Having obtained the information he needed, Purple Hammer did not delay.
He quickly joined the Fang Tribe's process of smelting fire-resistant iron.
At the same time, he began forging a new set of equipment for himself using the fire-resistant iron.
He also wanted to experiment with the smelting techniques he had acquired from the skeletal shamans.
Purple Hammer had embarked on his journey from the eleventh floor in search of the Forbidden Fire specifically to pursue the power of foundry arts.
Seeking the Forbidden Fire was for this very purpose.
By pushing the limits of foundry arts, he hoped to ensure that the purple-skinned blacksmith tribe could serve the Master for a long time to come.
He hadn't expected that even before finding the Forbidden Fire, the various powers and techniques he had acquired along the way would already reveal new possibilities to him.
The blessing from Lady Zeno had further enhanced his perception.
The blessing of the Forbidden Fire had granted him greater control over flames.
The blessing from Lady Feiwan had given him the power of lava and high temperatures, further refining his mastery of fire.
The techniques he had learned from the skeletal shamans showed him the potential to elevate the purple-skinned blacksmiths' foundry arts.
All of this was not just an increase in his personal strength, but an expansion of his horizons and an elevation of his craft.
Purple Hammer unslung the Purple Treasure Mallet from his back.
His search for the Forbidden Fire had already yielded such rewards during the journey itself.
Perhaps this, too, was a revelation from the Master.
The hope for foundry arts might lie in the Forbidden Fire, but it also lay in his own pursuit.
The Master had granted him a true name, perhaps so that he could personally seek and explore.
He would integrate everything he saw and every power he gained on his journey into his foundry arts.
Purple Hammer activated the special effect of the Purple Treasure Mallet, and in an instant, he split into two.
One Purple Hammer gripped the Purple Treasure Mallet with two arms while using another arm to take up iron tongs and toss raw fire-resistant iron ore into the furnace.
Then, he activated the power of his blessings, and the lava immediately surged with scorching heat.
The temperature was so intense that the purple-skinned blacksmiths watching the technique couldn't help but retreat two steps, their faces filled with shock.
Yet Purple Hammer's expression remained unchanged.
Under the influence of his various blessings, he was no longer afraid of such extreme heat.
Inside the furnace, the fire-resistant iron quickly turned cherry-red under the high temperature, and white smoke began to rise.
This fire-resistant iron had been soaked in water beforehand.
After all, fire-resistant iron possessed extreme resistance to flames; only after being soaked in water would its resistance significantly decrease.
Following this characteristic, the purple-skinned blacksmiths would always soak the raw ore before forging and smelting.
Seeing that the heat was just right, Purple Hammer clamped the raw ore out of the furnace and began to forge.
Sparks flew, and the multiple eyes on Purple Hammer's head grew brighter and brighter.
At this moment, it felt as if he were hammering every experience from his journey to find the Forbidden Fire into the material before him.
His thirst for the Forbidden Fire, his desire to advance his foundry arts, and his devotion to serving the Master!
Insights and techniques were all forged together in this moment.
His arms swung the Purple Treasure Mallet in a continuous rhythm, and sparks flew more and more frequently, faster and faster.
Impurities were hammered out of the raw ore.
Every inch of his muscle rippled into the most optimal position, maintaining a perfect balance in every strike.
His technique reached its absolute zenith in this moment.
Simultaneously, Purple Hammer used one of his free arms to aim at the ore on the anvil, using his blessing to maintain a constant, intense heat on the material.
The purple-skinned blacksmiths watching from the side were moved to heartfelt wonder by his forging technique.
Purple Hammer's skill had reached a level far beyond their reach.
Even Purple Pincers, the leader whose foundry arts were the most advanced among the tribe, could not help but praise the craft from the bottom of his heart.
This was the pinnacle of foundry arts.
Lord Purple Hammer was only one step away from forging a true magical artifact—and that step was the power of the forge itself.
Only blacksmiths of the Foundry Church could obtain the power to forge magical artifacts from the God of the Foundry.
No matter how much a blacksmith who did not believe in the Foundry Church honed their skills, it was impossible for them to cast a magical artifact.
Purple Hammer sought the Forbidden Fire precisely because he wanted to use its power to replace the Foundry Fire that could only be obtained from the God of the Foundry.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of the forging became crisper, and Purple Hammer's gaze seemed to take on physical weight, focusing intensely on the material.
He took out a monster material—the scales of a lava fish—and scattered them over the raw ore.
Then, he raised the Purple Treasure Mallet.
His blessing activated, and flames ignited from the face of the mallet as it struck the ore.
This was a technique the purple-skinned blacksmiths had never seen before.
It was the Soul Fire technique Purple Hammer had acquired from the skeletal shamans to create monsters.
Now, Purple Hammer used his insights to replace the Soul Fire with the flames blessed by Lady Feiwan.
At the same time, he used the vitality blessed by Lady Zeno to awaken the activity within the monster materials.
At the moment of the strike, the flames permeated the ore.
The lava fish scales seemed to melt instantly, endowed with vitality as they grew into the ore.
The purple-skinned blacksmiths widened their eyes, unwilling to miss a single detail of the forging.
They possessed a primal pursuit of foundry arts, and the skill Purple Hammer displayed had completely captured their hearts.
The twin mallets swinging in his arms became a blur, and the monster materials were completely hammered into the raw ore.
The flames wreathed around his swinging hammers seemed to possess magic, allowing him to shape the ore at will according to his thoughts and desires.
With the final strike, the mana was completely integrated into the finished product.
A dark silver bracer, not yet cooled, appeared before them.
The bracer radiated intense heat, its surface covered in a scale-like pattern, and the mana within it reached the peak of magic equipment.
Purple Hammer slowly lowered the Purple Treasure Mallet.
He had reached the peak of his foundry arts. This bracer was the culmination of all the insights and gains he had gathered on his journey.
It was also the limit of a magic item, just a hair's breadth away from the mana contained in a lesser magic grade magical artifact.
Yet that hair's breadth was a chasm, a gap that could not be filled by technique alone.
As he set down the mallet, his physical strength seemed to break through its limits, climbing a notch higher.
His internal understanding of foundry arts also surged.
He had originally viewed the Forbidden Fire as the destination of his journey.
By obtaining it, he would use its power to break the limits of the purple-skinned blacksmith tribe's forging.
Now, he had a new understanding.
The Forbidden Fire was not the end; he would continue to pursue his craft forever, even unto death.
He would constantly elevate his foundry arts, seeking the knowledge of the forge to craft the orb upon the throne for the Master.
“Lord Purple Hammer,” Purple Pincers spoke cautiously as Purple Hammer removed the bracer from the anvil.
“I'll leave the sewing of the inner leather to you.”
“Of course, Lord Purple Hammer.”
Purple Hammer then continued forging without a moment's pause.
Every strike pushed his foundry arts to the limit.
It felt as if every blow brought him one step closer to the Forbidden Fire and his ideal of the craft.
Three days passed until a full set of armor forged from fire-resistant iron appeared before them.
The armor was dark silver, heavy, and simple in design.
It consisted of a head-armor, breastplate, bracers, pauldrons, gauntlets, tassets, greaves, and sabatons.
The armor was crafted from two main materials: fire-resistant iron and lava fish scales.
For the core breastplate, he had even incorporated a precious magic iron ingot from the Fang Tribe's collection and the skeleton of a Lava Fish King.
The interior was lined with fire-resistant leather, providing excellent insulation against high temperatures.
As a complete set, the pieces worked together to provide extreme resistance to fire and heat, as well as significant resistance to magic and physical attacks.
This was the armor Purple Hammer had forged specifically to pursue the Forbidden Fire within the lava.
Wearing this armor, he would not die immediately even if submerged in lava for a short time.
Combined with the natural fire resistance of a purple-skinned blacksmith and the fire resistance granted by the Forbidden Fire blessing and Lady Feiwan's blessing...
Now, with this armor, most attacks in the lava region would struggle to harm him.
The synergy of the full set reached the peak of lesser magic grade magic armor, nearly rivaling a greater magic grade magical artifact.
Though it lacked a unique ability, its fireproofing was so extreme it could be considered its special power.
“Lord Purple Hammer, have you decided on a name for this armor?”
Purple Pincers asked, staring obsessively at this masterpiece—the greatest work of the purple-skinned blacksmiths' foundry arts.
Purple Hammer had long ago decided on a name in his heart.
“Seeker.”
“The Seeker's Armor.”
After finishing the Seeker's Armor, Purple Hammer used his foundry arts to refine several ultra-pure fire-resistant iron balls, each about the size of a thumb.
The purity was so high that even Purple Pincers couldn't help but marvel.
“So pure! AA+ purity! I've never seen such pure stuff!”
“With goods this pure, even the Fish King would probably roll over and show its belly!”
Purple Hammer smiled at the sight and filled his satchel with the fire-resistant iron balls.
Everything was ready, and he did not stay any longer.
“Lord Purple Hammer, I will have my men transport the fire-resistant boat to the edge of the lava lake later. I wish you a swift discovery of the Forbidden Fire and an audience with the Great Master.”
“Regarding the container for the Forbidden Fire, the Forbidden Fire Longbow, it may have drifted into the lava sea. If you wish to find it, following the residual flame of the Forbidden Fire might reveal its tracks.”
“I understand.”
Now fully equipped in his Seeker's Armor and carrying the Purple Treasure Mallet, Purple Hammer left the underground settlement under the watchful eyes of the purple-skinned blacksmiths.
Following the passage out of the mine, Purple Hammer found his lava skeletal lizard.
Climbing into the fire-resistant saddle on the lizard's back, Purple Hammer gazed at the vast lava lake, shrouded in thick smoke and distorted by the intense heat.
Waves of fire rolled across the surface, but they were all deflected by the Seeker's Armor.
Purple Hammer patted the spine of the lava skeletal lizard beneath him and headed east, searching for the fire-resistant beach where the Lava Fish King resided.
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