Free Web NovelChapter 13: Smithing House
Edgar looked up at the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ and moved the light at his will.
He decided to manually use the tower to attack the Grass-slugs instead of using auto-aim.
’I can practice using the Watch Tower, if I ever need to use it to protect myself.’
Edgar made a gun shape with his hand and pointed it at the closest Grass-slug.
The beam of light hit the creature, killing it instantly.
He didn’t stop and changed the direction of his attack, killing the Grass-slugs left and right.
As the bodies kept dropping, the white Nightmare Stones began to pile up.
’They really are the easiest Nightmares I have faced...’
Edgar thought without stopping his assault.
’These things are made for close-range combat and that’s their weakness.’
His gaze shifted towards the silhouette of the trap he had created from beams of light.
He could clearly see a lot of Nightmares entering the trap mindlessly.
’Perfect!’
Edgar drew in a deep breath and adjusted his mindset.
His killing didn’t stop while his eyes focused on those closest to the light.
Just then, Edgar noticed something different from a Nightmare Stone.
’Another Nightmare Material?’
His eyes lit up as he willed the ⟨Watch Tower⟩ to return to automatic attack.
Edgar picked up the stick from the side and dragged the item inside the light.
He picked it up and sat down close to the ’Unbroken Fire’.
The item was an old goat-skin parchment paper with a diagram drawn on it.
’A blueprint?’ Edgar thought.
Andrew glanced at him and back at the Eternal Night, lost in his own thoughts.
Oswald, who sat close to the fire as well, noticed the parchment too.
"Is that a Building Blueprint, young master?" He asked curiously.
Edgar nodded his head, looking through the drawing. "Yes, a Building Blueprint for... a Smithing House."
A flicker of surprise passed through the old eyes of Oswald.
"....That’s rare." He mumbled. "I heard it’s almost impossible to get one from low-level Nightmares."
"Well, I got one." Edgar rubbed his chin and glanced at his system.
Sure enough, there was another house in the crafting section: ⟨Smithing House⟩.
’Even though I don’t have much knowledge of smithing, I am sure I can at least make some crude first drafts.’
Edgar thought to himself as he examined the blueprint.
He tried to scratch out the previous blueprint but it was of no avail.
Unlike other Builders, he had the guidance of the system, he only needed to look at the blueprint once.
’I wonder, will the system register something that I make from my previous life in this parchment?’
Edgar fell into deep thought, ignoring everything else.
His system was a cheat that could build things from scratch with some dirt and Nightmare Stones.
So, what would happen if he made his own ’Building Blueprints’?
Would the system reject it or would it accept the blueprint and help him create things like a drainage system in a house, toilets, or even things like heating or cooling systems?
He looked at Oswald and asked eagerly. "Where can I find this parchment, uncle?"
"...They should be available in Soragon Bazaar, young master." He replied after thinking for a second. "But their supply is rather tightly monitored by other Builders."
"I see."
He didn’t ask why because he could guess the reason.
’It’s to make sure they know about the new Builders if there are any.’
Edgar rubbed his chin and decided to visit the bazaar once he had a sufficient budget.
He put aside the parchment and looked at the Nightmares that were getting piled up outside the fortress border.
"What type of Nightmares are they, uncle?" Edgar asked, glancing at Oswald. "They barely have any strength worth mentioning."
Oswald looked at the slug-like Nightmares and made a complicated expression.
"There are Nightmares out there that are newly formed or yet to be discovered." He said softly. "They might be one of those as I haven’t seen or heard about them before."
"How are Nightmares even formed?" Edgar asked curiously.
"My guess is as good as yours, young master." He replied with an apologetic smile.
"Um, actually, I know about them." Andrew suddenly spoke up, garnering their attention.
Edgar nodded. "Speak."
Andrew shifted in his seat and replied.
"Actually, these Nightmares are called Sargilugs."
"In our Bullan Clan from the south, these things are indicators of the Eternal Rain."
Saying so, Andrew frowned and mumbled. "But we still have almost a month before the rainy season."
’Eternal Rain...’
Edgar thought inwardly, that word left a bad taste in his mouth.
"There must be something that triggered them to spawn early." Oswald suggested grimly. "Perhaps it’s a sign of something devastating."
’Don’t raise red flags, old man...’
Edgar grumbled inwardly, standing up from his seat.
"Whatever it may be..." he said in a fleeting voice. "We have to be ready."
From the previous Edgar’s memories, he knew that the rainy season was the worst time for fortresses.
They were the times when monsters ran rampant and killed anything in their path.
’I have only a month to upgrade my fortress into something unbreakable.’
Edgar felt his heart stir up and he couldn’t help but smile.
’What a pain...’
---
The rest of the night was uneventful. Once most of the Grass-slug Nightmares died, no other Nightmare came for the later half of the night.
Edgar stretched his body and looked at the sky, where the dull grey-black fog was pushing back the Eternal Night.
In just a few minutes, all the eeriness washed away leaving behind silence.
"Andrew! Follow me!" freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"Yes, my Lord."
The young youth didn’t question him, he quickly walked with him holding a makeshift hand digger.
"Clear the woods around the traps." Edgar instructed him. "Take out all the bodies and Nightmare Stones from the pit."
"On it!"
With a grin, Andrew began to work without any problem.
Edgar looked at the dead bodies that were spread all around him.
His lips curled up. ’This harvest will be worth celebrating.’
Rolling his sleeves, he began collecting the scattered Nightmare Stones.
