It was a hand with a beautiful metallic luster, the result of combining the skills of her close friends, completely different from her previous hand when she was still a human.
"Someone who passed our trial... really... appeared..."
She clenched her raised palms, as if to grasp the reality, as if to hold it in her hands.
Meredith looked towards the corner of the wall.
This room was Meredith's, located next to the room that received the arrivals, so it was of course where her personal belongings were kept.
Her gaze rested on a cabinet lined with photo frames. These were artifacts gifted to Meredith by a peerless alchemist. They could record and preserve images of scenes in their exact form, and were treasured possessions.
Meredith stood up and walked over to the photos, examining them one by one, starting with the first one. She had seen these photos thousands or tens of thousands of times, but now her mood was slightly different.
"That day... we admitted defeat, but decided to place our hopes on the future... I wonder how many years have passed since then? It must have been more than a few hundred years, right? A thousand or two thousand? Ahaha, I can't remember clearly..."
Most of the photos are taken with a young girl as the center, with the backgrounds of some being towns, some being deep mountains, and some being spectacular natural scenery; people of all races are photographed together, regardless of gender, age or status, and everyone's face is full of smiles.
The person who takes the photo must be able to capture the girl's most dazzling moment.
Meredi's gaze stopped at a photo showing seven men and women standing on a hill with their backs to the rising sun.
At the center of the photo was a blond girl and a bespectacled boy, his arm being pulled by her. Around them was a tall man with a calm expression but a kind gaze; a charming, smiling Forest Woman; a stern-looking bald man; a smug Sea Woman; and a demon man, arms folded, staring at the girl and youth, seemingly at a loss for what to do with them.
"Friends... our frozen time has finally begun to move. This isn't a dream or an illusion. The path we're on truly connects to the future."
If Meredith were still human, she would surely be in tears. Her trembling voice was the best proof of that.
Meredith stroked the young man in the photo with her fingers.
"Ao, can you believe this? The first dungeon they cleared was Oo's? It's clearly a dungeon used to verify their achievements after clearing everyone else's. And the guy in the lead is also an Alchemist like Oo. What a coincidence."
Meredy's voice was filled with tears, and she chuckled happily. "Their personalities are the exact opposite of yours," "They're a very impressive group of kids," "They possess incredible artifacts," "They inherited Ao's skills and tools," she said, her words dripping with emotion.
Having finished speaking, Meredith placed her hand on her chest, feeling an indescribable emotion.
Then, her eyes turned to the last photo.
It was a special photo taken in the past, harnessing not only the power of the peerless alchemist but also the power of his companions who controlled "regeneration." The photo showed a smiling red-haired woman in a maid outfit, and the same girl from before—only a little younger—with a bewildered expression on her face.
"It all started with you. I inherited your legacy and embarked on this journey. Now, this long journey is nearing its end."
She had little strength left.
Gravity magic is his secret technique, and he can only use it to fight with all his strength once.
But once is enough.
She had realized this thousands of years ago.
Miledi looked up at the ceiling, thinking of the long-awaited young man and others who were going to challenge the level.
Then offer a silent but fervent prayer.
"I hope that people in the future can live under free will..."
Prequel Zero Chapter 1 Encounter of Origin
Berunica, the capital of the [Beruka Kingdom].
This country is located slightly southwest of the center of the northern continent, and what makes it unique is that it has a large-scale underground tunnel in the center of the capital.
Because the tunnel is rich in "green light stones" that emit a faint green light, it does not require artificial lighting even though it is located underground. It is generally called the "Green Big Tunnel".
[Green Tunnel] is a well-known landmark. Although monsters and illegal characters may appear occasionally, so you must be cautious. However, it is relatively rich in a wide variety of high-quality minerals.
The history of the Kingdom of Beruka can be traced back to the mining villages built around the Great Green Tunnel. Craftsmen seeking high-quality minerals gathered there, and the village gradually developed into a town. Later, merchants came to purchase, and the town prospered further, eventually forming a nation.
Even now, the kingdom is self-sufficient in everything except weapons and armor, daily necessities, and even expensive magic items and building materials. The surrounding nations, with envy and jealousy, call it the kingdom of craftsmen and technology.
In the capital of the technologically advanced Kingdom of Beruka, craftsmen learn from each other and hone their skills every day. Among them, there are several particularly famous groups of craftsmen.
One of them is——Orcus Workshop.
This workshop is a famous family among famous families. The craftsmen here are all exceptionally talented people with the vocation of "Alchemist". Even nobles or craftsmen from other countries are eager to join.
Orcus Workshop is particularly skilled in making weapons and armor. In the current politically turbulent situation, the country also attaches great importance to Orcus Workshop.
Even in the vast workshop that made the surrounding buildings look like small houses, the high-pitched chants of the craftsmen could be heard today, the light of alchemy magic shone brightly, and one could hear the voices of heated discussions of technical theories, criticisms and praises, and the workshop was filled with a lively atmosphere.
In the high-ceilinged Orcus workshop, each craftsman is assigned to a dedicated area. Just by looking at the products, materials, and tools displayed in the area, you can roughly understand the craftsman's expertise.
Having said that, most craftsmen are buried in piles of materials, prototypes, or goods related to weapons and armor.
The Orcus workshop mainly produces weapons and armor, so the status of the craftsmen in the workshop naturally depends on whether they can produce more sophisticated weapons and armor.
In this workshop, the items placed in one person's area are particularly unique, even to the point of being described as heretical.
He is a handsome young man, tall and thin, with fair skin. At first glance, one might probably describe him as a "pretty boy".
The young man wore black thin-framed glasses and had shoulder-length black hair tied back at the back of his head.
He was wearing a navy blue top and cream-colored pants, with an apron with many pockets on the front, from which objects of unknown purpose could be vaguely seen.
A pair of slender eyes, full of intelligence, stared at the magic circle and materials in his hands with great seriousness.
After a beat——
The magical light of alchemy loomed. Pure white... well, that's a different way of saying it, but it's a warm color. If I were to give you an example, it would probably be the color of sunlight. His magical light was like the warm spring sunshine.
The work was completed in the blink of an eye. The object had beautiful curves, perfect balance, and a grip that was easy for the user to grasp.
The young man examined the finished product with a sharp gaze that seemed to pierce through everything before him...
"...Hmm, a very nice 'pot'."
He held the iron pot in his hand and praised himself with satisfaction.
Then put the pot into a box next to it, which also contains other kitchen utensils such as soup pots, frying pans and plates.
The items placed in the youth area are daily necessities, such as lanterns, stylish tables, carpentry tools, scissors and other stationery.
This is clearly a well-known workshop that mainly produces weapons and armor.
He is clearly highly regarded by the country.
Although there are some sharp objects among them, they are a little inadequate as weapons.
Because no matter how you look at it, they are all kitchen knives and fruit knives. Whether it is a kitchen knife for cutting meat or a bread knife for slicing bread, there are quite a variety of them, and they seem to be made quite beautifully.
However, kitchen utensils are just kitchen utensils after all. No matter how hard you try, they are still kitchen utensils.
While every craftsman was honing their skills and striving to create better weapons and armor, one craftsman was concentrating on making a pot...
Such a person certainly cannot fail to attract attention, and will certainly attract bad looks.
Young people in particular are treated very well in the workshop, so it is common for them to be envied and resented.
“…Tsk!”
"snort!"
All I could hear was someone clicking their tongue and humming in displeasure.
Glancing in the direction of the voice, I saw two elderly, top-notch craftsmen in the workshop looking at the young man... No, to be more precise, they were looking at the young man's work.
The young man gave an embarrassed smile, and the two craftsmen's faces immediately became even more sour. They turned their heads away, ignored the young man, and walked back to their own area.
Most craftsmen would not go out of their way to bother young people because they have their own jobs.
But there are exceptions to everything, and there will still be a few people who are determined to cause trouble for this outlier.
Sure enough, as the young man was trying to stuff sawdust into the box containing the pot as a cushioning material, trouble came knocking as usual.
"Hey, 'loser', why are you still messing with your garbage? Did you finish the job I assigned you?"
There was obvious malice and contempt in the tone.
The owner of the voice was a short and fat man. There were two men on either side of him, one was extremely tall and thin, and the other had a pair of big round eyes. The expressions on the faces of the three men were full of ridicule.
"...Thank you for your hard work, Master Valles. I have prepared what you requested."
The short and fat man, Pingu Valles, the third son of Viscount Valles, spoke with malice, but the young man was not angry. He just smiled embarrassedly and bowed his head to greet him.
Then, the young man hurriedly pulled out a box containing the finished product of the work Pinggu had assigned him. Technically, it was Pinggu's work, but he had neither the skills nor the inclination to do it, so he had simply forced it upon the young man.
"What? Already done? Hey, you 'loser', you're not just doing this to get me off my feet, are you? This is an important task that Count Holting specifically entrusted me with. I specifically allowed you, a 'loser', to help, and you're going to repay me with hatred?"
Incidentally, the Earl did not specifically mention Pinggu, but instead commissioned the Orcus Workshop to repair the plate armor of his personal troops.
Most of the repairs were handed over to other craftsmen, while Pinggu was responsible for processing the buckles.
That is, he was only assigned a small portion of the work.
The young man clearly knew what was going on, but to avoid causing any controversy, his eyebrows drooped even more awkwardly. Perhaps because he was already used to it, the awkward smile suited him perfectly.
The young man handed over the box and was about to ask Pinggu for confirmation, but before that, the bamboo-skinned man who was Pinggu's follower made a sarcastic remark.
"Don't say that, Master Pingu. Calling him a 'loser' is a bit pathetic. At least call him a 'former prodigy.'"
The bamboo man, Torpa, the second son of Baron Paison, said with a smile.
Then, the wide-eyed man—Lor, the fourth son of the Baron of Storea—spoke with exaggerated gestures, as if performing a stage play.
"No, no, Tolpa. Even though he was discovered by the chief as an orphan, yet he's been unable to craft a decent weapon, a disappointment; even though he wastes time and materials on producing junk, yet still receives his salary as if it were his due, we should still properly call him a 'prodigy.' By the way, the reason he's being treated with such courtesy must be because he's going to demonstrate his true abilities in the future! Oscar, can you please tell us when you're going to show us your skills, the skills the chief has appreciated? After twenty, a prodigy becomes a mortal... that shouldn't happen, right?"
After hearing Lor's long list of explanations that seemed deliberate, the craftsmen around him couldn't help but laugh.
Although they didn't harbor any particular ill will toward the young man like Pinggu and the others, it was a fact that Oscar, an orphan, had been favored. For the craftsmen, who believed in the supremacy of strength, seeing Oscar content with his current situation was not likely to elicit positive feelings.
Despite facing the malice in front of him and the ridicule from those around him, Oscar simply lowered his brows in embarrassment, without any special rebuttal, and once again presented the work results he had delivered.
“…Say something, ah?”
After Pinggu confirmed the contents of the box, he showed a bitter expression for a moment. Instead of mentioning Oscar's finished product, he seemed even more displeased.
"Everyone is right. My skills are indeed immature. I am grateful for your kindness, Chief. I have no way of repaying you."
"Then you should leave immediately, right? Don't you know that it would be an insult to us if an incompetent person like you stayed in the glorious Orcus Workshop?"
Oscar's humble words seemed to anger Pingu instead.
The roar echoed all around, and the surrounding craftsmen looked over unconsciously.
Pinggu was a short, fat man with a very narrow mind. He often spoke ill of Oscar behind his back or deliberately harassed him.
However, I won't speak as loudly as I did today and attract other people's attention.
(He seems to be in a bad mood today... Did he suffer some kind of failure?)
Oscar maintained an awkward smile on his face, and began to search for a peaceful solution in his heart.
However, Pinggu remained oblivious and continued to mock Oscar.
"Really? To call such an incompetent person a prodigy and even recruit him into the workshop? It seems even the glorious 'Orcus' can make mistakes—"
Pinggu, with his narrow vision, did not notice that the moment his words criticized the leader of the Orcus workshop, the atmosphere on the scene suddenly changed and the eyes of the craftsmen turned cold.
While Pinggu was expressing his frustration cheerfully, his followers Tolpa and Lor had stiff smiles and looked quite uncomfortable.
Pingu had insulted the craftsmen's beloved leader, the modern-day Orcus. Oscar was about to speak, intending to try to appease Pingu before the craftsmen's anger erupted.
Just at this time--
"Oh, you're trying to say I'm a misjudge, a modern-day 'Orcus', huh? Pingu, I don't know when you've dared to criticize me."
"babble!?"
A low sound was heard, like the sound of a dragon swallowing its saliva when it saw its prey.
Even though the other party wasn't particularly loud, Pinggu's round body bounced up like a ball. He turned pale with fear, as did Tolpa and Lor.
When I looked back, I saw a huge body with thick hair and hands and feet as thick as tree trunks, just like a bear.
In fact, that person is often mistaken for a bear warrior from the Orc nation [Hartrina Republic], but he is a genuine human, as evidenced by the fact that he does not have bear ears.
Pinggu gave a servile smile, desperately trying to conceal his inner turmoil, and asked in a trembling voice:
"Chief, why are you here?"
"Is it so strange that I'm in my own workshop?"
"No, no! Because I heard that you will be working in the palace all day today."
Kagu D. Orcus—the bear-like head of the Orcus workshop snorted and shifted his gaze to the box in Oscar's hand.
Then he slowly took a part out of the box and examined it carefully from all angles.
The silence even made other craftsmen stop their work.
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