Blacksmith Iji gazed up at the magnificent castle and let out a sigh.
"So many years have passed, and Stormveil is as spectacular as ever."
After receiving Bai Shi's letter, Blaidd had immediately contacted Ranni.
Although the promised supplies had not yet arrived, Bai Shi had already dispatched many Tarnished to explore the underground.
He had also retaken Fort Haight behind the Mistwood and acquired one half of the medallion needed to reach the Altus Plateau.
Ranni was naturally very satisfied to see that Bai Shi's people were already in action, and in considerable numbers.
Now that her partner had a request, she had Blaidd reply to Bai Shi:
She would send an exceptional blacksmith to his door, whose forging skills would surely satisfy him.
The blacksmith who came was, of course, Iji, who also served as her war counselor.
This time, Iji wasn't just here to help with forging; he had also brought the items Ranni had previously promised Bai Shi.These included weapon arts, sorceries, incantations, and some equipment.
Iji dragged an iron chain, the other end of which was attached to a massive flatbed cart.
The contents of the cart were covered by a cloth, revealing only the heavy, stone chassis.
The chassis was engraved with numerous magical inscriptions that glowed with a faint blue light—small spells to reduce the weight of the cargo.
This was a cart Iji had built himself for the convenience of transporting supplies.
Piled on this cart were the very things Ranni was bringing to Bai Shi.
In addition, it held Iji's own massive smithing table and forge.
As Iji arrived at the main gate of Stormveil Castle, he was immediately greeted by Storm Knights.
Stormveil was now open to the public, so Storm Knights were stationed at the gate in rotating shifts. At any given time, there would be four of them.
This was also intended to be a show of force, warning anyone entering Stormveil not to harbor any ill intentions.
"You must be Blacksmith Iji?"
Bai Shi had informed the Storm Knights at the gate that a Troll blacksmith would be arriving soon and that they were to treat him with the utmost respect.
As agreed, Iji produced a Carian crest imprinted with a sword and a staff, proving his identity.
"Very well, please follow me."
"Please wait. Before I see Lord Bai Shi, I would like to tour Stormveil Castle. We have already communicated this with Lord Bai Shi beforehand."
"Of course. Shall we place these items in the courtyard of the outer bailey for now?"
"That would be most helpful."
Iji pulled the cart through the castle gate and parked it in the spacious courtyard of the outer bailey, where a Storm Knight stood guard.
Another Storm Knight led the way, guiding Iji through the castle.
Iji continuously surveyed the current state of Stormveil.
He had proposed this himself to Ranni, wanting to get a clear understanding of this partner's strength.
The first area they came to was designated for the Tarnished.
The number of Tarnished in this area was immense, truly immense.
Under the new organization, the Tarnished could have their own stalls to sell and trade goods.
Those with special skills could also apply for shops, such as the several blacksmith forges and a Finger Maiden's enhancement shop lining the street.
Based on the number and density of Tarnished on the streets, Iji roughly estimated there were at least two thousand of them here.
As they ventured deeper, a massive training ground appeared, packed with a dense crowd of Tarnished.
Here, Bai Shi had specifically arranged for Storm Knights to teach weapon arts, with instructors training the Tarnished in shifts every day.
There were currently two ways to join the training grounds and learn martial arts.
The first was to join Bai Shi's army directly, swear an oath of loyalty, and receive free training.
The second was to pay with runes for the instruction, with no obligations to Bai Shi upon graduation.
If, after completing their training, they changed their minds and wished to join, they could do so, and their tuition would be refunded.
The vast majority chose the first option: joining Bai Shi's army.
This was only natural. First, they didn't have that many runes.
Second, being led by a powerful lord promised a bright future.
Moreover, this lord was a Tarnished, just like them.
In the Lands Between, most factions were not friendly to the Tarnished. Only Bai Shi, one of their own, treated them well.
They knew that with their own strength, they could never hope to become Elden Lord.
Since that was the case, they would follow their lord into battle, just as their ancestors had, and help him become Elden Lord.
The others, who chose to pay with their own runes, were mostly from the Roundtable Hold.
They were either Tarnished with Finger Maidens or those who still harbored their own ambitions, unwilling to be subservient just yet.
But regardless, eighty percent of the Tarnished in the castle came here to learn martial arts.
Because in this world, only by constantly growing stronger did one earn the right to live, and only by living could one have the privilege of speaking of futures and dreams.
The remaining twenty percent of the Tarnished were not unwilling to learn.
Some were simply too timid and had transferred to logistics, while others were studying sorcery and incantations.
Tarnished who could use incantations and sorceries were a minority, and Bai Shi had dispersed them among his various military units.
The Tarnished were, in fact, a force that could not be ignored. They were all descendants of warriors, and with a little training, each could become a powerful soldier.
It was just that no one had ever united the Tarnished on a large scale before.
On the contrary, because the Tarnished were guided to become the Elden Lord, many factions did their best to hunt them down.
Those who did recruit the Tarnished did so on a very small scale, or simply paid no attention to their potential power at all.
Ranni's faction, for example.
They could function without a large army, so they had never concerned themselves with the Tarnished before.
Iji watched these vigorous Tarnished, inwardly astonished.
After the Shattering war ravaged the Lands Between, the military strength of all factions had been greatly diminished.
Iji mentally reviewed the strength of the various powers.
Among all the strongholds, only Leyndell, the Royal Capital, with its vast population, still maintained a sizable army.
The armies of the other factions were struggling to hold on.
In Caelid, General Radahn's Redmane Legion had suffered heavy losses after the Shattering and the Battle of Aeonia.
Furthermore, with General Radahn now driven mad, they were without a leader, and no one could command them.
Lord Rykard's Volcano Manor had been completely shattered, to the point where they no longer had a proper army.
As for Lord Miquella and Lady Malenia's Haligtree...
After Lady Malenia's fierce battle with General Radahn, it had sealed itself off from the outside world. No one knew what the situation inside was now.
The quality of the troops was another factor. Many soldiers had become living corpses, whereas the Tarnished were still sane.
In Iji's view, Stormveil possessed immense potential for war.
And Bai Shi was intentionally converting that potential into actual combat strength.
Once these Tarnished were trained and equipped with good armor and weapons, they would become an army of terrifyingly skilled individuals.
After all, they had Finger Maidens to turn runes into strength for them.
The Tarnished had fought and survived constantly outside the Lands Between; most who returned were warriors. All one had to do was recruit them to gain a large number of soldiers. Compared to the natives who required years of training from scratch, the Tarnished were practically cost-free.
And how many Tarnished were there in the Lands Between now? No one knew.
Iji silently raised his assessment of Bai Shi's faction's importance by two levels.
Beyond the Tarnished quarter were the residences of the Misbegotten and the Demi-Humans.
The two species lived together in some semblance of harmony.
This area wasn't strictly supervised, but people were assigned to monitor their hygiene and living habits.
The goal was to prevent them from turning the city into a filthy mess and to correct their behavior.
It seemed to be working. At the very least, the Demi-Humans and Misbegotten now knew to use a latrine instead of relieving themselves wherever they pleased.
However, their habit of catching bugs and popping them into their mouths would likely take a while longer to change.
The living quarters for the Misbegotten and Demi-Humans were in a rather remote part of the castle, so it wasn't a major issue.
Few people would wander over here anyway, as prejudice still existed.
The Trolls, due to their enormous size, had no living quarters within the castle; they still resided on Stormhill.
However, because of the slaughter during the initial assault, their numbers were now few.
After touring Stormveil, Iji had a solid understanding of the strength under Bai Shi's command.
Bai Shi had indeed, as he promised, welcomed all races to live there.
Moreover, the city's planning and management were quite good. Under his administration, there were no sharp conflicts between the races.
Although the buildings had not been rebuilt, the functional zoning had become more rational.
There were blacksmith shops, a trade district, a library, and a chapel for worship.
While Stormveil could not yet be described as having a powerful army—aside from the Storm Knights, the other soldiers were neither strong nor numerous—the future potential of the Tarnished was immense, provided he could continuously recruit them into his ranks.
Returning to the inner bailey, Iji retrieved his cart and followed the Storm Knight to the plaza before Bai Shi's throne.
The escorting Storm Knight communicated with the knight on duty by the throne, handing over his responsibility.
The knight stationed below the throne asked them to wait here for a moment, then went to fetch Bai Shi, who was currently studying sorcery.
Iji took the opportunity to unload the cloth from the cart so that Bai Shi could see the goods at a glance when he arrived.
Soon, Bai Shi bid farewell to Sorcerer Thops and hurried over from the classroom.
The first thing he saw was Blacksmith Iji's massive body, and the second was the pile of various items on the cart.
Bai Shi walked up to Iji, looking up at the mirrored helm he wore.
"You must be the blacksmith Iji whom Ranni mentioned."
"Yes, that is I."
Iji began to praise Bai Shi.
"I just took a tour of Stormveil, and I found the city's management to be remarkably logical."
"Although I had already heard of your excellence from Lady Ranni, seeing is believing. Having seen it for myself, I find you even more impressive than the rumors suggest."
Bai Shi chuckled and waved his hand.
"Let's skip the pleasantries. Tell me about the things you've brought."
"Of course. Everything behind me are the items Ranni agreed to provide."
"As for the specific details, you will need to examine them yourself."
Iji first produced a manifest, the same one Ranni had shown Bai Shi earlier, which served as an inventory list.
Then, Iji pulled a thick stack of parchment scrolls from the cart and handed them to Bai Shi. They contained records of sorceries and incantations.
Bai Shi checked them against the list Ranni had provided.
The variety of incantations was diverse, including those of the Golden Order and others like Catch Flame.
They were likely collected by Ranni's faction from various sources.
The number of sorceries was greater, featuring not only the Glintstone sorceries of the Academy but also those of their own Carian Royal Family.
This included Carian Phalanx, Carian Greatsword, and others, with a considerable number and variety.
The sorceries and incantations here were all transcribed copies, so parting with them was no great loss.
In addition, there were some weapons and equipment, such as a Carian Glintblade Staff and a Carian Glintstone Staff. Bai Shi could take one to use for his sorcery studies.
There were also weapons imbued with special Ashes of War, for instance, a spear with Ice Spear.
The Ice Spear art was a skill used by warriors who served Ranni, and it was quite effective.
Bai Shi was very satisfied with these items.
Although he couldn't use all of them, he could keep them to expand his own magical reserves and fill Stormveil's treasury.
Bai Shi then looked at the massive smithing table and forge.
"I've received the items. A pleasure doing business with you."
"I can't wait to see my new equipment."
"I was wondering when you could begin. Do you need to rest first?"
"The equipment I want forged is very large; I'm afraid it will be a massive undertaking."
Iji shook his head, indicating he needed no rest.
"I can begin at any time. There is no need for rest."
"I already rest more than enough each day. Forging equipment is one of my few joys."
"Please give me the blueprints for the equipment you require. Let me see what kind of armor it is so that I may forge it."
Bai Shi took out the blueprint depicting the armor's design and handed it to Iji.
Iji took it, holding the sheet before him and studying it carefully, nodding from time to time.
Bai Shi was curious as to how Iji could see the outside world while wearing that mirrored helm that covered his entire face.
"I have understood this design. Next, I only need to take your measurements, and then I can begin forging."
"Oh, right. Before you start, a quick question: is there any technique that allows equipment to grow along with its owner's body?"
Bai Shi had only asked casually, but to his surprise, Iji nodded after a moment of contemplation.
"Such a technique does exist in the Lands Between."
"It was previously used on the equipment of the Grave Warden Duelists, allowing the bronze serpent heads to become living things."
"By applying this technique, the equipment can be made into living armor that changes size along with its master."
"However, very few know of it, and since the fighting pits were abolished, it has rarely been used."
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have nearly forgotten this obscure technique."
Bai Shi was overjoyed. He hadn't expected Iji to know such a skill.
What a rare find. It seemed he had truly found the right person to forge his equipment.
It had also been a long time since Iji had worked with such excellent materials, and his hands were itching to get started.
He immediately moved the smithing table and forge from the cart, intending to begin forging right there in the plaza.