Chapter 108: Enchanting

The weather here was unbearably uncomfortable, and the nobles who had come from Volantis left the next day, taking the finished "Might" potions with them while leaving behind many empty bottles and raw materials. Over the next few days, Wright used the leftover Valyrian steel to create an enchantment table, one with foldable wooden legs, convenient for transport. The entire crafting process took place in the tent, where Melisandre, the Red Priestess, frequently came to visit him. However, Wright was usually busy inside the tent and paid her no attention, leaving her disappointed, forcing her to spend time with Nymeria instead. Wright had already explained to both women his disinterest in joining her faith, but Nymeria was more intrigued by Melisandre's body, often tuning out her words. One evening, Nymeria entered Melisandre's tent, and after an in-depth exchange, she lost interest in her entirely.

Melisandre, having no one else to converse with, quietly left the camp without even saying goodbye.

The excavation was nearing its end, but no one knew what would be unearthed. If it was something valuable, the slaves might steal it, and if things got out of hand, something more absurd might emerge, like a mummified corpse. Therefore, Wright began conserving his strength in preparation. Since Nymeria had spent the night with Melisandre, she constantly talked to Wright about how beautiful her body was, with Tyene joining in to fan the flames. Wright noticed his "fire" growing stronger, causing him discomfort, and one evening while eating, he finally caught Tyene in the act.

"No wonder," he thought to himself, "I've been drinking so much Might potion every day for over a month."

Tyene, holding a bottle of strong drink, was pouring it into her wine, and Wright caught her hand.

"One month ago, I used to put one bottle a day. Now, It's two. Your tolerance has grown," Tyene said seriously.

Nymeria, eating nearby, couldn't help but laugh.

"Two bottles would be enough to sustain a cow for a day. You're stronger than a cow!"

"Heh! You two better stop eating and watch me handle you two without the potion," Wright teased.

That night, the three of them lay on the bed, and Wright spoke to Tyene, "Lately, I've been trying to conserve my strength. I have this feeling that something is wrong beneath this ruin. The deeper we dig, the stronger my magical senses are."

The two women became more alert.

"Do we need to prepare anything?" Nymeria asked.

"Once we get close to the digging site, take your weapons with you at all times. Stay alert for the slave owners and slaves. Tonight, I'll go and sharpen the Valyrian steel weapons," Wright replied.

Nymeria seemed confused. "Aren't they already sharpened?"

"Valyrian steel weapons have magic in them. I need to do the final step, which requires the use of magic. The magical fluctuations will be strong, so we'll need to stay away from the crowd," Wright said, hiding the truth about the enchantment and giving a simple excuse.

"Be careful." The two women said as they heard him. By late at night, Wright, carrying the folded enchantment table, packed the two Valyrian steel weapons and armor into a cloth bag and strapped it to his back. His pockets also contained five rings and two pendants, which he had found in Black Wall. After casting a silence spell, he left the camp. As soon as he entered the woods, he summoned Arvak and set off toward the Smoking Sea.

A group of pirates resting near the Smoking Sea were in for a rude awakening. Legend had it that an evil beast lurked in the mist of the sea, and at night, it would drag sleeping pirates away, with no one noticing when it appeared. Some people, skeptical of the curse, would venture here to prove their courage or to place bets, spending the night in the area. The next morning, the only thing left would be the extinguished campfires, and everyone would be gone without a trace.

About a week later, Wright returned to the camp and entered the tent. He called the two women over and explained the magical runes on the equipment. Now these were true Valyrian steel weapons, the highest quality. The enchanting technology in this world had been passed down in the Valyrian Empire for over five thousand years. When it killed a human or an animal, it automatically absorbed their soul to replenish the enchantment's energy. Originally, this was just a skill in the enchantment skill tree, but the Valyrian Empire had long since perfected it and could now incorporate it into weapons and armor without taking up precious enchantment slots. However, with two enchantment slots used up, no more could be added, as there was no space for the internal magic circuits.

Wright had held onto the Dark Sister for so long that he had thoroughly studied this technology. However, his enchantment skill wasn't very high, and without the final dual-enchantment, he could only have one enchantment for now. But that was fine. Both women were with him, and there would be opportunities to add more enchantments later.

Wright picked up Tyene's dagger and handed it to her. "Now, anyone stabbed by this dagger will experience a paralyzing effect."

"Paralyzing effect? I'll go find a rabbit to test it," Tyene said as she took the dagger and examined it from every angle. She hadn't studied enchantment, so she couldn't tell if the dagger was any different from the original one.

Wright then pulled out Nymeria's spear. "The spear has the same paralyzing effect as Tyene's dagger." He also placed a set of armor on the table and pointed to each piece, explaining to Nymeria, "The helmet allows you to breathe underwater, the chestplate increases your health regeneration, the gauntlets boost unarmed damage, and the greaves enhance stamina recovery speed."

Nymeria, who didn't have Wright's skill tree, couldn't make use of the enchantments that increased skill proficiency, and since she couldn't use magic, these were the best warrior equipment options. In conventional warfare, apart from physical attacks, fire was the primary element, and if necessary, a second enchantment could be added for fire resistance.

"Is it really that amazing?" Nymeria asked, closely inspecting the gear.

Wright stood tall with his hands behind his back. "As a Archmage, I create the finest equipment, far surpassing even those made by the Valyrian Empire."

He then took out two Valyrian steel necklaces from his pocket. "These necklaces, aside from their different designs, both increase poison resistance. You two can choose whichever you prefer."

Nymeria chose a simple round pendant, while Tyene selected a flower-shaped one. "Put them on for us," Tyene said.

Wright went around behind the two women and put the necklaces on them. "These abilities are too incredible; Tyene, keep them a secret," Nymeria cautioned, already thinking of the implications. "Just these items alone could be passed down as family heirlooms."

Tyene nodded, turning to Wright. "Family heirlooms, huh?"

"I need to go to Volantis and send a letter to Robert about the treaty we agreed on," Wright said, pretending to be oblivious. He packed up his things and quickly left the tent. Inside, the sound of the two women laughing echoed. Wright had been worn out for over a month and still hadn't recovered, so he had to make a hasty exit.

Arvak automatically followed the path, and while riding it, Wright was able to multitask. He wore three enchanted rings on each hand, all of which had been enchanted. The five new rings corresponded to five different magical schools: Destruction, Conjuration, Alteration, Restoration, and Illusion.

Each ring reduced magic consumption by 20%. The ring he had from Braavos was also re-enchanted and now provided the same effect. The Destruction rings, in total, reduced magic consumption by 40%. Combined with the magic skills he had learned that also reduced magic consumption, Wright now no longer needed to take Magicka potions for battles like the one in Braavos, as long as he didn't continuously use master-level spells.