Carrying the 1874 Sharps rifle's fitted carry case, Ace made his way toward the two-acre solar power station on his property. Meanwhile, his father hopped into his brother's Polaris, heading to his uncle's home. Ace's uncle had not forgotten to take the three springs from the Sharps rifle, leaving it an empty shell of its former self—a once-deadly weapon now rendered a mere prop.
Ace and his family had suddenly come into possession of several properties, ranging from the orchards, a flower garden, the solar power station, to the water harvesting trenches. However, neither Ace nor his family had any experience managing such ventures. Fortunately, Mandy, ever the pragmatist, had included a crucial clause during the land transfer. This clause compelled Lansky and Paulson, the previous owners, to assist in managing the properties for three months. This gave Ace's father enough time to familiarize himself with the properties, secure a bank loan, hire appropriate help, and prepare to handle the operations independently.
Arriving at the solar power plant, Ace strode into the control room, only to find it deserted; the technician had evidently left early. A flicker of irritation crossed his face, but he quickly dismissed it. Without hesitation, Ace headed down to the basement—a spacious, empty area. The click of the lock echoed in the quiet as he closed the door behind him.
Taking a deep breath, he summoned Dame Wasp and Emi. The air swirled briefly before the two materialized in front of him: Dame Wasp, diminutive but sharp-eyed, and Emi, curvaceous and confident.
"Rose, are you sure you can turn this rifle into a railgun?" Ace asked, holding up the weapon with a mix of skepticism and anticipation.
The reason Ace had gone to such lengths—convincing his father to purchase the antique rifle and even pleading with his uncle to help—was simple. Dame Wasp had informed him via the status screen that she could use the rifle to create a railgun. The idea of owning a railgun had been a childhood dream, fueled by countless cartoons and anime. Ace couldn't pass on the chance of owning one.
"Yes, Master," Dame Wasp replied. "To be precise, Emi and I are going to use the Sharps rifle as the base to create a cursed tool that functions like a railgun." Dame Wasp corrected her master. With the materials they currently had, creating a true railgun was impossible. However, by incorporating cursed energy into the equation, the impossible became possible.
"I still can't believe you two not only memorized but mastered all five basic curse-crafting techniques," Ace admitted, shaking his head in amazement. His gaze flicked between the two summons. The feat was extraordinary, but both were geniuses in their own right. So, it wasn't much surprising.
"Master, the curse-crafting techniques are rudimentary compared to my talisman arts," Emi said with a hint of pride. "I'll focus on turning the Sharps rifle into a cursed item, while Senpai will use her laser and silver to modify the barrel to fit the rails needed to launch the projectile. However," she added, her tone growing serious, "It will cost you a cursed core (gremlin form) to turn the modified Sharps rifle curse item into a curse tool."
Dame Wasp nodded in agreement with Emi, her expression firm. "We've thought this through thoroughly, Master. This isn't a whim," Emi added, holding up a cursed core and silver brick that she had drawn from her 'Storage' talisman seeing her master nodded firmly, signaling his approval.
"You can turn a regular item into a cursed tool at will?" Ace asked, his voice tinged with shock. His wide eyes and raised brows revealed his disbelief; after all, he had been under the impression that such a feat was impossible. Ria, who had given him the cursed item to forge his innate cursed tool, had made it seem like curse items were very rare.
"Curse masters can't, but those capable of taming Curselings into curse spirit can," Dame Wasp replied, retracting her visor with a matter-of-fact air. "But curselings, seasoned curse slaves, and powerful cursed tools can. Especially sentient cursed tools like us." She gestured slightly as she continued, explaining how items possessed by curselings or left around powerful cursed tools for a long time could become infected by curse energy and eventually transform into cursed items. "Seasoned curse slaves," she added, "can even order their curseling slaves to possess an object for an extended time, turning it into a cursed item. So, can we with just our presence."
Ace leaned back, crossing his arms as he processed the information. "Wow," he said, exhaling slowly. "It looks like you guys have been very busy in your toy spaces while I was sleeping or fooling around." His lips quirked into a wry smile. "It seems I need to step up my game to be worthy as your master. Still," he added, glancing at his phone, "there's only two hours left before we leave for the charity dinner event." His tone softened as he looked at them. "Wouldn't it be better to craft the Sharps rifle into a cursed tool some other time when we've got more time on our hands?"
"Don't worry, Master," Dame Wasp said gently, her small form radiating a reassuring calm. "You will always be our beloved and dearest master, no matter what. We are here to serve you. So, please live your life to the fullest, trusting us." Her voice held an almost maternal warmth, her hands clasped earnestly as she indirectly advised Ace, 'Time will pass, your youth won't wait, but we'll always be here with you. So, you should get out more and enjoy your youth than wasting it on trying to please us.'
Ace blinked, touched but slightly confused. Her intended message—that he shouldn't stress over proving himself to them—seemed to elude him. Still, her words left him moved, and a faint smile softened his expression.
"Yes, Master," Emi chimed in, nodding with an encouraging grin. "Senpai is right. And don't worry about the time—we only need an hour, or even less, to craft the cursed tool." Without missing a beat, she took the rifle carry case, pulled out the Sharps rifle, and asked, "Master, may I borrow your Apex ring to help with the curse crafting?"
"Sure, go ahead," Ace replied, reaching up to gently pull back his earlobe. He slid the Apex earring off with care and handed it to Emi. Turning toward the door, he added, "You guys go ahead. If you need anything, you know where Hank's salvage yard is. I'll head out and keep a lookout. If something comes up use the status screen to in touch."
As Ace stepped out of the control room, the crisp evening air met him. Instead of idly standing around, which might appear odd or even suspicious to anyone passing by, he decided to exercise. He began a light jog around the solar power station, occasionally scanning the area. Despite being on his property, he couldn't shake the feeling of needing to stay vigilant.