Zachary rcer was surprised by Paige Sumrs’s explanation, but as the head of the family, he was a pragmatist. After a mont of calculation, he realized that wasn’t the real issue. Whether the idea had been inspired by the rcer Family or not, the fact remained that *she* was the one who could create such a weapon. That proved she had an incredible talent for Artifact Making.
That alone was reason enough not to push her away.
He sidestepped the thorny question. "After seeing the diagrams in this book, you’ve probably guessed that the rcer Family was once masters of Artifact Making," he said instead. "Unfortunately, due to changing circumstances, we weren’t able to continue that developnt. But even so, there are still mbers of the rcer Family who are passionate about the craft... Would you like to see for yourself?"
Now it was Paige Sumrs’s turn to be stunned.
To be honest, she had been holding back her anger.
She couldn’t stand being doubted in the one field where she excelled.
She had even been ready to argue the point with the rcer Family Head.
But unexpectedly, he had changed the subject in the blink of an eye and even opened the door for her—literally. A Noble House’s workshop wasn’t sothing you could tour just because you wanted to. Most people guarded their secrets jealously, afraid outsiders would learn even the smallest detail.
’What’s going on?’
’Is this his way of admitting the weapon is my own creation?’
She couldn’t quite figure him out.
But she had to admit, the offer to tour a workshop hit her right where she lived. The thought of refusing didn’t even cross her mind; she was instantly filled with excitent.
Fortunately, she rembered to feign so politeness.
"If it’s not too much trouble..."
Zachary rcer smiled faintly. "Of course."
He rose and led the way out, and an excited Paige Sumrs followed close behind.
Zephyr rcer, who had been waiting anxiously outside, finally relaxed when he saw the two of them erge with pleasant expressions. After learning from his father that they were headed to The rcer Workshop, he unhesitatingly fell into step beside Paige Sumrs.
Unfortunately, Paige Sumrs still had no desire to speak with him.
Zephyr rcer was deeply frustrated.
’He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with himself. The engagent was a fact, and he hadn’t said anything untrue. So what if his attitude had been a little harsh? She had caused him to lose a huge amount of face. He was willing to let it go, so why was she still giving him the cold shoulder?’
’With any other woman, even if he didn’t get a chance to save face, he would simply ignore her from now on.’
’But with her, that just didn’t work.’
’When he didn’t see her, he wanted to. When he did, he couldn’t stop his eyes from locking onto her. Even when she was talking alone with his father, he’d been on edge, worried his father wouldn’t like her, worried her temper would infuriate his father, worried they would end up arguing about sothing he didn’t know...’
’And yet, she knew none of this. No, perhaps she just didn’t care...’ Zephyr rcer lowered his gaze, a wave of dejection washing over him.
It had to be said, he wasn’t wrong.
Paige Sumrs really hadn’t spared him a single thought. To her, he was just so irrelevant person. The only thing here that could stir her heart was The rcer Workshop!
The rcer Family’s workshop wasn’t particularly large, only slightly more spacious than the Family Head’s residence.
It had no open courtyard and looked like a large warehouse from the outside. Once inside, however, you could see it was divided into nurous separate rooms.
But every space was cramd full, even the main hall just inside the entrance.
Piles of scrap tal, leather, and wood—offcuts and discarded materials—were everywhere. Yet even this was enough to make Paige Sumrs freeze in her tracks.
There was only one reason: the sheer variety was staggering.
There were so many materials she had only dread of, materials she had never seen during the apocalypse. And these precious resources, so of which still bore traces of their original, perfect forms, were now just defective pieces or shattered fragnts!
Paige Sumrs stared at the "mountain" of materials with a look of longing and sorrow. It felt like a thousand ants crawling over her heart. She desperately wanted to scream, ’Can you please stop wasting all this good stuff?!’
...
’Okay, I still have my sanity,’ she thought. ’I can’t actually do that.’
All she could do was sigh to herself.
Zachary rcer didn’t miss her look of profound regret, and his own expression dimd slightly.
Only Zephyr rcer was baffled. Seeing her hesitation, he couldn’t help but say, "This is all just scrap. It’s useless. The finished products are inside."
Paige Sumrs glanced at him, then gave a slight nod after a long mont.
While the three were lost in their own thoughts, a middle-aged man erged from within. He bore so resemblance to Zachary rcer, but he was taller and had a more rugged look. However, the cheerful smile on his face was instantly likable.
He waved before he even got close. "Big Brother! Finn! What brings you two here today? Huh? And who’s this little friend hiding behind you?"
The corner of Paige Sumrs’s mouth twitched.
A hint of a smile flashed in Zachary rcer’s eyes. "Abe," he said smoothly, "co, let introduce you to soone. This is Paige Sumrs. She’s very interested in Artifact Making and is quite accomplished herself, so I brought her for a look around."
The mont Paige Sumrs realized this man was likely the mastermind who had "ruined" all those perfectly good materials into the pile of trash beside them, she had to force herself to hold back a condemnatory glare and offer a polite greeting.
Blake Morrison, however, didn’t overthink it. As soon as he heard she was interested in Artifact Making and had been brought by his elder brother personally, he greeted her with great enthusiasm and offered to give her the tour himself.
Zachary rcer had no objection and thoughtfully let them go on their own. In fact, this was precisely his goal.
As kindred spirits in the craft, they would obviously have more to talk about.
So things lose their grace when forced. A subtle arrangent like this was far more likely to win genuine cooperation.
For an Ancient Martial Clan, weapons were a critical component. Any improvent in Artifact Making would benefit the entire family, so naturally, he took the matter very seriously.
Paige Sumrs was clearly pleased with this arrangent.
Even with his friendly deanor, the presence of the rcer Family Head was intimidating. She was visibly more relaxed being able to get away from him and be with another Artifact Maker.
As for Zephyr rcer, who had tagged along again... she’d just have to ignore him.
Blake Morrison first led Paige Sumrs to the finishing room. It was a veritable feast for the eyes. Weapons hung on the walls, lay on tables, and filled two long display cabinets. Finished armants were everywhere.
This, he explained, was where the younger mbers of the rcer Family chose their weapons.
Paige Sumrs thought that it would take a discerning eye to choose a weapon from such a vast collection. After all, the quality was far from uniform.
They didn’t linger there for long. In truth, Paige Sumrs was more interested in seeing the workshop itself.
Blake Morrison was happy to oblige and imdiately led her there.
He might have a rough exterior, but that didn’t an he was unperceptive. On the contrary, when it ca to weapons, he was remarkably sharp. Back in the finishing room, Paige Sumrs’s reaction to every piece she examined had told him one thing: she was an absolute expert.
And because of that, he felt a private pang of disappointnt—and a touch of resentnt—that he hadn’t been able to show her a weapon that truly impressed her.
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