377

Anti-Metal

"Build a furnace," Eitri said firmly, his gaze unwavering.

"A furnace?"

Eitri nodded. "Yes. If you use this metal to construct a furnace and harness the heat of a neutron star, the smelting efficiency will be significantly enhanced. It can swiftly and effectively melt any metal."

Confused, Forseti was about to interject, but suddenly asked, "But why would I need to build a furnace?"

"Uh..." Eitri hesitated.

Silence filled the air for a moment.

Coughing awkwardly, Eitri continued, "Honestly, Forseti, this metal is ideal for furnace construction. So, I was thinking... Could you sell me some?"

Considering for a moment, Forseti replied, "It's possible, but I only require the finest Uru in exchange. If you're willing to trade top-grade Uru with me, then we can discuss."

"Top-grade Uru... This..." Eitri hesitated, furrowing his brows in contemplation before finally asking, "How do you propose we make the exchange?"

Forseti suggested, "How about a one-to-one exchange?"

"One-to-one? That's preposterous!" Eitri responded emotionally, his beard bristling as he stared intently.

Forseti queried, "Then what do you propose?"

"One to ten, at most," Eitri stated firmly.

"That's too low," Forseti shook his head.

"You clearly don't grasp the rarity of top-grade Uru," Eitri retorted with slight exasperation, "It's the most precious metal in the universe. Nidavellir possesses less than twenty pieces in total."

Less than twenty pieces? That's surprisingly few.

Forseti was taken aback, considering the rarity. Few star systems could likely yield top-grade Uru. Given the scarcity of ordinary Uru, it made sense that top-grade Uru would be even rarer.

According to Nidavellir's standards, 20 pieces of top-quality Uru equated to 70 to 80 kilograms.

In contrast, the Antarctic Vibranium discovered by Forseti exceeded half a ton. By a one-to-ten ratio, he could potentially exchange it for all of Nidavellir's top-grade Uru.

Viewed from this perspective, a one-to-ten ratio wasn't unreasonable.

Forseti pondered for a moment. "I'll exchange half of it for seven pieces of the finest Uru. What do you think?"

Eitri responded cautiously, "I don't possess enough knowledge about this metal to decide immediately. I'll need time to study it further."

"How long?"

"It could take a few days, maybe longer—up to a month at most."

"Alright, agreed," Forseti nodded.

Suddenly remembering something, Eitri added, "By the way, you haven't named this metal yet. I thought of calling it 'anti-metal'. What do you think?"

"Not bad," Forseti replied casually, then said, "You study this anti-metal. I'll return to Nidavellir in a few days."

Returning to the South Pole from Nidavellir, over the next month during the construction of Hearth Valley, the Silver Hand knights repeatedly discovered fragments of Antarctic Vibranium.

Unfortunately, each discovery yielded rare fragments, amounting to less than one-tenth of the original stash.

Forseti conducted a thorough investigation in Hearth Valley but found no additional Antarctic Vibranium. It seemed that Hearth Valley contained only a limited amount of Antarctic Vibranium.

Shortly thereafter, he returned to Nidavellir and sought out Eitri. "How's the research on anti-metal progressing?"

Eitri had a stone chamber specially constructed to store Antarctic Vibranium, with the silvery metal placed in the center atop a wooden frame.

Placing his hand on the Antarctic Vibranium, Eitri gently stroked it while saying, "... It's confirmed that anti-metal is indeed a mutation of Vibranium. Based on my theory, it's high-purity Vibranium affected by intense vibrations, transforming due to powerful energy impacts."

"As a variant of Vibranium, anti-metal shares many properties with Vibranium, but its significant difference lies in its ability to emit anti-metallic oscillations."

"This form of vibration can affect all metals and is incredibly potent. In the experiments I've conducted, it can even disintegrate ordinary Uru if properly utilised... However, this vibration only affects metals and has no effect on non-metallic substances."

"It has no effect at all?" Forseti was surprised, then pondered, "I see. When we first unearthed it, several of my subordinates were nearly deafened by it."

Eitri looked at him and explained, "Humans can barely detect the vibrations of anti-metal. What your ears perceived wasn't the vibration itself, but the sound generated when the metal shattered. If you doubt it, try it in space."

Forseti nodded in understanding.

Eitri continued, "Anti-metal vibrations possess a potent ability to disintegrate metals. Unfortunately, this capability is significantly influenced by purity."

"Even a slight impurity greatly weakens the vibrations of anti-metal. Once impurity levels exceed half, the vibrations vanish entirely, becoming similar to ordinary Vibranium."

Forseti frowned, realizing, "So, if we use anti-metal for weapon-making, we can't mix it with other materials?"

Eitri affirmed, "That's correct."

Forseti fell silent. Most of Tome's forging blueprints involved diverse materials, making it challenging to use Antarctic Vibranium. While single-material blueprints like the Golden Axe were feasible, Forseti lacked other high-value single-material blueprints.

Initially considering crafting a Sulfuron Warhammer or a Warhammer of the Enemy using Antarctic Vibranium, he now realized it wasn't feasible.

"But honestly, anti-metal is more suited for furnace construction than I initially thought," Eitri admitted. "It possesses a unique ability to rapidly disintegrate metal structures, and its melting point far surpasses that of ordinary Vibranium. It's born to be used in furnaces."

Forseti asked, "So, about my earlier proposal? I exchange half of the anti-metal for seven pieces of the finest Uru?"

"Well, seven pieces might still be a bit too much," Eitri struggled briefly, then held up four fingers, "How about four pieces?"

Forseti shook his head. "Four is clearly an unlucky number."

Surprised, Eitri asked, "Why?"

Forseti calmly explained, "In one of Midgard's countries, 'four' sounds similar to the word for 'death'."

Eitri fell silent for a moment, then relented, "Five pieces of top-grade Uru—no more. Most weapons only require four or five pieces."

After some negotiation, they finally reached an agreement. Forseti exchanged half of the Antarctic Vibranium for five pieces of the finest Uru, with Eitri agreeing to waive the crafting fee when Forseti returned to Nidavellir to forge weapons.

Forseti considered the deal fair, but Eitri seemed hesitant, muttering to himself, "I hope the anti-metal furnace proves successful..."

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