The next day, Richard went to the forge  which was located nearly at the same ce as the base floor.


    For some reason he was being ignored by other prisoners...maybe because they got the word that someone from the administration came to meet him? Might be possible.


    But, well, he didn''t build any connection on this floor, so he didn''t particrly mind their behaviour.


    "Woah..." Entering the chamber, Richard was surprised to see the difference between the forge on this floorpared to the one back on the base floor.


    The workshop where Richard has to remould swords is a small, enclosed space, filled with the warmth of burning coal. The forge sits at the centre, its mes glowing bright, casting light around the room. In front of the forge is a sturdy anvil, marked with years of use.


    Tools like hammers, tongs, and chisels hang neatly on the walls, ready to be used. Nearby, arge grinding wheel waits to sharpen the swords once they''re shaped. Buckets of water sit close by for cooling the hot metal. The room is simple but equipped with everything Richard needs for his task.


    There were more tools for the smithy and enough space for Richard to lie down from time to time to rx. There was fresh drinking water avable as well, along with a small cabin if Richard wanted to rest for a few minutes.


    ''This surely is not the original design of the forge...'' He could tell, that the administration was trying to provide him with facilities so that Richard could spend as much time as he could in this ce.


    "I wish they would add a lunch counter as well..." Heaving a sigh, he rolled his sleeve and drank a potion which he bought from tokens.


    Yes, this floor has a potion shop.


    Wearing an apron he picked a sword which was bent in a ''L''. It was fairly easy to remould swords which are awkwardly bent.


    Going through the same process which he recently learned, he first raised the temperature of the metal by several folds and brought it upon the anvil. He never felt the need for safety goggles, so he went on with hammering the sword back in shape.


    His eyes carefully calcted the heat required at regr intervals to keep the de hot enough to adapt to changes but not lose its form.


    *Thump* *Thump* *Thump*


    Hammer hitting the de which was now returning to its original shape, sounded like a harmonious melody to his ears. He loves the way his craftsmanship allowed a wasted piece of metal to regain its formal glory.


    Once he was satisfied with the shape and length he dipped the whole weapon inside water while holding its handle.


    mes no longer burn him as much and truth be told, this whole process was quiteforting.


    Once the de cooled down, Richard brought it to sharpen.


    The grinding wheel wasrge and worn from years of use, turned by a wooden crank. Richard settled the sword carefully, angling the de just right. With a firm press of his foot, he began to turn the crank, the stone wheeling to life with a steady, low hum.


    Sparks flew as the edge of the sword met the spinning stone, casting flickers of light into the workshop. Richard''s hands moved with practised precision, guiding the de along the wheel''s coarse surface. The rough grind smoothed away any remaining imperfections, slowly honing the sword into a sharp, deadly edge.


    It took him exactly eight minutes and a usable sword was in his hold.


    Richard inspected the sword he just forged, trying to discern what actually made them so interested in him.


    Holding the sword with both hands, Richard tried to swing it—only to halt when a familiar person entered the forge,


    "I would not rmend you doing that," It was ze once again, who mysteriously appeared before Richard.


    "Why do you say so? Not like I will damage your equipment or anything..." He nonchntly said. Richard has trained with swords in the past so he can fairly manage it.


    However, ze had a different opinion, as he slowly extended his hand toward the sword and said, "Generally, nothing much would happen with a simple swing. However, "As he said, suddenly the backside of the forge was parted and a massive hall came into view.


    Richard watched in awe at how precisely time-space magic was manipted to change the structure of the Endless Hold.


    ze stepped toward and held the sword with both hands, as he said, "But if you know the trick,"


    Without warning, ze swung the sword with a swift, powerful motion. The air around the de seemed to ripple as it sliced downward. In an instant, a fiery burst of energy erupted from the de, creating a massive vertical sh in the air. Moltenva spewed forth from the crack, flowing like a river of fire.


    The ground shook as theva hit the concrete surface, melting it on contact. Cracks formed and spread, the molten liquid tearing through the solid ground with ease. The once firm floor crumbled, dissolving into fiery rubble as the heat continued to rise, smoke billowing upward.


    With a smirk, ze finished, "...you can do much damage to whatever is in front of you."


    Richard looked at the scene with his mouth parted agape.


    He, not even in his wildest dreams, could have thought that he would end up making such a monstrous thing with his mere one-week experience.


    ze stepped forward and rested the tip of the de on the ground.


    Looking at Richard he asked, "Do you know about weapon infusion or enchantment?"


    Richard slowly nodded, "Yeah...I had those back in the Duchy." The metal batons, to be precise.


    "Yes, you must have one. Given the rarity of those tools I can expect only the Duchess to get her hands on one."


    Taking a long breath, ze said, "This process involves imbuing a weapon with mystical properties, enhancing its abilities beyond the limits of mere steel or wood. You can add magic to a needle and make it more deadly than a scythe."


    "I am aware, but why are you telling me that?" Richard asked.


    "Because you, my friend, just enchanted not only this but many other swords without even realizing."


    Richard raised his brows. It''s not like he wasn''t expecting that response, but still, it was baffling to know that he learned magic imbuing without any prior training or exnation on how it''s done.


    ze added, "Only a few selected dwarves from ancient times were able to add magical elements to their weapons, and they seldom sold them to anyone. That''s why there are so few enchanted weapons in existence as of now."


    "True...and those which are avable are expensive enough to make one spend all their life worth of fortune."


    ze nodded, as he said, "You have a gift for enchantment, Richard. And that''s what makes you so special. Continue to build more weapons, and don''t limit yourself due to any reason."


    Gesturing toward the forge, he said, "This is your yground so let loose and show what you have-"


    "Where is the prisoner?"


    ze blinked in confusion and awkwardness, being interrupted like this.


    He allowed his hand to return to his side before inviting Richard, "Come with me,"


    Outside the chamber, a single prisoner could be seen currently kneeling on the floor with his face covered with a ck fabric.


    Richard''s left hand was enveloped in mes, as wordlessly he stepped forward and stabbed the man in the chest, making his death as quick as possible.


    There was no fighting back, and the strangest part was that the other prisoners, who were having lunch just a few meters away, seemed like they didn''t even notice theirrade getting killed just now.


    Richard nced at the death counter, and fortunately, it went up by one.


    Richard heaved a sigh and got back up. Fortunately, there was no trickery in this.


    Although this method was like a cheat shortcut, if he could reduce the time of returning back home through this, then Richard was not going to ask for anything else.


    "Anything would you like to ask orin about before I leave?" ze asked, to which Richard said,


    "If possible arrange a lunch-"


    "Ah, it''s already there." ze pointed inside the chamber.


    Richard turned around, and indeed, there was a familiar window for food ordering that could be seen.


    "Than-" Just the moment he turned around to thank the man, he found that there was no one standing there.


    Richard shrugged and returned to the forge.


    Washing his face with freshwater he turned towards the bunch of swords piled up in a corner as he muttered,


    "Let my imagination go wild huh..."


    If he can really enchant his weapon then what if he makes something from the scratch?


    But there was something that kept him bothered since yesterday.


    For what do they want these many deadly weapons? What are they nning?


    ----------*---------


    A/N:- We will see a time skip in next chapter. Thanks for reading.