Chen Yu sat on his comfortable oak throne, his little potbelly sticking out. A Poisonous Sting Bee diligently served him a cup of specially prepared honey water.
He leisurely slurped the drink through a straw while contacting Anvil in the distant Obsidian mines via the Gel network.
It felt a lot like the good old days, sitting on the couch, sipping a soda, and scrolling through his phone.
His life was improving day by day, giving him more and more to look forward to.
Soon, Anvil’s excited voice came through the network. "Your Majesty! Are you calling because you heard about the major breakthrough in my research?"
"Breakthrough? What breakthrough?" Chen Yu was confused.
"Oh, so you didn’t know..." Anvil muttered on the other end, but his voice immediately bubbled with excitement. "Hahaha! It’s all thanks to that kid, Erin! She was able to recognize the damaged enchantment runes on the Alchemy Cannon and even use that peculiar magic of hers to mend the broken lines."
"Now that we’ve figured out how to analyze these troublesome enchantment runes, repairing this big boy is just a matter of time."
Chen Yu’s interest was piqued. "About how long will it take to finish the repairs?"
"Well..."
Anvil’s voice hesitated for a moment. "A little over two months, I’d say. After all, many components need to be re-forged, and enchanting is particularly delicate work..."
He seemed to worry Chen Yu would think that was too slow, so he quickly added, "Ahem, Your Majesty, to be honest, we’re still a bit short-handed in the smelting district, especially when it comes to artisans skilled in enchanting and forging... You see, I was wondering when you might be able to go... *capture* some more Dwarf Artisans for us."
Hearing this, Chen Yu adopted a serious tone. "The Slime Kingdom has the utmost respect for talented individuals. We don’t ’capture’ people. We should, of course, treat them with courtesy and invite them to come here to exchange knowledge and provide guidance."
"As it happens, we have quite a few captives here. I’ll have Xiaohua screen them carefully to see if there are any artisans who fit the bill, and then we’ll hire them."
Anvil’s voice immediately came back, full of delight. "That’s wonderful! We’ll be able to speed things up considerably that way."
Chen Yu nodded. He suddenly recalled something Anvil had just mentioned, and an idea flashed through his mind.
"Anvil, you just said that little Erin can mend broken enchantment runes?"
"That’s right. The kid’s a genius when it comes to this stuff," Anvil said, his voice filled with pride.
"In that case, could you also repair the shattered Crown of Ignis?"
He told Anvil that the Crown had been shattered into several pieces.
After listening, Anvil replied sheepishly, "Your Majesty, I think you might be overestimating us."
"That’s a legendary Crown, said to be forged from the core of the sun. The techniques involved are on a completely different level from our forging and enchanting. I’m afraid repairing a divine artifact like that is impossible."
"I see." The answer was what Chen Yu had expected, so he wasn’t too disappointed.
"However..."
On the other end of the line, Anvil’s tone suddenly grew solemn. "Your Majesty, when the time comes... could you leave the smallest fragment of the Crown for me?"
He seemed to fear Chen Yu would misunderstand, and quickly explained, "I, Anvil Copper Fire, hereby swear in the name of my ancestors and the forge-fire that I do not covet the divine artifact’s power. I only wish to study its forging techniques in depth."
"I swear that I will devote my entire life’s knowledge to presenting you with a founding gift for our Kingdom, a piece into which I will pour my very heart and soul."
It was the first time Chen Yu had ever heard Anvil speak so earnestly. He could feel the sincerity and longing in the Dwarf master-artisan’s voice.
’It’s just a single fragment,’ Chen Yu thought. ’If it can truly inspire Anvil to create something incredible, it’ll be well worth it.’
After a moment of thought, Chen Yu readily agreed. "Alright. When the Crown fragments arrive, I’ll set a piece aside for you to study."
"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty! I won’t let you down." Anvil’s voice was filled with excitement and gratitude.