Zephyr rcer stared at the greatsword in his hand, scratching his head with a conflicted expression.
’It hadn’t seed so strange on paper, but seeing the real thing...’ He had to admit, the sword’s design was truly bizarre.
The hilt was flat and slightly long, looking like two parts joined together, but it felt comfortable to grip. The poml wasn’t round like on a normal sword; instead, a small square block extended from each of its sides.
The strangest part was the guard.
In the center was a rectangle about ten centiters long, resembling a thin box. A narrow slit ran down the middle of the box, and a round button was set just above it. He had a feeling this must be the activation button for a chanism. From either side of the box, another angular, hollow section extended outward.
He fiddled with it for a long ti but couldn’t figure it out, so he turned his attention to the blade. By comparison, this part seed the most normal. However, its edges weren’t smooth; they showed faint serrations.
By Zephyr rcer’s standards, the sword could hardly be called beautiful. But for so reason, the mont he gripped it and looked down the blade, he was struck by an overwhelming sense of sharpness!
He studied it for a long ti, not daring to tamper with it. Finally, he had to look up and ask, "Where’s the chanism? How does it turn into a boorang?"
Paige Sumrs motioned for him to hand her the sword.
Zephyr rcer moved slowly, clearly reluctant to let it go.
The corner of Paige Sumrs’s lip twitched, but she didn’t make fun of him.
When she’d brought out this transforming weapon yesterday, everyone from Marcus Monroe to Claire Chapman had tried it and couldn’t put it down. If Zephyr rcer hadn’t provided the materials, Claire Chapman would have probably had the gall to ask to keep it. Marcus Monroe went even further, directly asking her for a list of the materials needed...
’Of course she was proud!’
This was, to date, the most ti-consuming and intricate weapon she had ever crafted in this world.
Taking the greatsword, she pressed the round button in the center of the guard. As she continued her work, the entire sword underwent a stunning transformation.
The blade slid downward, passing through the thin tal case at the center of the guard until it was pointed at both ends. The left side of the hilt folded inward, while the right side was pushed upward. The protruding sections of the guard elongated, forming a distinct cross shape, but that wasn’t the end of it. At the four points of the cross were small, square components. Paige Sumrs squeezed them, and as they compressed, short blades several inches long sprang out from within.
The entire process took her less than a minute, but what she now held was a deadly, cross-bladed boorang!
Zephyr rcer’s eyes were wide as saucers and his cheeks were flushed red. A scorching light seed to blaze from his gaze!
Paige Sumrs then deliberately slowed her movents, transforming the boorang back into the greatsword. When she handed it back to Zephyr rcer, he practically snatched it from her.
Holding the sword, he examined it over and over again before he finally gave in to temptation and tried it himself.
His movents were clumsy at first, but after just two tries, his speed was already on par with Paige’s!
Seeing how much fun he was having, Paige Sumrs reminded him, "Rember to maintain it properly. I’ve already written down the instructions, so you can go ho and study them at your leisure."
Zephyr rcer finally stopped, realizing he had lost his composure. There was no taking it back, so he could only clear his throat and say a dry, "Thank you."
Paige Sumrs waved a hand dismissively. "Don’t ntion it. Once you pay the remaining balance, you can take it with you."
Zephyr rcer imdiately took out a bag of Crystal Cores to settle the balance. He didn’t get up right away, however. After a mont of silence, he spoke. "My father wants to see you."
Paige Sumrs’s first instinct was to refuse.
’I have absolutely nothing to do with the rcer Family! Surely the rcer Family Head wouldn’t be so unreasonable as to force to honor the marriage contract? But that doesn’t make any sense. If the rcer Family was upset about rejecting the engagent, they should be talking to the Lowell Family, not coming directly to !’
But on second thought, she asked, "What is it about?"
He must have seen her skepticism, because Zephyr rcer snorted. "You can rest easy. My father isn’t going to talk to you about the marriage contract." ’He certainly wasn’t going to admit he’d already told his parents to stay out of it! As for why his father wanted to see her, he wasn’t entirely sure himself, but he had a vague feeling it had sothing to do with the rcer Family’s secret manuals.’
Paige Sumrs considered it for a mont, then nodded. If it wasn’t about the marriage contract, then she had nothing to worry about.
"Alright. When?"
"Right now."
"Okay. Give a minute."
「A few minutes later, Paige Sumrs was in Zephyr rcer’s car, heading for the First District.」
’She silently mulled over the rcer Family Head’s motives, too preoccupied to bother making conversation with Zephyr rcer. Even though the guy acted like a prickly, angsty teenager, he was actually older than her. How he was raised was his family’s problem; she was in no mood to deal with the consequences.’
Being ignored thoroughly irked Zephyr rcer.
But then he’d glance at the long wooden box in the rearview mirror, think of the transforming weapon inside, and feel utterly captivated all over again.
’And Paige Sumrs was the one who’d made it...’
He felt deeply conflicted.
The car drove on in this strange atmosphere until it arrived at the rcer estate.
As usual, Zephyr rcer parked the car right at the entrance to their family’s residential compound.
Paige Sumrs got out of the car and surveyed her surroundings.
Seeing the expanse of buildings all built in a similar style, she knew without a doubt that this was all rcer Family territory. ’There are no outsiders here. It’s so quiet, almost serene.’
’Compared to the outside, it’s like a completely different world.’
A sense of admiration welled up inside Paige Sumrs.
’Maintaining a family’s prosperity isn’t sothing one or two people can achieve. It requires the unified effort of the entire clan.’
’In these chaotic tis, with society in turmoil, the fact that the rcer Family could command such a domain ant they possessed true power, and not just brute force.’
’In her past life, if the Sumrs Family had possessed such unity, they might not have fallen into irreversible decline. That was a regret her grandfather could never overco.’
Paige Sumrs never hesitated to show her respect for the strong.
It was with this mindset that she followed Zephyr rcer into the residence of Zachary rcer, the Head of the rcer Family.
Zachary rcer was waiting for them in his study.
In front of him lay the ancient book, open to the page with the drawing of the transforming weapon.
After a knock on the door, he saw the person who followed his son inside. It was an exceptionally young-looking woman. Though he knew she was twenty years old, at first glance he had the distinct impression she wasn’t yet an adult.
However, that was rely her appearance.
Her expression was remarkably composed. Even upon eting him, she showed not a hint of panic, greeting him with a politeness that was neither fawning nor arrogant.
Zachary rcer nodded and gestured for her to sit.
He t her gaze. Although he could see a mix of complex emotions within them—curiosity, confusion, and more—he could also tell there was an honesty in her eyes.
Satisfied, Zachary rcer let out a small sigh of relief.
As a Noble House, the rcer Family placed great importance on its lineage. The thought that this young woman might be a long-lost descendant and heir had been a constant source of concern for him.
She clearly had imnse potential in Artifact Making. Bringing her back into the rcer Family would not only be a great boon to her personally, but it would also serve to revitalize the family’s tradition of Artifact Making.
However, if her character was flawed, it would be a major problem.
The rcer Family’s standing in Central City had been bought with the blood and cunning of its mbers, and even now, so of them held important positions within The Governnt and the military.
If she intended to exploit that position, it would inevitably cause trouble.
He absolutely did not want to see that happen!
He had, of course, investigated Paige Sumrs, but his findings were limited to surface-level information, which wasn’t enough to put him at ease. Therefore, after so deliberation, he had asked his son to bring her here to et in person.
Seeing his father staring at Paige Sumrs without a word, Zephyr rcer grew uneasy. He awkwardly presented the wooden box, interrupting Zachary rcer’s scrutiny. "Father, this is the weapon Paige made."
Zachary rcer glanced at his son, a hint of amusent in his eyes, then turned and carefully opened the wooden box.
He stared at it for a long mont before reaching in to lift out the greatsword.
To Paige Sumrs, he rely looked satisfied. But only he himself knew just how thrilled he was!
’Though there were so differences from the one in the ancient book, the overall design was remarkably similar.’
’This was a rcer weapon that his father, and even his grandfather, had never had the good fortune to see!’
’And now, he was finally seeing it with his own eyes!’
After examining it for a long ti, he followed his son’s instructions and transford the weapon into its boorang form.
Even with all his worldly experience, he couldn’t help but marvel. ’This design is truly a work of genius!’
After admiring it, he slowly placed the sword back in the box and said to Zephyr rcer, "You can leave us. I need to speak with Paige Sumrs alone."
Zephyr rcer froze.
He was clearly reluctant to leave, but seeing the firmness in his father’s tone, he could only shuffle his way out the door.
Zachary rcer nodded at Paige Sumrs. "Finn has been doted on since he was a child. He can be tactless at tis. I hope you’ll be patient with him."
His tone was amiable, so Paige Sumrs didn’t feel it was her place to argue. She simply smiled and said nothing.
’Whether or not I’m patient with him depends on the situation. If he tries to use the marriage contract to ddle in my private life again, I’ll be in no mood to back down.’
Just then, Zachary rcer brought up sothing completely unrelated.
"Can you tell who your master is?"
"Master?" Paige Sumrs asked reflexively, unsure why he was asking such a question.
"Yes. The master who taught you Artifact Making. What is his na?"
Paige Sumrs’s smile vanished. ’My master was my grandfather, of course, but I can’t possibly say that. More importantly, why is he asking this?’
"Could you first tell why you’re asking?"
Hearing this, Zachary rcer guessed there was a story there. After a mont’s thought, he simply pushed the ancient book across the table toward her, leaving it open to the sa page.
When Paige Sumrs saw the diagram that was a perfect match for her own design, her mind went blank for a second, but she quickly recovered.
"This book is..."
"It is an ancient book passed down from the rcer Family ancestors."
Paige Sumrs nodded, then asked seriously, "So, if I were to say that neither my master nor I have any connection to the rcer Family, would you then suspect of stealing your ancestors’ design?"
Zachary rcer was stunned.
’He honestly hadn’t considered that.’
’From the very beginning, he had subconsciously assud the design originated with the rcer Family.’
’If she and her master had no connection to the rcer Family, then they must have inadvertently obtained the lost portion of the rcer Family’s ancient texts to be able to create such a weapon.’
’But this young woman was clearly implying that she had developed it herself...’
’Was... that even possible?’
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