Seth felt refreshed. It was so much easier to create terribly cursed weapons with demonic enchantment when he didn't have to care for the cost the wielder would have to bear. He checked out the two new weapons he had half-assed in the matter of 10 minutes.
Since steel didn't conduct magic power well, it was an unpopular choice for enchantments that used circuits, but it didn't matter when using forging ballads, or in this case, etching.
Uncommon
Damage: 340
Durability:1300
1. Passive Skill: Blessing of Andras
A common sword touched by Master Smith, the first Master Blacksmith and Master Enchanter of Urth. Using demonic means, he turned it into a cursed weapon that will devour the user's soul if they don't meet the requirement.
Requirement: 300 Willpower or Resistance/Immunity to Mental Effects>
Uncommon
Damage: 430
Durability:1400
1. Passive Skill: Blessing of Andras
A common decorative spear touched by Master Smith, the first Master Blacksmith and Master Enchanter of Urth. Using demonic means, he turned it into a cursed weapon that will devour the user's soul if they don't meet the requirement.
Requirement: 300 Willpower or Resistance/Immunity to Mental Effects>
The causes the following effect on the user:
- Body of Wrath: All basic attributes +15%, physical Attack Power +25%.
- Mental Corruption: The Aura of Andras constantly eats away at the user's consciousness, making the user irate and prone to violent outbursts.
- Soul Corruption: The longer the sword is wielded, the more the soul is corrupted and grows similar to Andras. Once completely corrupted, Andras will claim the user's body and soul. >
Since Seth had done a quick job, the beneficial effect was nerfed, but this was more by design than a mistake. He didn't want it to be too attractive; otherwise, a big shot that could actually fulfill the requirements and use the sword without drawbacks, as the corruption effects only occurred if one couldn't resist them.
He hoped he had lowered them enough. With the two weapons enchanted, Seth returned to the auction house, meeting the girls not even 15 minutes after he left. The girl had been waiting at the counter to register items.
"I'm back," he said, joining the girls, pulling the two weapons from his inventory.
"Only two?" Fin asked when she saw him enter with the sword and spear wrapped in cloth.
~Not like I can just pull up in this play and unload a shit ton of weapons, right? It's more believable to say that I found them as a set inside a ruin-, he transmitted through the "Hello, I would like to put these two weapons up for today's auction," he approached the clerk in a friendly manner. "There is still time, right?" The woman behind the counter gave him a soft smile and greeted him with a small bow.
"Of course, esteemed customer. Please take into consideration that we won't be able to test your weapon before tonight's auction, which may lower the price. If you would prefer, we could schedule it for the next auction," she informed him with a soft, friendly voice.
"That's okay, please put them up for today. Here's the appraisal of our family's artificer," he answered and handed her a scroll he had scribbled himself moments ago, describing the rough effects of the weapon. Of course, he had somewhat translated it to the vocabulary of the Voracious Cloud Continent.
"A weapon that grants the physical strength of an Asura, but hungers for the mind? This... could they be...? Two of them?" the clerk mumbled, but Seth quickly shook his head. He knew exactly what association she had just made. She had thought of the cursed weapons Minas Mar had distributed before their great attack.
"Unfortunately not. The effects of these are slightly weaker, while their hunger seems more dangerous. It's also why I don't dare use them myself. Our family's Artificer theorized these may be predecessors or prototypes of the weapons surfacing recently," the blacksmith made up some crap.
The clerk's eyes began sparkling. "This should have been included in the appraisal; with that, these might even hold some interest for artificers researching the ancient weapons! Although I will make clear that this is information provided by the seller, I will make sure to add it to the item description," she said eagerly, receiving the weapons from him.
In exchange, he was handed a small jade token. "This token identifies you as a temporary member and connects with these weapons. Please make sure to return it when you come to receive your money," she said with a smile and hurried off to add the weapons to the inventory for tonight's auction.
A minute later, a different clerk took her place, but the trio had already wandered off to finally have a look at the other items. There was still a little more than half an hour left until the auction began, but most people had already left to find their seats, leaving the exhibition room almost exclusively to the trio.
It was like walking through a more curated version of the bazaar. There were no great highlights but a lot less trash. There was a variety of very popular pills that had no worth to them. The majority of pills here were to support cultivation and had no direct use for players like them.
Qi Condensing pills, for example, improved the growth of Qi Gathering Experts, but because Mana worked completely differently, it had no use for them. Same thing for the typical breakthrough medicine like the Foundation Consolidation Elixir.
These pills, advertised to be among the highlights of the auction, meant nothing to them. There was also an assortment of herbs, but unfortunately they were about as useful as the majority of pills. Nothing interesting there either. Books about mortal and spirit-level techniques, smaller trinkets and artifacts, nothing worth mentioning.
Funny enough, the most interesting section to them ended up being the luxurious robes and clothing, which were of little interest to cultivators in general. Seeing the richly embroidered, colorful robes covered in elegant, detailed design was the first time Seth felt truly impressed by the works of a contemporary craftsman of the Xiguang Province.
Although these robes had no magical effect or hidden enchantments, according to his appraisal, the pure level of craftsmanship fascinated the blacksmith, who had learned to appreciate fruits of hard, experienced labor.
"A couple of these would be perfect for presents to bring back home," Mina exclaimed, enamored by the various designs and decorations. Seth agreed these were worth bidding on, not just as souvenirs, but in general.
Most weapons displayed in the room couldn't even compare to the broken weapons he had picked up after the battle at the Silk River Sect. Armor was nowhere to be seen. Seth already thought the common robes were the best thing they could find when his eyes fell on one specific sword, tucked in the corner of the weapon rack.
< Wailing Shard
Common
Damage: 250
Durability:1600
1. Increases Damage by up to 25% based on Magic Power channeled into the weapon.
2. Soul Anchor (defective)
The remnant of a test piece created by Artificer Mo using experimental techniques. Due to being broken, it has lost its function. >
The Wailing Shard looked like it was originally a long saber, but a third of the blade broke off, and someone amateurishly resharpened the remaining blade to become a shorter weapon. Just how desperate were these people to go this far for a common, broken weapon.
Still, Seth noted down its number to bid on later. Since it was another piece made by Artificer Mo, it may have held some clues about the