Chapter 610: Selection Ceremony (2)

The colossal stadium where the Meister Selection Ceremony was held.

Unlike the empty spectator stands, the VIP seats on the uppermost floor of the stadium were brightly lit.

In various spots throughout the warm VIP lounge, dozens of screens simultaneously displayed live feeds of the craftsmen at work.

More than a dozen individuals, in their own ways, observed the artisans. Among them were ordinary humans, but also a considerable number of cyborgs with full-body modifications and even robots that weren’t human at all.

“Is that the artisan the Enforcer faction recommended for this selection ceremony?”

Isabella bowed her head at the stiff voice from beside her.

“Yes, Committee Member Brahms.”

“Hmm…”

The stern-faced middle-aged man stroked his beard with a displeased expression.

His broad shoulders, impossible to hide even under his suit, and the glimpse of muscle beneath his shirt sleeves, hinted at his physique and level of training. The side of his face was entirely replaced with machinery, emitting a cold, metallic gleam.

Brahms, who had been watching Lennok fiddling with his hands at a workbench on a screen, finally spoke again.

“Disappointing.”

“……”

“Look at him, he can’t even properly lift a chunk of iron. He seems to lack physical strength. I’d rather have someone stubborn and foolish. To stand before a furnace all day, wouldn’t one need immense inner fortitude above all else?”

“We ensured fairness to meet the criteria as much as possible.”

Isabella replied without batting an eye.

“There will be no results that violate the rules of Ex Machina.”

“Are you trying to side with Machine Head now?”

Brahms asked, not bothering to hide his mocking tone.

Machine Head for the scholars. Steel Heart for the warriors. War Hammer for the artisans.

Among the three factions that divided Ex Machina, which spearheaded the Machine City, it was an undeniable fact that Isabella, an Enforcer, was closest to Steel Heart.

Committee Member Brahms, also of Steel Heart, was subtly ridiculing Isabella for trying to maintain neutrality despite her background.

“I didn’t just prepare him. The artisans chosen to achieve at least a minimum result in the selection ceremony have already…”

“I know you personally selected him just a few days before the ceremony.”

Isabella fell silent.

Brahms glanced at her, slowly stroking his chin.

“If he causes trouble, you’ll also have to bear the responsibility for it.”

“…Understood.”

Isabella maintained her composure, even seeing Uzart’s clenched fist beside her.

She understood that an emotional reaction would only give more fodder to the Steel Heart committee member.

After the failure of the Ascension Gate, Ex Machina had split into three factions.

Divided into Machine Head, Steel Heart, and War Hammer, the Enforcers, too, were gradually swept away by these currents, unable to resist them.

In this process, it was still undecided which side would ‘maintain’ this colossal Machine City in the right direction.

Yet, despite this, no one was unaware that it was the right thing to attract even one more skilled artisan and Meister to this city.

There was a reason why the Meister Selection Ceremony, once merely an honorary position, had become so grand.

“Hmm…”

But even as Brahms intimidated the Enforcer, the other Meisters filling the VIP seats paid him no mind.

Instead, one by one, the Meisters gathered forward, as if to push Brahms away from the screen.

“Ugh…! W-what’s going on?”

“Committee Member Brahms, please step aside for a moment. Can’t you see the screen properly?”

“That young man stands out quite a lot among the other artisans.”

Brahms, realizing that several of the Meisters participating as judges in this selection ceremony were watching Lennok, asked with a slightly flustered expression.

“You… you like that artisan’s skill?”

But even then, the Meisters answered Brahms’s question dismissively.

“Look at that. If your eyes are working properly, that is.”

“The selection ceremony has barely begun, and he keeps talking to the other artisans.”

As they said, Lennok on the screen was constantly conversing with other artisans near the workbench.

Every time Lennok spoke, the expressions of the artisans he faced were uniformly tinged with surprise, then slowly transformed into grudging acceptance.

And then, they began to move like workers in perfect unison, as if at Lennok’s beckoning.

At Lennok’s sight, instantly commanding more than four artisans as his own workers, Committee Member Brahms too fell silent, an inexpressible look on his face.

“Isn’t it interesting? To gain the cooperation of artisans in such a short time.”

“Committee Member Brahms knows very well how proud and obsessed with their own results artisans are when they participate in a selection ceremony.”

Several Meisters stroked their chins with intrigued expressions.

“The deadline is already tight, and due to their strong pride, these individuals who barely cooperate even without regulations are voluntarily stepping forward to help a young man like him. Aren’t you curious about his ingenuity?”

“Hmm…”

The fact that the Meister Selection Ceremony had no regulations other than submitting results on time was not to encourage cooperation or assistance among artisans.

It was due to the extremely tight schedule, barely enough to manage one’s own submission, and the immense pride of artisans participating in the selection ceremony.

And the pressure that senior artisans, already excelling beyond them, were watching the process closely as they judged.

Even without such regulations, most artisans fully understood that organized collaboration was pointless.

But Lennok, knowing this, spoke to other artisans as if it were natural, persuading them and gaining their cooperation.

This must have been because the meaning of the words Lennok uttered conveyed something to them that transcended the tight schedule and pressure.

“It’s a shame the microphone performance isn’t good enough. I wish I could hear even a fragment of what he said to persuade them.”

“Look at that. At first, he seemed to be getting an explanation about iron ore, but now he’s actually selecting metals for other artisans instead.”

Lennok, initially appearing to receive help from the artisans, then began to teach and assist the cooperating artisans in turn.

The more ironic part was that even in this busy situation, the artisans quietly listened to Lennok’s explanations, nodded, and moved to find the metals they needed.

“Look closely at what material Artisan Lyman is handling.”

One of the relatively younger Meisters kindly pointed to the screen and explained.

“It’s the shape-memory alloy, Foldring. A metal that can only be handled if one knows how to manipulate, maintain, and adjust the mana flow within its structure. It’s a new material developed by the Black Palace Workshop less than a month ago, with no information whatsoever disclosed to the public.”

“……”

“It’s a material difficult to even touch unless one is an artisan with naturally high sensitivity. That artisan recognized that and chose to process that metal.”

“Foldring is one of the future metals expected to be responsible for miniaturizing and lightening artifact components. That’s because simply designating and maintaining its mana-induced deformation and restoration forms requires considerable skill.”

At the far end of the VIP seats, conversations among Meisters gradually began to draw attention.

“There are a few materials in the world that command attention and interest just by knowing how to handle them.”

“It’s like half the battle is won just by knowing what you’re good at. His eye for choosing metals alone should be considered more than qualified.”

Watching the screens watched by various VIPs switch to Lennok’s feed, Brahms quickly cleared his throat.

“Ahem, of course, I intend to respect the Meisters’ judgment, but giving extra points based solely on keen observation…”

“……”

As Brahms struggled to continue speaking, Lennok left the workbench and immediately began to move.

“Oh, has he finished making all his tools already?”

“His speed is much faster than expected.”

“Good. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of item he’ll create… Hmm?”

The eyes of the Meisters, who had been watching Lennok approach the display cases with interest, widened.

Lennok had audaciously passed the display cases filled with materials and metalworks for equipment crafting, heading directly to the display cases piled with broken equipment and artifacts.

‘Outsource the creation field.’

That was the first conclusion Lennok reached upon understanding the principles of the Meister Selection Ceremony.

‘I’m an amateur when it comes to metallurgy, and I lack the skill or strength to handle metal. Making useful equipment from mere chunks of iron isn’t something I can do.’

Though he was playing the role of an artisan, Lennok’s abilities were far from the virtues a superhuman in the crafting field should possess.

Of course, using his intuition and sensitivity as a wizard who had reached the pinnacle, he could somehow mimic and learn an artisan’s metallurgy.

But what meaning would that have in this competition, which was for selecting a Meister?

Simply knowing how to handle iron and craft equipment was useless.

This selection ceremony required outstanding achievements in three fields befitting the title of Meister.

Therefore, Lennok had boldly decided to hand over the results of the equipment creation field to other artisans and focus on the maintenance and modification fields.

‘I’ve decided what to modify in the modification field. The problem is what equipment to maintain…’

Modification and maintenance, at first glance, seemed to have similar processes, but their goals were vastly different.

If modification was about improving existing equipment performance or altering the functional direction of the equipment itself, then maintenance was closer to restoring broken equipment to its original state.

Just as Lennok had modified Isabella’s mana amplification device, maintenance could sometimes be more difficult than modification, depending on what equipment one was working on.

It was a simple task, but that meant choosing the equipment carefully.

Fortunately, the broken equipment displayed for maintenance submissions each had a score sheet, making it easier for Lennok to make a judgment.

‘Mana Dispersion Mirror Ball. Maintenance score 56 points. Not difficult, but I need a higher score if I exclude the creation score.’

Lennok walked through the stadium, quickly passing by the display cases, lost in thought.

‘Spirit-Vision Scope. It’s hard to fix unless I adjust and replace the lens magnification one by one, but the score is only 65 points… Wrong.’

Beyond that, Lennok boldly moved deeper into the display cases, examining high-scoring equipment he might be able to handle.

Interrogation Focusing Circuit Cannon. A high score of 82 points, with relatively vague problems. On hold for now.

Triple-Fold Medium Piston. The cause of the joint damage was clear, but the hassle of having to craft the necessary parts directly for maintenance. 77 points. Out of consideration.

Small Mana Fusion Reactor. A staggering 94 points. However, the technology required to craft this equipment had never been publicly disclosed.

Equipment with clear issues that Lennok could maintain with his knowledge had low scores or required too much time.

High-scoring equipment was mostly severely broken, or the prerequisite knowledge and technical barriers for maintenance were very high.

Lennok, deep in thought, ceaselessly swept past the display cases, screwdriver in hand, until his steps halted at the mana emanating from deep within one of them.

“…An artifact?”

Near the deepest display cases in the stadium, not just mere mechanical devices, but artifacts were lined up.

Even in their broken and damaged state, the artifacts clearly exuded distinct mana.

Unlike complex mechanical devices, they often took the form of simple necklaces or accessories.

[Clive’s Necklace. 112 points.]

[Arolbain’s Despair. 125 points.]

[Artificial Stellar Lightning Globe. 138 points.]

Unlike the somewhat intuitive names of mechanical devices, these names were vague and conceptual.

Among them, some artifacts had taken the form of mechanical devices, but many others did not.

Not many artisans had come to this particular display case to look at the equipment, but every one of them had intensely sharp eyes.

Perhaps these were the artisans who truly had the skill to contend for the Meister title in this selection ceremony.

Amidst the sharp gazes, seemingly wary of Lennok who had arrived late, Lennok walked through the display cases and stopped before the items in the innermost display case.

Within this vast and extravagant stadium, it formed an overwhelmingly large and massive mountain of discarded treasures, far greater than any other display case.

Before this mountain of items in the display case, which had neither score sheets nor even proper names, fewer than ten artisans merely lingered.

“This is…”

“You’d better give up, young man.”

As Lennok muttered blankly, a gentle voice from behind him dissuaded him.

An old man with a kindly appearance and a bent back looked up at him intently.

“If you don’t want to foolishly squander the few chances you have, don’t touch anything over there.”

“…Why not?”

“You see those pieces of equipment there? They don’t even have proper names or scores written on them, do they?”

The old man nodded with an indifferent, dismissive air.

“They’re treasures from the Heart-Star Vault, where the Machine City stores its most valuable and ancient relics. Rumor has it that even active Meisters can’t touch them.”

“……”

“Putting aside other sections, this space is prepared for artisans aiming for a Meister title in the maintenance field. If you fix something unfixable, that alone will earn you recognition and a high score.”

The old man lowered his voice slightly and looked around as he continued.

“I saw you handling the Foldring alloy. You don’t need to push yourself too hard; once the selection ceremony is over, workshops will come to recruit you on their own. Don’t be reckless, and wait patiently.”

Had he seen Lennok making other artisans work like subcontractors to manipulate various metals?

The old man seemed to already know what kind of metal Lennok had handled and chosen during that process.

But instead of meekly nodding to the old man’s persuasion, Lennok stared intently at his attire.

“You…”

The moment the old man slightly raised his shoulder, uncomfortable with Lennok’s gaze, Lennok spoke.

“You’re wearing a wristwatch.”

“Hmm?”

“Artisans undergoing creation or modification processes, unlike maintenance, usually don’t wear anything on their arms. It interferes with intense work.”

Before the old man could respond, Lennok spoke again.

“Looking at the state of your collar, you’re wearing a shirt that’s as good as new, but one shoulder is severely wrinkled. That implies you haven’t moved for quite a long time in a tilted posture…”

Lennok said, then subtly shifted his gaze.

“Considering the time the selection ceremony started, it seems you’ve barely moved from this spot since the event began.”

“……”

As the old man was left speechless, Lennok, who had been continuously looking around, walked forward without hesitation.

“If you’ve been working diligently without moving from the innermost display case in the stadium, yet also keeping a close eye on what I was doing from thousands of meters away, there’s only one possibility.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about at all…”

The old man’s casually feigned innocence stopped dead the moment Lennok unhesitatingly pulled out a long object from the innermost display case.

A beautiful telescope, emitting a brilliant rainbow light.

As if to reveal at a glance that it was no ordinary precious artifact, it cast a unique glow even in the dimly lit stadium.

“An item with the performance to see thousands of meters away from a seated position. And wasn’t that what you were repairing, an item from this very display case?”

Lennok smiled, stroking the telescope he held in his hand.

“It turns out you were an artisan, just like me, aiming for success in the maintenance field.”

“…Put that down, while I’m being nice.”

Only then did the old man’s true colors show, his face sinking into a grim expression.

“Were you trying to suitably persuade me to leave and reduce your competition?”

“Pabayah’s Far-Sight Telescope is not something a young artisan like you should touch carelessly.”

“The old man replied, shaking his head as if he had no choice. “I just didn’t want to see an inexperienced artisan like you foolishly mess up this space and disrupt my work.”

“……”

Did he notice Lennok’s approach and return the telescope to the display case, not wanting even other artisans to realize he was after the Far-Sight Telescope?

While Lennok couldn’t empathize with such persistent obsession, he understood the old man’s intention in offering advice and feigning ignorance.

The ancient artifact known as Pabayah’s Far-Sight Telescope.

Lennok lightly performed mana synchronization to complete an internal scan, then nodded.

“It’s an object used to adjust the lens magnification across different spatial axes and gaze into rifts in non-existent space.”

“…What?”

Lennok smiled, looking at the old man, who stared back at him with more surprise than ever before.

“It’s an item that would be difficult to even consider repairing unless one was an Ancient Species, born from an Imaginary Dimension and capable of walking a tightrope between spaces. It’s certainly not something I should touch.”

“Th-that’s right. I don’t know how you knew that, but just quietly…!!”

“However, I can at least attempt to maintain it so that no one else can repair it.”

Perhaps he was convinced that Lennok wasn’t making empty boasts, knowing the principles of the Far-Sight Telescope?

The old man’s face crumbled, pitifully easily.

“N-no… Please don’t do that… To get my hands on that Far-Sight Telescope, I’ve spent such a long time…!!”

“Then, will you help me with a treasure hunt in this display case?”

“…Treasure hunt?”

Before answering, Lennok reached into the innermost display case where he stood and pulled out a broken spear shaft.

“This spear fragment. It’s an artifact imbued with Dorye’s mana. And the mana concentration is quite strong.”

“……”

“This display case holds a portion of the treasures the Machine City has collected and preserved for a very long time.”

Lennok shook the Far-Sight Telescope at the silent old man and asked,

“Wouldn’t it be a great loss for an artisan to choose an item to repair without even examining all the items gathered here?”

Lennok had no interest in Pabayah’s Far-Sight Telescope, which the old man had been trying to repair from the start.

That’s why Lennok had turned the old man’s weakness against him, intending to have him investigate the relics piled in this display case instead.

At a glance, the old man seemed to be an artisan who had participated in the selection ceremony aiming for Pabayah’s Far-Sight Telescope multiple times. It was highly likely he knew a lot about the relics displayed in the case.

Only belatedly did the old man understand Lennok’s words, faintly furrowing his brow and sighing.

“…I’ve really picked the wrong one. Fine. But the possibility of a valuable relic existing in such a display case, yet being in a good enough state to be repaired, isn’t very high.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Lennok said, quietly reaching into his pocket and pulling out a jet-black cube.

The cube continuously changed its shape, transforming as if blossoming from within its form.

“Because it definitely exists. We just need to find it.”

The Penteract, an intermediary artifact received as a gift from Myeong, with the ability to inject mana and randomly reproduce results from other spatial axes, was reacting in front of this display case for the first time in a long while.