Sarey remained in the state of wonder for a good while. It was stopped by Zigmund, who chased her away after wasting time in the bathroom.

“What took you so long?” Zigmund said as Sarey walked away from the bathroom, in a cotton robe, and wet hair falling over her shoulder.

“I was dirty.”

“I bet you naughty girl. Here. Catch this.” He tossed her a few pieces of paper.

“T-this? Are you serious? I mean, how fast.” She corrected herself after seeing the receipt of hidden and rare ingredients, materials, and goods of not-so-ordinary origin.

“I work hard as well. Be it for you or Allan now, don't matter too much to me. I hope you won't hurt yourself ever again. Instead of that, how about returning to your training? Since I have some time with Allan. I could train you both?” He asked after the whole day of thinking about this issue. It was mostly his personal problem, where he could not figure out the best way to solve this. So he went with what he thought was right.

“Training? What for?”

“World is not that stupid and lazy place. Are you refusing my one-time offer?”

“Fine...Only for a few days, I can bear with it.” Sarey agreed to his offer. Not happy or sad, but glad to see the paper in her hand.

In the void of space. Place and home of a ship that drifted in a one-of-a-kind place. Laughter, cries, and other indistinguishable sounds were carried away in one room inside this ship.

36 felt alright after this day. He enjoyed the play to his heart's content. Be it the exchange between Zigmund and later situations, he couldn't find it more hilarious.

“What a time to be alive. Heheh. Now. Now. Now. Let's calm down. This was another happy day. I will survive for weeks with this kind of entertainment.” 36 talked to himself out loud.

A rational mind was hardly possible in this kind of place. That was one of the lesser reasons he decided to call Sarey for his daily summons. There was a limit, but what if he did not have any? There were way too many strange turns of events. He felt like a mistake, but that kind which could be lucky if one would look at it from a different angle.

“Another advantage would not be that bad. I will consider Allan's words, and since I am at it, I could teach Sarey what I promised her. Yes. Yes. Sounds good to me.”

36 remained in his state of good mood. Not thinking too much about anything which did not concern him. Be it the situation with soul-fire, he tossed it behind his head. Insignificant and useless. It could all be fake for all that he knew. Yet, he could not shake the feeling that the sealing formation within that Hammer must have been quite something.

36 only wished he would have energy within his body, so he could have felt out the flames. Whether they were of soul-fire origin could be determined by the feelings of the flames. After all, he had brief calls with 2 soul-fires in his life. He knows what sort of monstrous beings they were.

Himself or Allan did not know enough. Since the Soul-Fire was already in its place. Slumbering, getting stronger, familiar, and clever. The environment which no soul-fire has ever experienced. It was a different kind of place. Not its birth, nor its place of upbringing. It felt strange and pleasant.

Although it was hidden in the dark. Its warmth and soul were still intact. A bit of intelligence it was born with still lingered within it, and the feeling of getting smarter was apparent as well. It's evolution after sacrificing itself for Allan, was becoming stronger with each passing day. It was sleeping, carefully resting on the strength.

All types of soul-fires knew to be patient. Their birth was usually in the size of a few millennia and their lifespan was even longer. It stemmed from their origin. Their home is the energy and core of the hot planet. Be it volcanoes, deep crevices of magma planets. Their presence was known to be hard to find. But, when they are found, it is a beginning of a dramatic sight. They are part of nature, after all, and material, that was sought out by the lofty immortal figures.

Their life was not theirs. Instincts and seeking to strengthen themselves and their home were all that they care about. Unknown to them, it originated from deep within their souls. Origin, rule, or the call of the planet they are born in.

Not just anyone knows this knowledge. Although, 36 would know that if he was not that forgetful. Soul-fires were of incredible value to anyone in the universe. Be it in the Central region or outskirts. There are a limited amount of them within the universe. It was further researched that there was no way to forge one or make them forcefully. Their history and origin were part of a mystery that questioned a lot of curious figures.

Allan was aware of them from Clayton's scrips. It was hard to tell where he came to know about them, but since he had his own soul-fire, it was obvious that there was more to his story than anything else. It was only an issue, that Allan had no way to get information about them from his father. Perhaps he would tell him more, but he was fearful of being found out about his spying.

Allan went over this for a few moments. Not wanting to bother with things that went beyond him. He was more of a person of passion.

Currently, within his forge, he was curving a long staff from one big wooden pillar. He kept going in the deep night. Not troubled with Sarey who took a glance at him after finishing her time in the bathroom. He did not even notice her presence.

He decided to make something practical and something that could be used in any kind of situation. Although it was a wood, there are many kinds of them in the world. Some were softer, harder, flexible, and so on. There were all kinds of them with many properties for many weapons. One which could be a source of strength, flexibility, and toughness was what he wanted. Zigmund had brought out plenty of them because the Tricloud region was rich in natural resources.

Mines, farms, and deep jungles where a wide variety of all kinds of materials were traded to the entire continent. It was all shared and used by the forces in the vicinity of the Tricloud region, while the trades were not regulated, so a lot of companies were seeking out the sky-high prices in the distant lands beyond this region. Because of that, there were no small amounts of conflicts. It was the perfect place for getting rich, and equally good to get into trouble as fast as well.

Many organizations wanted more and more. Not willing to compromise. This has already gone on for hundreds of years. It was no surprise that the Timeless Kingdom from the far east of the Tricloud region had their eyes on this big, fat land. In truth, it was more complicated than this, but that is a story for the future.

All of this went over Allan's head, as he had no way to know this. He was silently and steadily styling his new shaft. He used a long piece of metal that he heated up in the furnace to reinforce the parts on both ends of the shaft. Using a very thin, centimeter-wide metallic rod and half a meter long. He blended it across the carved paths into the sections of each end of the shaft, to make it robust and harder. Rounding it around the ends and styling it to look good with his hammer and touch. It went very slow, but he was patient to play with it.

Be it attack or defense, they could be used without worry about clashing with sharp swords. Although this was his first try. He tried a variety of reinforcement methods, with many books and methods that he learned from his father. He had chosen something unique and in hope, a good one.

As the curved thin metal was still hot and flexible, he used his hammer and power to flex it tightly around the wooden parts. Using this method, there should be a variety of benefits, while the metal itself is one of the stronger and more expensive he found in the storage per Sarey's words days ago. Called Ebony Lythrum, this material was extremely heavy, so Allan was hopeful about making this pole into an excellent weapon as well.

The smooth surface of curved metals went around both ends. They were not in a way, but it still protruded a little out. Though it was a part of the design Allan had chosen. Reinforcing the wood and its structure, he was sure it would not break apart even if he tried his best.

“Good. Weight distribution is even and good.” Allan held his new work in both hands. Swinging it around like a madman, and poked a mess out of his forge in this process by this silly mistake.

“Crap...”

In the end, he decided to add some leather and rope to where it could be grabbed without worrying about the rough wood. It went in a smooth motion, as he had plenty of experience with doing this sort of work. Blind or not, no person would guess someone did this with no sight.

Thud.

Allan hit the ground with the finished piece.

“Steady and tight. Maybe I went overboard with this. I swear if mister Zigmund will destroy this too, I will be very disappointed.” Allan joked to himself while forgetting he destroyed his last one by himself.

With this being done, he sat in the chair not so far away. He pulled off his bandages around his head and massaged his temples. He was not exactly tired from today, but mental exhaustion was creeping on him at night. Willing or not, he had no choice but to end any of his remaining plans. Even if he wanted to forge something, it would take a long time for any kind of work to be done. It would have to wait for tomorrow.

Walking across the hall after putting the bandages across his eyes, he was about to walk outside with his new shaft in hand. A sweet voice greeted him, which he did not expect.

“Are you finally done?”

Sarey asked while leaning on a window outside.

“Were you spying on me all this time?” Allan jokingly asked.

“Maybe.”

“Heh. Do you have something to add?” He said as he walked to her side. Revealing his shaft as a walking stick.

“Nothing. Come inside. I will help you wash again.” Sarey had an unbothered answer, as she had seen most of its creation.

“Oh? Alright.” Allan agreed without talking back this time.

In a wide barrel. Allan sat there while splashing water went across his face, against his wish.

“I can really wash myself. Why so be so rough?” He reluctantly said.

“What? You don't enjoy it?”

“N-no.”

“I am not doing it willy-nilly. There is a saying in one particular school that a body is like a temple. One needs to marvel at it, take care of it, and cherish it with their hearts. Since you can't do it yourself, I am doing it in your place.”

“I know myself better than you do me.” Allan tried to argue with her, but it would not work... Not against this girl.

“Really? How about this?” Sarey pinched him on his back and twisted her hands right across a rather noticeable scar around a colorful bruise.

“Ouch!”

“See? Don't talk back like this again. I will give you the acupoint treatment afterward. The normal one. Nothing new, so no need to be anxious.” Sarey said without much worry.

Allan agreed silently. His face was splashed with water once again.

After some time, in Allan's room. He lay there with calmness. Sarey was already creeping across his back. Felt his muscles and where to stab him with her needles. In no time, he was full of needles.

A pleasant feeling was spreading across his back. Like silk that was passing across his skin. Without any ability to resist, he fell asleep again with Sarey still on his back. She finished the last needle needed for this set. It was a basic formation that was used to release the stress inside the body. Sarey had already used it on him before. Although it was not like the very first one, which was supervised by 36.

With this being done, she had no choice but to wait for some time. There was some time for them to remain in his body, but they should not be there overnight. An hour or two was sufficient for this type of diagram.

“Since you sleep so comfortably, I won't be polite either.” She muttered and laid by his side. Her hair spread across half of his bed.

She laid there comfortable as well, watching the ceiling with a dull face. There was no time for her to sleep. She wandered across her mind to spend this time. Occasionally taking the pages which were written by 36, and Zigmund to pass the time. She did not know what sort of things she should make out of these. She lacked experience in this a lot more than she wanted.

“I wonder...If you get your eyes back... will you leave me?” She mumbled under her lips as she glanced at Allan's face, which was pushed against the bed, facing her face a couple of dozen centimeters. She involuntarily caressed his cheek with the tip of her finger to feel his face. Though, without eyes, she did not know why she even did this to him.

“This life... it is not so bad.” She sleepily sat up. Looking at the table, she placed an hourglass to know the time. It was already past the second time she flipped it, so it was about the time to end this.

“Great. I want to sleep too.”

She carefully reclaimed all the needles, not waking Allan up. In a few minutes, she was done. There were no visible problems this time. It was definitely a reason to be glad.

Tossing a blanket across Allan, she disappeared from his room in a hurry.

Unknown to anyone and nothing, the brewing of the beastly Soul-Fire has already been happening within Allan's body. It was not fair to call it beastly per se, as this particular Soul-fire is nothing like the kind in the wild universe of the Central Region. Not like any Soul-fire would choose to self-sacrifice itself to save a human being. Enough said. This one in Allan's body is yet to be fully awakened.

Alas, the time is approaching as the gift from today, was absorbed by it, to strengthen its core and evolution.