Late Afternoon - Mid Winter : Atlas, Bahamut

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"Well, now that I have eased the tension a bit, let's get to the matters at hand; there are a few things I would like to discuss."

Having finally eased my nerves, I gave Sir Atsáli a curious look. "Sure thing. What do you need?" -I need to get going, but I guess I need to wait on the medallion regardless...-

"For starters, could I see your ID? I'd like to work on the medallion while we talk. Hopefully, it shouldn't take long."

-Oh, perfect.- Without thinking much of it, I tossed it to him.

He snatched it out of the air with his aura immediately before looking it over and spinning it around. "This is some extremely high-grade Mythril you got. I will pay you more than you'd believe if you could tell me where to find some of it."

-To say that even while knowing I'm a Ragnarok...- Although it was true I could almost always create my own coins or even head to the Eastern Oasis or the Kingdom of Zan's old capital for a bit of money, such sources weren't viable for more considerable sums.

-Plus, this shouldn't take much work from me...- "I'll be sure to keep an eye out, but I expect to only be able to sell the mythril to you rather than point you to a location."

He immediately smiled. "I will gladly take anything you wish to sell to me, but keep in mind the cost solely depends on the grade."

"Of course." -Sweet... I can make some really high-grade stuff in my free time...-

*clack* Finally setting the ID back on the table, he turned and walked toward the colossal furnace, simultaneously using his aura to move several things around. *clink-clang-tsss-pop*

But even while doing dozens of things with his aura at the same time, he spoke exceptionally casually. "Out of curiosity, who made that sword under your wing?" He paused as he glanced back at it. "It's one of only a few weapons that I can't discern the technique used to create it."

"Ah, this old thing?" I quickly pulled it out and laid it on the table. *creaaak* "I made this a while back. Over time, I just made small changes to it, but after my recent growth, I plan to remake it entirely."

He immediately burst out laughing. "Haha, you made that yourself?! I truly deserved to be shamed for doubting your grandmother's praises!" Quickly picking it up with his aura, he moved it next to his head and inspected it closely. "Its balance is a bit off, and the material of the blade is a bit soft, but I can't find even the slightest imperfections within the metal itself... Do you mind if I ask how you made it?"

I immediately shrugged. "I just used mana. I took material from the air and ground, turned it into what I wanted, and pieced it together, starting with a frame and building it out in layers."

He gave me a look filled with both skepticism and curiosity. "But how does that work? This is clearly some extremely high-grade material. It shouldn't be possible to make anything remotely this strong using that method."

I tilted my head slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Even if I were to try and create a simple bar of this metal, it would crumble the moment I released it. The only way to make such a material hold is to contaminate it with other materials, but then it loses its purity and strength."

-Ah, is he referring to balancing molecules?- I took a moment to think of how to explain it before just going for it. -If he has gotten far enough to piece atoms together, he should be able to understand...- "Well, you see, when it comes to those tiny particles, they each have. . ."

It only took us a moment to get lost in conversation.

I gave him a quick rundown on atoms and molecules and showed him how to make higher-grade materials using carbon as a framework.

He was an exceptionally quick learner, even if his talent was far from rivaling Hera's.

Eventually, he got so interested that, when he started getting close to finishing the medallion, he began throwing offers at me to teach him more, such as becoming his disciple, him becoming my disciple, a bag of a few hundred platinum, then progressively larger sums all the way to a dozen royal gold coins.

But while the sum was unfathomable, I didn't end up caving into the pressure.

"Are you sure?" He reluctantly started cleaning up the freshly crafted medallion as he looked me in the eyes. "I can do anything you want. I can even be your servant if you wish."

"Haha," -I guess I should expect such curiosity from an ancient...- His requests made me feel a bit awkward, but it was also true that nothing bad would come from forming a connection with such an influential dragon. "How about this. You can send me a letter with up to 4 questions once per month. I will answer or explain whatever you wish me to, but it can only be using those questions."

He quickly pulled his head back and gave me a quizzical look before eventually smiling. "You truly aren't a child, no matter how I look at it." He seemed to like that though. "Alright, I can do that. I hope you don't expect easy questions!"

"Haha, of course not." -If the world of magic has really gone as stagnant and even backtracked as much as Hera says it has, I should make it start moving again.-

It was not a simple decision.

Getting the cogs of societal growth to turn again was something I had thought about over the course of several years, but as I was always happy with how things were, I never did anything. -Telling dragons how to make anything they wish would also be like opening pandora's box...-

But even though I still believed that to be the case, according to Hera, such an ability would be limited to older ancients and was a skill known and used throughout the Golden Era, even if their reasons for 'why' it worked weren't accurate. -If that's the case, maybe it won't be too bad... But just in case, I should probably introduce science to Siratha as well...-

"Well, I think this is all. Are you sure you want to leave your sword with me? You could easily sell it for at least a royal gold even if you sold it as raw material."

"Yeah, it's fine. I would rather give you an example to learn from."

His smile widened as he handed the medallion to me. "You would make a fine teacher; you should teach at the Acad-"

"Nope." I gave him an immediate, blunt response. "I have no interest in teaching the masses anything."

He quickly let out a sigh. "Haah, I thought I'd try... Well, in any case, I wish I could hold you here longer, but you look like you're ready to go."

I was quick to nod. "I think it's about time I get going."

There was a short moment of silence before he turned to me and lowered his head all the way to the ground. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to learn from you, even if it is not much."

"No worries!" -I'm just killing two birds with one stone.- "Before I go though, be sure to keep your eyes on the guards."

He raised his brow as he looked up at me.

"I just came from Akri, and the three ancients that guarded the space rune were traitors working with the Holy Kingdom; they were a real pain. If you want more details, you will have to ask Commander Méllon though. I don't know how much he wants to disclose."

His expression instantly turned sour. "So 'the ignorant' have finally started to move..." Somehow, he seemed well aware of the situation already. "Haah, well, thanks for telling me. Although I will have to talk to the guys in Akri about it, I will be sure to keep my eye out... Regardless, thank you for coming."

"Of course, it was my pleasure. I will look forward to your letter."

"Haha, of course."

We both quickly gave our goodbyes after that, finally parting ways after much discussion. -He's a good ally to have...-

As I walked back up the long ramp back to the surface, I had a lot on my mind, but once I saw the light through the windows of the dusty shop, my mind cleared. -Right.. it's time to finally go home...-

I was excited, excited beyond belief, but at the same time, I was nervous.

Quickly exiting the store and taking to the sky, I reoriented myself with the horizon and started flying to where Mother had told me the estate was several years prior.

However, it, unfortunately, still wasn't easy to find, and it took some asking around, but I managed to find it just before sunset.

-Woah...- The estate itself was considerably smaller than our previous estates, with much smaller fields and gardens around the main building.

But when comparing it to the surrounding area, being mostly comprised of dense buildings and streets, it truly stood out on a mind-blowing scale. -Even compared to the other noble estates, it really stands out...-

The building was clearly much older than almost anything nearby, but the old aesthetic looked incredibly good and made it pop even when surrounded by countless other lavish buildings and enormous estates. -Sometimes, I forget the position of the Whyte family...-

But that was enough gawking.

Quickly making my way down to the main entrance, I came face to face with two nearly 70-meter-tall ancients with bright white armor and artifacts with the Whyte Family insignia on them.

"Sir, onlookers aren't allowed in-"

I ripped out my medallion and threw it in front of his face instantly.

My chest was tight, and adrenaline was pumping through my veins as I looked at the estate through the tall metal gate.

Although it had only been a few years, so much had happened that I couldn't help but be nervous.

It only got worse when the knight looked at the medallion. "Ah, Sir Whyte! We were eagerly waiting for your arrival." Although he sounded like he didn't really believe it, he motioned to the other guard and had him open the gate.

*vwoop* *faint mumbling* *Ding!* The gate opened as several artifacts lit up around it.

The other guard was quick to speak as well. "The estate will be sending out a maid if you wish to wait for an escort, but regardless, we dearly hope you enjoy your st-"

*FWOOOOSH* Immediately darting through the gate and up to the door, the attention of everyone nearby locked on me.

But I truly could not have cared less.

"Hooh..." My anxiety only grew as I looked up at the handle of the colossal door. -Well.. it's now or never!-

Quickly moving my wing up to open the door, I had a short moment of hesitation.

But the world didn't care about a time for pause. *Click* The lock undid itself before I even touched it.

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Additional Notes:

Zachari Ragnarok - Vasilias’s Mother

Osto Ragnarok (Whyte) - Vasilias’s Father

Krystallo Ragnarok - Vasilias’s Sister

Maria - Krystallo’s Maid (From the Kingdom of Kaelallan Arc)

Chloe - Vasilias’s Maid

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