After knocking on the large wooden door, Alistair didn't need to wait long before Resni materialized right in front of him. Alistair had to use Identify to be sure it was her [Resni Stoneheart - lvl 51]. She was stocky, roughly a meter tall, and had a gray braided beard and hair. She had a short nose decorated with a delicate gold chain connecting to her pierced ear. Her skin was pale, and she wore a wide assortment of magic items, both clothing and jewelry. Surprisingly, she did not possess a comfort array enchantment array and inspected his armor with great interest.

He felt a Identify hit him in return, and she nodded before walking behind the counter and placing a moderately sized chest on top of it. The counter rose to Alistair's height, and Resni started to levitate, putting her arms crossed on the table before addressing him.

"Mr. Ryser, I have been expecting you. I received your letter, and both commissions have been completed." Resni said in a surprisingly soft and distinctly female voice before she continued to inspect his armor.

"Alistair is fine. I know most dwarfs prefer more personable and direct interactions, and I am the same," Alistair said, giving her a welcoming smile.

His words piqued her interest, prompting her to stop inspecting his armor and scrutinize him more intently, curious about the man standing before her.

"Alright, Alistair. Call me Resni," she said with a hint of curiosity, her gaze momentarily fixating on his chest plate, where the fluxgem had noticeably grown. "Tell me, is that armor crafted by another dwarven smith?"

"Yes, it was made by Nuk. I owe him some gratitude," Alistair said before explaining how he met Nuk and under which circumstances.

Resni nodded appreciatively. "I am glad you are ensuring the legacy of his people is not lost," she said wistfully, her gaze lingering on his armor.

"Do you want to inspect it? I don't mind showing it to you; you seem to not have got your hands on the comfort array, which seems like a waste." Alistair offered.

She looked at him in surprise, momentarily losing focus on her levitation and slumping down before catching herself.

"You would show it to me? Nessyra mentioned she would only disclose this information if I agreed to join the clan," she said hesitantly.

Alistair hesitated; he did not feel like showing the comfort array itself was a big deal as it was rather common. The smithing technique, on the other hand could be quite valuable. Alistair felt that taking the risk should be worth while as he couldn't shake the feeling that Nessyra's approach was overly reserved. He couldn't help but wonder if a more personable demeanor might be more effective in winning over a dwarf. Then again, this might be over-relying on the knowledge trickled in from the wider multiverse.

He gave her a warm smile, having made his call. "Yes, it's okay. I'm sorry about Nessyra. She only has the clan's best interest in mind and a lot on her plate. We are lucky to have her, but sometimes she can be a bit reserved."

She looked at him hesitantly, not sure what to make of him. However, he could sense her gratitude and curiosity toward him.

"Are you sure this is okay?" she asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement as they lingered on the armor.

"As the clan patriarch, I assure you, it's perfectly fine. Although I can't take off the armor because I'm not exactly wearing mundane clothing under this," Alistair added jokingly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she replied eagerly.

"But I do," Alistair responded with a chuckle. "At least get me drunk first."

This elicited a laugh from the dwarf, who hurried back to the door to enter her workshop. Alistair leaned against the counter, watching her vanish.

Alistair was somewhat glad that the beard he had usually worn before the initiation was gone, which made him wholly unattractive to most dwarfs. Though he knew he could probably will it to grow back in a matter of minutes. Magic allowed for a lot of flexibility with one's appearance, though he could not change his body as drastically as Riseth, as her race allowed her extreme flexibility. There were other races that could change even more, such as Changelings and Doppelgängers. Nessyra warned him about them as they were frequently used as spies and told him how to recognize them. However, Alistair wasn't worried as his magic senses were quite keen for his grade, and the changes described by Nessyra were hard to mask from his Conceptual Awareness. He had only spotted a shapechanger in a crowd once, which could be likened to bird watching, as they were exceedingly rare species due to their slow reproduction cycle and the fact that they usually lived hidden in other societies rather than having their own worlds.

Alistair's thoughts were interrupted when Resni suddenly reappeared, sporting large rune-inscribed goggles and an apron while holding a tool bag. Her expression showed unmistakable excitement as she approached him with a spring in her step. Alistair did not fault her for not handing over the goods he had come here for yet, as he would indulge her excitement a bit longer. He did not wish to manipulate her into joining but rather win her over as a friend. Having a capable smith for a friend would be a great boon in itself, even if she chooses to be independent.

She bombarded him with questions about the crafting process as she levitated around him like a chunky fairy. To her dismay, he had to tell her that Nuk had crafted behind closed doors, and besides the materials used and the end result, he could not share much. Though she was thankful for what he was willing to share. Resni took out multiple measuring tools from her spatial bag trying to get a grasp of what she was looking at.

Eventually, Alistair cleared his throat. "I am sorry to cut you off like this, but I am quite a busy person, and I'm eager to see what you've crafted," he said, offering an understanding smile.

Resni looked visibly deflated as he told her this but nodded. "Thank you, Alistair. I truly appreciate your generosity. I could gleam multiple insights from this." She replied and paused before stepping behind the counter and opening her spatial chest, pulling out an adamantine and mithril alloy poleaxe that radiated arcane and kinetic energies.

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"I crafted the core from Mithril, optimizing the flow of magic through the weapon, and enhanced it with core runes to boost its potency. For stability and sharpness, I utilized Adamantine. As per your request, I incorporated a hammerhead and a curved axe blade and reinforced the top point. I also included runes tailored to each component of the poleaxe." Resni said with a satisfied smile.

Alistair grasped the weapon at its shaft; it felt comfortable to hold, and he could feel how well his magic flowed through the poleaxe as he tried it. The Metal had a bit of a teal sheen and was less dark than his armor. He wondered if this was due to a lack of oricalcum. As he made some practice swings with the weapon, Alistair felt its robustness and power.

"Of course, the weapon is self-repairing and soul-bound to you." She watched his practice swings, which displaced a lot of air, causing some of the lighter equipment in the room to flutter.

"Why is the Adamantine discolored?" Alistair asked curiously.

This elicited a surprised reaction from Resni, who had not expected him to be knowledgeable about metals.

"It's from an adamantine root," Resni explained further. "Lately, some groups have discovered sources of growing metals, significantly impacting market prices. The adamantine root, also known as 'dwarf candy' due to its teal color, offers quality almost identical to regular adamantine. It has become a common ingredient, replacing mined ore. I consulted with Nessyra first; she deemed the cost difference unworthy of using regular ore."

Examining the weapon, Alistair felt genuinely pleased with the result. The poleaxe was a considerable improvement, and the choice of grown adamantine over naturally occurring ore didn't bother him in the slightest. The craftsmanship and quality of the weapon were evident, and Alistair couldn't help but be impressed.

"This is amazing. I'm already itching to try it out," Alistair said absentmindedly as he twirled the weapon in his hand.

"I am glad to know my weapon is in good hands. If you ever have any work you wish done, don't hesitate to reach out to me," Resni said with a smile on her face.

Alistair nodded appreciatively, taking a moment to adjust to Resni's disparity in voice and appearance. He then shifted his focus to the smaller, more richly decorated chest resting on the counter. It had gold inlays creating waves and had a red gem inset over its lock.

"Ah yes, the chest is on the house. Let me know what you think," Resni said, anticipation evident in her tone.

Alistair picked up the small, adorned chest and opened it, examining its contents with a smile before closing the chest and storing it in his inventory.

"It's perfect. Thank you, Resni. I'll be back if I need something crafted. And as for the chest, I insist on paying for it as well," Alistair asserted, engaging in a brief back-and-forth with Resni before accepting her gift. He then transferred the owed amount of [USC] as payment for her craftsmanship.

Alistair said his goodbyes and made his way back outside, but as he reached the door, Resni called out to him. "Aren't you going to recruit me?" she asked, her tone uncertain.

Turning back to face her, Alistair looked mildly surprised. "We would be delighted to have you, but I don't believe in pressuring others into big decisions. I'm more than content to befriend you and continue benefiting from your exceptional craftsmanship through commissions," he replied honestly.

Alistair could see a conflicted expression on her bearded face. Her inner turmoil was evident, and Alistair decided to leave her be.

"If there is anything you need or wish to ask, feel free to contact me." He concluded as he waved and stepped back out into the bustling street.

Alistair had made a trip to Nessyra a few days earlier; she had obtained the measuring orbs he needed. He was pleasantly surprised as all his commonly used affinities were quite strong, and he even had a high affinity for luck. In the end, he spent a bit more time than he had expected with Nessyra talking about affinities and the importance of the measuring tools. His kinetic affinity was incredibly high, to the point that his measuring orb was not specialized enough to give an exact measurement. But it was enough for him to make his call about which affinity he would improve.

The tournament would start in a few hours, so Alistair decided to return to his study room as he wanted to cultivate and absorb his treasure in private. Riseth was not in his study, and Alistair presumed she was busy working on the Artemis or helping his brother. With Alistair's acquisition of a missile system, she had been quite busy trying to replicate and upscale it for the Artemis. As the Shuttle was more of a camouflaged transport craft, it lacked proper armaments, which she wanted to amend.

Alistair stood under the shade of his huge ginkgo tree, pulling out the unattuned affinity orb from his storage. He had asked almost everyone whose input he valued which affinity he should improve. Ultimately, he decided to follow his gut feeling as he directed his intent to imbue the orb with the affinity of luck. The white nebulous swirls turned golden as the whole orb flickered in a mixture of deep shades of green, bright red, and glimmering gold. After stabilizing, the orb sunk into his hand as if there was no resistance, and Alistair felt strange energies flow through him.

As fast as the feeling came, it vanished again as a chime rang out. Alistair had tried to sense the magic and any changes to his body but felt exactly the same. Had he wasted this treasure, as his luck affinity was already too high? Alistair worriedly checked his notification, which informed him that he had acquired a new skill.

Notifications: The Skill [Lucky] has been obtained.

Skills: Tier: Name: Description: [Unique] Lucky

Passively increases the user's luck affinity and further wards the user from misfortune by slightly affecting probability in his favor.

This skill is a racial skill obtained through unique means. The system bars upgrading or combining the skill through normal means.

Alistair read the skill several times over, and multiple things stood out to him. Was this skill his permanent boost to his luck affinity? Or was this the secondary hidden effect, and he lucked out by having multiple boosts to his luck affinity? Also, the skill description felt more like a trait rather than a skill. Though his windows were already getting kind of full with tabs, and he would benefit little from adding yet another category. He decided to leave it and just consider it a passive skill.