Metalworking is fascinating in many aspects. Watching the solid metal heat up into a glowing mass of white-hot enchantment is hypnotic. Since the unfortunate demise of the previous chamber S’neli used we are now at the town blacksmith. The testing chamber device requires a new ‘cage’ to be created. With that, S’neli is confident she will be able to salvage the rest of it.

I haven’t been making progress lately in my Dao of Fire. As such, I am thinking of taking up another hobby. Currently I only have the Dao of Nix, and the Dao of Fire to my name. I have considered gaining insight into other daos for some time now, yet I don’t feel it would help me at all.

The Dao of Nix focuses on consuming to empower, or annihilation to creation.

The Dao of Fire focuses on flame, the absolute manipulation, use, and destruction of energy from which all else flows.

Sure I have Chaos spells, and can manipulate the chaotic energy, but that’s due to my Dao of Fire. Energy manipulation is like a tiny subset of Fire, thus it isn’t too hard to pick up. With that in mind, if I mastered the Dao of Fire to a higher degree couldn’t I start to control reality itself?

However, metalworking is intense. There are no cheats and no shortcutting involved in the creation of a weapon, armor, or device through this method. Runes can be used on the item being forged, but all the power comes from perfect control of the Flame used.

Low level blacksmiths use wood as fuel for the flame. Mid-level blacksmiths would use coal and coke. High tier blacksmiths use the very flames of their inner energy in order to deconstruct the metal at its most primal form.

Watching this blacksmith is giving me a plethora of ideas. I have a large amount of treasures on hand, since I would never leave my most valuable items in a mere treasure room.

Besides, what possible fuel source could be more supreme than Chaos Wood?

With my new plan to improve the Dao of Fire, I decide to start with the basics.

I am nowhere near the level of talent required to create a sword, plate armor, or suchlike things. Thus, I plan on going low key to start, in other words, jewelry!

Rings sound like a solid plan. Simple bands of heated metal inscribed with simple Runes shouldn’t cause any issues. Yes, like that story from back on Earth with the rings and the small people. I’ll take a page out of the evil mastermind’s book from that series and create some good rings.

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Hmmm…

What type of rings should I make?

Ah!

I’ll do that!

Combination runeworking!

Space, Agelessness, and Shield all in one ring. Linking the Runes won’t be the problem, instead making sure I inscribe them correctly at the right time will be.

From watching the blacksmith work, I can tell that the difference between items inscribed during the forge process, and those done after is massive. It is practically the difference between heaven and earth!

Unlike a mere mortal blacksmith with a few outstanding talents though, my understanding of Flame reaches a higher level.

I may not be a metalworking master, but if I were to say in this world I was second at understanding Fire, no one could claim they were first!

Once we get back from the blacksmith’s with the new testing chamber, I get left in my comfortable cage. It can’t really hold me, but it is chock full of comfortable items. Water that flows from a powerful enchantment on a set timer. Soil filled with nutrients provided by high level magical beasts being ground up and mixed into it. Small bugs, two mice, a gerbil, and a few lizards mix in a miniature ecosystem within my cage. It’s only three meters by two meters, but it’s a comfortable place.

Besides, it provides fantastic cover for me. Several times the sneaky Boss has accused me of various things. S’neli points to the fact that none of the soil has been disturbed, nor any of the animals, insects, or enchantments disturbed.

How could a tree that hasn’t even moved an inch be responsible for the deaths of five anti-half elf gangs?

That’s right!

Impossible!

Heh heh.

Am I disturbed by the deaths I caused in this city? Pfft.

They should be thankful that I’ve sent them onto the wheel of reincarnation, be better in your next lives, pondscum. If I was truly evil I’d be charging them as part of a soul contract for letting them escape this world so easily.

Bah.

Once the alchemist has left to take her assortment of crafted wares, at least the ones that can be sold here, out to sell I get to work.

Using telekinesis I manipulate a small chunk of gold ore to hover in front of me.

As my assorted cage-mates watch the gold lights cherry red, then white hot within moments. I’m fueling the Flame with a miniscule sliver of Chaos Wood. From my current testing it appears I will be able to use this tiny sliver to craft several thousand rings alone. The energy ratio of pure Chaos is simply that damn good.

Dross drops off the hovering chunk of metallic ore. I make sure to catch the slag and teleport it out of the room. I’m sure the thugs who were preparing to attempt to rob the caravan will appreciate my gift.

It takes less than a minute to purify the ore until only gold of a 100% purity remains. Carefully I trace an interlinking set of Runes for Space, Agelessness, and Shielding onto the still molten ring-shaped creation.

Several minutes of smoothing, and I prepare for the final step, air quenching. I gently lower the temperature around the newly created ring simulating what quenching in liquid oil would do. A final rune of Solidarity was thrown in, since pure gold is too weak without magical hardening to be useful. On the other hand, the high conductivity of pure gold allows magic to easily flow through it.

Going slowly, I scan every atom of the ring making sure there are no disturbances that would cause shattering. If I had sweat glands they would be going crazy right about now.

Half an hour passed before I manage to finish. In total the new golden ring inscribed with Runes took me over an hour total to create. Much longer than I thought it would, on the other hand I need to test it on someone. Just as I was thinking about testing, S’neli comes back inside the lab.

Discretely I place the ring on a small square of slag that has been polished to mirror brightness. I make sure the location of the ring is nowhere near my cage.

I’m being so generous because, it’s easier to get things done as a pet than on my own without Dryad being awake.

A small note describing how to use the Philospher’s Stone is engraved on the plate I placed the ring on.

S’neli is brilliant in many things, but she still hasn’t figured out how to activate the Stone. The ring should prevent any ‘accidents’ from killing her before she figures it out.

While I don’t think she could ‘break’ the Chaos Stone with her current level of power, I’ve decided not to take a risk.

Watching her find my prepared gift I nod to myself and then drop off to a well deserved nap.