"Ah, this... You want me to talk about what kind of anomalous object this is? How is this different from giving away points?"
After hearing the test project proposed by the Third Generation Director, Leon couldn’t help but scratch the back of his head, a little shyly saying,
"Why don’t... you choose another topic?"
This kind of open-book exam was naturally easy to pass, but the other party was, after all, the second-best anomaly forge master in the world. When Taurus His Excellency ascended, they would become the best forge master, and Leon knew he’d seek their expertise in forging many times in the future.
And this Third Generation Director had a peculiar temperament and held forging in high regard. If he tried to outsmart him in this area and left a bad impression, it might not be worth the risk.
After briefly weighing the pros and cons, Leon sincerely suggested,
"Third Generation, I actually have an anomalous object that can forcibly acquire intelligence, so this topic for me..."
"No need to change, just this one!"
Without hesitation, the square-headed old man impatiently waved his hand, rejecting Leon’s good intention, saying,
"You hold yourself in too high esteem. The base materials of this object are the tail and weapon of a True God, and besides, it was forged personally by me, so its hierarchy is quite high! What can a Level Three Cleanser like you see?"
"Third Generation, the hierarchy of my anomalous object isn’t low either, so it can probably..."
"Then use it! If it can directly see the intelligence, I’ll count you as passing!"
This is what you said.
Feeling a bit ignored despite his kind-hearted reminder, Leon couldn’t help but furrow his brow slightly. He then reached into his pocket, touching a palm-sized crimson fork that looked more like a tuning fork than a trident, and read from the panel that appeared:
"What you crafted for me should be called the ’Lust Dream Invader,’ akin to a ’Holy Spirit Pendant’ I once owned, possessing three traits: holy, interference, and whisper.
"The corresponding abilities include causing additional damage to targets like evil and chaos; briefly interfering with reality using the power of the Dreamrealm; and causing the target’s soul to tremble through contact."
Upon hearing Leon’s words, the square-headed old man raised his brows slightly, looking quite astonished as he remarked,
"You saw this quite accurately, even recognizing the soul tremor effect... It seems Taurus His Excellency has taught you well!"
*What does this have to do with being taught well? I was just reading it word for word!*
Unable to resist an eye-roll in his mind, Leon quickened his pace and continued reading,
"To minimize the impact of switching the main battle anomalous object, you deliberately allowed the ’Lust Dream Invader’ to retain traits similar to the ’Holy Spirit Pendant’ during the forging process. However, due to material differences, the ’Lust Dream Invader’ is more directed towards the soul rather than the body.
"Once the ’Lust Dream Invader’ identifies a target, any form of contact—whether it’s physical touch, verbal exchange, or even eye contact—will cause the soul to tremble to some extent; and the more frequent the contact, the stronger the tremor.
"At that point, the ’Lust Dream Invader’ can leverage the power of the Dreamrealm, using the target’s soul tremor as a springboard to actively corrode the target and the surrounding real world, achieving scenes that can only exist in dreams.
"If the contact with me is frequent enough, or I pay enough power, it can even summon the power of the Lord of Lustful Dreams, forcibly dragging the target into a dream created by their own desires..."
*Isn’t this a bit too detailed?*
When Leon first started reading the panel, the square-headed old man was just a little surprised; but as Leon described the ’Lust Dream Invader’ abilities precisely, his mouth gradually widened in disbelief.
As Leon accelerated his speech and explained the ’Lust Dream Invader’ effects perfectly, in ways even more accurate than the forger himself, the square-headed man’s jaw dropped further in awe.
*This is crazy! I’ve seen this generation’s Taurus, and, in terms of level, she’s just mediocre. Even if she came to the Realm of the Dead herself, without infusing power to activate the anomalous object, relying solely on experience to guess wouldn’t yield such accurate results. So what’s going on with this kid? Could he really evaluate True God-level anomalous objects?*
In the shocked gaze of the square-headed old man, Leon finished detailing the ’Lust Dream Invader’s’ abilities. He wasn’t done yet; he raised his hand again, pointing to the bubbling cauldron, and said,
"Also, you actually crafted two anomalous objects this time. The ’Lust Dream Invader’ you just gave me was created using the weapon of the Lord of Lustful Dreams. As for the anomalous object crafted from the tail of the Goddess of Fortune, it should still be hiding at the bottom of the cauldron."
"And, you’ve noticed that I wasn’t present earlier and knew I didn’t watch your forging process, so you chose this question because you actually dislike current forge masters and look down on their forging techniques, thus not intending to genuinely guide successors.
"You mentioned guiding me mainly because you heard I was once guided by the Taurus Director, intending to use my inability to answer this question to mock the Taurus Director’s level, proving you are the truly best forge master, and that Taurus His Excellency surpasses you only by the power bestowed by the Star Palace..."
"Uh... cough, cough, cough..."
Afraid Leon would continue talking and even reveal the color of his underpants during forging, the square-headed old man coughed loudly twice, quickly interrupting him and saying,
"That’s enough, that’s enough, no need to continue, you’ve passed the test!"
The blushing Third Generation Director hurriedly turned around, fetched a roll of black snakeskin from the cauldron, and handed it to Leon, then, in an effort to explain himself, said,
"Well... actually, I wasn’t planning to keep anything from you, it was just... just..."
"It was just a joke on us."
The red-haired Director chimed in just in time, smiling as he said,
"With a forge master as perceptive as you, you must have noticed our little moves long ago. Likely, you guessed what we were up to the moment I deliberately kept Leon from speaking with you.
"You must have been annoyed with our lack of trust in you, borrowing your coffin in secret without telling you, so you withheld an anomalous object to play a little joke on us, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes! That’s exactly what I meant!"
Eagerly stepping down from the red-haired Director’s offered platform, the square-headed old man, now relieved, confessed with embarrassment,
"Actually, I am quite willing to guide the next generation; it’s just that these last seven or eight years, I’ve been in a bit of a mood.
"This generation’s Taurus’ forging level isn’t that impressive either. Originally, I planned to wait for her to die of old age, stripped of the Star Palace’s blessings, to compare our souls and prove I am the best forge master.
"Unexpectedly, she ascended to the Star Palace, not even giving me a chance to compete, so I... uh... have been feeling uncomfortable, wanting to make things a bit difficult for you all... ahem... let’s not talk about this anymore."
After awkwardly glossing over the topic, the square-headed old man, his face still flushed, said to Leon,
"Well... it just so happens I have a furnace here. Why don’t you forge an anomalous object right away, and I’ll guide you properly?"