Chapter 313
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 313
Chapter Title: The Three Challenges
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Making a divine relic-level magic tool?
That was hardly a challenge for her, the great witch who had lived for over a thousand years.
But even for Syr, crafting Dagda's Cauldron came with three problems that she couldn't solve on her own.
"The first is materials."
Folding one finger of her pure white, jade-like hand, Syr explained calmly.
"To make a good magic tool, you need special ingredients. And for a divine relic, even more so."
Mermaid's tears.
A newborn's growing pains.
Iron touched by a god's breath.
The footsteps of a century-old cat.
The Bronze Bull's horns and hide, and so on.
Without rare materials inherently imbued with mystery, it couldn't withstand powerful magic.
But she didn't have such materials herself, and gathering them now would take who knows how long.
The moment Syr stated the first challenge.
A calm voice replied.
"Rest assured. No matter the materials, if they exist in this world, Leviathan will procure them for you."
Li Chingwei smiled gently.
Even if it lagged behind the others in the Seven Dragon Group, Leviathan was still one of the world's top conglomerates, clutching vast wealth.
Any treasure, no matter how rare, could be bought with money.
"I'll help too."
Aynsha pledged her support with an expressionless face.
In an era where gods truly existed and saints along with countless priests served, the Divine Federation was the largest magical organization.
Any church with real power kept special materials on hand as a matter of course.
And for Aynsha, a high priestess who could negotiate directly with gods, acquiring a few such items was no great feat.
Tiamat wasn't some small-time company that bowed to money either.
"...The world's changed for the better. With enough money, you can get anything."
"It was the same back in the day. What's with the sudden nostalgia?"
"True enough, kid."
Syr chuckled.
Even in the era when magic tools were strategic assets, money could buy most magical ingredients.
Now, with items devaluing magic tools and the economy ballooning, materials were even easier to obtain.
The real issue was that fewer and fewer people could craft them into magic tools.
So Syr folded her second finger and continued.
"But the second problem can't be solved with money."
"What's that?"
As if questioning whether they could handle this too, Syr smiled slyly.
"It's an assistant."
"With enough materials, I could make a divine relic, but alone it'd take me at least a year. And that's too late."
"So you need someone to assist you?"
"Exactly. Especially to finish in the short term, they'd need to be at least an archwitch or saint level."
"If it's a saint, I could find o—"
"Plus, they need experience crafting divine relic-level tools and proficiency in my ancient magic."
"..."
It happened in an instant.
Aynsha, who had stepped forward confidently, deflated.
Rimon frowned at Aynsha, her shoulders slumping beneath her blank expression.
"Too tough after all?"
"I-I won't ask if you already know..."
"Does the Divine Federation have no one who meets Syr's conditions?"
Li Chingwei tilted her head.
Absolute-class beings typically lived centuries. The Federation always had at least one saint, and several existed now.
Yet none could help?
To the puzzled Li Chingwei, Aynsha replied in a blunt, defeated tone.
"Divine relic-level tools? Maybe one every century—if that. Only two saints in the Federation have ever made one."
Not just this Iron Age.
Even in the Heroes Age, few could craft divine relics.
Gathering materials alone could bankrupt a major church.
And even then, no guarantee of success.
Magic tools were akin to artworks.
Even archwitches or saints pouring years of effort could end up with trash.
If mass-producing even ordinary ones were possible, magic wouldn't be treated like traditional crafts after items appeared.
"Witch magic is similar to priest magic yet totally different. Especially ancient magic—few priests study it as a hobby."
God-granted priest magic.
Black magic defying divine taboos.
Witch magic danced on the edge between them.
All deceived providence, but their directions diverged completely.
A saint versed in ancient magic from millennia ago? That'd be the surprise.
"If saints won't do, we'll have to find an archwitch."
"Tough... Witches hide. Archwitches especially. Finding them is the hard part."
"And even if found, no guarantee they're versed in ancient magic."
"...This is tricky."
Li Chingwei couldn't hide her distress.
In this money-rules-all era, you couldn't buy non-existent talent.
"That's why I called it a challenge."
As Li Chingwei conceded, Syr smirked knowingly.
Then Yuna Kyung, who had been tilting her head alone, spoke up.
[Excuse me, witch sis. Does it have to be a living person?]
"What do you mean?"
The question was so out of left field.
Yuna Kyung scratched her head with a wing, answering Syr's puzzled look.
[Well, wouldn't Sera roughly meet your conditions?]
"...Huh?"
In that moment.
Syr blinked.
She'd been stunned when Rimon asked her to make a divine relic, but Yuna Kyung's suggestion topped it.
Speaking for the speechless Syr, Rimon took over.
"Hm, that's unusually useful advice from you, Na-kyung."
[What's that supposed to mean? I'm a pretty smart baby bird too!]
Whether Yuna Kyung bristled or not.
Rimon turned to Syr with intrigued eyes.
"What do you think, old hag? Sounds plausible to me."
Sera was originally the Muse's saint.
And she'd crafted the Heart of Darkness violin using Syr's power, so she knew magic tools and ancient magic.
In short, she perfectly fit Syr's assistant criteria.
One problem.
Sera was a ghost.
"...You and the kid are equally absurd. Like master, like familiar."
[Is this really that crazy?]
"Who knows?"
At Yuna Kyung's question, Syr toyed with her lips, deep in thought.
Summoning spirits was common in magic—hence necromancy lineages.
The issue was the spirit's rank.
Even a saint ghost was absolute-class.
A botched summoning could kill you or raze a nation—worse than demons sometimes.
Use that as an assistant?
Might as well use an aircraft carrier as a fishing boat.
It was an idea only Yuna Kyung, who'd seen witch ghosts in London’s astral realm and absolutes dropping like flies thanks to Rimon, could have.
But purely on possibility...
"...Kid, you might turn out to be a fun familiar after all."
[Huh?]
"I'd need some precautions, but it's doable. You'll assist too, though."
[Why me?]
"Sera's an unstable restless spirit right now. You'll need to back her up."
[Well, assisting's fine... Just tell me what to do?]
Yuna Kyung grudgingly agreed.
With the second challenge resolved, Rimon grinned mischievously.
"Guess only the last one's left, old hag?"
"Why the smug grin, kid?"
"Owners love seeing slaves fail at slacking."
Rimon chuckled wickedly.
Syr smirked back at him.
"Don't celebrate yet. The last one's truly impossible."
"The price and limits, right?"
"...You knew?"
"Guessed as much."
True to his old master vibe.
Before she could say it, Rimon pinpointed the third issue. Syr sighed.
"Yes. Even restoring Dagda's Cauldron, it can't produce truly infinite food."
A statement overturning Rimon's plan from the root, which had seen it as the solution.
But no one was surprised.
Li Chingwei, Aynsha, Yuna Kyung.
They already knew or had expected it.
"...Even a divine relic is still just a magic tool."
"Exactly. Magic tools are products of magic."
[And magic always demands a price...]
"Precisely."
Syr nodded.
She elaborated in a languid voice.
"Dagda's Cauldron seemed infinite because it used faith as payment, and the population was smaller then."
Rome's population back then: mere tens of millions.
With basic stockpiles, even severe famines didn't require billions in food.
That alone let them boast 'infinite.'
But combining Zhonghua 77 Federation and Divine Federation populations? Over a billion.
No divine relic could handle that.
In this Iron Age, where people trusted money and power over gods, gathering faith for big magic was harder.
"Can you solve this one too?"
Syr asked mockingly.
It was magic's fundamental limit.
No way a swordsman like Rimon could fix what all the Federation's gods combined couldn't.
That's why.
Syr blinked at Rimon's response.
"Yeah."
"Huh?"
"Not certain, but I probably can."
"What kind of joke is that?"
She looked utterly skeptical.
Rimon chuckled at Syr's doubt.
He stood up.
"Follow me, old hag. Got something to show you."
Perfect timing—he'd planned to show it anyway.
As Rimon strolled off casually, Syr watched with interest, picked up Yuna Kyung, and followed.
Moments later.
Entering Rimon's training room in Leviathan.
She couldn't help but widen her eyes.
"...Kid, what is this?"
Even as she stared, she couldn't believe her eyes.
Her face, uncharacteristically hesitant for a seasoned archwitch, prompted Rimon's calm reply.
"My solution."