Roy actually had a savings plan, aiming to accumulate 1 million Magic Stones in one go to exchange for the secret technique of "Shatranj Chess."
However, with the appearance of demons and the recent investigation mission where his long hair pierced through his armor, nearly getting him burned or corrupted, Roy gradually felt an urgent need for a weapon that was harder, sharper, and more convenient to wield.
Perhaps with such a weapon, he could become stronger and earn money faster.
In truth, Wizards are Spellcasters, and most of the time, they rely on various incredible spells.
But Roy was considering his specialization in "Animation Art," which could cover both physical and magical attacks.
This also aligned with his teacher's earlier guidance on "connections," making full use of what he had learned.
So, his final choice was...
"I plan to forge a Star Iron Chain Spear that can be imbued with Fire Elemental Enchantment. Once animated, it can entangle and strangle enemies, as well as burn them with flames.
When necessary, it can also be straightened into a spear, leveraging the results of my Wizard Body Modification to surpass even a Grand Knight.
I've been interested in Zabil Magic Metal since my apprentice days and have done some research on it.
This is a good opportunity to practice and try to master the forging techniques for Star Iron products!"
"That's a reasonable approach," Flosf said after listening to Roy.
"But actually, you could consider using better materials, like Radiant Gold.
Its strength is comparable to Star Iron, but its magic conductivity is even better, and it even has self-healing properties due to its metal memory."
Roy replied, "I'm aware of that, but Radiant Gold is significantly more expensive than Star Iron.
If I want to forge a 10-meter-long Star Iron Chain Spear, it would only cost me around 10,000 Magic Stones. But if I were to use Radiant Gold, it would cost at least 60,000 Magic Stones."
What he didn't tell Flosf was that when he was crafting his Silver Battle Armor, he had also considered using Radiant Gold.
But that would have turned it into Golden Battle Armor, which would have been much more expensive.
Flosf chuckled, "That's true. It's fortunate that you can forge it yourself and buy the raw ore directly.
If you were to purchase a finished product, it might cost over 200,000 Magic Stones."
Roy tentatively asked, "Teacher, I'm really short on resources right now. Could you introduce me to some simple tasks or ways to earn money through Alchemy?"
Flosf said, "Who isn't short on resources? I'm short too!
In the entire Netherlands, including us, there's only one Level 3 Wizard, ten Level 1 Wizards, and about a hundred apprentices.
Do you think it's that easy to find opportunities to earn money through Alchemy?"
"That's why I said I can't afford Radiant Gold," Roy sighed inwardly.
Flosf continued, "It's not necessarily out of reach.
For the chain spear, or rather the spear shaft, you can still use relatively cheaper Star Iron, or even ordinary cold iron.
But for the spearhead, you can spare no expense and use Radiant Gold.
Then, add a small Aether stone, considering the principle of a fishing rod and reel, to create a mechanism that allows for smooth retraction and extension.
You can inscribe a Wizard Array on it yourself and apply the Wizardry of 'Animation Art'!
During this forging process, you can also explore the mysteries of spell persistence, preparing yourself to master Innate Wizardry."
Innate Wizardry isn't just about casting spells without incantations; it also has a persistent characteristic. Many Gargoyles that can guard a place for a long time are created this way."
"So that's how it is!"
Roy immediately thought of the Gargoyle in the apple orchard.
He now finally understood that it was made by a Wizard who had mastered Innate Wizardry.
...
Soon, Roy began his preparations.
When his teacher sent the Magic Pet, Old Crow, to deliver materials and take away the armor, the design blueprint for the Star Iron Chain Spear was also ready.
This should fall under the equipment-making section of "Creation Studies," specifically the main-hand weapon category.
In the Wizard World, it could also be called a "Wizardry Artifact"!
Roy carefully reviewed his Bronze-level talent, the "Sulfur-Mercury Theory," and began combining the mysteries of "Animation Art" and Arcane Imprints to craft the Radiant Gold spearhead and the Star Iron Chain Spear.
Originally, Star Iron didn't have activation properties, but under the influence of "Animation Art," it could twist, deform, and solidify at will.
However, Roy soon realized that he hadn't yet mastered "Elemental Enchantment," which is derived from "Element Extraction."
This wasn't something he could learn on the spot, so he considered spending money to hire someone for help.
Of course, he could also choose to ignore it for now and just forge the chain spear without any attack effects.
But considering the situations he might face in the future, it would be better to go all out from the start.
"By the way, I could take my teacher's suggestion a step further and design the spearhead to be capable of poisoning.
I can use reinforced metal embedded with Aether stone particles to create a gourd-shaped poison sac.
Once it pierces flesh, the 'Animation Art' can drive a compression mechanism to squeeze the front chamber, injecting the Blackening Potion.
Then, extract the potion from the rear chamber made of Aether stone, refill the front chamber, and prepare for the next strike."
Roy had given some thought to how to make the best use of what he had mastered.
When the time came, inspiration struck, and ideas just popped into his head.
"Incidentally, I can also explore the uses of Aether stone, gaining experience for when I need to open Melina's Spatial Ring in the future!"
This was something he couldn't delegate to others; he decided to master it himself.
...
One month later.
In the Alchemy Room at the quarry.
Roy successfully forged the Radiant Gold spearhead to meet the requirements.
This was also a type of Zabil Magic Metal, belonging to one of the seven major families, alongside Magnetic Lead and Blood Mercury.
Its appearance resembled gold but had a glass-like transparency, with a shimmer similar to golden silk nanmu.
Under the influence of his "Artist" talent, Roy shaped it into a dagger-like broad blade, suitable for both thrusting and slashing, with a nearly perfect golden ratio structure.
Inside, he had successfully embedded a small shard of Aether stone.
When he communicated with it mentally, a beautifully crafted panel appeared in his mind, a result of his Meditation.
This was a mental illusion formed by the Wizard Array he had inscribed on the Aether stone as its creator.
Since it was a small fragment of scrap material, the space inside was less than a standard grid. He divided it into 24 sacs, similar to a Potion satchel.
Each sac could hold a 10-milliliter test tube, complete with a perfusion mechanism.
With that, the plan for venom attacks was essentially complete.
"It feels like an alchemical lifeform made of metal, some kind of venomous snake..."
Roy glanced at the Flower Snake he had raised.
After the ordeal of the teleportation array and the discomfort of the new environment, the snake had become listless, spending most of its time coiled up in a semi-hibernating state.
He couldn't help but shake his head and touch the spearhead: "I'll call you Black Mamba."
It was the name of a highly venomous snake.
Now, it seemed quite fitting to name his weapon after it.
(End of Chapter)