The Steel of the Heart—Steel Your Heart!

[Master Forger: Forge ten different pieces of equipment 6/10]

How did this accidental creation lead to something else?

"A burning gem?"

Herren held up the round gem and thoughtfully stroked his chin.

Burning gems... to make ornaments... if we add some other things, could we make Heart Steel?

"Ian, does the tribe have anything like... animal hearts?"

"Hmm... I don't think so. Animal organs are rare foods, and even if they existed, they wouldn't be here... What do you need them for?"

"It's nothing, I was just thinking about forging."

"forging?"

Old Ian scratched his head in confusion, unable to understand what the heart had to do with forging...

However, Herren did not dwell on this. Instead, he went into the warehouse where materials were stored and began to search for other materials that could potentially be used to forge Heartsteel.

……

……

Meanwhile, inside the War Mother's tent.

"Daughter, it's you again! You're always causing me trouble... What were you thinking? How could you rob our allies like that?"

Kuja roared and banged on the table. Sejuani was prepared and stood far away, not giving Kuja another chance to suddenly punch her.

"What's the problem? Since they're gone, we won't have to share our food with them, and more people won't starve!"

"Do I need you to teach me this? If I could do it, I would have done it already! But they are our allies, appointed by the Frostguard!"

Kojiya certainly didn't care about the opinions of the tiny Ibrahim tribe, but the alliance between the two tribes was witnessed by the Frost Guardians. This was not only a breach of the agreement with the Ibrahim tribe, but also a violation of the contract with the Frost Guardians.

"The Frostguards? They don't care if the Winter's Claws starve to death, but as the War Mother, how can you not care?"

"Thank goodness you still know I am the mother of the war, daughter! You always act so recklessly."

Kuojiya took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before speaking.

"Where is that Avarosa man?"

"Aishie? She... I banished her to the icy sea."

Sejuani hesitated for a moment before speaking.

And that was indeed the case. Even though she herself was unwilling, Ashe was indeed "exiled" to the icy sea.

"Oh? You've actually done something worthwhile... That's good, now the Frost Guardians have no reason to bother me anymore."

Upon hearing this, Sejuani frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The Frost Priests are demanding that we hand over that Avarosan..."

"You agreed?"

"What else? Daughter, we don't need to take the risk for an Avarosa man."

Sejuani's eye twitched; just as she had expected.

In this light, Ashe's decision to leave might not be such a bad thing... Hopefully, fate will smile upon her again, and she will survive the icy sea once more.

"However, there is one more person we must hand over."

"..."

A terrible thought lingered in Sejuani's mind, and she couldn't help but ask.

"Could it be... Helen?"

"That's right, it's him, the one favored by the gods, from the Hearth Village... It's said that Lissandra personally requested him... I have no reason to refuse."

"Why isn't there a reason!"

Sejuani immediately took two steps forward and said urgently.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Harren has forged a powerful weapon and passed your test! He's already a member of the Winter's Claw! You can't hand over your own people!"

However, Kuojiya simply said it without any expression.

"Really? Did I personally confirm that the weapons he forged were up to standard?"

"..."

Sejuani stared incredulously at Gorgia's weapon.

"What nonsense are you talking about... That's a True Ice weapon!"

"I don't care what it is. In short, I am the War Mother, and the decision is mine. As long as I haven't given my approval, he can't be considered a member of the Winter's Claw."

Kuojiya's face turned cold, and he said in a way that left no room for argument.

Seeing this, Sejuani gritted her teeth and abruptly turned her head away.

"You'll regret this, Mother..."

The words that carried the weight of kinship now seemed to be forced out of Sejuani's mouth, sounding cold and piercing.

She rushed out of the tent without looking back, leaving Kojiya alone holding up the table.

Kuojiya closed her eyes and remained in that position for an unknown period of time.

……

……

"The heat was still too intense... Adding some Zhenbing powder might help."

Heron tried several times to reforge the Burning Gem, but he could never quite get the timing right.

After all, it was Ornn's First Flame, and Heron wasn't quite comfortable using it yet.

After several attempts, with the help of Zhenbing, the shaping of Han Tie, and Helun's masterful skills, he finally grasped the knack.

After slowly releasing flames to heat it up, tapping it to set its shape, and adding Zhenbing powder, the rounded burning gem finally began to show discernible edges.

He attempted to hammer the burning gem into the shape of a heart, since his abilities leaned more towards idealism, and physical resemblance was still very important.

Moreover, this was not difficult for Herren. Once he grasped the knack, a gem resembling a heart was gradually sculpted into shape.

Next came the addition of chains for securing the piece... Heron initially planned to connect the pieces with chains forged from cold iron by drilling holes, but he was worried that drilling would damage the shape of the "heart," so he chose to use additional materials to create a perfectly fitting frame to enclose the heart, and then use chains to fasten the frame. This way, the core of the gem would not be damaged, and it would also make it a qualified "ornament."

Finally, Herren used the hammer imbued with the power of Ornn to deliver the final, decisive blow.

This is not just about ritual, but also about allowing Ornn's divine power to bestow upon this masterpiece an even higher quality.

Ding!

Herren didn't dare to use force, for fear of damaging the fragile gem, but the crisp sound was exceptionally loud.

He was taken aback and quickly looked over, and sure enough, he saw cracks beginning to appear on the surface of the gemstone.

Oh no, we're doomed...

But just when Herren thought it was another failed casting attempt, he discovered that the crack was "wriggling" like a tongue of fire, merging with the lines inside the burning gem, intertwining and flowing continuously.

The feeling was strange... Herren touched the surface of the gemstone, but he couldn't feel any roughness from the cracks. It was as if those "ripples" were originally part of the gemstone.

They flow, they beat... just like a real heart, pumping blood.

[Forged: Heart of Steel - Ordinary]

A true master craftsman can create cutting-edge masterpieces from the most ordinary materials, significantly enhancing the wearer's physical condition and recovery abilities.

[Obtain Prism Shard: Significantly increases HP percentage]

[Complete the mission: Steelen Your Heart - Forge the "Steel Heart" 1/1]

[Gain Rune Enhancement: Harden Your Heart]

[The heart is the strongest muscle; every time you challenge a powerful enemy, you become stronger. Periodically launching a powerful attack on an enemy can provide a permanent boost to your physique, the extent of which depends on the enemy's strength.]

[Cutting-edge inventor: Forging 4 out of 10 pieces of equipment]

[Master Forging: Forging Ten Different Pieces of Equipment 7/10]

[Resilience: Forged five tank equipment pieces 2/5]

[Received a new mission]

[We'll be right back: Zhonya's Hourglass 0/1]