The senior students of Edgar attacked Amethyst and Firewrought like rapid dogs. They used the long brooms to prod and push the two dwarves, wanting to chase them out of the place.

However, none of them understood how the two dwarves could enter despite the house had been locked up.

This is the highest level of security where strangers and even those with the student identifying brand cannot access the building. Only the owner could, but the only owner to this place – to their knowledge – is Edgar Silverforge, their master.

Usually, this place is running with the second level of security so that any student may leave for errands and re-enter.

Of course, not everyone who live here had been given to rights to change the security level. And right now in this place, Glittersprout is the only one with this level of permission.

The senior students continued shouting at the two dwarves while, Kairos, Edgar, and the two student dwarves that were guarding his room looked on completely horrified.

Glittersprout now silent as well, had noticed his teacher’s expression darkening by the second. Much of the reason for him to become the top dog in this place was his ability to get into Edgar’s good books. And right now, he is truly frightened at what he saw on the master’s face. His thoughts had travelled a thousand miles but it never came close to the truth.

At this time, Amethyst suddenly screamed. It was an anger-filled roar that even caused Edgar to tremble.

Glittersprout saw this and likewise started trembling.

Kairos shook his head slightly but otherwise remained silent.

Firewrought froze, as did many of the students.

“Stop screaming woman! This is no place for the likes of you,” someone said as he tried to grab Amethyst by the arm and pull her away. A fellow student quickly stopped him and pointed.

Only then did the rest notice that Edgar is standing there in front of his room.

What happened afterwards was a blur. Amethyst crushed a gem and then there was a huge explosion.

The roof disappeared. Several students were flying.

Then, there it appeared. A silhouette of a gigantic crystal tower broke the upper half of Edgar’s house and raised up into the sky.

A glittering translucent image in the sky that could been seen from miles away. Fortunately, the tower stopped when it reached the ceiling, otherwise if it burst through it will reach the gnome’s place, the Royal Garden City.

They could feel the dangerous power emitting from it despite the tower looking immaterial.

At this time, Amethyst turned her head over and looked at Edgar furiously, as if all the destruction was his fault.

The dwarf trembled again, then walked over to his students.

Every step he took, his face turned darker. He was beet red by the time he came next to Glittersprout.

Without a word, the old dwarven master smacked the younger gnome across his face.

“Preposterous. Utterly preposterous. You… I entrusted you with managing this place, and this is what you show you are capable of?”

The gnome held his face in pain. A dangerous glint flashed across his eyes before he quickly hid it.

Then he stood up straight and said, “I’m sorry Master Edgar, we thought they are trespassers. We were only doing our job and meant no disrespect.”

“No disrespect?! Did you try to find out who they are and why they are here?”

“I…,” Glittersprout was speechless. He did act rashly but only because the strange old dwarf, Firewrought, really looked like bum from the streets that had wandered in. Besides that, just when they were about to ensnare Kairos, Firewrought stepped forward and provided a good target for them.

There wasn’t any excuses he could come up with, and then Edgar who ran out of patience pointed at the door, “Get out!!”

His voiced thundered, and Glittersprout felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He had never seen his master this furious before, and he do not know what does ‘get out’ means. Is permanent? Do he still have a chance to come back?

If he was chased out, he will definitely lose everything.

Glittersprout glared at Kairos Astroire. It’s this guy! He is at fault for all this!

Kairos returned his glare with a shake of his head, the second time today, “She is most definitely Master’s old flame… You guys were courting death.”

If his guess was correct, Amethyst Brightgem must be the inheritor for the scroll, the Gemstone Dictator’s Secret, and the dwarven lady that his master fancied.

The apprentices ran out the door, defeated.

When they were gone, Edgar dismissed the two dwarven students still standing by his door, and just as they walked away from earshot, the master blacksmith rushed over to Amethyst with large beads of tears hanging to his eyes.

“I’m sorry Ami! Please forgive me?”

Kairos saw the great change in his teacher and was speechless.

“What are you doing? Get up, your student is still here, don’t act inappropriately,” Amethyst chided.

“No!” the strict and prideful master blacksmith suddenly whined like a child, “Not until you forgive me first!”

Kairos blinked. Twice.

He secretly thought to himself, that these dwarves that lived for centuries really learnt how to entertain each other over the years…

Amethyst’s temper had obviously simmered down but is still showing Edgar the evil eye.

After a while, she finally said, “If the boy is as you said, I will forgive you. What are you waiting hurry and lead us into your study.”

Edgar nodded and brought them in with Kairos. As he was telling the two dwarves about Kairos’ tests and what he did, another two arrived.

The fourth and fifth inheritors, the Doll Master Blunderspark Bluebeard, and Master Sculptor Whittleblade Scarlethammer.

Whittleblade pulled Blunderspark into the room and before anyone reacted she shouted, “HELLOOOOOOOO FRIENDS!”

For the first time since the meeting started, Amethyst had a smile on her face.

Behind, Blunderspark also greeted everyone but was too soft to be heard.

When all of them gotten together, Edgar explained to them on the situation and introduced Kairos.

The boy stood there with a smile and greeted them all without a shred of the usual nervousness of youth.

For a moment, they marvelled at his presence. This aura is definitely of someone who is used to be in a superior position, instead of a mere boy.

It was as though the boy is their equal. No, perhaps even more.

The presence of a person is the basis of Aura Arts. When the intensity reached a certain level, it could be used as a skill. It is said that even without training in the Aura Arts, a war general who had killed plenty can give off a bloodthirst that stop the lesser man’s heart, and a King can make strangers bow to him without knowing his identity.

Kairos naturally have a domineering figure because he is used to commanding the army.

Just by standing there naturally, he seemed to be the leader of this group, although the other five dwarves in the room are all centuries older than he is, and they are even his seniors in the blacksmithing craft.

Of course, as a great general, his murderous intent will be enough to kill those fainthearted. Yet, this is when he is still untrained.

The full extent of his Aura’s strength will only show after he learned Aura Arts, and that’s why he desperately needs training material from the human kingdoms.

While waiting for the three races to make good of their promises, Kairos turned his attention towards learning blacksmithing.

Edgar had explained everything that happened so far and the four dwarven inheritors of the ancient scrolls immediately latched onto Kairos.

Each wanted him to quickly look at their scroll and perhaps find out of the writing could be simplified as well, like Edgar’s forging technique scroll.

Instead of going through by turn, Kairos accepted all four scrolls at once. However, he did not start on them immediately. Instead, he tried to learn more of the crafts from the masters.

Metalworking, as Firewrought Goldplate explains is the complete control over the metal element, using spells and a strange energy that every living thing has.

After hearing the dwarf’s explanation, Kairos figured out that it is a form of soul power. As Aisa once explained, the little princess, Relestia, is supposed to be a Soul Healer and she can mend damages to one’s soul or simply help boost a person’s soul power. Of course, a Soul Healer can do far more than that but Aisa did not tell him everything.

The Primordial One is still young despite existing since time began, and as a baby dragon god she has the traits of a fledgling - to be easily distracted, gluttonous, and always being playful.

To expect Aisa to explain to him properly is as difficult as getting Heavenly Energies in Axis Mundi.

However, Kairos is not unfamiliar with this power.

Different from Origin Energy that is a person’s life force, soul power is more frequently seen when turning Jade Slips into Soul Slips.

He also combines Soul Power with Origin Energy whenever he uses Soul Perception: a detection technique that shrouds entire areas with his life force. Anything within the area will give him any information he wants to receive, no matter if it was sight, sound, taste, feel, or smell.

Normally a person’s life force cannot be controlled, but the Origin Energy can be, however that too is limited within one’s body. To cover an area with one’s life force requires one to manage it using soul power. In the past, Kairos’ level of cultivation was too low to understand the mechanics behind it.

From Firewrought’s words, a strong and stable Soul Power is needed to bend metal, while spells are used as support.

Amethyst’s scroll – the Gemstone Dictator’s Secret – is an artificing technique that likewise to Metalwork depends on Soul Power and spells.

Additionally, it can also be considered a type of sealing technique since it can store different kinds of abilities within crystals.

There are three ways of activation for empowered gems, automated activation when a trigger is detected, manual activation using one’s mana, and to crush a gemstone for a meltdown.

Blunderspark Bluebeard’s the Doll Master’s Relic speaks about making automatons. Artificial life that can be controlled or commanded.

It is an extensive study, using different forms of energy as fuel, then setting up certain orders as command sequences for an object to follow.

The most basic form is called a doll, and it can be used for combat.

There are golems in Axis Mundi, great giants of rock, metal, or wood, used to fight wars and do heavy labour. However, because the golems require a lot of fuel to move, it is seldom seen.

Something Blunderspark said later on in his explanation caused Kairos’ hair to stand. In the scroll it is said that when one become proficient in this craft, it is possible to create something called an Artificial Soul. Kairos has an Artificial Weapon Soul in his Swallow. Model XII. Serial Number xii-903020401050a.

It is so advanced that it is sentient, but it still follows command sequences. Thinking about this, Kairos recognised that after the Artificial Weapon Soul had been injected into his Swallow, it transformed the weapon into a form of doll. Although the Swallow does not take one a humanoid shape, it can fight on its own with limited capabilities. In fact, he once used this function to send his weapon chasing after the fleeing Black Emperor, although it failed to slay its target in the end.

Next, Whittleblade Scarlethammer handed Kairos the Art of the Master Sculptor, then started explaining the craft. It is similar to the engraving methods from Gaia, however, it is more than form, character, and control, as normal sculptors and engravers pursues.

It also uses Soul Power and spells to carve more than just solid objects.

As Whittleblade explains, she could carve an ice sculpture that after it melts into water it will retain its shape. However, her scroll described five stages of mastery. To sculpt solids and breathe life into it is the first, followed by liquids, then gas, light, and lastly the astral.

Kairos guessed that the final stage, of sculpting – the astral objects – are related to souls and the reality of this world. The Master Sculptor who made this craft can reshape souls and therefore changes things like a being’s emotions, and perhaps even redefine physical laws. To what extent, and whether it is permanent, Kairos feels that he must study upon the scroll to be certain. In all likelihood, it will barely affect reality and possibly only for several seconds.

The last scroll, or perhaps the first, was the one that Edgar had given Kairos, called the Ultimate Forging Scroll. After studying the scroll, Kairos conclude it to be a divine blacksmithing method that can combine Enchanted Weapon, Magic Weapon, and Spirit Weapon into one. In fact, the result will be much stronger than putting three weapons together.

Pleased that he have so many scrolls to study, Kairos thanked the masters, “I am grateful to be entrusted with these scrolls, please excuse me to go into isolation research. But before I leave, may I request for help when I encounter problems along the way?”

The dwarves nodded with admiration towards the young man.

“Such humanity and talent at a young age. You will grow up to become a respectable adult.”

“Letting neither success nor recognition get to your head is wise.”

Kairos smiled softly and nodded in thanks for their compliments then excused himself from the room.

He is just as excited to start working on the scrolls as the masters. After he left, when his presence can no longer affect them, the four dwarves finally snapped out of it. They had to take a few minutes to slowly calm down, as if they had just stepped off a battlefield and their adrenaline is draining away. When they come to their senses, they realised they had excitedly pushed their treasured scrolls into Kairos’ hands, fully trusting him.

None of them tested him if he is competent, having only heard Edgar’s word for it. And none of them made sure Kairos wouldn’t run away despite those scrolls are their clans’ greatest treasures. Yet, Kairos had not used any Aura Art. They knew that everything had happened because they were in his presence.