Chapter 736: The Forge's Blueprint
It was not just unfathomable... it was an abominable idea. An idea that could only have been birthed from a wicked and inconsiderate mind.
Inconsiderate for oneself and for others.
That was the way Oland and the other two humans stared at Northern. Their eyes held a mixture of confusion and frustration.
Why would any sane human create a forge at the side of a volcano? Definitely, Northern had chosen a point with less heat and effect from the volcano, but it didn't make it any less disturbing that he was creating the center of whatever settlement he intended to build in the volcano.
He had briefed them of his plan and why he was taking them with him, so the three of them slightly understood. Northern had even said, when this project started, the three of them would be the ones in charge.
Not because he considered them any bit important... he just needed scapegoats to use in case of failures.
However, the three humans might have thought otherwise of Northern's unexplained action. Albeit, positively.
Northern looked over the grey plains that sprawled beyond the mountain.
"The forge is going to be as large as the mountains... then over there, will be a settlement of some sort...'
He turned his head to the Glazier Mountain.
'There will be another settlement over there, all the way to the red plains. Then I will find a way to create an agricultural system around that sentient water.'
He had not confirmed about the icy mountain and the grey plains, but he knew for sure that the Red Mine could cultivate some plants. It would just be a little bit tougher than usual.
Besides, agriculture did not follow the same spectrum on Tra-el as it did on Earth.
On Earth for example, there were three main categories of soil types; Ul'Tra-el had an astonishing eight.
All eight, however, had plants that were best suited for them. Re-sin was a type of soil that was mainly used to propagate tree-type plants and mostly extensive life-cycled plants.
If one was to cultivate an annual plant with Re-sin soil, they'd see no result. The crop could take six months to barely bring forth a little sprout.
Whereas with Ley-sin, it could start bearing fruits in six months.
The soil of the Red Mine was Re-sin, although with a little infected attribute of the blood- soaked nature of the mountain's mineral.
There were bound to be consequences with using such a soil even to grow trees. But it was not impossible.
Northern was just putting all these things for now into thought process.
The humans so far had been feeding on carcasses of monsters; there was a reason as to why the Kirithon's body was left with only bones.
Northern wanted the forge to be as big as the volcano itself. He wanted the entire region to be dedicated to the flaming crucible of item creation.
The volcano itself was going to be his furnace.
And to ensure that the foundation edifice would be sturdy enough to remain despite the heat and power of the volcano, he would be using the volcano's own mineral for the constructions -the volcano stones.
Which the refined version he named Voltheim.
Voltheim was a material that could resist incredibly high temperatures. It was the best form of defensive material one could use to create a weapon.
Although the mining process was difficult as its resistance was intense just like the red crystals, it was not impossible. In fact, some monsters were already mining it, although in low quality.
Another difficult mineral to mine was the ice crystals, but for some reason, Mr. Fluffy found it very easy to mine.
The beast often transformed to his bipedal form to mine also and raked in quite a lot of ice crystals that Northern was grateful he majorly resided in the icy mountain. Although right now, he was in the dungeon tearing flesh after flesh with his crude fangs.
Northern scratched his hair behind, trying to reach for his scalp but to no avail.
'I wonder if they are doing well.'
Of course they were. The flooding amount of talent fragments he kept receiving by the minute was proof of it. Although they didn't seem to have gotten to the next floor boss yet.
Northern's gaze was as sharp as the wind that tore through the volcanic ridges. The thought of building something magnificent—a true soulscape forged from ingenuity and chaos-burned in his mind.
To the untrained eye, it was madness. To Northern, it was art.
"We'll start by clearing the rim here."
His voice carried a strange conviction that silenced the murmurs behind him.
"The volcanic flow will serve as the heart of the forge. All of it must be redirected through channels we'll carve into the stone-intense heat flowing directly into our smelting chambers."
One of Lynus' two subordinates-Roan-shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at the jagged terrain.
"You're asking us to move molten rock... isn't that madness?"
Northern didn't glance back.
"Madness is relative. When this is done, it won't just be a forge. It will be the lifeblood of this city. And you three-if you don't die in the process-will be legends."
It was impossible to tell if that last statement was a grim jest or a genuine promise.
The Glazier Mountain loomed to the north, its ice-bound cliffs reflecting faint light across the barren plains.
Northern's plan for a settlement there would be equally ambitious. The contrast of fire and ice, of metal and water, spoke to something primal in him-two forces in constant tension,
yet necessary to shape something extraordinary.
He exhaled, his thoughts drifting back to Voltheim.
'All of this would come to fruition as soon as possible if the rate of the Voltheim mining could
pick up drastically.'
Voltheim wasn't just heat-resistant; it was practically impervious to entropy itself. Once refined, it could endure the ravages of both time and chaos. It was fitting, really, that his new world would be built atop such a volatile foundation.
But refining Voltheim wasn't simple.
The monsters mining the volcanic stone had only scratched the surface of its potential. Northern would need to devise a new process to extract its essence while retaining its
unparalleled strength.
And then there was the matter of Mr. Fluffy.
The beast was his strange and best ally, feral yet loyal in its own unpredictable way.
Its ability to harvest ice crystals effortlessly had given Northern an unexpected advantage. The icy mountain's wealth was immense, and with Mr. Fluffy's contribution, Northern could see a future where the icy peaks and volcanic forge were inextricably linked-heat and cold,
creation and preservation.
Still, he couldn't linger on the logistics forever. The humans following him weren't equipped for this kind of ambition, not yet.
Northern glanced back at the three of them, his expression unreadable.
"We'll need to move fast. The forge comes first. If you waste time questioning my methods,
you'll be the first ones buried under molten rock."
Oland's jaw tightened, but he nodded reluctantly. The other two exchanged uneasy glances
but kept quiet.
Northern turned back to the vast expanse, his mind already racing ahead to the next step.
He wasn't just building a city. The vision of this soulscape in his mind was: shaping an empire -a testament to everything he had learned, every fragment of talent he had stolen, and every ounce of resolve he carried.
The first step was the foundation. The volcanic rim would be chiseled and carved to support the colossal structure he envisioned.
From there, channels for the lava flow would be reinforced with Voltheim, ensuring an endless supply of heat for smelting and forging.
Next would come the settlement itself. Northern had no intention of creating a simple village.
It would be a hub of innovation, a place where talent and strength converged. The icy peaks to the north would serve as a reservoir of resources, their frozen bounty complementing the
volcanic forge.
And in the center of it all, the forge would rise like a monument- a testament to the power of
will and ingenuity.
But there was something else lingering in the back of Northern's mind.
The forge wouldn't just be a place of creation. It would be a weapon.
The thought was a quiet one, buried beneath layers of other plans, but it was there nonetheless. Aside from the rifts that plagued Ul'Tra-el, should the inevitable disaster he
always thought about and subtly feared, arrive.
He would need weapons-crafted not just from metal, but from the very essence of the Limitless Void itself.
And the forge would give him that power.
Soulforge.