Maid Supervisor responded in a low voice.
Count tapped lightly on the desk, lost in thought.
The position of the Saintess implies an enormously vast amount of power and interest, especially when ideological struggles within the Church prevail. Even if they get nothing out of the strife, some would still fight tooth and nail to support a candidate from the same faction.
Under normal circumstances, such matters would not arise, as everyone would uphold the status quo. However, with the disappearance of the current Saintess, it's inevitable that others will begin to entertain different ideas.
Unless she returns unscathed in a short time, once she is declared dead or gravely injured, the succession of the next Saintess is all but assured.
Thus, a 'Prophetic Saintess' with an unclear identity, unknown thoughts, or even someone not from the Church's Inner Court, is likely to be unwelcomed by the majority.
Prophecy is, after all, only a prophecy; even a Saintess's Divine Prophecy has countless methods to render it null and void.
After all, the Saintess herself cannot object, can she?
Count shook his head with a wry smile.
"However, for Hero, this might not be such a bad thing. If the prophecy isn't published, at the very least, her existence won't draw too much attention.
"Although her strength is not weak now, the Inner Court of the Church is no child's play. It's still too early for that child."
He fell into a brief silence, his gaze unconsciously traversing the window and looking towards the distant horizon as if he could see the Magic Cloud Undercurrent hidden in the high sky, his expression growing more worried:
"But what if even the current Saintess disappeared in there... Magic Cloud Undercurrent, I hope Kingdom Central and the Church can come up with a strategy that doesn't spiral out of control."
After all, he is just a Border Count, without the authority or the power to interfere with the disappearance of the Saintess or the anomalies of the Magic Clouds – even though they do not affect him directly.
Even upon hearing such unsettling news, he could only express a sigh, feeling powerless.
Count pondered for a moment and turned to Maid Supervisor, "Stay abreast of intelligence on this matter, especially the spread direction of the Magic Clouds. I certainly do not wish for Hero, having just fended off the Great Demon of the Highland for us, to face the disaster rolling in from within the country."
The Maid Supervisor nodded gravely in response to the Count's earnest instruction: "Yes, my Lord Count."
After issuing his commands, she took out several documents and quietly sought instructions from the Count.
Border Count, looking somewhat worn, answered several questions on governmental affairs, giving concise instructions before he finally relaxed, lowering his head to look at the blueprints spread across the table.
"So, now we have this to deal with..."
The Count focused back on the blueprint, his expression showing signs of distress.
"What to do about Hero's Equipment..."
[Forging location (Event Level 67, not exceeding 70, by default, conditions can be met nearby, but without a Forging Critical Success, the final effect cannot completely eliminate the Curse)]
1. Forge in the deep sea
3. Transform into a Curse
4. Fiery Flame of a volcano mouth
5. Sword Tomb and Ice Heaven Lake♛
7. Taboo Knowledge: Soul Device(?)
8. Beast Spirit simulation battle
9. Transform into a Beast Spirit
10. Critical Success / Extreme Failure
Another day has passed, inside the Arcane Workshop of the Border City.
"We have to admit, with our current equipment conditions in the Arcane Workshop, we're unable to realize the ideal processing effect."
Browsing through the hefty blueprints, Old Factory Manager showed a solemn face mixed with a tinge of disappointment.
"This isn't your fault, nor was I able to design a reasonable processing flow." Count watched the page upon page of the precision blueprints hastily put together with the design institute, his face calm.
The two Great Craftsmen, the highest ranks in the Border, exchanged looks and both let out a deep Sigh.
This Arcane Workshop would undoubtedly be the pride of the Kingdom, even considered to be the Tip of technological advancements.
Thanks to the Count's strong support, which led to the project initiation, and with the Old Factory Manager pouring his heart and soul into its completion, it was this Super Workshop, along with a few subsidiary factories of slightly lower specifications, that enabled a huge leap in the Level of equipment at the Border.
Here, Forging Masters no longer had to rely on the right timing and environment, no longer had to spend a great deal of time carefully crafting raw materials. Simply throw the material into a high-precision Arcane Furnace, and soon, Advanced Equipment that used to cost a fortune was freshly produced.
Even the Legendary Inherited Equipment, which in the past could only be forged by the highest-ranking masters through painstaking work, years of accumulation, and even relying on barbaric methods like Blood Sacrifice and Soul Ritual, can now be created in this Workshop with the right materials, not counting the design process time, from starting the fire to the completed forge, taking less than a day.
And this would definitely not be the endpoint of Arcane Engineering. Within his lifetime, the factory would surely embrace an even more thorough upgrade. Even if he couldn't achieve it himself, his daughter would inherit his business, and one day, with powerful Equipment at hand, the armies at the Border would not merely hold the defensive line but would direct their Blades towards the chaotic wilds beyond civilization—
Sadly, no matter how beautiful the dream, humans must still face reality first.
"No choice, we can't make it; the current technology is not up to the task."
Looking at the final conclusion drawn from multiple assessments, reluctantly admitting that their proud Arcane Workshop is still unable to touch the realm of Legendary, both Great Craftsmen's expressions showed a touch of wistfulness.
"It seems we can only rely on the 'Ancient Method'," Count said slowly.