A strong sense of crisis almost made Gale lose his footing, and although he has recovered now, he still made a risky move.
Years of biding his time also led to slow development of his forces. Now, Gale decided to do something out of the ordinary. Having Kana monitor Sin'dorei was just one part; what he planned to do next was the main focus.
All his attendant Mages had become Archmages, and in terms of strength, they were no weaker than those Archmages who had advanced hundreds of years ago. However, most of them were equipped with epic-grade gear, and even though the equipment he crafted was superior in performance, its power was still not as strong as artifacts.
Therefore, Gale decided to upgrade these pieces of equipment.
He personally went to Gale's Tower and entered the underground warehouse. Over the past few decades, the underground warehouse had accumulated a large number of metal ingots; the original two warehouses were long since full, and Sethonis had dug out more than a dozen additional warehouses below.
"What are you going to do with so many metal ingots?" Sethonis asked, puzzled.
Gale: "Sethonis, our time is running out."
"What time is running out?" Sethonis was even more confused; in his opinion, Gale had become a bit abnormal.
"A premonition tells me that danger is approaching!" Gale couldn't mention the Burning Legion, so he could only fabricate an excuse.
Sethonis frowned. All living beings have premonitions, and a spellcaster's premonition is often very accurate. Arcane is on the mystical side, and if Mages' premonitions come true, they are often unbelievable things.
Gale: "I've decided to upgrade your equipment. Epic-grade equipment is not enough to deal with this crisis."
"Alright!" Sethonis said, "No matter what you've had a premonition about, I'll support you. But I must warn you, these metals were obtained illegally, so you'd best find a more secluded place."
Gale nodded, "I have a very good place."
"I'll help you!"
Sethonis directly proved his words with action. He and Gale continuously cast spells on the metal ingots, making them float and guiding them through a portal. Gale needed orichalcum ingots and thorium ingots; these two types of metal ingots are key for crafting artifacts. A considerable amount of kryptonite ingots and obsidian were also transported, as Gale planned to try crafting some special artifacts. Some nether iron was also brought along, just in case.
At the other end of Morning Light Tower, Nalarex and others were already waiting. They quickly loaded the metal ingots onto carts, and after Gale returned, they immediately set off for Shalani'er.
Gale temporarily couldn't find a more secluded place than Shalani'er. The barrier supported by Shaladrassil could conceal magic fluctuations, and the radiance of artifacts could also be hidden.
When crafting Reaver's Scythe before, the magic forge Gale created was still in Shalani'er. Now, going there, he could immediately implement his plan.
On the way, Gale calculated the epic-grade equipment he had crafted, totaling 25 types. Among them, there were four types of artifacts: azshara's crown, Nash's Fang, devourer of gods, and Reaver's Scythe. Spellbooks and cloth armor could not be upgraded: Elemental Spell Codex, Meijia's Soulstealer, witch's cloak, and Twilight Robe.
Of the remaining 17 weapons, Sanction Blade, Golden Holy Sword, and Wind Power were batch products and not suitable for upgrading. armor of eternal winter and Ice Imprint Grip could not be upgraded due to insufficient iron content. After excluding Asunite Eye Stone and Yue Nu's Moonlit Curse Blade, only 10 types remained for upgrading.
Gale roughly calculated that some needed additional materials, such as navoli's swift blades; some needed to be reshaped, such as Ice Breath; and some needed their potential activated, such as the eternal holy grail.
The eternal holy grail could absolutely become an artifact, after all, Well of Eternity water possesses the characteristics of an artifact. The reason it was epic-grade was simply because the Well of Eternity water was transported there. If it could produce Well of Eternity water itself, then it would undoubtedly be an artifact.
How to modify it, Gale still had no clue. However, it was certain that it must be modified using the hammer of khaz'goroth.
Equipment like Ice Breath, which carried Loa God power, was relatively easier to upgrade. Gale was confident now that, using the hammer of khaz'goroth, he could permanently fix the loa power into the equipment, so that after the power was consumed, it could automatically replenish, and its power would not be affected by the consumption of divine power.
As for items like navoli's swift blades, Gale needed to redesign the plan, adding orichalcum and enchanted thorium ingots. This upgrade method was the least stable and very easy to damage the original structure of the equipment. After the upgrade was complete, they would be as easily damaged as artifacts made from enchanted thorium ingots.
Originally, Gale didn't want to do this, as it didn't align with Gale's philosophy of crafting equipment. After all, these were for his subordinates to use, not batch products to be sold externally.
However, the current situation forced him to go against his principles just this once.
Gale activated the barrier, and everyone immediately saw the towering tree in the distance. The majesty of Shaladrassil left everyone in awe.
"Is this real?"
"It might be an illusion."
Nalarex suppressed his excited feelings, "No, this is real. It's the World Tree, Shaladrassil!"
Everyone exclaimed, "This is Shaladrassil? It's so tall?"
"It must be over a thousand yards tall, right?"
Gale spread his hands and said loudly, "Everyone, welcome to Shalani'er!"
At this moment, Shaladrassil began to sway, and its leaves rustled as they rubbed against each other.
Gale smiled, "I haven't forgotten you, haven't I come back to see you?"
Saying that, he took out the eternal holy grail and Nash's Fang. Nash's Fang pointed towards the sky, and dark clouds quickly gathered. Then he guided Arcane Energy into the clouds, and soon a light rain began to fall.
Feeling the nourishment of the rain, Shaladrassil quieted down, enjoying the moisture.
Nalarex looked at Gale in shock, "Lord, you're actually watering Shaladrassil with Well of Eternity water?"
Gale knew what he wanted to say, "That's right, it's enjoying it very much."
Nalarex opened his mouth, he really wanted to tell Gale that this was wrong. But Shaladrassil's joyful mood couldn't be faked; it really was enjoying it.
Gale: "We clearly delineate the boundaries of energy; Arcane is Arcane, and nature is nature, but in reality, for trees, any energy that allows them to thrive is good energy."
Everyone looked at them, not knowing what riddle they were playing.
Gale didn't explain either. He pointed to the wooden cabin in front, "We've arrived. Park the carts outside, and then everyone prepare their own living quarters."
Navoli and others nodded, preparing to choose trees.
Nalarex stopped them, "Leave the house building to me!"
He didn't want the trees here to be cut down; the natural energy here was rich, and he could completely create some treehouses, which would be much faster than building wooden cabins.
-----------------------------
I've just uploaded up to 40 chapters in advance on Patreon!
If you enjoy this story, please supporting me on Patreon!
👉 [patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your amazing support!