Flipping the Table 

In some sense, building a basic talisman was like building a rock pickaxe.

With enough brute force, even a caveman could do it. Just stick a wood stick into a rock. How hard could it be?

Except when it came to talismans, it's all memorization. Just memorize the 8 runic characters. No shortcuts here. Oh. Also, steady hands were needed.

In comparison, building low-level equipments was like building a light bulb. Knowledge of science was needed. Also, more techniques and skills were involved. Such as glassblowing.

And advanced talismans. Building these were like building smart-phones. Precision. Knowledge. Techniques. Understanding of the situation. The ability to deal with the interferences from the environment.

Not good enough with one aspect, and the only outcome would be failure.

Even though these artifacts were small like basic talismans, these things had way more runic characters involved.

Every runic character must be perfect. One mess up, and all the materials invested would be wasted. Also, the connections between each runic character also had to be perfect.

45 materials. 44 characters. 1 casing material.

Jake made one last check. Yep. His mana regeneration talisman was also there. This was not going to be a short task. Most likely a marathon.

Pick up an Aegis stone from the materials table. Put it onto the crafting burner. A tap with his pen.

Without any resistance, Jake drew out a stream of light-blue material from this smooth stone.

Focussing his mind, Jake worked in this silent room.

A few people in the crowd wanted to start talking. However, considering Jake's place in the artisan guild, they chose to stay silent in the end.

Someone else can take the lead. Not this time. Not today.

Around ten seconds later, that runic character self-folded into a block, emitting a light-blue glow.

With a tap of his pen, that block stayed in its place, hovering in air.

With the help of the crafting burner, this block was not going to dissipate into nothingness anytime soon.

Jake picked up a metallic red plate. This was refined gleaming feather. Putting this material into the burner, Jake started a new round of character writing.

One after another, the materials on the table turned into runic characters.

One after another, these glowing blocks connected to each other. The blocks seems rather random in the beginning.

As time progressed, even the crowd could see a phone-sized block forming. A cuboid (rectangular prism) shape. Made up of blocks of various shapes, emitting all types of glows.

Ten whole minutes later...

The last runic character self-folded into a block.

Feeling a slight nausea and dizziness, Jake panted a little. About 70% of his mana was gone already. And this was with a mana regeneration talisman by his neck.

Without this regeneration talisman, it would be impossible to craft an advanced talisman.

Nevertheless, with a firm understanding, Jake still managed to make it here.

Almost there.

With a tap, that block seemed to be glued onto Jake's pen.

The crowd held their breath. It's as if they were afraid of their own breaths messing Jake up.

Being careful of environmental interference, Jake carefully inserted this last piece into the large block.

Taking in a deep breath, Jake closed his eyes to rest for a bit.

Just got to wait a moment for this thing to cure now.

The crowd let out a sigh. Then they looked at the branch master with suspicion.

Wait. Shouldn't success be impossible? Shouldn't this result be quote on quote, 'unheard of'?

"Master Satterfield... Is this a success." Nathaniel asked the branch master. This dude looked a little anxious.

Just like mostly everyone here, Nathaniel had never seen the crafting process of an advanced talisman either.

The branch master lightly shook his head. "We will have to wait. If one connection is wrong, the result would be no good."

Nathaniel lightly nodded. He seemed a bit more relieved.

As expected, the small solid blocks making up the phone-sized block started to 'melt'.

Nathaniel turned to the branch master.

"Wait for the result." The branch master tiredly shook his head. This poor fragile-looking young man looked rather sleepy.

"Though." Thinking of something, the branch master added. "The fact that Master Collins managed to get to this stage is already shocking."

"With this talent, I'm sure master Collins will become a master artisan one day." The branch master faintly smiled. He looked a little grateful.

Grateful that he could witness the rise of a legend? Or maybe grateful that this was chance for him. A chance to suck up to... Erhm. Ehm. A chance to know a rising star personally.

In a moment, the block looked like a soup of glowing blobs. The intensity of the glow quickly brightened as well.

In just a few seconds, it became blindingly bright. Staring at the block started to hurt.

Jake stared right at the block. No problem at all. No trace of any discomfort.

'... Is this because of my enhanced body?'

The changing color quickly overpowered the white fluorescent lights in this hall. From green, to blue, to purple, to red.

To the crowd, that block felt like a heater, providing some warmth in this cold underground hall.

The family members in formal black outfits looked concerned though. A little scared that things were going wrong. Without hesitation, they scuttled away from the station.

Even some of the explorers followed.

"Master Satterfield. Is this really alright?" Nathaniel looked at the branch master with a concerned gaze.

"This is normal reaction. The crafting station will naturally turn off if there's a hazard."

Hearing this, Nathaniel's eyes glinted. However, nobody could notice this in this blindingly bright environment.

Nathaniel lightly shook his head. "This is way too dangerous. I can't allow this."

Without further doubt, Nathaniel stepped to the crafting station.

Looking through the light, sensing another energy signature closing in, Jake's eyes turned cold.

'Oh? Planning to flip the table now?' Jake rotated his wrists. 'Sorry. But I've had enough for today.'

However, before Nathaniel could take another step, he felt that someone had grabbed his wrist.

The branch master squinted his eyes at this mid-aged fella. His breathing became a little short in anger. He was not an idiot. Even to an outsider, he could guess the situation by now.

Since when could a mere iron-tier guild member ignore his words? He treated people with respect because he chose to act this way.

But if someone dared to touch the honor of the artisan guild, the branch master did not mind showing his authorities either.

Interfering the crafting process of a certified artisan? Trying to stop the rise of a future artisan star? Acting against the words of the branch master?

That's too many last straws. Too many red lines crossed.

Clearly, Nathaniel had forgotten his place.