"Wait a minute, does that mean that super huge, super terrifying giant can still be enhanced?"
One of the onlooking adventurers, [High Novice] Raul, exclaimed in shock, his jaw practically dropping.
"Could it possibly turn into a complete giant..."
"Or even grow muscles over its skeleton?"
"Or maybe wear armor, pick up weapons... That would be way too terrifying."
The crowd erupted into lively discussion.
"Excuse me," A voice rang out. It was the Level 4 adventurer of the Loki Familia, Noble Cat Anakitty Autumn, "This sword, who forged it?"
The crowd immediately quieted, awaiting the answer to the question.
"Shirou Emiya of the Hephaestus Familia."
Riveria responded, "The title [Sword King] truly lives up to its name."
———
[High Novice] Raul was the first to take action. Without hesitation, he bolted, sprinting straight toward Babel Tower—toward the Hephaestus Familia's exclusive shop.
But there was one figure even faster than Raul. Just as she turned around, about to take off, she was stopped by Riveria.
"Ais, where are you going?", Riveria spoke softly.
Little Ais trembled, an inexplicable unease welling up inside her.
Little Ais turned around mechanically, only to see Riveria's gentle smile.
"Ais~", Riveria's tone was light and soothing, "The expedition is scheduled to start the day after tomorrow. Are you ready?"
"…Not yet," Ais answered cautiously.
Facing the suddenly gentle Riveria, little Ais felt even more uneasy.
"For the next two days, don't train anymore. Stay in the Familia and rest properly. You need to ensure your physical and mental condition, Ais," Riveria said, "In the upcoming expedition, you are our main force in the vanguard."
"Mm… I understand, Riveria,".Ais' body seemed to stiffen as she nodded with difficulty.
"By the way, Ais, do you have anything you'd like to tell me?", Riveria asked casually.
Ais: "…"
'Something feels off. Has Riveria noticed something? Or is she just testing me?'
"N-no, nothing at all," Without enough time to think deeply, little Ais instinctively denied it.
She didn't realize that her unnatural reaction had already revealed plenty of information.
"Ais, get some good rest," Riveria's smile grew even gentler.
On the other side, Loki quietly distanced herself from the elven princess and little Ais.
"Riveria-mama's expression is so scary…", Loki muttered under her breath, then turned to Alicia, "By the way, Alicia, what's the name of that sword?"
Alicia answered truthfully.
Hearing the name [Skadi of Ice], Loki's expression turned a bit strange.
"Hm? What's wrong, Loki?"
"Ah, nothing, nothing…", Loki quickly brushed it off.
She absolutely couldn't admit that, back in the divine realm, she had once pestered Skadi too much and ended up getting beaten mercilessly by the icy goddess.
Although she had long since lost any dignity or authority within her Familia, this kind of embarrassing history was definitely not something she was willing to reveal.
———
"Shirou, did you know? Yesterday, someone came to our Familia's shop and bought up all the weapons you forged," Inside the workshop, the goddess Hephaestus spoke with a smile.
"What?", Shirou was puzzled, "Why would someone do something so strange?"
With his Unlimited Blade Works, he could easily forge swords and blades far superior to those of ordinary blacksmiths. After obtaining the Development Ability Mystery, every sword he created during practice was an absolute masterpiece.
Even when using ordinary steel, his forged weapons were sharper than standard swords. If he used special materials, he could create third-tier or even second-tier weapons.
However, that didn't necessarily mean his weapons were always worth buying. The reason was simple, weapon prices were set based on quality. You got what you paid for. High-quality weapons naturally came at a higher price.
Moreover, weapons weren't just about sharpness. Blindly chasing premium weapons wasn't a rational decision. Managing one's budget wisely was the right approach.
The pricing of Shirou's works followed the Hephaestus Familia's regulations and standards. If they lowered prices just because he could forge swords effortlessly, then how would the other Familia blacksmiths make a living?
"It was the Loki Familia. Their people bought all the weapons you signed," Hephaestus chuckled, "I suspect they're making an early investment. Once you become a famous blacksmith, these early works of yours could become valuable collectibles and be resold at high prices."
Shirou nodded, "I see."
As for why the Loki Familia was reacting this way, the answer was obvious—because of that sword.
"Trace on," He raised his hand, and an ice-blue longsword materialized within his grasp.
Hephaestus: "Just as expected, the least taxing projections are those of weapons you personally forged."
Gazing at the beautiful curvature of the ice-blue sword, Hephaestus' single eye sparkled.
From a purely weaponsmithing perspective, this sword wasn't even considered a mortal-grade product to her. As the God of Fire and Forge, Hephaestus had created swords capable of splitting mountains, overturning seas, cracking the earth, and burning the sky. If such a divine sword were brought to the mortal realm, a single full-power swing could incinerate an entire planet's surface in an instant.
However, to Hephaestus, this was different—divine artifacts created with godly power and the miracles forged by the hands of mortal children were entirely distinct. Even though the former possessed far greater might, she found the latter far more fascinating.
"This sword is truly beautiful," Hephaestus murmured, looking at Shirou, "Shirou, can you forge swords like [Higanbana], [Tsuabme Gaeshi], and [Skadi of Ice] again?"
"Very difficult," Shirou answered straightforwardly, "To forge swords like those, I need to enter a special state. Otherwise, all I can create are slightly sharper first-tier weapons."
Hephaestus nodded lightly. In truth, she understood the special nature of these weapons better than Shirou himself did. As the Goddess of Blacksmithing, her eyes perceived things even he might not recognize.
She had given these weapons a name, [Prototypes of Noble Phantasms].
Because they clearly had room to grow. A fully loaded Starry Sword Box might trigger unforeseen effects. Alicia's summoned ice giant could evolve further as her magic power increased.
[Higanbana] and [Tsuabme Gaeshi] originated from Alise Lovell and Gojouno Kaguya. [Skadi of Ice] was born from the legendary feat of defeating the Black Goliath.
The birth of [Prototypes of Noble Phantasms] required elements that transcended mere materials: willpower, the fifth element, aether, great achievements, miracles… Humans had created various terms for them, but none were truly accurate.
Hephaestus gave it a name, [Records].
———
"I've spent too much time in the workshop recently. I think it's about time I head into the dungeon again," Shirou looked up, folding a freshly drawn blueprint.
Just then, there was a knock at his workshop door. After receiving permission to enter, a guard of the Hephaestus Familia stepped inside.
"Goddess Hephaestus, Sir Shirou, you have a visitor. [Nine Hell] Riveria of the Loki Familia."
"Riveria?", Hephaestus glanced at Shirou, her expression somewhat subtle.
Hephaestus: "Did she say why she's here?"
"It seems the Loki Familia's expedition is about to start. She hopes to invite our Familia's blacksmiths to join as support."
The look Hephaestus gave Shirou grew even more peculiar, "As expected, she's here for you, Shirou."
A misunderstanding deepened once again in the mind of the goddess who had sealed away her omniscience in the lower world.
———
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[Emiya Shirou, Hephaestus Familia, Lv.2, official title [Sword King]]
[Danger level: Black, extremely dangerous]
—: Other unofficial titles :—
[Elf Slayer]
[Amazon's Owner]
[Sword Demon]
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
Daedalus Street—a labyrinth-like district within the city of Orario.
This vast and chaotic residential area was a gathering place for the city's lower-class citizens and underground forces.
In a hidden room within this disorderly district, several men and women were gathered under dim lighting, holding their routine meeting.
Where there is light, there is shadow.
The Labyrinth City not only housed its prestigious familias but also many underground factions lurking in the darkness.
Among them, five major underground forces held significant influence over the city, known by the residents as the [Five Fingers].
At this moment, the five individuals seated around a round table were precisely the leaders of these [Five Fingers].
The Thumb's leader was a burly dwarven man, overseeing a faction composed of dwarves, known for their brutal and ferocious ways.
He was one of the rare blacksmiths in the city possessing the Development Ability [Forge], yet he did not belong to the Hephaestus Familia or any other production-oriented faction. Instead, he was one of the major arms suppliers in the underground world.
The Index Finger's leader was a human male who controlled the city's largest smuggling organization.
He was once a high-ranking adventurer of the Njord Familia but left due to ideological conflicts and established his own network.
It was said that he controlled many hidden passages and was responsible for the circulation of various illicit goods in the city.
The Middle Finger's leader was a Pallum male.
His faction initially formed as an armed guild composed of laborers aiming to resist oppression from large merchant groups.
However, this organization had long since strayed from its original purpose, degenerating into an enforcer group that worked for the very merchants they once opposed, persecuting commoners instead.
The Ring Finger's leader was a female Werewolf, primarily dealing in intelligence brokering and mercenary transactions while also selling medicine and providing medical services.
However, the quality of her medicine was questionable.
She claimed to be an apothecary with the Development Ability [Harmonize], but most people believed her products were heavily diluted.
The Little Finger's leader was an Amazon woman whose primary business revolved around casinos, brothels, and other entertainment establishments.
Many believed her organization to be a "black glove" of familias like the Ishtar Familia, specializing in handling transactions that could not be publicly disclosed.
These factions held substantial influence within Orario's underworld, possessing considerable strength.
Each 'Finger' had at least one Lv.3 powerhouse within their ranks.
However, the reason they managed to maintain their foothold in the city was not purely due to strength—far from it.
In reality, while the [Five Fingers] might sound imposing, if the Ganesha Familia truly wanted to eradicate them, a single Lv.5 First-Class Adventurer would be enough to wipe them out entirely.
Their ability to survive in Orario was not due to overwhelming combat power but rather sharp insight, intricate networks of relationships, and a careful, low-profile approach.
Indeed, while the [Five Fingers] were lawless criminal organizations, their leaders understood the mentality of the city's rulers very well—
In Orario, the existence of underground syndicates was an inevitable reality.
If the [Five Fingers] disappeared, more radical and uncontrollable forces would rise to take their place.
Thus, as long as they didn't excessively provoke the city's authorities or cross forbidden lines, they wouldn't be completely purged.
Furthermore, there was another reason why the Guild and the Ganesha Familia tolerated the [Five Fingers]:
During Orario's Dark Era, these underground factions had actively opposed the Evilus.
Throughout the battle against the Evilus, they provided significant assistance, contributing to the city's stability.
At first glance, this might sound unbelievable.
However, the truth was clear—while Evilus and the underground syndicates seemed similar on the surface, their essence was fundamentally different:
Underground organizations committed crimes driven by a pursuit of wealth, power, and resources.
Evilus, on the other hand, had a much purer motivation—
They did evil simply for the sake of doing evil.
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