I Regressed to My Ruined Family – 88

 #I returned, and my family was ruined (89)

That was when it happened.

The bald old man’s eyes lit up, and he said urgently.

“The branch of the World Tree…! Duke! May I touch it just once?”

The branch of the World Tree.

It was one of the catalysts that magicians dreamed of.

Simply smelling its fragrance was said to purify the mana within one’s body.

When used as a material for artifacts, it had the incredible effect of increasing the overall “harmony” of the finished product, thereby raising the item’s grade.

It was a treasure worthy of being used as a material for a divine sword. It was no wonder that Melaisis’ eyes had popped out of her head.

“Tsk. Old man, act your age. I’m embarrassed to be seen with you.”

“…It’s not just any branch, it’s a branch of the World Tree! Aren’t you even curious about it?”

“I’m telling you to behave yourself. And so what if it’s a treasure? It’s just an item whose power is almost gone.”

Melaisis flinched and poured mana into her eyes, then glared at him.

Just as Ilia had said, the inside of the handle was a mess.

The bald old man’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“How… how did the branch of the World Tree end up like this…?”

“It seems to have been completely destroyed during the Dragon Clan War.”

“So it was the hilt of that divine sword that summoned us?”

“Yes. I plan to find a separate branch to restore the hilt. However, the metal used to make the blade is a problem.”

“Metal…?”

“Ardenhite, known as the metal of the gods. Do you happen to know where to find it?”

“…

The two magicians fell silent.

Ardenhite.

It was a metal that was now only known through stories. It had last been discovered in the Western Continent over two hundred years ago.

But that was only for a short time.

Ilya tilted her head and asked.

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“Grand Duke. No, Duke.”

“Go on.”

“Is it really necessary to use that metal to restore the divine sword?”

“Huh?”

“The world is rapidly advancing. The same goes for the field of metals. Ardenhite? Of course, I admit that it is an excellent metal, but…”

“Even the emperor of the Xenon Empire, which is said to be the strongest country, probably doesn’t have much of it. No, even the emperor may not have any. As this old fool says, there’s no need to use that metal…”

“You!”

“Ouch. Are you angry?”

Ilya smiled back at Melaisis, who was grinning slyly.

“No, I’m not angry. If you get angry, you’ll lose your hair, and that would be troublesome.”

“What… what?”

He spoke to the two who had begun to bicker.

“Both of you, stop.”

At his words, the bald old man and the girl stopped arguing.

Ethan looked at Ilia and asked.

“Are you saying there’s something that can replace the metal of the gods?”

“Yes. Of course, if you expect it to have the same performance as the Ardenhite that has been passed down by word of mouth, that would be difficult.”

“How effective do you think it is?”

“Hmm… Considering the efficacy of the metal of the gods as passed down by word of mouth… About half? But it’s much easier to obtain. If you have enough money, that is.” It was interesting.

Ardenhite.

Even Ethan didn’t know where or how it was discovered.

“Half.”

Even if it was only half as effective.

It was important to know what it was compared to.

Nephrion.

It was also a useful metal, but it was far below the metal Ilia was talking about.

“What is the name of the metal?”

“It is a Menerian alloy. It is an alloy made by mixing thirty metals, and it is quite effective.”

“On the continent, the only metals superior to this are Adamantium and Ardenite, which is one step above it. It’s that good of a metal.”

Menerian alloy.

It was a metal I had never even heard of in my previous life.

It seemed likely that it was a metal that had been created as a result of the past being turned upside down.

“Do you know where to find it?”

“The Kingdom of Amelia. It’s sold in the dwarves’ stronghold.”

“However, it’s not sold every time. It’s auctioned off in limited quantities every year. Sometimes it’s not sold at all.”

What was needed was time and money.

At least it was much better than not even knowing how to obtain the metal of the gods.

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“That’s fine.”

“Yes. If we mix in the old man’s raw material enhancement magic, we can increase its power by not just half, but 60% to 70% at best.”

“Of course… We’ll need a dwarf who can properly smelt the metal I enhance.”

“We have a dwarf.”

Melaise tilted her head at his words.

“Do you know any dwarves? An ordinary blacksmith won’t do. Menerian alloy requires a high level of skill to work with.”

“How about the royal blacksmith of Haidern?”

“The royal blacksmith…”

Melaisis pondered.

As a magician who strengthened metals, he had met many blacksmiths.

Judging from his experience,

“I think it will work. A dwarf of that caliber would be quite skilled…”

The blacksmith had passed. There was also a magician who could engrave the circuit.

Ilia.

“The god of blacksmiths and the god of magic.”

They couldn’t be real gods.

They were probably just people with extraordinary skills.

“It would be difficult to follow all the oral traditions anyway.”

Restore the perfect divine sword itself?

If he proceeded with that plan, he might end up traveling around for more than ten years to restore the divine sword.

Instead of the god’s metal, use an alloy.

Instead of the god of blacksmiths, use Poporen.

Instead of the god of magic, use Ilia.

“That should be a suitable substitute.”

After restoring more than half of it, the most reasonable method would be to gradually obtain the complete materials and improve the performance of the divine sword.

“That would be much more useful than the Nefron Greatsword.”

Right now, it was difficult to keep the white flame burning for long, but that would change with time.

There were gauntlets and greaves engraved with Ilia’s spells, but…

“It would be difficult to maintain the temperature of the white flame for long.”

Thanks to his rapid growth, he needed better weapons.

“Ilia.”

“Did you call me?”

“Is there anything that can replace the branches of the World Tree?”

“Hmm… That’s difficult. The branches are responsible for overall ‘harmony.’ There is a substitute, but if you use it, you must be prepared for the quality of the finished product to decline significantly.”

“I see.”

I was hoping.

Unfortunately, it seemed difficult to find a substitute for the branch.

“The World Tree.”

It was a tree cultivated by the elf tribe. However, there weren’t many of them.

Even in his previous life, there were only five trees in the entire West Continent.

“Maybe there are some left in the Torran Mountains.”

The Torran Mountains.

It was a large mountain range located in the south of the western continent, where a large elf tribe had lived.

However, he couldn’t rely solely on his past memories.

Even the dwarves had moved their tribes and established their own kingdom.

“Did the elves establish a kingdom too?”

“That closed-off race? Even if they are the same race, they go to war with each other if they are from different tribes. How could they have done that?”

It seemed that the elves were continuing their tribal life as before.

That was when it happened.

Ilya asked with sparkling eyes.

“Are you looking for the elves?”

“Yes.”

“Hmph! I know the location of one of their large tribes.”

“What? You know where the elves are? How?”

“Do you think I’m just like you, with no friends? I’ve already established friendly relations with the elves. It’s not strange to call them friends.”

“…Wow. That’s amazing.”

“Now you realize how great I am?”

“You have friends… Miracles do exist in this world! From today on, I will make offerings to the gods.”

“Hmph. If you’re jealous, just say so… Anyway, you’re just jealous.”

“Old man, I’m sorry, but I have many friends. I can’t even count them all on both hands. How about you? Do you have any friends other than elves?”

Gasp!

Ilia trembled.

Instead of answering,

she turned her head sharply toward Ethan.

“Duke. If you are looking for an elf, it would be best to accompany me.”

“The tribe with the World Tree?”

“That’s what it was when I last saw it.”

“I see.”

Ilia was on friendly terms with the elves.

If he traveled with her, he would be able to find the tribe and obtain the branches peacefully instead of cutting them down.

“A large tribe would surely have a World Tree.”

The World Tree was a tree that each of the great elven tribes raised.

“When shall we depart?”

“In about a week.”

The duchy was not yet completely stabilized. In addition, there was still the joint training schedule for the knights.

A week was necessary for preparation.

Ilia nodded.

“I will make thorough preparations. Oh, right, the elves are located in the Torran Mountains.”

“Yes.”

Ethan nodded.

* *

After the conversation with the two magicians ended.

Ethan sat in his chair and continued his thoughts.

“There is a way to obtain a branch of the World Tree.”

Not only did Ilia know the elves, but Ethan also knew something about their habitat.

We can get the branches from the mountain range.

The mage and the blacksmith were already prepared.

The biggest problem was the Menarian alloy. We need enough alloy to make a great sword.

According to the two magicians, the price was…

“Between 8,000 and 10,000 platinum coins.”

It was an unimaginable price. If the skills were equal, the better the weapon, the higher the chance of victory.

That was why each country provided astronomical amounts of money to high-ranking knights for the cost of weapons.

The strength of the knights was equivalent to the strength of each kingdom.

“This is difficult.”

The amount to be received from the Seven Kingdoms and the platinum coins accumulated so far.

The amount was considerable.

It was close to six thousand platinum coins.

However.

“Using this for weapons is not a good choice.”

This was the development fund for the duchy. He couldn’t possibly give up the development of the duchy just to replace a single weapon.

But he couldn’t give up on restoring the new sword either.

“I need someone who can buy it for me.”

Someone who was friendly to him, had a lot of money, and had the power to participate in the Dwarf Kingdom’s auction.

There was only one person who came to Ethan’s mind.

Viscount Bloten.

Just as Ethan was thinking about the viscount,

a commotion could be heard from outside. Soon, a familiar voice echoed through the office.

“Duke. May I come in?”

Ethan’s eyes lit up.

Because it was the exact same voice.

“How convenient.”

He had just been thinking about the marquis.

It was as if he knew and had come here himself.

“Come in.”

Soon, the door opened.

The Marquis of Bloten appeared.