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[Heartstone]

A right to retreat?

Could this be a Hearthstone?

Forseti examined it closely and recognized it as indeed a Hearthstone, though slightly different from what he had imagined.

Strictly speaking, this "rune" was primarily an enchantment—a spell used to craft a Hearthstone.

In World of Warcraft, a Hearthstone is a teleportation item allowing users to return to town. The most famous use of a Hearthstone by Paladins involves using it while invulnerable to safely escape any danger—an ability known as Invincible Hearthstone.

However, this legitimate Hearthstone had a longer teleportation duration. For Forseti, mastering the exclusive use of Invincible Hearthstone was still beyond reach without the Paladin's Divine Shield technique.

According to the rune's description, teleportation time varied based on factors like Hearthstone material, distance, and the caster's luck, typically averaging about three minutes.

The Invincible Hearthstone shortened teleportation to a fixed one minute, but even that was impractical without mastering the Divine Shield, which required 60 spell fragments—far more than the less than 20 fragments Forseti currently possessed.

One significant advantage of this legitimate Hearthstone was its ability to teleport anywhere, unaffected by geographical limitations, even in unusual locales like the Sakaar Star.

Unlike World of Warcraft's Hearthstone, which was unique, the Holy Deed's Hearthstone had no such restrictions. With enough runes, it could be produced continuously.

Forseti continued reading.

To craft this legitimate Hearthstone, one needed a "semi-finished Hearthstone" and then enchanted it with runes to create the final Hearthstone.

The semi-finished Hearthstone was straightforward to make, requiring only materials and no technical skill.

There were two types of materials: the user's blood, which was straightforward, and the key material, Elementium Ingot.

Elementium Ingot…

If Forseti remembered correctly, this was a material from Fengjian. What could be used as a substitute?

He pondered for a moment, then retrieved a small piece of silver metal from the Sanctuary—a fragment left over from making the talent mixture—and placed it on the rune for identification.

Substitute degree: 37% for Elementium Ingot

With only a 37% substitution rate, it was clearly unsuitable. It seemed that Ulu's attributes were fundamentally mismatched with Elementium Ingot.

Next, Forseti took out a vibrating gold ingot and placed it on the rune for identification.

Substitute degree: 90% for Elementium Ingot

Although substitution degree affected teleportation time, finding such advanced material substitutes was challenging. A 90% substitution rate was already ideal.

Without hesitation, Forseti decided to use the Vibranium to craft the Hearthstone.

First, he inscribed runes on the vibranium ingot—a simple task that was quickly completed. Then, he infused his blood into the grooves of the runes.

Finally, Forseti placed his hand on the vibrating gold ingot. Golden light emanated from the mark of the Holy Deed on his palm, merging with the vibrating gold.

Enchantment with runes took longer than standard enchantment, requiring several minutes to complete.

Once finished, the runes and blood on the vibrating gold disappeared, leaving behind a swirling symbol—the Hearthstone emblem.

Different from a standard blue Hearthstone, the swirl symbol on the legitimate Hearthstone was golden—a characteristic of Paladins.

Test.

After crafting the Hearthstone, Forseti eagerly tested it.

He placed the Hearthstone in the pyramid and ventured outside, returning to Asgard through a space tunnel.

Just retreat!

A veil of holy light enveloped Forseti, shimmering like golden satin with faintly fluttering runes.

About two minutes later, the holy light surged suddenly, enveloping him and whisking him away.

Forseti felt a golden flash before him, and he returned to the Hearthstone in the pyramid.

Not bad.

Holding the Hearthstone, he considered that he might explore Hel.

When he forged the Demon Slayer Sword, Forseti had wanted to visit Hell. Unable to be seen by Heimdall and thus unable to return, he had abandoned the idea.

But with the legitimate Hearthstone, he could. According to the Holy Deed's instructions, any area bound by time and space could be accessed with the legitimate Hearthstone. Though Hell was isolated, it existed within the realms of time and space, so returning through the Hearthstone was possible.

Given his affinity with Holy Light and mastery of Holy Light spells, he was well-prepared for a journey to Hell.

Forseti made his decision, traveling through the space channel to Vanaheim, where he hunted a beast in the forest for its blood.

Having previously studied the specific magic circle for a gateway to Hel, Forseti drew it with collected blood after several failures and adjustments.

Finally, the magic circle for the gateway to Hell was complete—a bloody symbol appeared on the ground.

Forseti pressed his hand against it, causing the magic circle to surge with blood, its hollow center twisting and surging into a dark hole. Dim light flowed, seemingly leading into an endless abyss.

Gate to Hell.

Forseti had first seen the gateway to Hell on Vanaheim, where a demon had escaped through it.

With the Demon Slayer Sword in hand, Forseti leaped into the dark gate leading to Hel.

Darkness.

Entering Hell, Forseti's initial impression was darkness.

Unlike exterior darkness where light simply did not reach, Hel's darkness seemed tangible—an entity that dispelled light.

Here, even Aesir like Forseti had limited visibility.

To navigate, Forseti used a Holy Light Illumination to cast a dim light around him.

Surveying his surroundings, he found no sign of the gateway to Hel. Clearly, this magic circle was strictly one-way.

At present, he stood in a wasteland—dark red rocks and gravel strewn about, the occasional skeletal remains of unknown creatures.

"Screech—"

A vulture-like bird of prey launched from a nearby skeleton, swiftly disappearing with a harsh cry.

Forseti wandered through Hel's wasteland until the Holy Deed mark on his left hand suddenly lit up. The Holy Light pointer extended from his palm, trembling and pointing in a particular direction.

Someone—or rather, a demon—was approaching.

Forseti turned to follow the Holy Light's pointer, and after a while, several demons of varied appearances emerged.