Chapter 432: The Realm of Art (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 432: The Realm of Art (2)
Clang!
A crisp, clear ring echoed through the air.
Every time Roman Dmitry struck the steel amidst the surging flames, Marquis Valentino flinched, his fists clenched tight. A shiver crawled all the way up from his toes. Though the Marquis had spared no praise in crowning Roman Dmitry the greatest artisan on the continent, this was the first time he was witnessing the man’s work in person.
'…The rumors were true!'
The tales circulating throughout the world weren't exaggerated.
Roman Dmitry truly controlled the flames.
Watching the roaring inferno that seemed to devour the Emperor's entire body, the Marquis's mouth went dry. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
'Long ago, records spoke of a legendary blacksmith who forged the weapons of heroes. He was a man of massive build and monstrous strength, born with such an affinity for fire that he was enveloped in flames every time he struck steel. I thought it was just the typical exaggeration of the ancients, but to think someone who isn't even a mage can truly control fire... His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry is recreating that legend right now!'
Just look at that sight.
The blazing inferno.
The rhythmic hammering.
The muscles flexing as if they were about to explode.
This was truly the realm of art.
Marquis Valentino had burned 500 gold just to secure priority access to the Warp Gate, but watching Roman Dmitry now, he didn't regret a single coin. Suddenly, the shock he had felt upon first laying eyes on the sword, Blaze, rushed back to him. Back then, he had marveled that such a blade could even exist in this world. But looking at him now, Blaze was merely a prototype. Roman Dmitry was in the process of forging a legend.
"Ah..."
A breathless gasp escaped his lips.
He completely forgot his surroundings.
The space was so packed it was entirely suffocating, yet everyone stood utterly spellbound, as if bound by a mutual pact of silence. Even the concept of time vanished. Only when the sun began to set, painting the sky with the passage of hours, did a familiar face push through the crowd.
"My Lord Marquis!"
It was a knight of the Valentino family.
He had intended to wait if at all possible, but he had a compelling reason to interrupt his lord's viewing.
"You have a prior engagement for the trading company shortly. Time is already running out. If we don't leave right this instant, we will have to pay a massive penalty. Marquis Valentino! My Lord!"
He called out again.
Marquis Valentino, who hadn't so much as twitched at the knight's words, finally turned his head after being called an eighth time.
"Pay the penalty."
"...Pardon?"
"Pay the penalty in full. There is a special clause embedded in every contract of the Valentino Trading Company. It states that if I ever encounter a work of art worthy of risking my life for, they must accept a single postponement of the contract, regardless of the circumstances. I haven't invoked it once in decades, but I must use it today."
"If that is the case, then there is no need to pay the penalty."
"It's a gift. A gift to those who must accommodate that dusty special clause and tolerate an indefinite wait."
It was undeniable.
Valentino had gone mad.
An indefinite wait meant he was postponing the trading company's critical business to root himself to this exact spot.
Turning his head back around, as if he had no intention of speaking another word, Marquis Valentino immersed himself in the blazing spectacle with an expression of pure ecstasy.
* * *
Marquis Valentino was not the only one in awe of Roman Dmitry's work.
Hendrick, who had claimed the best vantage point alongside his blacksmiths, could not calm his pounding heart as he watched the scene unfold.
'Incredible.'
A long time ago, Hendrick had seen Roman Dmitry work.
Back then, unable to accept that Roman Dmitry had forged a famous sword, he had demanded verification—only to witness an unbelievable sight. Roman Dmitry had revealed the true form of a blacksmith amidst surging flames. Since that day, Hendrick had wholeheartedly acknowledged Roman Dmitry's skill. Yet, as time passed, the memory had felt so surreal that he sometimes wondered if it had all been a dream.
And now, facing the moment he thought was merely a dream once again, an overwhelming wave of emotion washed over Hendrick.
'When I first saw His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry's work, my eyes were so drawn to the surging flames that I couldn't properly examine his process. But to think it was of this caliber! Controlling fire perfectly is a miracle in itself, but to my eyes—having spent my entire life in a forge—there isn't a single flaw in His Majesty's technique.'
It was astonishing.
Who was Hendrick?
He was a Master Blacksmith.
He was Dmitry's head blacksmith, renowned across the land for his forging skills, yet the technique he was witnessing from Roman Dmitry was utterly flawless.
To be precise, his fundamentals were rock-solid.
The rhythmic hammering. The masterful handling of the red-hot steel.
The surging flames that threatened to swallow the space were not merely for show; they provided the exact amount of heat the steel required at the perfect moment. It made his head spin. He had long acknowledged Roman Dmitry's prowess, but analyzing it in detail revealed fundamentals that were solid beyond imagination.
Hendrick had no way of knowing the truth.
He didn't know how Heavenly Demon Baek Joong-hyuk had sought out teachings from legendary artisans just to forge a single sword.
At first, his work had been crude.
But as time passed, his skills rapidly improved, and by the time he ascended to the position of Heavenly Demon, there was no one in the world who would dare refuse his request for instruction. In a way, Roman Dmitry's blacksmithing skills were the ultimate culmination of the Central Plains Murim. The greatest forging techniques of the Murim were manifesting right now through Roman Dmitry's fingertips.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
Past life and current life.
The techniques harmonized perfectly.
Watching the Emperor continue his work while firmly commanding the flames, Hendrick turned his head to look at the blacksmiths under his command.
"Do not miss a single moment of the sight before you. That is the ultimate ideal you must pursue. If you constantly hone your skills and manage to reach even the soles of His Majesty's feet, that person will be the new Master Blacksmith to succeed me."
It was the highest possible praise.
Meeting the startled gazes of his subordinates, he added one last command.
"There is no telling when this work will end. From now on, every blacksmith will subtract one hour from their usual shift to come here and watch His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry work. This will be a more valuable lesson than any other. Anyone who neglects this time will be deemed unqualified to be a blacksmith."
That day, until the sun set and rose again, neither Marquis Valentino nor the blacksmiths moved a single inch from their spots.
* * *
One day, two days... ten days.
Time blurred past.
At first, the crowds had been suffocating, but even the most wondrous sights grow dull when watched continuously. Naturally, the number of ordinary spectators dwindled as the days dragged on. People still visited, of course, but the initial fervor had faded. Yet, amidst the shifting crowds, a few individuals stubbornly held their ground.
The first group consisted of Hendrick and his blacksmiths.
Since they couldn't completely abandon their livelihood, they took turns keeping their spots in one-hour rotations, just as Hendrick had ordered. Some stared blankly in a daze the entire time. Some took diligent notes. Others tried to commit the techniques to muscle memory by physically mimicking Roman Dmitry's movements.
Their behavior was completely understandable.
For those who made blacksmithing their life's trade, this was an experience they couldn't afford to miss.
The second group, however, defied all logic.
Marquis Valentino had set up a tent to block the sun, brought in a plush chair, and sat there watching Roman Dmitry work for ten days straight. Hendrick and the blacksmiths at least rotated out. Marquis Valentino hadn't taken a single step outside his tent.
This posed an obvious problem.
How did he handle basic human needs, like eating and relieving himself?
The method was absurdly simple.
"Close the tent."
"Yes, sir."
Rustle.
At the Marquis's command, the waiting servants would draw the entrance of the tent closed. With just a simple cloth blocking the view, Marquis Valentino cast aside all noble dignity to relieve himself in that cramped space. The same went for his meals. When the servants brought simple, easy-to-eat food, he chewed and swallowed without ever taking his eyes off Roman Dmitry.
What was truly absurd was his diet. Since greasy food would stimulate his bowels, he strictly consumed the blandest, easiest-to-digest meals possible just to minimize the time he spent on the chamber pot. The servants had no complaints. Marquis Valentino was undeniably an eccentric, but he was famous for compensating his staff handsomely for enduring his quirks.
But bodily needs weren't the only issue. As ten days passed, the trading company's administrative problems piled up to a critical breaking point. Unable to postpone them any longer, Marquis Valentino was forced to handle all his business from inside the tent.
"Proceed with that as scheduled."
"Contact the Frank Trading Company. Tell them we will buy up all their stock. The Valentino Trading Company can handle that much."
"Damn it. Request the neighboring trading companies to mobilize as much manpower as possible."
He was incredibly busy.
Yet, even while barking orders, Marquis Valentino never stopped stealing glances at Roman Dmitry's work. He only spent about an hour a day on business, personally handling only the most critical, highly condensed matters that absolutely required his seal. The vast majority of the work was delegated to his trusted subordinates.
It was sheer madness.
Even those who admired his relentless greed as a collector clicked their tongues, muttering that this was exactly why people called him a madman.
Day and night cycled countless times.
The general public's interest gradually faded.
Whenever rumors drifted through the streets that Marquis Valentino was still sitting in that exact spot, people could only shake their heads in disbelief.
* * *
The inside and outside of the workshop were completely separated worlds.
No matter what madness occurred outside, Roman Dmitry focused solely on his work as day and night blurred together.
Clang!
Whoosh!
The flames erupted.
Every time he infused the Energy of Annihilation, the steel resisted violently. But after thousands of repetitions, the wild intensity of the flames had finally begun to submit. Roman Dmitry's eyes burned with passion as he stared at the metal. As the work progressed, a powerful conviction took root in his heart.
'This will be the greatest masterpiece of my life, spanning both my past and current lives.'
Roman Dmitry's forging method was entirely unique.
It stemmed from his past life, where he always infused his life experiences into the blade, perfectly matching his current level of cultivation.
When he was a third-rate martial artist, he forged a third-rate sword.
When he was a second-rate martial artist, a second-rate sword.
When he was a first-rate martial artist, a first-rate sword.
Naturally, as his realm rose, the perfection of his swordsmithing increased alongside it. But this current work completely transcended the standards of his past life. If cultivation level alone determined a sword's perfection, then the blade he had forged right before his Ascension to Immortality would have been his absolute peak. But things were different now. Living a new life, he had gained entirely new realizations. With the Fire Demon's Flames surging at his command, he had stepped into an entirely new domain.
And all of this was possible because he had reached the Realm of Heaven.
The Realm of Heaven encompassed everything at once: the martial techniques of his past life, the skills of his current life, his vast accumulated experiences, and the profound enlightenment gained from his battle with Alexander.
Clang!
Clang! Clang!
The hammering grew fiercer.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
His initial agony over forging the blade had hardened into absolute conviction. He immersed himself completely in the present moment, determined to create a flawless result no matter how long it took. A profound sense of ecstasy enveloped his entire body. What had initially begun as a desperate struggle for survival in his past life had evolved into a pure, transcendent joy for Roman Dmitry in his current life.
Clang!
The ceaseless hammering.
The surging flames.
Time flew by, and before he knew it, a full month had passed since the day he first struck the steel.
* * *
It was dawn.
In the quiet, still hour before even the birds began to chirp, Roman Dmitry gazed at the sword with calm, settled eyes.
'It is complete.'
He had poured the entirety of his past and current lives into this single blade.
Without a doubt, across both of his lifetimes, a sword superior to this did not exist.
'Your name is Spirit.'
Because he had poured his very soul into the steel, he named it so.
The work was finally finished.
As Roman Dmitry tidied up his workspace and stepped outside into the chilly air, an unexpected figure welcomed him in the deserted courtyard.
"...Y-Your Majesty. Have you finished your work?"
It was freezing outside.
A lone figure sat wrapped in a thick blanket, shivering violently, yet his eyes shone with the desperate intensity of a baby bird waiting for its mother.
It was none other than Marquis Valentino.
His appearance was so utterly disheveled that one might doubt if he was even the same person, but the mad gleam in his eyes was unmistakably that of Marquis Valentino.