Chapter 78

Drifting on the Sea of Calm for another two months, Ethan spent his time reorganizing his equipment and refining his creations.

The situation with the death stone was stable. While the box he had crafted wasn't elegant, it was safe, reliable, and highly effective. It was clear to Ethan that improving his forging skills would be an essential next step.

The spatial belt had also been tested over time and showed no signs of instability. The energy infused into the belt seemed to have fully integrated with it, to the point where even Ethan couldn't extract it anymore.

The remaining spatial energy was stored in a specially designed container. For now, Ethan decided not to create more spatial equipment since he lacked the necessary high-quality materials. With limited energy available, he preferred to reserve it for research. Gaining a deeper understanding of spatial energy would be far more beneficial in the long term than simply making a few more items.

Meanwhile, the bracers Isendra had given him had been fully recharged with magic power, restoring them to peak combat efficiency, except for the short arrow supply, which was running low.

"Restocking these arrows isn't easy," Ethan muttered.

Since the short arrows were custom-made, Ethan either had to craft them himself or commission the guild to forge more. However, he suspected that by the time he ran out of his current stock, the bracers would likely be reduced to collectibles. They no longer felt like they met his growing needs.

With access to firearms, he now had better options for medium- and long-range combat. The bracers' auxiliary magic functions were also limited. Even the fireball spell attached to them had become less useful. Instead, Ethan could rely on his belt to carry incendiary bombs and grenades, which were far more versatile.

The Frost Shield on the left bracer had been surpassed by stronger magic shields Ethan could now cast on his own. The only truly valuable feature left was the Frost Arrow spell, which could still be helpful in specific situations.

"Time to focus on the main weapon, then," Arthur said.

"Yeah."

Both Ethan's longsword and iron rod had been destroyed in the same battle. He hadn't anticipated losing both, especially since he had originally thought carrying two weapons was excessive. Now, left with none, he couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"I need to get myself a better weapon. Until then, I'll have to make do practicing swordsmanship with a wooden stick."

Since he'd started training in swordsmanship, Ethan had always practiced with a real longsword. His lack of foundational skills made it crucial to get used to the weight and feel of a proper weapon. Now that he had finally developed some muscle memory, switching to a wooden stick felt like a step backward.

"Don't worry," Arthur reassured him. "You've already trained with a real sword. Practicing with a wooden stick won't affect your progress. At most, you'll just need a bit of time to adjust when you get a new weapon."

"That's a relief," Ethan said, though he still felt a little uneasy.

With no main weapon to rely on, Ethan began tinkering with an idea he'd had for a long time: creating a magic firearm.

Unfortunately, his crafting skills left much to be desired. After half a month of work, all he managed to produce was a crude, front-loading musket. It looked unpolished, but at least it worked.

Functionally, it wasn't much different from a traditional musket, except it didn't require tedious loading. Instead, Ethan only needed to aim and pull the trigger. The magic circles inscribed within the musket would then release stored magical energy through the muzzle, casting the preset spell.

Ethan's original vision had been far more ambitious. He wanted a firearm capable of switching between various magical attributes, allowing him to fire spells like fireballs or ice bolts with a single weapon. However, this prototype could only cast one type of spell, as Ethan had only managed to engrave a single magic circle into it.

Instead of choosing the flame magic he was most familiar with, Ethan opted for frost magic. His goal was to freeze enemies, causing damage through low temperatures and creating interference during battle.

Given the limited quality of his materials and his current crafting abilities, creating a high-damage weapon was out of the question. The magic musket was designed as an auxiliary tool rather than a primary weapon. That said, even this cold ice bullet could easily kill an ordinary person if it hit them directly.

As usual, Arthur became the first audience for Ethan's new creation.

Holding the musket, Arthur examined it carefully. His evaluation, as always, began with the appearance.

"Well, compared to your previous creations, this musket actually looks decent…"

At least this time, Arthur could immediately tell that it was meant to be a musket.

During the monotonous days of sailing, Arthur began reading books to pass the time. He hadn't been particularly fond of endless reading in the past, only consulting books when necessary to solve specific problems.

But the environment had a profound impact on him. Slowly, Arthur began to enjoy reading, shedding his former reluctance and growing calmer and more mature.

His knowledge expanded as well. Now, even firearms like muskets were no longer a mystery to him. Arthur was already thinking about how he might try building such things when he returned to his own world. If he succeeded, it would undoubtedly cause quite a stir. Ethan welcomed the idea and was even willing to help if it came to that.

"I don't think this is an ordinary musket?" Arthur asked.

"It's definitely not," Ethan replied. "Besides, why would we make an outdated weapon like this? Imagine two people shooting at each other from ten meters away, it'd just be a show for the crowd."

"Of course, it's not ordinary," Ethan continued, explaining the musket's functions in detail. Hearing the description, Arthur started considering whether he might want one for himself.

"If you're interested, I can make a custom one for you. You can even choose the design," Ethan offered, pausing briefly before adding, "Of course, I'll need to improve my crafting skills first."

The musket, with its simple design, was relatively easy to build. A revolver or anything more advanced would require more intricate craftsmanship and a significant time investment. While Ethan was still experimenting with combining magic circles and firearms, he wasn't ready to spend too much effort on such complex designs yet.

Now that he had both theoretical knowledge and a functional prototype, Ethan was confident that with enough refinement, he could create a truly powerful weapon that combined modern firearms with magic.

"In addition to refining the design, I'll need better metal materials," Ethan said.

To achieve greater firepower, the materials used for the weapon had to be both durable and excellent conductors of magic power. Unfortunately, most metals had poor magical conductivity. Only a rare few were suitable, and these were often not durable enough for use in weapons.

The common solution was to mix small amounts of these rare metals into ordinary alloys to create magic-conductive materials. While not perfect, this method struck a balance between durability and conductivity, making it the best option for most applications.

"Unfortunately, I don't have access to those rare metals right now. They're practically legendary materials to me, and I don't even have a scrap of them on hand," Ethan admitted.

"Understood. Once you find the right materials, we can discuss the design," Arthur said with a nod.

Ethan put the magic musket away. For now, it was his only ranged weapon, so he couldn't part with it.

Onboard, they had a few ordinary firearms and tactical daggers, but neither Ethan nor Arthur's long swords were standard equipment, so there were no spare swords on the ship. This left them both feeling slightly unprepared.

"It's fine. I have plenty of other means to deal with enemies," Ethan said, brushing off his concerns.

In the Sea of Calm, where dangers were relatively mild, he could handle most threats without a longsword. However, if they entered another world, he would likely need a proper weapon again, especially one he was comfortable using.

"And we've been drifting for months. Who knows if we'll encounter space-time energy soon? Maybe we'll need to return to State Island to resupply, and I can pick up some weapons then," Ethan mused, inadvertently jinxing himself.

When he habitually checked his space-time orb, Ethan was startled to find that the arrow he had been eagerly anticipating had appeared. It pointed toward a nearby source of space-time energy.

"I've been using this pointer for weeks, and it wasn't showing anything before, right?" Ethan asked, puzzled.

Arthur nodded. "You've been checking it all the time, and there was nothing before. It must have just appeared."

Yet the arrow was indicating something close, meaning it hadn't just entered the pointer's range. Arthur glanced at Ethan suspiciously.

"Could this be the legendary Great Prophecy of magicians?" Arthur joked, trying to suppress a grin.

Ethan shot him a speechless look. "Arthur, you've changed. You never would've made a joke like that before."

"Stop joking. What do you think we should do? Should we go directly to collect the space-time energy?"

"Of course. We can't miss an opportunity like this. Even if we don't use it to travel between planes, we still need space-time energy to refine this magic. The sooner I master it, the more peace of mind I'll have."

Arthur didn't fully understand Ethan's obsession. To him, it seemed like a stroke of luck that Ethan had access to such a rare magic, and he couldn't understand why Ethan was so determined to perfect it.

But even if he didn't get it, Arthur couldn't help but admire Ethan's dedication. Perhaps it was that drive that had brought Ethan so far, despite his less-than-remarkable natural talent.

"To the next world, onward!"

With their course adjusted, the Goddess of Dawn sped toward the source of space-time energy.

***

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