Orario and balance 2.292

Viggo in his last days off gathered Semiramis, his mother and father. The four of them were in the second-floor library with long life-varnished bookshelves filled with books. The walls and roof were white while the frames of the doors and windows were a light blue colour, all with the theme of emulating the white sand beach and the sea.

The armchairs were the same, a natural varnished wooden support, the base of the armchair white and fluffy cushions of light blue and white. Semiramis and Viggo were seated in a three-body armchair on the left side while Hephaestus and Kain on the right side.

Semiramis wore a white chiton with gold edges while her long dark hair was neat in a ponytail. Beside him, Viggo was wearing the black noble clothes with white embroidery. On the other hand, Kain and Hephaestus dressed the same. She with white blouse, tight pants, and black boots. Kain with white shirt and black pants.

—I gathered them here to talk about business, they are my parents, but they are also the main blacksmiths of Orario— said Viggo, raising his hands at the height of his ribs and showing the palm of his hands in a gesture of sincerity. There was another blacksmith god in Orario, but he was not related to Viggo and did not have dealings with him at any time, so it could be said that he did not care about that god.

Semiramis smiled looking at him from the side with his graceful yellow iris eyes, oval face, and sophisticated look. On the other side, Kain and Hephaestus sitting in front listened to their son. Kain looked at the little glass table separating them, saw a glass of juice and drank it. Hephaestus next to him lightly patted his leg, and Kain raised his eyebrows in a gesture of confusion.

Viggo continually —I have taken the knowledge of another realm and with my resources I have studied it. To reach the optimal blacksmithing level you will need at least ten more years—

—And you won't occupy the paintings or the famous throne for that, will you?— interrupted Semiramis, giving him a meaningful look that was more than anything, a warning. She was too aware of the great changes that Viggo had had after using such elements. He practically matured and grew so mentally that he became unrecognizable.

—I'm not going to occupy them— Viggo said with a sly smile. Semiramis frowned but nodded. Viggo looked at his parents and continued —but the fact is that through chemical formulas you can improve the consistency of existing metals and I can also extract a metal called vibranium—

Hephaestus immediately frowned understanding where the conversation was headed. Beside her, Kain carried his huge hand and put it on her knee. Hephaestus looked at him and Kain gave her a meaningful look as if instructing her to be patient.

—The fact is the following: What is the feasibility of incorporating these chemical processes at this time?—

Hephaetus crossed her right leg over her left and said —How much is the metal improvement?—

—With a meticulous process done by someone who understands science, thirty percent— replied Viggo.

—Does that mean that even though you will have a monopoly on the manufacture of this chemical, you also need a specialist in the process?—

—It's like all forging processes, you need to understand the process of what you're doing—

—When did you become so good at blacksmithing as to talk like that?— asked Hephaestus —as far as I remember the last time you studied with your father was more than a year ago. You and Tatsumi tempered snakes instead of swords—

—Mother, I have been studying it for the past ten days with the help of the elements—

Semiramis reacted immediately and slapped him on the shoulder —you promised me you wouldn't use those things, but you lied to me. Why? Why?! —

—Because it is necessary— said Viggo, covering himself with his arms —I was only studying blacksmithing on the throne of the sovereign, it does not affect my physical body, I did not grow old—

Semiramis stopped hitting him and gave him a dissatisfied look —the two of us are going to have a long conversation— she muttered in a scathing tone of voice. She looked away and folded her arms.

Viggo hugged her by the hip, but she pushed him away in an annoyed state. Viggo let out a sigh and looked at his parents —well, what I've told you is what it is— he said —we can improve the strength of the armor. I can produce such a chemical that is made through a meticulous process. Armor will be more flexible and durable—

—Can you only affect the armor?— asked Hephaestus.

—Yes, now only to the armor, but that is already a great advance. In five more months, it could affect the durability of the weapons. That means they will lose their edge less often and there will be less danger of them breaking—

Kain raised his hand interrupting the mother and son. They looked at him, Viggo nodded and Kain said —first, your concern comes from the damage it can do to the economy, right?— Viggo nodded, and Kain continued —in that case, how much of that chemical can you produce? Could others produce it? Are you at risk of having the formula stolen?—

Viggo smiled and denied —at least considering that you and mom are the best blacksmiths in Orario, I doubt anyone will be able to imitate this chemical anytime soon. It is made with a runic process and a series of foreign-made machines. The dwarves of this world are skilled, but they cannot be compared with those of Svartálfaheim—

—That sounds interesting— Kain said with a broad smile.

—I won't teach you— said Viggo —this is something of mine and I don't plan to share it with others. If you want you can try to unravel the secrets of the chemicals, but it's my only advantage against you as a blacksmith—

Kain chuckled and nodded amused. Viggo could be an adult, in addition to being a father and husband, but he was still a child who does not want to be in the shadow of his parents. Kain didn't take it personally, everyone has their own tricks and Viggo would need his own in the future.

—I understand— said Kain —but you haven't answered, how much can you produce?—

—For now, I can only consider myself a beginner blacksmith, I lack a lot, a lot of practice, so at most ten kilos. Which would help strengthen about three armors—

Hephaestus and Kain felt relieved. A chemical that could make armor more flexible and durable was already a change. If it was mass-produced it risked disrupting the entire economy of Orario, but in those quantities it can only be considered insignificant. Hephaestus herself who was constantly doing work for the great adventurers could sell it as an extra by explaining the benefits and selling her armor at a higher price. Thirty percent more durability means that high-level adventurers had thirty percent better chance of surviving. Those kinds of people wouldn't mind paying a little more for that advantage, the problem was coming for when Viggo could produce the chemical in large quantities.

—Ok, let's do this— Hephaestus said —I'll buy the chemical and in return you'll teach me and Tsubaki how to do the process. You will not sell it to anyone else and when you can produce it in large quantities, we will also talk about Goibniu, surely, he loves your new addition to the Orario blacksmith shop. Finally, when you can produce weapons and armor on your own, you will sell them under my name—

—I don't plan to share my blacksmith shop with this world, at most I create a weapon or armor for my family, but that's it— replied Viggo. Kain and Hephaestus stared at him in confusion. Viggo continued —the truth is, I'm not going to have time for those things. Right now, I'm talking about this business with you because I need money if I want to move forward with the projects I have in mind—

Kain and Hephaestus let out a sigh when they heard their son. They were blacksmiths by profession, they were proud of their work and even Kain was wary of making weapons for some adventurer with the slogan "my weapons are not for novices". Now that their son was showing interest in blacksmithing, they expected him to dedicate himself to the profession, they really wanted to teach him all their knowledge, but none of that would happen.

—Well, whatever— Kain said —I had prepared this for you a long time ago but giving it to you now won't hurt you— he made a gesture with his right hand and took out a thick book with the blacksmithing of the dark world, how to create embers and reinforce weapons to create real god-killing weapons —be careful with this— he said with a solemn look —it may be at the same level as what you found where you went on your trip. They are my compendium of blacksmithing, forging methods, and some interesting artifacts—

—In that case— Viggo said uncomfortable receiving something from his father in such a serious way.

However, Kain held out the book to him, shook his head and said —You said it was your advantage over me, if so, don't get rid of it. Don't be silly, child, just because you think something is unfair. The world is full of injustice and many of the advantages we desire for our family are a big part of those injustices. But would you stop giving your kids the best just because other people are having a hard time?— Viggo denied and Kain continued—so if you have an advantage over others, don't share it. It is part of your strength, your tricks, and skills that only you possess. When others reach it, it means that you lost your advantage and everything you have can be occupied against you—

—I understand, Father— said Viggo, taking Kain's book and keeping it in his own ring —I'll keep it in mind—

—When are you going to produce this chemical and teach us how to use it?— asked Hephaestus

—It will be in a month, for now I need to fine-tune the process. Don't worry, he'll be ready for that moment—

—Since you are my son we will do it by commission— said Hephaestus lowering her right leg and crossing her left —the extra thirty percent I takes out of the armor will be yours. Be grateful, not everyone could have such a good deal—

—Thank you, mother, it's very helpful— said Viggo.

—And? Why do you want so much money?— asked Hephaestus.

—I have a series of projects, all big and that will help the city, but for that I need money. I'll tell you about that in detail later, for now I want to show you something— Viggo replied. He raised his palm facing the ceiling and took out of his ring a huge great sword with runes in the centre of its blade. Viggo held it in his right hand and looked at his parents. Both looked at the great sword with a frown.

—Where the hell did you get that, boy?— asked Kain with a frown. Such a weapon was imbued with the strength of souls. You could say it was made with a cursed blacksmith.

—I got it from some warriors, I have several of them— replied Viggo, held it out to Kain and the latter held it in his hand while Hephaestus watched it from afar —they were the devotees of the king god of that land, they called themselves travellers. I think it's a good great sword. You and Mom have some in their blacksmith shops, but they never caught my eye. However, the latter causes me a nostalgic feeling, I do not know why—