Blacksmith of the Apocalypse

Chapter 1344: Magnificent Offer...?

---Mount Agra---

Strolling around Agra after their meal, Seth found that Cormac Payleʼs presence in Agra had become unmistakable. The man was living out his dream of making automatons, and the city was full of them, acting as servants, security, or servers in shops and restaurants.

While the Spirit Blacksmith had only focused on golems as high-performance soldiers to protect the Tree Stations in times of a crisis, the Chosen of Hephaestus had expanded on what his automatons were used for, not unlike the god he was blessed by.

The presence of all these de facto robots made Agra look almost futuristic, although the blacksmith didnʼt quite know whether this was utopian or dystopian. He found that the range of activity and intelligence of the golems was quite broad, making him a little envious, as he was only able to learn the ordinary ego circuit of Hephaestus, while his chosen got the advanced stuff.

On the other hand, Sethʼs golems were able to develop an ego on their own, thanks to the souls he used, or start off with the ego of the soul... Which came with its own problems, but it was still advantageous.

After strolling around the city and sightseeing a little, Seth and Tatzel turned toward the sacred mountain, where NasʼKornʼs shrine was located. Things had changed a little with Agraʼs growth, and not everyone could simply walk up to the mountain to enter the main shrine anymore.

Seth was sure nobody would stop him when he identified himself as the Tower master of Minas Mar, but he was actually asked to wait. At least they brought him and the little one to a cozy room with cookies and beverages.

“Tower Master! Itʼs really you. Iʼm really sorry to make you wait,” Taurio, the Chosen of NasʼKorn, greeted him. The man he had met as a tired mess all the way back when Agra needed their help had become quite the picture.

The buff young man wore a well-fitted suit that barely contained his muscles. He wore it with an open collar. Tanned by the mountain sun, he also had a healthy complexion that made him look moderately handsome. However, the combination of both made him look like a low-ranking gangster from a third-grade TV show. It didnʼt fit him at all.

“Taurio, just the man I wanted to meet. No need to apologize,” he said after some hesitation, as he was not sure how to react to the manʼs new “style”. Ultimately he decided to try and ignore it.

“What could the Tower master want with me? I thought you wanted to meet NasʼKorn?” Taurio exclaimed, surprised that the master of Minas Mar came to meet him.

“Technically, you are right, I am here to talk with NasʼKorn, but you are also involved. So, you should come along,” the bard said mysteriously. He didnʼt want to reveal his business just yet. Last time he tried to ask the ancient god about the changes on Urth it was of no great help.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

It had something to do with System Restrictions not allowing spoilers, but since the “expansion” was out for a while now, Seth was sure he could get some proper walk-throughs from NasʼKorn, especially since he came with such a great offering.

“Then I will bring you up the mountain,” Taurio said eagerly. The chosen took the lead as they climbed the ancient mountain path up to the main shrine. In the distant past, before the districts, this place had been a tourist attraction, but now it was glowing with a sacred light.

Before, the was a vast, semi-circular plaza cut into the mountain. Towering opposite of them was the massive statue of NasʼKorn, the god that looked like a whooly rhino. The giant monument was sitting in the niche it was carved out from, with the mountain protecting it since ancient times.

~ Seth, we meet again. It has been a while.~ The god greeted him with their calm, ethereal voice. Judging by the sound, it had gained back quite a bit of its divine dignity, compared to the past, when it was barely more than a spirit attached to the monument of its former glory. A fate all the prehistoric gods shared.

“Yeah, well, you arenʼt one to visit often. Iʼm not the one to visit often,” the blacksmith said with a shrug.

~So, what is your purpose for the visit?~ the god asked with an audible chuckle.

“Why do you think I want something? I just went on a little trip with Tatzel and thought to come by,” the blacksmith played innocent and pointed at the black snake-dragon beside him.

~Hi!~ Tatzel greeted, unimpressed by NasʼKornʼs aura.

~ Hi, little one. Seth, you arenʼt one to visit often. Iʼm not the one to visit often. I doubt you would come this far on a trip without any purpose at all~ NasʼKorn greeted Tatzel, but reflected Sethʼs words right back at him.

“Yeah, fine, you got me. I wanted to ask about the slumbering realm, and I brought a bribe to make you talk,” the demonic bard came clean in the face of god.

~You want to BRIBE ME?!~ NasʼKorn hollered, imposing, the mountain shook slightly.

“Yep.” Seth was unimpressed by the show. He knew too much about gods at this point to face them with reverence. Not that he did so in the beginning.

~... Fine. What is it?~ The supposed anger of earlier was blown away, as if it were just a joke. Now, NasʼKorn spoke in a business-like manner. Having expected that, Seth pulled the pet egg from his inventory.

“This is the egg of a Mountain King, a Highest-grade pet with the multipliers of an Epic Tank and a good chance to become a legend when it reaches adulthood and is properly trained,” Seth introduced the purchase he made in Spring City.

“Its traits are quite similar to those of your Champion, and if you bless it, Iʼm sure it will be a great asset in protecting Agra in the future,” the bard continued, hyping it up, revealing his intention to offer it to NasʼKorn.

~What a magnificent offeri- ~

“250 Gold,” the blacksmith mercilessly cut off the godʼs emotional thanks. Mr.Moneybags was always ready to squander money for himself and his girls, but even if NasʼKorn turned out to be a hot babe and a bomb in bed, the application period was over, and he wasnʼt going to throw 500 Gold out the window, just for information.

“I bought it for 500 gold, and Iʼm reselling it to you at a 50% discount, if you answer my questions,” the Tower Master explained his offer. The god was silent for a long while, as Seth fought back a mischievous grin.

~That wasnʼt very nice. ~ The rhino finally said, defeated. If it wasnʼt interested in the egg, they would have probably argued back, but NasʼKorn simply accepted that he was pranked.

~Go ahead, ask your questions, I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.~ NasʼKor acquiesced, and Seth finally got his chance to ask all the questions he was able to come up with, based on the knowledge he had collected so far. But the first of them was:

“What or who is Lezzekai?”