"How can it not be a greatsword?"
Yunli pouted, her displeasure written all over her face.
The sword was definitely wider than a typical light blade—but compared to the heavy greatswords of the Xianzhou, it still looked far too thin.
She glanced between the weapon and Old Mettle's sturdy form, and finally came to a conclusion.
This was… probably just a light sword, right?
What a shame for a purple-tier Curio. She might even wake up in the middle of the night yelling from regret.
Just as she was silently grumbling to herself, Sylvester's voice drifted into her ears.
"Miss Yunli, I told you—you have extraordinary luck. You were bound to draw a powerful Curio. This one, even among purple-tier items, is among the very best."
"Hm?" Yunli's gloomy little face instantly lifted.
A top-tier purple Curio?
If it was that strong, she could maybe accept it after all.
She sheathed the sword, sat properly in front of the counter, and waited patiently for Sylvester's explanation.
Sylvester smiled. "You might already know—though purple-tier Curios are quite rare, very few of them involve conceptual power. For instance, Fu Xuan once obtained [Zafkiel's Sixth Bullet – Vav], and Feixiao had [Star Destroyer]. Both were immensely powerful artifacts, yet they fell short of the level of conceptual power.
"Take Yanqing's [Massacre Ruler]—even a faint trace of conceptual power makes it far surpass the best work of the Artisanship Commission."
Being a native of Xianzhou Zhuming, the leading ship of the Artisanship Commission, Yunli wanted to argue back—but she couldn't deny that he was right.
Her Old Mettle was already a top-grade sword, yet it never dared to face Massacre Ruler head-on. To protect her, it had even flung her out of battle before.
She had to admit—conceptual power didn't merely enhance a weapon. It transcended it.
There was no comparison between the two.
Still, that didn't dampen her spirits—because Sylvester's words were clear enough.
This sword, too, contained conceptual power.
Realizing that, her earlier frustration vanished completely.
A true swordswoman never complains about her weapon. Only someone like Yanqing would obsess over sword types. Otherwise, why else would he insist on using a greatsword just to duel her?
I wonder if that guy ever wakes up at night screaming after getting Massacre Ruler…
The thought made her grin—and grow impatient.
She clutched her sword tightly, trying to communicate with it, but received no response at all.
Is it because of its conceptual nature? That shouldn't be right. Massacre Ruler can respond, so why can't this one? They're both conceptual weapons…
Just as Yunli grew puzzled, Sylvester spoke again.
"Avalon's original world wasn't as advanced as the Xianzhou. But after undergoing special cosmic adaptation, it attained a faint trace of conceptual power."
"Avalon," he continued, "can also be called the Distant Ideal Land. Based on that concept, it grants its wielder instantaneous recovery from injury and full restoration of stamina. It also bestows true immortality."
He emphasized each word. "True immortality—free from Mara, free from any side effects."
"No Mara…" Yunli's mouth fell open, her eyes widening in disbelief.
She couldn't help her shock. To the people of the Xianzhou, the curse of Mara was a truth engraved into their very bones.
With age came corruption—some grew branches from their bodies, others lost their sanity to malicious whispers.
Here, immortality always carried a price.
Even Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance, could not grant true eternal life.
But Avalon… could? And it even restored vitality?
Sylvester took a slow sip of tea. "Don't be too surprised—that's only one of its abilities."
"One of them?!"
Yunli's head darted between the sword in her hands and Sylvester's calm face, pure disbelief flooding her eyes.
Just this alone—granting true immortality—was already absurd enough! Wasn't this better than the Aeon of Abundance itself?!
Sylvester swallowed his tea and continued.
"The other ability is absolute defense. When its True Name is released, it can generate an untouchable barrier—absolute protection. Unless one uses a stronger conceptual force, all ordinary attacks are nullified. That is its true conceptual essence."
He set down his cup and looked directly into Yunli's eyes.
"It embodies the very idea of the 'Ideal Land'—an unwavering vow to protect its wielder completely. In its original world, it was wielded by the purest-hearted king."
"Absolute protection… Ideal Land…" Yunli repeated softly, her mind drifting as understanding began to dawn.
A gentle smile blossomed on her face as she ran her hand along the scabbard.
So, this was a sword that existed to keep others safe.
With a companion like that by her side, there was nothing left to complain about.
"This is amazing! I didn't think this sword would be that powerful!" Yunli's eyes sparkled as she caressed it—utterly in love already.
"Sword?" Sylvester tilted his head. "Who said anything about the sword? The scabbard is Avalon's true form."
"...Huh?"
Yunli blinked, freezing in place as if her brain had short-circuited.
It took a long moment before she recovered.
"Ahaha… wait, isn't Excalibur, the Sword of Promised Victory, just another name for Avalon?" she asked weakly.
"Of course not! No sword's ability would focus entirely on defense," Sylvester replied. "The Sword of Promised Victory isn't weak either—it converts the wielder's Path energy into pure light, then releases it downward in a beam that destroys all before it."
He pinched his fingers together slightly. "But as the saying goes—'compare one thing to another, and you'll see which gets thrown away.' Compared to Avalon, that sword is merely its handle. They're close… but worlds apart."
He sighed. "There is one flaw, though. During its adaptation to the cosmos, something went wrong—it lost its physical form and became entirely conceptual. Because of that, it can never produce a sword spirit."
"So that's why…"
Yunli finally understood why she couldn't connect with it.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't even a sword anymore—just a manifestation of pure concept.
Her expression dimmed, not because she had lost a weapon, but because a sword made to protect others couldn't even protect itself.
But Sylvester's next words rekindled her spirit.
"However, because of that same conceptual nature, this Curio can attach itself to any sword-type weapon. When fused with a sword spirit, it allows the host weapon to fully inherit its power."
Yunli's ears twitched.
In a flash, she brought her dearest partner—Old Mettle—before her.
Her heart trembled with excitement.