‘I am sorry, Felix.’ Asna tried to comfort Felix after seeing his dejected expression.
Felix had anticipated that Cyclope would refuse to repair Mjölnir, but he didn’t expect that it would be unrepairable in the first place.
This truly threw all of his plans down the drain.
When Cyclope saw Felix’s disappointment, he proposed with a kind smile, “It might not be repairable, but if you bring me Mjölnir, I will salvage it and return most of the materials to their raw state…The quantity naturally will be reduced, but it’s still better than nothing.”
Upon hearing so, Felix’s eyes brightened up in delight.
He knew that the materials to make Mjölnir were simply too priceless and would move even primogenitors!
“You can do that?” He asked eagerly.
“Of course.” Cyclope chuckled, “You can consider it as using your earned favor.”
The moment Felix heard that it would consume his favor, his happiness was short-lived.
He understood that the materials harvested were outstanding alright, but to trade a favor for them? He just felt like it wasn’t enough.
This was a favor from a primogenitor we are talking about…Even primogenitors treasured their own favors and refrained from using them unless the situation called for it.
Felix didn’t want to waste it on materials that he had no idea what do with them.
Seeing his hesitation, Cyclope understood what was on his mind.
“I believe that you can make at least three legendary artifacts or more if you handed them to Emperor Lokhil.” Cyclope smiled, “I will recommend you to him, but you will need to pay the fees.”
The moment Felix heard so, Felix imagined himself suiting himself with legendary artifacts from top to bottom!
A dream that no one ever dared of having!
“Satisfied now?” Cyclope chortled after seeing Felix’s face color return.
“Very!” Felix grinned widely in elation.
‘Excuse me Sir Felix, why don’t you ask him to make you a new divine treasure with the materials refined?’ Mistress Candace suggested.
‘I haven’t thought about it at all!’ Felix exclaimed, feeling a bit foolish to be tempted by legendary artifacts when he was in front of the greatest forger of all time.
So, what if Mjölnir was unrepairable? It didn’t mean that he couldn’t fight off an opportunity to use the same materials to make another divine weapon.
Even tens of legendary weapons were unable to amount to a single divine weapon.
That’s because divine weapons were capable of slaying even primogenitors!
If Felix was truly thinking of his future and growth, then the answer was clear.
‘Kid, don’t push your luck too much.’ Thor advised, ‘Brother Cyclope is generous and kind. You will be just pissing him off if you mentioned forging a new divine weapon for you.’
‘I know I am being too greedy.’ Felix hardened his expression, ‘But, I will regret it for a lifetime if I didn’t at least try to get my own divine weapon.’
‘You have been warned.’
“What’s the issue again?” Cyclope frowned.
Felix took a deep breath and spoke composedly, “Elder, I am beyond thrilled with your proposal and I believe that it is already too much. But, I didn’t come here in mind to return with legendary artifacts, but with a divine weapon.”
“As the greatest forger in the history of the universe, I truly hope that you can reconsider using Mjölnir’s refined material to create a new divine for me.” Felix bowed his head respectfully while his heart kept racing rapidly in agitation.
He knew that he was being too greedy, and he might end up upsetting Cyclope.
If that happen, he could retract his original offer and send him on his merry way empty-handed.
His masters could not change the outcome since he had brought it up on himself.
“Oh, is that all?” Cyclope smiled kindly, “You should have said it earlier. I don’t have a problem with making you a new divine weapon if the materials are adequate.”
“Please reconsid…Wait, what?” Felix lifted his head suddenly with a dumbfounded expression.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Meanwhile, Lady Sphinx, Thor, and Jörmungandr eyed each other speechlessly, not daring to believe that Cyclope had actually agreed on the first try!
God knows how many times did the primogenitors tried to convince him to come out of retirement but to no avail.
Some even tried to use favors just like Felix but nothing was enough to move Cyclope into picking up his forging tools again.
“Brother Cyclope, did you come out of retirement without telling anyone or are you jesting with him?” Lady Sphinx asked after regaining her composure.panda novel
“I am still retired.” Cyclope massaged his shoulder as he replied casually, “But, I am being serious. If he wanted a new divine weapon, I have no qualms making him one.”
“Why?” Felix said respectfully, “I am still in disbelief that it was this easy, but I am perplexed about your reasoning.”
“Reasoning?” Cyclope smiled kindly as he asked, “Are you going to use the divine weapon?”
“Most definitely.” Felix assured with a serious voice, “It will be my primary weapon for the rest of my life.”
ᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀ ɴ ᴏᴠᴇʟ “That’s your reason.”
The moment they heard so, Lady Sphinx and the other two managed to finally figure out why Cyclope retired in the first place!!
“No wonder, brother Cyclope, no wonder.” Thor apologized with a bitter smile, “I am deeply sorry for how things turned out.”
“Likewise, we had no idea.” Lady Sphinx sighed, “I should have known better, I am in the same boat as you.”
‘I see…’ When Felix heard his masters lamenting, he manged to connect the dots on his own and understand what they were talking about.
It turned out, Cyclope retired from making divine treasures for a simple reason really.
They weren’t being used for the purpose of their creation.
Instead, they were being traded like currency and kept as rare collectible!
For a genuine passionate forger, seeing his works being treated as currencies or setting on shelves for bragging rights, must have been the worst thing ever.
All the effort, pain, love, and struggle to forge a treasure had gone to waste when it wasn’t used for its purpose.
“I don’t blame you guys.” Cyclope shook his head, “It’s just that the era of conflict had become a distant memory…So, what’s the point of forging new divine weapons when you will simply use them as currency or sit in shelves?”
Felix’s masters didn’t know how to replay after hearing so.
They knew that he was right.
The primogenitors’ Era was simply filled with too much conflict, it made them always seek new divine treasures to be used in their fights.
After all, primogenitors were almost impossible to be killed in fights…If a divine treasure could give them a small edge, then everyone wouldn’t hesitate to commission Cyclope to make them a few.
In the end, the divine treasures get destroyed while the primogenitors survive the battles.
“I was at the happiest moments of my life in that era.” Cyclope said with nostalgic look, “I was always busy making new weapons, armors, researching new effects, testing new materials to indulge your bloodthirstiness.”
“My greatest pride was hearing about the results of your battles and knowing that my divine treasures might have been destroyed, but they served their purpose completely.”
“Alas…”
The primogenitors had simply grown tired of the fights and meaningless conflicts when they realized that it was resulting in nothing substantial in their lives.
So, they made up over time and either became friends or at least neutral with each other.
Though, the hardcore conflicts between some factions remained heated to this day, such as Darkin faction against Felix’s masters or Siren with Kumiho.
In time, the divine treasures built for battles became mere collectibles.
“I would rather watch my treasures get used and destroyed than sit on glamorous shelves.” Cyclope said with a clear conviction in his voice.
The day the primogenitors Era ended, was the day Cyclope had put down his tools and ignored every other commission from the primogenitors.
“You should have told us so.” Lady Sphinx soothed, “We would have understood your position and stopped bothering you.”
“It was much easier to just tell you I am was burnt out.” Cyclope coughed.
“Thought so.”
Lady Sphinx’s eyelids twitched, knowing that Cyclope might look like a scary giant with one eye, but he was a sweetheart, who disliked confrontation…Especially with females, making Kumiho and Siren to always tease him.
“Though, you could have made divine treasures for the next generation like you are doing with Felix.” Thor wondered, “It’s much better than putting your tools once and for all.”
“The next generation can use artifacts to fight their battles.” Cyclope shook his head, “Just because I want my weapons and items to be used, it doesn’t mean I am going to settle for kids playing with them.”
“What about me?” Felix was still confused.
If that was his reason for rejecting to forge divine treasures for dragons, werewolves, vampires, and such, then, he should have been rejected too even if he had a favor.
“You are different.” Cyclope said.
“How so.”
“The others don’t have primogenitors as enemies.” Cyclope said with a faint grin.
