Forging the Future
With the Transit Nexus operational and capable people handling the day-to-day logistics, Jax finally allowed himself something he rarely took.
A day off.
Or at least the version of a day off that somehow still involved contracts, weapon upgrades, monster materials, and several million gold changing hands.
The Vixens weren't surprised.
"Your idea of relaxing is worrying me," Zee informed him.
Jax considered that.
"That's fair."
Their first stop was obvious.
Brannic and Merriweather's forge.
The difference was impossible to miss.
Months ago the forge had struggled.
Now?
Customers filled the building.
Orders lined the walls.
Apprentices moved at a near run between stations.
The sound of hammers echoed continuously through the district.
Business was booming.
Merriweather spotted them first.
Her wings buzzed excitedly.
"There they are!"
Brannic emerged from the workshop moments later.
The dwarf looked exhausted.
And happier than Jax had ever seen him.
"You survived."
Jax grinned.
"And brought presents."
Brannic immediately looked interested.
The warehouse behind the forge became very quiet.
Because Jax kept unloading things.
And unloading things.
And unloading things.
Crystal-armored hides.
A-Rank monster bones.
Mana-rich organs.
Dungeon cores.
Rare glands.
Crystal plating.
Enough materials to keep master craftsmen busy for years.
Merriweather stopped speaking halfway through.
Brannic forgot his pipe was lit.
The dwarf stared at a crystalline vertebra nearly as long as he was tall.
"Jax."
"Yeah?"
"What in the hells did you do?"
"We had a productive weekend."
Brannic looked personally offended by that answer.
The upgrades began immediately.
Starpiercer would gain refractive crystal channels.
Sanctaris would receive a stabilizing crystal core capable of reinforcing Zee's barriers.
Lilith's Kiss would be woven with flexible crystal strands capable of storing and releasing mana.
Earth Breaker would receive resonance plates that amplified impact waves after every strike.
Bunny nearly hugged the hammer when Brannic explained it.
Nearly.
She absolutely hugged it later.
Then Jax produced something else.
Not monster parts.
Not crystals.
Blueprints.
Merriweather unrolled them.
Brannic leaned over her shoulder.
Both froze.
The warehouse suddenly felt very quiet.
"This..." Merriweather whispered.
Brannic took the parchment.
Then another.
Then another.
His eyes widened further each time.
"This isn't a weapon design."
"It is," Jax replied.
Brannic shook his head.
"No."
The dwarf looked genuinely unsettled.
"This is a framework."
Merriweather nodded slowly.
"Structured mana circulation."
"Living crystal lattices."
"Self-repair pathways."
"Growth channels."
She swallowed.
"Jax..."
Her voice sounded smaller than usual.
"These aren't enchantments."
Brannic looked up.
"They're evolution paths."
Silence followed.
The Vixens exchanged confused looks.
Jax remained calm.
"Can it be done?"
The dwarf scratched his beard.
Slowly.
Thoughtfully.
Then looked around the warehouse full of A-Rank dungeon materials.
The answer hit him all at once.
Maybe.
For the first time in history...
Maybe.
Brannic lowered the parchment.
"Not today."
Merriweather nodded.
"Not tomorrow either."
"But someday?"
The fairy looked back at the blueprints.
Then at the mountain of materials.
Then at Jax.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Someday," she said softly, "we might build something the gods themselves would want."
For once—
Even Jax looked pleased.