The Foundry.

It was the center of weapon forgery and armor in the Blue Ocean Pavilion, where every student and elder came here for the best quality armament. The people who worked in the Foundry and trained in the ways of forging were called Fabricators. Fabricators, like Alchemists, enjoyed a special status amongst Exalts since the services they provided were necessary for Exalts.

"Last time I looked around, my eyes dropped at the prices." Emily sighed in distress over her poor self. The only solace was that money could not buy anything, so it was not a burden on her father.

"Were you not looking at Grade One weapons?" Oscar knew higher grades were obscenely expensive.

"I looked at the higher grades just for eye candy. But even some of the Grade One armaments were expensive." Emily yawned as her mid-morning tiredness hit her. "There were several staff weapons. The best grade-one armament costs 1000 contribution points while the lowest costs 200."

"Interesting." Oscar enjoyed the new information as they walked toward the Foundry, a large gray estate made from stone and metal rather than the usual marble and crystals of the other facilities. Oscar felt the stones and noticed they were rough and cracked. It was the opposite of the clean and high-class atmosphere of the Pavilion.

A large column extruded out from the top of the roof, constantly releasing an endless amount of black smoke and covering the sky in black clouds. Looking down, Oscar saw a desolate land with no single plant growing around the Foundry.

"It's pretty hot." Oscar started sweating, as did Emily. The Foundry had a very harsh dry heat like a sauna.

Inside, Oscar and Emily saw the hectic yet meticulous sight of the fabricators at work. Many wore helmets with glass visors, fully clothed in insulated clothing with no opening, and thick metallic gloves. The helmets had small tubes on each side, most likely for air filtration.

They were rough when processing the raw materials and metals. Bones scrapped down, metal melted, and shining cores shattered. But they were careful as if carrying a newborn baby when polishing and putting together their works.

"I heard anyone is allowed to enter an apprenticeship here regardless of which Hall they might be a part of. Same for the Alchemists. After all, there might be some prodigies even in the Minor Hall." Emily said.

"That's correct. You can get better resources to become stronger if you show potential as a fabricator or alchemist. It's a shame, but I don't have a suitable anima."

One of the fabricators came up to the duo and asked, "Have you come here to sign up for an apprenticeship? Procure armaments? Or to repair?"

"We would like to buy grade-one armaments." Oscar was excited to see the great vaults of the Foundry.

"Follow me." The fabricator led them to another room. The large size of the room was not surprising; it was the countless weapons and armor arranged all over.

Oscar peered around and saw armaments lined all over the walls to the high ceiling, rows upon rows of glass cases containing more. Every single one seemed to shine and sparkle in the light.

"Look around and find what you need. The prices are tagged on each one." The fabricator put his hands behind his back and stood straight like a butler waiting for the next order.

"I already know what I want. The Grade One Iron Serpent Staff." Emily walked to one of the glass cases and pointed to the weapon inside. It was an iron-colored staff with patterns of snakes wrapped around it.

Oscar noticed other staves that were more beautiful next to them, but they were more expensive.

"The staff will cost 350 contribution points." The fabricator carefully took the staff out of its container and held it to a black stone tablet. It glowed slightly with the name of the staff.

"Place your identity token." The fabricator held the tablet to Emily.

Emily placed her identity token, which also acted as a wallet for contribution points, on the black stone tablet. The number 400 on her token decreased to 50, and the black stone tablet stopped glowing.

"Transaction complete. This 'Iron Serpent Staff' is now yours." The fabricator resumed his passive stance as though nothing had happened. Oscar felt admiration for how calm and collected these fabricators were.

Emily swung around the staff to get a feel for it. She was careful not to hit any of the merchandise. Her face was full of satisfaction as she smiled. "Take a look, Oscar."

Oscar hesitated to hold the weapon because he thought it was improper. At Emily's urgings, he nervously held it in his hands.

"This!" A surge of energy flowed into his body. He felt the weight of the staff and the rippling Ein in every small part.

"An armament is created with Ein. From the processing of materials to the polishing, each motion utilizes Ein. Thus it gives off that pulsating feeling." The fabricator spoke up with a lengthy explanation completely different from his previous short responses. "Not only that, an armament can have distinct attributes. The staff was more flexible, like a snake, hence its name. A higher grade armament can have more powerful properties, even abilities."

"Amazing…." Oscar wanted to possess an armament even more now.

"Oscar, you should look around and find something suitable." Emily held her staff close like a family heirloom. Her excitement was overflowing as she could not wait to test it out.

Oscar glanced all over, left to right, up and down. He felt dizzy trying to take it all in. Thankfully, the fabricator stepped forward and asked, "Should I gather everything that falls in your price range?"

"That would be great. Can I see everything that I can get for 300 contribution points?"

"350."

Oscar turned with widened eyes to Emily, who offered her leftover 50 contribution points. She responded with a wink.

"What will I do with 50 points? Don't refuse this, or I'll bash you into agreeing." Emily smiled, but her words were so cold that Oscar felt terrified.

"I'll agree to this. But I'll pay you back." Oscar did not want to be in her debt. He did not want to feel like he was taking advantage of her.

The fabricator gathered up every item worth 350 points and laid them on the table. There were weapons and armor of every type gathered in a pile.

As Oscar held up a weapon or armor, the fabricator explained their details enthusiastically, giving sales pitches.

"The dagger is swift and easy to hold, great for…."

"This bow charges with Ein and…."

"The spear is great for maintaining distance. It also can do…."

Oscar felt a headache coming on from all the large amounts of details. He gestured for the fabricator to stop and began pondering what suited him best.

'In that last battle with Greg, what was I lacking?' The previous battles and how he fought should provide a great insight into his shortcomings.

'In all my spars with Frederick, I was too vulnerable. It was the same with Greg.' Oscar had an epiphany and started to go through the pile himself. His eyes lit up when he saw a particular item. He pulled it out and brandished it before the two onlookers. "I've decided on this."

The fabricator showed no emotion, but Emily was astonished. In Oscar's hands was a shield. The shield had a smooth surface, obsidian black color like Oscar's eyes, and was incredibly thin. It was also a small circular shape, about the length of Oscar's head.

Emily shakingly asked, "Are you sure about that? That shield doesn't look like it can block a lot. Also, it's small."

"That shield is known as the Obsidian Glass Buckler. Despite its small appearance, it's sturdy. An advantage is its mobility, thanks to being small. The user can move more freely than with a conventional shield." The fabricator explained the uses of this shield.

"Still, you want that?" Emily thought Oscar would have gone for a more offensive weapon like the sword or spear.

Oscar looked down at the black buckler and shook his head. "It's perfect for my uses. Will it cost extra for a certain adjustment?"

The fabricator was also looking at the black buckler. Although he showed no emotion underneath that helmet, he was curious why this student had chosen it. "If you want a certain modification. It can be done for free if it's a simple adjustment."

"Perfect. I'd like to ask you to do…." Oscar whispered his idea to the fabricator, who looked deeply at Oscar.

"Interesting; I can do that for you for free." The fabricator said with a hint of amusement.

"Do what?!" Emily was irked at being left out of the conversation. She was also curious about what Oscar wanted to do with the buckler. Her cries were ignored as Oscar and the fabricator processed the transaction.

The fabricator took the buckler away outside to fulfill Oscar's special request.

Emily waltzed next to Oscar and grabbed his collar. Her orange eyes were full of curiosity and irritation. "So, what's your grand plan?"

"I'll surprise you later." Oscar looked away nervously, not wanting to see Emily's angry face.

Emily held her anger in and grumbled, letting Oscar go. She was not so insensitive to keep pushing him into something he didn't want to do. "It better be a great show."

Around 30 minutes later, the fabricator finally returned with Oscar's buckler. Emily did not pick up any obvious modifications on it.

"That was fast. Thank you very much." Oscar bowed in gratitude and took his buckler, putting it on his back thanks to the harness that came with it.

"It wasn't too much of a change. I thank you for the opportunity to hone my skills." All fabricators were fanatics when it came to working on their craft. They rarely showed emotion unless they were working.

With grateful farewells, Oscar and Emily departed from the Foundry. Once outside the dark smog circle above, they took a deep breath of the fresh cool air and felt the beaming of the two suns.

"The Foundry would be better if it wasn't so stifling and suffocating." Emily took out a handkerchief and wiped off some ash residue on her.

"I wonder if the Palace of Whirlpools is like this too." Oscar thought about the other Exalt profession, Alchemy. Rumors said Alchemists were even worse than the fabricators in their sheer obsession.

"Perhaps next time if we have more contribution points to use. I don't see any of us becoming Alchemists." Emily stretched out her arms and back to release the tension. Emily lifted her staff in the air, looking pleased with herself. "I'll be heading off to the training room. I need to test the armament out. Want to join me?"

"I'll pass. I'll see you later." Oscar dodged Emily's request and waved goodbye to the pouting Emily.

Some students eyed the buckler on his back as he walked and whispered amongst themselves. They varied in their responses. Some were confused, and others sneered at Oscar's dumb choice.

'Do they all think they need some pointy end?' Oscar ignored all the onlookers and gossip on his way back. When he opened the door, he felt pressure similar to Emily's. In the room was Frederick, smiling smugly with his arms behind his head. His yellow eyes curved in elation.

"You succeeded?!" Oscar lit up with delight.