Chapter 422: Soo how?
“What is this?!” Seberus blurted out, trying to understand the metal monstrosity that was hovering in front of his face. One might have thought it was an animal of some sorts.
“That’s my Mithril Artifact. It’s called a drone.”
Seberus knew nothing about drones, but he did know that Michael had created another one of his otherworldly objects that seemed to defy all laws of physics and magic.
“A flying weapon? That is…something else. It certainly is unique,” Seberus muttered.
The prospect of a Maugnetic not being limited by his weapon’s range was something that was quite impressive to think about. As expected, Michael had found yet another overpowered ability to keep himself above even those people touted as geniuses and prodigies.
Seberus didn’t know how Michael kept doing these seemingly impossible things time and time again.
At this point, he hoped to have developed a tolerance for Michaels’ surprises, yet he was still caught off guard whenever he revealed something. Seberus now felt sort of anxious whenever he met Michael, thinking that he would pull out another world-breaking invention that would nullify all of his efforts as a magician.
“If you want to make this Mithril Artifact your weapon, then you have to imbue it with blood and the Spirit of Old. Now, you have to be patient on this, Michael. Soo is very hard to get, and very expensive as well. Not just anybody can get their hands on it…,” Seberus chattered on.
“Umm…Seberus?”
The Tower Master didn’t let Michael interrupt.
“Now, listen here, Michael…”
In Seberus’ mind, this was a chance for Michael to learn about the hardships of a normal human. In reality, people just don’t magically get what they want whenever they want it.
Michael had been living quite a privileged life, not in terms of money per say (which he totally does by the way), but in terms of other intangible qualities like talent.
While people worked hard to study magic, Michael could master it in a single second. While people worked hard to earn money, Michael invents a new machine and earns millions easily. While 99% of people don’t have a chance of becoming Maugnetic, Michael stumbles upon it and becomes one without question.
“The Spirit of Old is something that is rarely distributed. No amount of money could buy them because most companies hoarded it for themselves—”
“Seberus, I have one.”
“Yes, you have one, but it’s very much impossible to get one if you don’t—say what now?”
Michael had in his hands a dark green vial containing a few drops of a crystal clear liquid with the consistency and viscosity of oil.
Seberus’ jaw dropped.
“No way…”
The old man couldn’t help but slump as he realized all of his words were for nothing. He then whipped his head up to the skies and cursed whoever god resided up there.
“You unfair gods! Can’t you not be on his side for once?!”
He then turned to Michael. “How did you get a vial of Soo? And…one, two..have four drops of it already?”
Michael explained everything about Flarecorp, and how he stumbled upon his Flarexis’ hidden storage room containing this vial.
“I guess, it’s a karmic reward,” Seberus sighed. “Your company has been pestered by Flarecorp, so it’s only natural that you obtained his loot.”
Still, that didn’t make it all reasonable. Seberus was starting to think that the gods were truly on Michael’s side.
“Hey, tell the truth. Is it true what they say about you and the Iron Maiden?” Seberus questioned.
Michael couldn’t believe that the rumor had spread this far.
“No, that’s a long story. But that’s besides the point. What do I need to do to coat my Mithril Artifact with Soo?”
Seberus sighed, before leading Michael inside his wooden japanese-themed home with his hands behind his back like some monk.
Then, they entered Seberus’ tatami room, where Seberus asked Michael to remove his shoes.
Where did he get this idea from?!
Seberus took out a scroll from one of his cabinets and unfurled it on the floor, letting Michael see it in its entirety.
Once unfurled, Michael saw a large map of a city. But not just any city, on the top of it, the name of the territory was inscribed.
It was Metropolis.
“You’ve met the Legacies, correct? There was one of them called Bobby. He’s a main descendant from the Hepheastaeus conglomerate and he owns a smithing company. He owns this lower east part of Metropolis.”
Seberus circled the map with his fingers, and a magic light appeared and highlighted the lower right side of Metropolis.
“Coating Soo onto a Mithril Artifact is a delicate process. It requires intimate knowledge of Aubilities, Maugnetics, and Mithril Relics. Binding the weapon towards the person is a process that not even magic or nature can describe.
One wrong move could waste both the Soo and the weapon.
The only viable technique has been discovered by the founder of the Hephaestus conglomerate, and has been passed down through the generations. Bobby has undoubtedly inherited this technique as well.
If you want to have your Mithril Artifact be coated with your Soo, then you will have to recruit his help.”
In the end, Michael really had to go to Metropolis if he wanted to use Soo.
Thankfully though, Bobby looked to be a very reasonable person. He even offered Michael a free armor set when they first met.
“So, I just need to get help from Bobby? That’s easy.”
Seberus nodded. “Yes, getting Bobby’s help is the easy part. But the problem is that you can’t just waltz into their company and demand for his help.
Now, you may be known as the leader of Reborn here in the lower parts of the continent, but in Metropolis, you are probably still unknown. Compared to that, Bobby is one of the Legacies. His company is high up in the ranks.
There are rules to be followed. Specifically, just one. You have to be a member of the association in Metropolis.”
“What association?” Michael asked.
“The association is the gathering of all companies and groups operating in Metropolis. Basically, you have to register with them in order to get a permit to be able to work inside Metropolis. Without that permit, you won’t be able to transact with other members of the association, meaning you won’t be able to hire Bobby’s help.”
All in all, getting that permit would basically hit two birds with one stone. Michael had already been planning on expanding to Metropolis, so he would have needed that permit anyway. Now, he could also get Bobby’s help as a bonus.
“Now, I have to warn you. Metropolis is a big market. There are a lot of other companies in your position who want to get a piece of the pie in Metropolis.
The competition there is going to be fierce.
Not in terms of companies competing against companies to get a spot. But instead, companies are trying to get the public to accept their products or services. That is the real hurdle.
Why would people want to buy something new and unfamiliar, if they could already buy it from companies already in Metropolis?
For most companies, that is a big hurdle.