacks from me and set them down in the workshop's storeroom.
"......"
While putting them away, Yeomhwa chattered on without pause.
The most important part of it all was about Ruby.
"Who knew she'd turn out to be in the same Intuition School as me?"
By Yeomhwa's, Dolores's, and my own judgment, Ruby was clearly a Battle Mage, so it had been decided she'd stay at the mansion for the time being to be looked after here.
Starting next week she'd also be attending the academy, so she'd be running a two-track routine between classes at the academy and Yeomhwa's lessons here.
Basically an experience-farming event, in other words.
I hoped she'd do her best.
From what I'd heard, word about Totality had apparently already spread quite a bit through the social circles.
Blacksmith L's brand reputation was slowly climbing...
"By the way, Lionelnelnel."
"Yes?"
"You know how..."
Yeomhwa fidgeted her fingers, sneaking a glance at me.
"What's your schedule like for the next piece of equipment?"
My schedule for the next piece of equipment, huh.
There wasn't actually a fixed schedule, so I could start right away if I wanted to.
Though by my own rule, I'd overworked myself these past few days, so I'd need some rest first.
"Hmm... maybe around two weeks from now?"
"... Is there some kind of reservation system? Like, do I need to apply separately or something...?"
"No, nothing like that."
It ran strictly on personal connections.
Though starting with Yeomhwa, I was already getting ready to gradually take on more commissions one by one.
Of course, the top priority would still be Dolores's equipment.
But if I made good use of the materials piling up now... I felt like I could put together a pretty solid matching set.
"Oh, right."
Speaking of emblems reminded me of Yeomhwa's dreadful emblem.
"That emblem you're wearing?"
"Hm, the beetle one?"
"Yeah, that one."
A black beetle-shaped emblem.
It had bothered me ever since I first saw it, but I hadn't been able to say anything.
Now that we were close enough to know each other's business, I could finally say it honestly....
"... That thing's pretty tacky."
"What?"
Yeomhwa's face showed pure shock.
* * *
Yeomhwa, shocked by what I'd said about her emblem.
She looked so gloomy about it that I threw her a little compliment to make up for it.
'Well, with a voice as good as yours, maybe it doesn't matter.'
'Right?'
A little cheered up, she picked up the gold bars and headed back into the Tower, saying she'd trade them for more ores.
I told her she didn't have to rush, but she said she'd be quick about it.
Rose clenched between her teeth... or whatever.
Well, it's good to see she's back to full health, I suppose.
I went straight into the mansion's parlor.
- Creak.
"My sister?"
"...... Whew."
Ruby, mid-hustle in the room, let out a hot breath.
Normally when she was working out, she wouldn't even notice if someone walked in, but ever since I made Totality for her, she'd jump straight up whenever I walked in on whatever she was doing.
The treatment sure has changed around here.
"So how's it holding up in actual use, Ruby?"
Two weeks straight of just making equipment meant I hadn't gotten any feedback.
As the maker, that was something I simply couldn't stand.
- Wriggle.
Instead of answering, Ruby slowly walked over to me.
"Good."
- Hug.
Just one quick hug, and then she bolted off.
Well, that's about as good as it gets, I guess.
"High praise."
I left Ruby to her embarrassment and stepped out of the parlor.
She's a teenage girl, after all.
Everything's fine.
Yeomhwa's treatment was going smoothly, and I'd handled the aftercare cleanly too.
Ruby was happily using Totality, so that was fine too.
But then....
"...... Ha, what's with this restlessness?"
The materials Yeomhwa had brought were nagging at me so much I couldn't focus on anything else.
Even just sitting still and resting had become a chore.
Maman had also gone off suddenly to the Tower, apparently in the middle of a conversation with her colleague Camilla.
Ruby was working out, and Yeomhwa was in the Tower too.
"......"
Guess I'll do a little thinking, then.
About what to make next.
Just working out the concept wasn't hard.
First of all, the thing I ought to be aiming for going forward in making equipment was "set effects."
Yeomhwa's Fiancée, Ruby's Totality, and any equipment I'd make for Dolores from here on, it'd be best to design all of it with set effects in mind.
In that case, I needed to take another look at Dolores's weapon, secondary weapon, and emblem....
"... Not great...."
From what I remembered seeing before, everything except the weapon hadn't been especially good.
Even that weapon was a significant step down compared to Tyram's Grimoire, so honestly, the right call was probably to replace all of it gradually.
The direction was set.
For now, I'd leave the piece with relatively high completeness as is, and start by replacing the secondary weapon and emblem.
"Guess I'll need to think this through for a while."
How should I make Dolores's emblem and secondary weapon?
First, matching them to the magic she uses would be step one, I'd say.
Maman's magic is fundamentally built on the power of the earth, but she also draws on the cold that flows out of her Meridian Affliction.
"This is the tricky part...."
The cold isn't power she actually wanted, though, it's a byproduct of the Meridian Affliction, so shouldn't it be something meant to disappear in the end?
Keeping it alive in the design feels like a questionable call.
In the end, the core has to be something tied to the attribute of earth.
"Earth... I could use an earth crystal for the glow, and vein-iron for the base structure...."
There are plenty of ways to go about it.
Even with the materials I have now, a few combinations are already coming to mind.
Still, this is all just a design forming in my own head, after all....
In the end, the conclusion was that I'd need to sit down and talk this over with Maman sometime soon.
And that was when it happened.
[Or hasn't the cooldown reset by now?]
"Cooldown?"
[The divine implement.]
"...... Wow, you're right?"
Why hadn't I thought of that?
I'd been lying down in the garden, and I bolted upright.
I can only make a divine implement once a year.
The reason for the limit being....
According to the manual, the very act of contacting a god through a Divine Bell puts a considerable strain on a mortal's existence, or something like that....
Anyway, last year I'd filled the slot making the Cradle of the Earth.
This year, I hadn't made anything yet.
"Gaia...."
Come to think of it, isn't Gaia also the Earth Goddess?
Could I make the divine implement I'd offer to Gaia in the actual shape of a secondary weapon or emblem?
Or, well, even without tying it directly to Dolores's equipment right away, going through the process of making a divine implement should at least let me get a sense of what the power of the earth feels like.
Could use it like a totem, too.
My schedule going forward was falling into place.
"Make the divine implement first."
It'd probably end up being one for Gaia.
I got up from where I sat and casually made my way toward the workshop.
[That's breaking the promise!]
[You said you'd rest as much as you overworked!]
"Put it on my tab~"
Sleep is for the dead.
Besides, Dr. Camilla did say I should go do what I needed to do, that she'd already cleared out my fatigue.
Once I decide to do something, I just can't rest easy until I've done it.
[Sigh....]
Even Yuna wasn't stopping me, which just went to show how good Camilla's treatment really was.
I opened up the Sun Dwarves' manual for the first time in a while.
"Where did I leave off...."
The part I'd read before, because of the divine implement.
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[Chapter 5. Divine Implements, Divine Seats, How to Enshrine a God's Power]
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Ah, this is it.
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『Remember, heir. Bear this in mind, heir. Take pride in yourself.
Before your forge, even the gods shall stand in line.』
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That much had actually held true.
The problem was, this part was written for a Certified Blacksmith.
"Sorry, but I'm a Skilled one."
There didn't seem to be any need to keep reading this manual.
I flipped past it and opened up the Skilled Blacksmith's manual instead.
There should be a divine implement section here too... ah, found it.
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[Chapter 7. The Divine Implement (神具), the Divine Seat (神座): How Not to Be Bewitched by a God's Beauty, How Not to Get Led by the Nose.]
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"......?"
What's with that title?
I frowned and turned the page.
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『While you were a Certified Blacksmith, whatever expectations the gods held for you extended, at most, to the skill of a mortal.』
『And so, rather than lowering themselves in any real way, they'd have kept up a lofty, aloof bearing toward you.』
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Yeah, that does sound about right.
The ones who'd finally reached out after ages of silence to say sorry had all led with excuses first, that they'd been busy, that things had come up.
So much so that I could barely tell what they were even trying to say.
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『But the moment you reach the level of a Skilled Craftsman, the story changes.』
『You who seek to surpass the skill of mortals.』
『From here on, the gods will stop at nothing to have you.』
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"......?"
The mood's suddenly gone thriller on me.
What exactly are they going to do?
Below that, lines kept streaming down the page like some kind of orientation lecture.
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『Why are gods gods? They are beautiful. And they know better than anyone that they are beautiful.』
『They know exactly how to handle a mortal until he melts, exactly whose voice will make him bow his head, exactly the moment he'll throw himself willingly into their arms.』
『Sexual pleasure, of course, and mountains of gold and treasure, and every last blessing they can offer, they will whisper it all.』
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... The gods?
Every god I'd seen and heard of so far has had their nose stuck sky-high.
Doesn't seem like the type to whisper anything to anyone.
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『Therefore, there are two principles a Skilled Craftsman must engrave into himself before ever facing a god.』
『First, Principle One: never let yourself be tempted.』
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Never let yourself be tempted.
Noted.
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『Principle Two: uphold Principle One.』
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"......"
Just as I tilted my head at that.
What followed were case studies of past Skilled Craftsmen who'd failed to uphold both principles.
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[Case 1. Bargan, an Heir of Flame]
『Bargan, an Heir of Flame and a Skilled Craftsman, offered seven divine implements to Merceia, Goddess of Pleasure.』
『Every year, Merceia answered his Divine Bell, appearing each time in a different, beautiful form to praise his craftsmanship.』
『On the day his seventh divine implement was completed, the goddess took Bargan's hand and whispered that they should stay together forever in her sanctuary.』
『That very day, Bargan left for Merceia's sanctuary carrying nothing but his hammer, and never returned to the Kargon range again.』
『According to later records, right up until the moment he left, Bargan insisted he had never once been tempted.』
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"...... Fuck."
Principle One.
Never let yourself be tempted.
I'll make absolutely sure to remember it!!
... Wait.
"Is Gaia any different...?"
In the vase right in front of me sat the white lily of the valley Gaia herself had personally given me.
"......"
I was starting to feel very confused.
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