After stepping into the building, Zeke was greeted by a surprising sight. All he could make out was an old lady, sitting behind a simple wooden counter. Compared to the Hermann Company on the third layer, the decor was downright shabby.
Confused, Zeke studied his surroundings in further detail. But even on closer inspection, what greeted him was an unappealing sight. The walls were bare, lacking any decorations, let alone golden fineries. He had anticipated the workshop to be far more inviting, considering their exorbitant prices.
Zeke walked up to the counter and beamed at the old woman. "Greetings, my lady, my name is Ezekiel. I'm here for my appointment."
The granny chuckled. "Ain't no lady no more, sweety. You must be the kid Jet's warned us about."
"Warned you?"
"Aye. You could charm the flees off a dog, he said. Told me to not give you any discounts," the woman explained.
A smile spread across Zeke's face, he would get the old man back for this. "Don't worry my lady, I intend to pay in full." David used this chance to deposit four ingots of gold onto the table.
Zeke glanced at the bars, making sure everything was in order. He had recently learned that the gold currency he had used in the empire had also been issued by the Merchant Union. In fact, every single coin in circulation was, in addition to its inherent value, backed by the union.
An expression of pure joy emerged on the old woman's face, highlighting her many missing teeth. "You've got no idea how much we needed that, laddy. Don't worry, my Henry is preparing the workshop as we speak. He'll be here in a moment."
Zeke nodded. He was planning to stay all day and wasn't in any particular hurry to get started. For a while, he debated if he should bring up the state of the shop. It wasn't polite to broach such a matter with a stranger, but his curiosity demanded he at least tried to get an answer.
"Can I ask you something a bit personal?" Zeke asked hesitantly.
"Gonna ask me out on a date, dear?" The old lady cackled.
Zeke chuckled. "Actually, I was wondering about the state of the workshop…"
The woman sighed. "Wondering why it looks like this even though we charge you so much?"
"The thought crossed my mind, yes," Zeke admitted. This didn't make any sense. When he lived in Feldstadt, his family didn't make more than a single gold coin a year. Even so, their house still looked better than this.
"Well, the building ain't cheap, living on the fourth layer comes at a price," the old woman explained. Zeke had to agree, he had seen how ludicrous the expenses for rent were in the upper layers. Still, it wouldn't make a dent in the pile of gold he had brought here today.
"Also, not a lot of work to be had for Enchanters these days," the woman admitted. "This is the first contract we had in months if I'm being honest. All 'em big companies are just thinking about mass production. They be treatin' people like they were cogs in 'em machines themselves."
Zeke nodded sympathetically. When his mother investigated the job market here, she had been shocked. It was a cold and heartless numbers game. Personal relationships took a backseat to the merciless greed for ever-increasing profit. Zeke had wondered more than once why the economy flourished in a place like this. His thoughts were interrupted when the woman continued her explanation.
"We also have other expenses: materials, upkeep, and of course the Enchanters tax." The woman finished her explanation and went back to sipping her tea.
Zeke stared at her for a while, certain that she would resume her explanation after wetting her tongue, but she never did. He became more and more confused. Even if they only worked once every few months, the thousands of gold they earned today would allow them to pay for their rent and food for years, no matter how lavish their meals.
"That's it?" he asked eventually.
"Aye, thats it, laddie," the woman responded.
Zeke was flabbergasted. "How can that be all? How high is that tax for you to be unable to—"
"85%," the woman interrupted.
"How much?!"
"85%," she repeated.
The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while. "How can it be that high?" Zeke asked after getting his bearings.
"And who am I gonna ask? Do I look like the Tax-Man to you, laddie?" the woman answered with a roll of her eyes.
Before Zeke could inquire any further, the door in the back of the room swung open. A tiny, nearly bald man walked out from the other room. He glanced at the gold on the table and nodded, before turning around and disappearing into the workshop again.
"Have fun in there, sweetie," the woman said as she motioned for Zeke to follow the man.
Zeke did as he was bid and entered the workshop with David right on his heels. His guard quickly scanned the room, before walking back out with a satisfied nod.
"Aren't you coming?" Zeke asked.
"I'm afraid I don't share your love for Enchanting, young Lord," David explained.
Zeke shrugged and stepped deeper into the room. He came to a halt next to the man he had seen earlier. Henry, the woman had called him.
Henry sat on a high stool at what seemed to be his workbench. Zeke carefully observed the setup. He had gotten familiar with the tools of the trade over the last couple of days. From what he could see here, it seemed to be a pretty standard assortment for an Enchanter.
Zeke had expected the man to start out by explaining the tools and procedure, but not a single word was forthcoming. It became apparent that he couldn't expect any hand-holding here. The only thing the man said was, "Gust first," before beginning with his work.
He took out a square-shaped metal plate from a nearby container. It was approximately as thick as a finger and the length of Zeke's hand. The old man struggled even lifting the thing sheet of metal, causing Zeke to hurriedly lend a hand.
Despite fitting into Zeke's palms, the plate was heavy — Many times heavier than anything of this size had any right to be. After Zeke had delicately placed it down on the clamping device, he stepped back again. The man nodded in gratitude while fastening the plate.
"Damn things seem to get heavier with each year," Henry grumbled.
Zeke chuckled politely but didn't comment. He was too busy observing the plate in front of him. This was it, the Voidiron he had read so much about. The unbelievably dense metal was known for its terrible mana conductivity. And indeed, Zeke's [Perfect Spatial Awareness] was unable to penetrate the metal at all. In his sphere of awareness, the plate appeared as a black void, making the metal's name all the more fitting.
"Gonna start now," the man said after he was done fastening. "I don't know why you wanted to watch, but you won't be able to see much, laddie," he added with a look of pity toward Zeke.
"Don't worry about me, sir. I have sharp eyes," Zeke responded.
The man chuckled. "Sharp eyes, that's a good one."
It was clear that he didn't take his words seriously. No wonder, Henry himself used an apparatus made from lenses and mirrors to observe the plate. The best of those devices managed to increase one's vision a hundredfold. Zeke was aware that for a top-grade Enchantment, the carvings needed to be so intricate that they were impossible to see with the naked eye.
However, this didn't prove to be much of an obstacle to Zeke. His [Perfect Spatial Awareness] was more accurate than any lens. The mana-repellent properties of the Voidiron only made it easier to see the carving. As the man worked, Zeke remained standing. Despite his closed eyes, he didn't miss the slightest movement.
Henry switched between a hand carver and a chisel as he slowly etched the Rune into the metal. 'Rune' was the proper word for the part of an Enchantment that gave the design its power. Only a couple dozen of them were known, and nobody knew where they came from. Most experts agreed that runes were the very language of Magic. It was said that they weren't just a representation but an embodiment of the very concept of Magic.
More time passed. Finally, after four hours of nonstop work, Henry took a break. "How was it, boy? Learned something?" the man asked as he fished out a bottle he had hidden in a crevice in his desk. Even from several steps away, Zeke could smell the potent aroma of alcohol.
"I think so, but I won't know for certain before I try it for myself," Zeke responded.
Henry's face turned deathly serious. "You aiming to become an Enchanter, laddie?" he asked in a stern tone.
His face only relaxed when Zeke shook his head. "No, It's just a hobby, I'm afraid."
"Good, good — 'tis not a pleasant line of work. Anyway, we have about eight hours left on this. That's all I'll be able to do today. Are you gonna stick around?" Henry asked.
"Of course I am," Zeke responded with as much conviction as he could convey.
"Well, at least you have the patience. Tell you what, after I leave, you can play around with a couple of training plates for as long as you want. What do you say?"
"That would be great!" Zeke exclaimed. He couldn't wait to try out the techniques he had seen the old man use for himself.
"Just make sure not to damage my tools, alright?"
Zeke nodded seriously. "You have my word."
The tiny man was satisfied with that promise and after taking another deep swig, he got back to work. Another four hours passed before Henry took his next break, followed by another four. Zeke had remained practically motionless during all this time, studying the man's every move.
By the time he was finished, Henry looked like a corpse. He had worked for twelve hours without making a single mistake. Zeke could clearly see the heavy toll the effort had taken on the man. Sweat was running down his face and back and he had to use the bottle far more often to keep his hands steady.
Zeke heard Henry refer to the beverage as 'Enchanters Potion' on several occasions. This seemed to be something common among his profession. More than once did he make Zeke promise not to tell his wife about it — whatever was in that bottle couldn't be healthy. The way Henry shuddered each time he drank, made Zeke pity him.
Henry spent the next half an hour inspecting every single part of the rune, making sure it was perfect. Zeke marveled at the precision the artisan was capable of. There were only two spots where Henry needed to make slight adjustments before he was satisfied. Even Zeke, with his spatial awareness, wasn't able to find any flaws in the carving after that.
"Aiight," a pale Henry eventually said. "It's time for the final step. Do you know what it is?"
"Powdering," Zeke responded immediately.
"That's right," he said as he carefully lifted a glass cylinder out of the storage container. Zeke looked at the translucent grains contained within — Arcanite. The precious powder was sold by the gram and had 100 times the value of gold. It was the exact opposite of Voidiron; Arcanite was the material with the highest level of mana conductivity of any known material.
With a steady hand, Henry sprinkled the powder on the plate of Voidiron at regular intervals. He made sure that each and every part of the Rune was covered. After he was satisfied, he turned to Zeke. "Do you know what to do?"
Zeke nodded and took Henry's place in front of the metal plate. He started to gather ambient mana.
"Not too much," Henry cautioned.
Zeke remained silent. He extended a single finger toward the point where the rune connected to the border of the plate. This was also where a cord could be attached to the enchantment. Using all the control he could muster, Zeke sent the tinniest whisp of Mana into the enchantment. The effect was immediate. The Arcanite that was inside the Rune started to glow in an iridescent white.
Zeke watched in awe as the recently carved-out section of the plate was immediately filled in again by the expanding powder. After the glow had subsided the plate was whole once more. The difference was that instead of Voidiron, the Rune was filled with hardened Arcanite instead. A smile spread across Zeke's face. This was amazing.
Meanwhile, Henry had approached with his dust collector. The siphon that extended from the device was capable of sucking in air at high pressure, and Henry used it to collect the spare Arcanite powder. It was far too costly to even waste the tiniest bit. After he had bottled the powder back up, he studied the rune with a critical eye.
"Not bad," the craftsman eventually praised. "This lands comfortably in the middle of the top rank. Definitely one of my best ones in a while. Here you go," he said as he passed the finished Enchantment to Zeke.
Zeke inspected the midnight black sheet of metal in his hands. "Can I try it out?" he asked expectantly.
With a sigh, the old man agreed. But not before giving Zeke a stern warning. "If you use too much Mana, you'll have to clean the mess yourself."
Zeke nodded happily before immediately pouring a smidgeon of unattuned Mana into the Rune. After a moment of nothing happening, the Enchantment came to life. Zeke's face took the brunt of the sudden sharp wind that roared out from the Plate. Zeke almost dropped the Enchantment. He had not expected the Gust of wind to be this strong.
When it died down moments later, he could finally hear the loud laughter coming from behind him. Zeke turned, only to find Henry's smugly grinning face staring right back at him. "Told you, brat, that's a top-grade enchantment. Packs quite the punch, doesn't it?"
Zeke placed the enchantment down on the table, now being infinitely more careful with it. "I heard it was only supposed to be a bit stronger than a high-grade one. How come this is so potent?"
"Pah!" the old man spat. "That only applies to the weakest of the Top tier. Didn't I say this was in the middle? It's at least twice as strong as any high-grade Enchantment!"
Zeke was shocked to learn this. It seemed that despite his intensive studies, there was still a lot that he didn't know. The old man couldn't suppress a yawn, he was barely able to keep his eyes open. With a measuring look at Zeke, he asked, "Do you really want to stay and practice?"
"Yes, sir."
"To be young again," the man said with a sigh. "Anyway, the practice plates are over in that cabinet. You should know where I put the tools. Any other questions?"
"No, sir."
"Good boy," Henry said with a pleased nod. And after a few additional instructions and warnings, Zeke was finally alone in the workshop.
He walked over to where the old man had told him that the training plates were. He found that the cabinet was stuffed with hundreds of them, stacked on top of each other.
"Time to get to work," Zeke said with a smile.