The Runesmith Chapter 467: Justifying The Means

I would like to officially inform all my readers that I have started writing a new story called Heavy tal [ A Monster Evolution LitRPG ]

"Are you sure about this? Have you tested it properly?"

Rastix nodded vigorously at the question, almost dropping his prized new creation. Roland raised an eyebrow at the concoction as he was unable to confirm the short man's claim. The gno looked unusually enthusiastic, a lot different to his usual deanor since most of his previous experints had failed.

"Yes, yes! Well, as much as I could before the explosion. But the preliminary tests were very promising. Here, let show you, just let use so of your equipnt.”

Roland wasn't sure about this but was curious about the new creation, so he nodded. The scene of the experint was clearing up, and the extent of the damage was about the sa as always. A hole had been blown through one of the walls, and several alchemical tools were strewn about the charred remains of a workbench. Fortunately, the area was walled off so that even if an explosion occurred, it would be contained.

To enter this area, one needed to go through a specific gate that required proper credentials. It was there to keep all the kids that lived nearby from getting injured. He had already installed a ventilation system to take in the fus as sotis, they were quite toxic. One of the authorized individuals, Bernir, had also arrived at the scene. He brought his runic prosthesis and was in the process of examining the damaged items.

"Leave it for now. Let it air out before you start any repairs."

"Aye, boss, that might be better..."

It seed that his assistant had also grown accustod to these occurrences and was just shaking his head in resignation. The potions he made weren’t selling too well either, as his shop couldn’t offer a better product than what was readily available in the city. At the mont, they were thinking of pushing potions in bundles with runic weaponry to entice their clients, which was a sowhat successful tactic.

"Alright, Rastix, let's head back to the workshop and see what you've got."

“Let’s just use mine, it’s closer.”

Bernir chid in, and the three nodded. Soon they were walking, and just as they expected, a few rascals were waiting by the automatic gate to peek at the explosion. The mont they saw the three craftsn, they giggled and took off running. Roland didn’t react much, but it seed that the kids had started to like him. Previously, many of them were afraid of his gaze, but once he removed the hood and helt, they saw that he was just a man.

Roland led the group to Bernir's workshop, a spacious area that was once an old shed. Once there, he started reminiscing about the good old days when everything was quite peaceful. Back then, it was just him and his assistant, hamring away at pieces of tal. It was a tranquil ti, and they spent their days expanding toward a future that had now beco reality. Nowadays things were a lot more nosey, with many people running about making all sorts of noise.

“Hey…”

To Bernir’s shock, Rastix started clearing his workbench which was covered in so tools. They all started hitting the ground with a clang, causing Bernir to wince as his carefully arranged tools clattered to the floor.

"Careful with those! So of those are custom-made!"

Bernir protested, but Rastix was too excited to heed his warnings.

"My apologies, friend! But there is no stopping brilliance, I promise, this is going to be worth it!

Rastix exclaid, his eyes gleaming with excitent as he placed the flask in the center of the now-cleared workbench. After setting it down like so kind of costly artifact, he started to look around. From the tools available, he picked out so scrap tal along with so leather scraps, which seed to be there to emulate skin or flesh. Using actual flesh for this demonstration would have been better, but no pig legs were nearby.

Soon he applied a thin layer of the adhesive to both surfaces and then carefully pressed them together. Almost imdiately, the adhesive started reacting with the two materials, forming a bond. Roland used his enhanced eyes to look closer and saw that the reagent was causing both sides to fuse with each other before hardening.

As the adhesive cured, the bond between the tal and the leather seemingly grew stronger by the second. However, even though it looked promising from his standpoint so more tests needed to be taken before they could move on to real testing. Rastix was also aware of this so he grabbed a hamr and a small chisel to showcase the strength of the bond.

After placing the chisel in the middle of the two materials, he started hitting it in an attempt to separate them. To Roland’s and Bernir’s surprise, instead of the two sides separating, the tool started embedding itself in the leather. Even after the whole chisel pierced through the middle, and after leverage was used, the two sides didn’t want to co apart. Roland, who had the most strength, took it into his hand and attempted to separate the two parts, eventually ripping them apart.

“These bonds are deep…”

Once the two sides were separated he could see just how far this alchemical adhesive had gone in. There was a thick bonding layer which was not actually glue but so type of new layer of material ford from the reaction between the tal and leather. It seed to have sohow lted both sides and combined them together to form so kind of leather-tal mix.

"Remarkable…"

Roland muttered while intending to examine this new bond closely. While this was more than he expected in this short amount of ti, he couldn’t just use this on Bernir without performing multiple tests. What if after a few days or weeks, the bonds ceased to exist? Wouldn’t parts of his flesh turn into a strange mix of tal that would need to be removed if it failed? Then it could also be rejected by his body and beco infected. At this mont, he still had a working elbow with most of his forearm missing, and losing even more due to insufficient data was not sothing he could allow.

"It does seem that you’re onto sothing here but, we need to perform so tests.”

“Yes, of course! More tests, that of course ans… more funding!”

The gno bead with pride, his chest puffing out as he watched Roland examine his creation. A sigh escaped his mouth at the ntion of more funding but if this concoction worked well, then the runic prosthesis would be more complete. A fucion between tal and flesh was normally not possible and no one had really tried to perfect it. This was uncharted territory that probably required a more drastic approach.

‘Should I get a few pig carcasses for him to experint on, or…’

Roland didn’t want to waste too much ti on testing the bonding concoction. From what he knew, people worked on animals before moving on to clinical trials. Bernir was the only real patient here, and even if it worked on dead animals or living ones, it was still not the best option. However, in this world, there existed monsters, so of which were quite close to humans in their physiology. There was no reason to work on animals or humans when there were other options available.

"Alright, Rastix, we'll need to conduct a series of tests to ensure the durability and safety of this adhesive. Once we're satisfied with the results, we can move forward with integrating it into Bernir's prosthesis. Give so ti, I’ll have sothing prepared.”

Bernir nodded in agreent, and he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitent at the prospect of having a more responsive arm. Throughout the week he had tried getting used to the harness but it was quite not the sa as having a real arm.

“Can I help with sothing, Boss?”

Bernir asked as he spotted Roland deep in thought.

“I’m not sure you’d want to see this…”

“Why wouldn’t I? This is about my arm, and shouldn’t I know the whole process behind it?”

“I guess you’re right about that… but you don’t have to force yourself.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Roland was contemplating sothing unsavory, sothing that so people from the modern world might consider inhumane. He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but to help his friend out, he was willing to resort to drastic asures. The loss of Bernir’s arm occurred while protecting him, and Roland wouldn’t rest until he made it right.

“Alright, Bernir. If you’re sure you want to see this, then I won’t hold you back. But I must warn you, it might be a bit… unconventional.”

“Hah, don’t worry Boss, I’ll be fine.”

Bernir reassured Roland with a laugh, and soon the three craftsn prepared a new plan. Rastix would give them half of his new product and return to his laboratory. There, he would reexamine it and see if he could improve upon it. He was also tasked with preparing a counter potion that could restore the changed flesh to its forr state in case sothing went wrong. anwhile, the other two would head to the city and then Arthur’s estate, but before that, Roland needed to make a call.

“We haven’t done this in a while, huh Boss?”

“That’s true.”

“You really do fit the role, should I carry your cape for you, Sir Knight Commander?”

“Cut it out.”

“Hehe.”

Roland rolled his eyes at Bernir’s comnts as he had to get changed into his armor. It was a more ceremonial piece with less functionality than his mithril armor but it still had so good spells on it. The cape that was attached to it shifted around to create a robe that covered his whole body. While he intended to head to Arthur eventually, first the two would need to visit a less savory establishnt. Roland didn’t want to go there but knew that it was better if he personally handled this to hasten the process.

Elodia was there to wave both of them goodbye and the two delved towards the city while Roland attempted to hide his true identity. This was quite hard considering that he was a well-known Knight Commander and so of the soldiers just recognized the way he carried himself. Nevertheless, after having a few people point their fingers he along with Bernir ended up in the city pleasure district.

“Boss… why are we here, if Mrs finds out, I’ll be in a heap of trouble…”

“We’re not here for that, just keep on walking and try not to stare.”

Bernir seed to have trouble keeping his gaze away from so of the working ladies. Even though it was the middle of the day, many establishnts were trying to entice new custors. It was working, as his assistant was easily drawn by the gazes of half-dressed won and the allure of cheap alcohol. On several occasions, Roland had to pull him back as he was about to walk into an establishnt that Armand frequented. Luckily, his idiot brother-in-law wasn’t around to ruin everything this ti, and the two disappeared through a series of narrow alleyways.

They ended up at a nondescript building at the end of a side alley. The sign above the door was faded, but Roland knew it was one of the Thieves' Guild-run places he had called earlier. He was here to seal the deal for a few unconventional goods needed for the next trial on the artificial limb. He knocked on the door in a specific pattern, and after a mont, a small hatch slid open. A pair of sharp eyes peered out at them.

"Who seeks entrance?"

"An old weary friend in need of a favor."

The eyes scrutinized them for a mont longer before the hatch slid shut. There was the sound of heavy bolts being drawn back, and the door creaked open. A tall, lean man with a scar across his cheek stood in the doorway, eyeing Roland and Bernir suspiciously.

“Co in, good friend.”

The man grinned widely at Roland, who had just pronounced the thief's password for this specific location. The man seed rather docile, thanks to the type of password Roland had offered - one reserved for VIP mbers, which he was. Once inside, Bernir started fidgeting, as he was not used to seedy places filled with intense-looking individuals.

“Just ignore them and follow after .”

“...Ah, s-sure boss.”

“We won’t be staying long, don’t worry and whatever you do, try not to stare for too long.”

“...What will happen if I stare for too long?”

“Not much, you just might get stabbed…”

“What?”

Bernir started sweating and moved closer to Roland as they ventured further into the strange building. They went through another secret entrance that led them to a winding corridor. While people like Bernir were aware of the existence of the Thieves' Guild, most never had the pleasure of wandering through their underground tunnels. This particular tunnel led to a loud place where Roland would retrieve sothing important.

“Yeah, get him!”

“Nooo… what are you doing? I’m going to kill you if you lose!”

“Haha, I’m going to be rich!”

Roland tried to ignore the shouts of the people, but they were quite loud. This place looked like so kind of underground arena. People were holding up strange pieces of paper used for betting. In the center was a small ring about fifteen ters wide. Inside it, a lone man was fighting against a green monster commonly known as an orc.

This place was an illegal fighting ring where betting was allowed, and Roland, as the Knight Commander, was well aware of it. After the last incident with the cri lords from the city, a few agreents with the Thieves' Guild were made. He, along with Arthur, made the decision to allow certain establishnts that operated in a gray zone. They were required to pay a fee to continue existing, and as long as they didn’t engage in activities like killing, slavery, or selling people's organs, it was deed acceptable. This compromise was seen as one of the lesser evils for the city.

Arthur realized that he couldn’t keep expending resources battling the Thieves' Guild and all the criminals. Thus, they decided to work together to a certain degree. As long as they didn’t cross certain lines, Arthur and the knights wouldn’t intervene, but this didn’t an they wouldn’t step in if the Thieves' Guild made things too obvious. If soone was getting robbed or reported sothing, they would follow through to clear up the issue. However, if people wanted to waste their money on betting and the pleasure district, then no one would stop them.

This might have seed quite hypocritical considering his recent clash in the Theodore Valerian-run city. However, they ensured that certain thresholds were not crossed, and the thieves' guild master was on board with everything. She had promised to keep her guild orderly and would not go out of her way to protect any killers that might wander in from outside. It was sowhat of a necessarily evil and it was better to keep them in check, then risk another guild forming with a guild master that wasn’t willing to cooperate.

“If it isn’t the honored guest, please co!”

A man greeted them, appearing a bit out of place with his large belly and fancy attire. He seed to be the owner of the establishnt Roland sought goods from. Alongside Bernir, Roland followed him into a dimly lit room, presumably his office. Two intimidating guards stood behind, though their prowess paled in comparison to Roland's which they were certainly aware of. The man showed a lot of decorum and his body language was quite submissive.

"What brings you to our humble abode, esteed guest?"

"I wish to procure a few monsters from your collection. Do you happen to have any goblins or hobgoblins available?"

The man's eyes lit up with interest, and he leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin in contemplation.

"Goblins, you say? Interesting choice. We do have a few in stock, though they're not the easiest creatures to co by. How many are you looking to purchase?"

"I’ll take two each to be on the safer side.”

The man nodded thoughtfully and swiftly agreed to the deal. Roland sensed he might be under pressure from the thieves' guild leader he had contacted earlier. With the goblins and hobgoblins now in their possession, the tests could continue further. It took Bernir a mont to realize the purpose of the goblins, but he remained steadfast in seeing the plan through to its conclusion.

“Good, there will be a few n waiting outside to guide you, follow their instructions while transporting the monsters, do I make myself clear?”

“Of course good sir!”

The man smiled content with their agreent, and bid them farewell with a wave. Roland's status exempted them from paynt, and soon he was escorted out of the fighting establishnt. The monsters would be packed up and transported to the hidden skill training facility at Arthur’s estate since, for the ti being, Roland lacked a similar place to house them. Once they were delivered and secured, they could proceed with the final adjustnts on the runic prosthesis.