Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Chapter 568 Where to start...

Chapter 568  Where to start...

Alex had an idea of the identity of the mysterious figure who'd uttered those words, but it was only an idea, and he'd rather not take the chance of offending them by prying into their business too much.

They must obscured their face for a reason, which usually constituted the hiding of their identity, so Alex wasn't going to do them the disservice of revealing their identity – regardless of whether they were dead or alive.

With all the thing's he'd experienced ever since his awakening, he'd rather not take his chances.

But now that he knew that his sword – Virtue's Edge – was actually an incomplete masterpiece, he was going to do his best to complete it. Even if the figure hadn't asked him to, he would have.

His original goal was to strengthen the sword in the beginning anyway, so this only further aligned with his goals.

'But where am I supposed to find this forge the figure was talking about?'

Of course, right as he'd made his mind up about following this plan, he met his first roadblock.

Sure, he knew what he was supposed to be looking for… but where the fuck was he supposed to start??

Alex ran a hand through his hair, mulling inwardly over how he was even supposed to begin this search. The mysterious figure spoke of a forge – most likely the place where Virtue's Edge was first created. Thankfully it's creator, Mikhail, was named in its description so he knew that this forge was most likely Mikhail's personal forge, but that still wasn't much to go off of.

As far as he knew, Mikhail was around many, many years ago and was most likely dead now.

Whatever was left of his forge had probably been passed down and dismantled over the generations that passed, leaving him stumped for ideas.

He sighed. "This is going to be a pain…" as he muttered to himself.

Brontes let out a low hum beside him, letting Alex know that he was still there in a somewhat worrying tone, as if the beast was afraid that Alex had forgotten about it.

Alex smiled and gave him a few pats as the beast was just acting too cute to resist, but his mind still stirred inwardly.

'If Mikhail was as legendary as people make him out to be, then his forge definitely wouldn't be in some run of the mill location. It would either be hidden, shrouded in secrecy, or so well known that whatever remained of it probably no longer exists… Both scenarios don't play in my favour.'

He moved Virtue's Edge away from his gaze and exhaled sharply. He needed information, as that was the one thing holding him back, and there were only a few places where historical knowledge, especially history related to the Primordial Expanse, could be found.

Libraries were an option, but records related to people like Mikhail were often vague and unfinished, like information about them was being purposely withheld for whatever reason.

'In small cities, they probably just don't have access to such information. But in bigger cities the elite and powerful probably just want to control the flow of information to the lower classes to maintain their control.'

Take Mikhail's origins for example.

Alex knew of them thanks to his access to such data back in the Federation, as Mikhail's name was known even over there, since Virtue's Edge wasn't the only creation of his to find its way into their hands.

He was essentially just like Alex, coming from the lowest of the lows of society and rising to the very top at his prime, often regarded as the best blacksmith to have ever lived.

'Now that I think about it, for someone so esteemed to regard Virtue's Edge as his unfinished masterpiece… This thing's potential is probably horrifying!'

His excitement for the future when he finally completed the sword only increased, but he brought his mind back to reality quickly after.

Illusions of grandeur could be deadly if he let them get out of control.

'Since libraries won't be a reliable source of information, that leaves only one other option.'

'If anyone knows where to start, it would be the blacksmith association.'

Blacksmiths were notoriously hard people to get along with for most awakened due to their unique personalities, hence why even Alex had barely even interacted much with them, with Rothwind being the only exception, but even he was the perfect example of the unique personalities of blacksmiths.

However, even he seemed rather enthusiastic and normal whenever the topic of Mikhail was brought up. If Mikhail had truly been such a figure of legend, which he probably was considering Rothwind's reverence for him, his legacy must have left an imprint somewhere.

Even if the man himself had disappeared, rumours of his life might still be circulating among the smiths.

Alex turned to Brontes, speaking in a rather meek tone.

"I think we're heading to the nearest Blacksmith Association."

The Aetherion let out a snort and a rumble in response, puffing his chest out, but Alex knew for a fact that the beast had no clue what he was even talking about.

To him, he just wanted to be by Alex's side, it didn't matter where that was.

Without wasting another moment, Alex decided to save some time by being more bold.

He'd left Advent Garden to secure a secluded location to absorb his soul orbs, and now he planned to return to the city.

Only this time he couldn't be bothered with dealing with the guards at the gate.

He activated his Spatial Teleportation, locking onto an empty alleyway in the outskirts of the city with his perception.

A ripple of space energy surrounded him and Brontes, and in an instant, the world blurred.

When his vision cleared, both he, and a much smaller Brontes, now stood in that same alley he'd just mentally visualised on the outskirts of the city.

Brontes seemed unbothered by the effects of instant teleportation across such a distance, but that was to be expected for a Divine beast.

'Now, where's this city's Blacksmith association…'