Chapter 281: Crafting Pendants
[Chapter 281: Crafting Pendants]
The National Weather Service and various other forces acted swiftly.
That very day, they pressured the Douglas family into transferring $20 million to Thunder Security Company.
Linton, naturally returning the favor, immediately lifted the restrictions beneath the Iron Tower, allowing the experts from the National Weather Service to enter the site and continue their research.
...
That night, with the hefty compensation in hand, Linton was eager to share his joy with others.
On the third floor of his villa, strange sounds and sweet, cheerful singing filled the bedroom.
After an exhilarating first round of games with Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine, while they were still savoring the thrilling memories, Linton, as usual, used his power to put them into a deep sleep.
Then he rose and went to his study, taking out top-grade white quartz pendants with a creamy-white finish.
He planned to use his spiritual awareness to carve rune patterns and arrays within the quartz, turning it into a magical charm.
His plan was to engrave four micro-arrays on each pendant:
- Serenity Array: improves sleep quality, gently nourishes the spirit, and enhances mental energy.
- Beauty Enhancing Array: enhances physiological functions, boosts vitality, and slows aging.
- Purging Array: wards off evil and unclean influences; wearing it would repel ghosts and restless spirits, keeping them at bay.
- Diamond Array: provides protection. When the wearer faces sudden attacks, this array automatically generates a strong defense to prevent harm.
Of course, the protection had its limits. According to Linton's calculations, blades and knives would be deflected. Common firearms could be blocked up to three shots before the pendant would break.
For high-powered weapons like the M500 pistol or sniper rifles, a single shot could shatter the pendant.
As for the massively destructive M2 heavy machine gun, not even one shot could be blocked before breaking the charm.
Once the four arrays were successfully carved, wearing the pendant would greatly benefit the wearer.
It could defend their safety, ward off evil, nourish the spirit, enhance appearance, and even provide immunity to many ailments -- a perfect, custom-made treasure for his women.
Carving such intricate arrays on a tiny quartz pendant was extremely difficult.
Though he had already reached the Celestial Presence stage, wielding strong spiritual power, and using the best quartz for rune engraving, he still failed three times, destroying three pendants.
After each failure, he carefully reviewed the process, analyzed the mistakes, adjusted methods, and then tried again.
On the fourth pendant, he finally succeeded in engraving all four arrays internally.
Once the arrays were inscribed, Linton infused his power to activate them. The pendant glowed with a soft blue light before the glow faded back inside.
Visually, the pendant looked no different than usual, aside from a gentler sheen, but internally the arrays were active, automatically absorbing various energies from the air to stabilize the formations.
The external carving was simple; with his spiritual power, Linton effortlessly sculpted a lifelike little cat.
Having succeeded with the first pendant and gaining confidence, he continued, successfully crafting three more pendants with different patterns as requested by the women -- Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine.
Hours passed unnoticed; five hours had gone by and dawn was approaching. Feeling drained mentally, it was time to rest.
He went back to wake the three women for more games and some spiritual nourishment to recover his energy quickly.
The other pendants could wait for later; time was plenty.
---
The following day, the National Weather Service's expert team entered the farm to continue their research and testing.
After this episode, Thunder Security's fierce reputation was firmly established. No other forces dared send spies, and the farm returned to peace.
Thunder Security arranged only a small patrol force on the farm while the others resumed their usual training.
---
Over the next two days, Linton stayed home, spending every spare moment in his study making pendants.
With experience from his prior success, the later production became smoother, and the success rate increased.
On the second day, he crafted 10 pendants successfully with 2 failures, achieving an 80% success rate.
On the third day, he made 11 successful pendants with only 1 failure, reaching a success rate over 90%.
Thus, the 30 top-grade white quartz pendants he had purchased from his last trip to Hong Kong were all used up, with 24 pendants engraved with all four arrays.
His 14 harem members -- Winnie, Madonna, Jennifer, Winona, Catherine, Sophie Marceau, Cristiana, Monica Bellucci, Naomi Watts, Cameron Diaz, Heidi Klum, Shania, Izumi Sakai, and Noriko Sakai -- plus Charlize Theron and his aunt's family of three -- total 18 people, each had a pendant engraved with their favorite design.
The remaining six pendants were kept for future harem additions.
...
After finishing, and playing joyfully with Jennifer, Winona, and Catherine, Linton presented the pendants crafted especially for them.
"Here are the pendants I engraved for you three," he said.
"Wow, honey, you're amazing! Did you really carve these yourself? They're so beautiful," Jennifer immediately took her cat-patterned pendant, clutching it lovingly against her chest.
Winona and Catherine also accepted their pendants, eyes shining with delight.
More than the beauty, they treasured that Linton had personally carved them -- proof of their special place in his heart.
"Darling, could you help me put this on?"
"Sure." Linton carefully placed each pendant around the necks of the three muses.
"Wow, it feels so comfortable and warm," Jennifer noticed the pendant's special sensation.
"Yeah, putting on this pendant makes you feel warm all over -- this is amazing," Winona and Catherine agreed.
"Girls, I put a lot of effort into these pendants; they have many magical effects, including warming you in winter and cooling you in summer. I want you to never take them off and always keep them with you -- can you promise that?"
"Darling, this pendant is so special, and it's made by you. I definitely won't take it off," Jennifer promised first.
"I wouldn't take it off either, but I have a question. I've previously endorsed Harry Winston Jewelry. What about necklace ads in the future?"
Winona expressed her real-world concern.
"Sweetheart, this is the most precious gift I've received. I won't take it off either, but when attending big events or walking the red carpet, what if the stylist's design doesn't match the pendant?"
Catherine raised a similar practical concern.
As major female stars, endorsing jewelry brands and attending commercial events were daily duties, and conflicts were indeed possible.
But no matter the conflict, Linton didn't want them to remove their pendants. These were their talismans; if a security issue arose, it would be unbearable to regret.
Also, losing or accidentally switching the pendant would cause huge problems.
The pendant's magic was still a secret. If word got out about his powers, endless troubles could follow; he might even face military attempts to capture and dissect him.
Although he had defensive power, he couldn't afford reckless exposure -- laser weapons, nukes were beyond his control.
So he deployed his Soul Induction ability.
"This pendant is extremely important, and must never leave your body. No other work or event should conflict with this."
Since reaching the Celestial Presence stage, his Soul Induction spells had upgraded, having previously cured Winona's depression and kleptomania.
This instruction engraved deeply into the three women's minds, becoming one of their highest principles.
In the future, when endorsing jewelry, even at a financial loss, they would exclude the necklace category.
For public appearances and red carpet events, any stylist design clashing with the pendant would be changed accordingly.
*****
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