Chapter 315: Artifact Nurturer

The people on the streets moved to the other side of the road, and the shopkeepers looked away as soon as he crossed their gaze.

Finn descended from Ryuga’s head and withdrew the dragon into his soul with a flick of his wrist. Madoc and Osmund dropped to the ground behind him. They noticed immediately that they didn’t need to use their spatial magic to stay anchored here. This island seemed to have a natural pulling force of its own, a localized gravity that felt stable and comfortable.

Finn began to walk down the main street, his hands in his pockets. He looked for someone who might be willing to talk, and his eyes landed on a buff-looking Arcanist woman who was tending a stall.

She was an artifact nurturer, and her stall was filled with various unclaimed weapons. There were longswords, greatswords, and battle-axes, all of them looking well-maintained.

Finn found it curious that she was selling these things openly. In a city like this, it was likely easier to just beat someone in a duel and take their weapon for free. That was probably why her stall was quiet while the rest of the market was bustling. Finn approached her, and the woman immediately looked hesitant. She was a Master rank Arcanist, but she still seemed wary of the young man who had just landed on a dragon.

“I’m looking for a place to stay,” Finn said, stopping in front of her stall. “How do you get a residence here, and what is the cost?”

The woman gave him a perfunctory answer, her voice low and guarded. She told him about the nearby inn and the currency the city used, which was a mix of the coins used in the outside world, and barter trade. Besides that, she didn’t offer any more information than what he had asked for.

It was then that Finn realized he was making a mistake. In his years of living as the Errant, and with the recovery of his Errant powers and memories, he had forgotten how to interact with normal people. He had been approaching everyone with a blatant, high-level authority that was naturally off-putting to those below his station. He had been asking for what he wanted without any regard for the social dance.

He released a soft sigh and took a moment to reorient himself. He made a conscious effort to pull back his aura and soften his expression. The shift was drastic. Even Madoc and Osmund felt the change. Suddenly, Finn seemed much more approachable, his presence becoming that of a normal, talented young man rather than an ancient anomaly.

He turned his attention back to the woman’s stall. “You have some impressive work here,” he said, his voice now friendly and casual. “Did you nurture all of these yourself?”

The woman stared at him for a long moment, noticing the sudden shift in his demeanor. She seemed to relax slightly, her curiosity finally winning out over her wariness. “I did. It took years to bring some of these to their current state. Removing my attunement to them so they can be sold without a previous bond is a difficult task, but it’s the only way to set up a living here if you don’t want to spend your time in the arenas.”

She began to point out a few of her pieces, including a gleaming, well-decorated longsword with exquisite craftsmanship. “This one here is my most popular. I used high-grade iron and infused it with flame mana over three years. It is perfect for an Adept looking to break into the Master ranks.”

Finn followed her gaze, but then he pointed to a different weapon. It was a plain-looking sword tucked away in a corner behind the more glamorous ones. It had no decorations, no glowing etchings, and the hilt was made of simple, worn leather.

The woman went silent when she saw what he was pointing at. She stared at the sword for a few seconds before catching herself. “Why do you want that one? It’s not exactly a showpiece.”

Finn chuckled. “It’s because it’s the most powerful artifact in your entire store. Why would I want anything else?”

The stilled immediately, standing with her back to Finn for several seconds. Then she simply reached and lifted the sword from its hang without a word.

She brought it forward and blew a layer of dust off the scabbard. The air around the stall seemed to turn solemn as she raised it in front of Finn, a conflicted, torn expression on her face as she looked at the blade.

“I never thought it would be in a rundown shack in a place like this that I would have to part with my best work,” she said quietly. “Most people just see the plain metal. They don’t see the depth of the soul I poured into it.”

“That is how fate works,” Finn said. “You should be happy it has finally found an owner who can see it for what it truly is.”

The woman looked at him and snorted, her ego as a Master rank artifact nurturer returning. “I won’t deny that you have a good eye, boy. You might be worthy of carrying it, but being worthy doesn’t mean you are compatible. You are an Ossuarist. I can feel the lack of mana in your soul from here.”

She held the sword closer to her chest. “This is a real tool, nurtured over decades to be an extension of an Arcanist’s will. There is no way I am going to give my best work to someone who can’t even use mana. You would just be keeping it as a trophy or a showpiece. It would never be used as the weapon it was intended to be.”

Finn smiled lightly. “I understand your concern. It is a valid point. But I can assure you that I am not looking for a trophy. I intend to use this sword, and I intend to use it well.”

The woman laughed boisterously. The sound was full of a genuine amusement. “An Ossuarist using an Arcanist tool well? That is the most absurd thing I have heard today. You couldn’t even trigger the basic mana enchantments if your life depended on it.”

As she was laughing, a soft yet firm voice spoke from behind them. “In that case, how would you like to give the sword to someone who is both worthy and compatible at the same time?”

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