Sol had never stared at his master like that. For good reason—Zavien Salvador hated people judging him with their eyes.
"I paid an astronomical amount to hire a Fourth Era Mage to sculpt me the way I am." He said, "But, first I undergo numerous legal procedures to make sure the authorities knew the mage wasn't coercing me into some experiment."
The man sighed, his voice melancholic as he explained.
He had to do it because his body would have kept growing disproportionately until he couldn't carry himself.
The sculpting he underwent ensured his body grew proportionally—his bones, veins, organs, and all parts growing to match everything with the strength and power to carry him.
But even now, every decade he would have to pay to restructure his body size.
Sol never knew his master was troubled by his body condition.
He now understood the dangers of becoming a Bonewielder.
"Don't try anything stupid just because you want to change your body. Take it slow, learn and study well first!"
Sol was happy—his master had approved of him to continue.
***
Arriving early allowed Sol to revise what he had learned yesterday.
This time, his thoughts focused on the First Era and how to reach it.
The ideal way was to have a Grade 2 artifact, but getting one's hands on a higher grade would be better.
Yesterday, Zavien had told him he had a Grade 3 artifact that he could loan to him.
But the moment they reached Golden Capital, Sol would have to search for another one because Zavien would be using it.
To Sol, that wasn't ideal because Teacher Sabey Salvador had explained extensively that once an Eiros Glass possessed an artifact, it should not be removed completely unless the Molder had outgrown it.
'I need to find another alternative source,' Sol thought before realizing, 'Master is treating me more as a partner than a slave.'
After more brooding, he realized that was truly the case. Zavien was taking measures and ensuring Sol thought and found solutions for himself.
Sol still felt repulsed by freedom, but he was also beginning to think freely—his mind was working better than before.
He was seeing the world from a different angle now, and it felt windy.
He was deep in thought when many students arrived.
The class was strange. There were no friends among them, no chitchat, only nods of acknowledgment.
As if each one was preoccupied with their own problems and was only here to find a way to solve them before walking away.
Sol liked that. He wasn't ready to make friends or even get close to anyone.
Friends were bad karma.
Sabey Salvador entered, and the lesson was about what criteria a Molder looked for when choosing an artifact.
The lesson was long. By now, everyone could squeeze 100 words into a single unique word. But halfway through, Sol's pen stopped writing, and Sabey noticed.
"Sol, how come your Molding Ink got exhausted so fast?" he asked as he pulled Sol's book and flipped through the pages.
"Interesting!" Sabey said. The first three pages were used, and the fourth was the one Sol was using now.
"Hmm. You need to arrange your writing based on topics. This one should be shifted to certain pages, making sure you don't mix new knowledge with other knowledge."
Sol didn't understand at all. The teacher took his pen and refilled it, then handed it back before guiding him on how to organize it.
Sol understood and thanked the teacher repeatedly.
It turned out they could move their writing from one page to another.
"Let us discuss how to organize your book!"
They were guided to set a table of contents. For Sol, it was Eiros Class and then Anatomy.
They would be permanent on the first page.
Writing anything about Eiros Class, will be under it, and the Anatomy would move away.
After writing, the text would move to the next page where the rest of the notes were.
The same applied to Anatomy. This way, all they had to write was on the first page for now.
This was recommended at their level, but at advanced levels, the book would be divided into pages with each page having a topic—one just had to open to that page and write.
'The book's use is simple at first but becomes complex,' Sol thought before realization came to him. 'If I have more than 40 topics, that means I must jam-pack some topics together. Hmm. Merging more words will need to be refined by then!'
The lesson resumed. No one earned Ei this time, and Sol went to the library.
Based on the criteria, his master's Grade 3 artifact would not be ideal.
There were four different things one needed to consider. The first was lineage, the second was bloodline, the third was mindset, and the fourth was function of the artifact.
Lineage was like bloodline but lesser. For example, if your ancestors had used an artifact, then using it would be very easy, even if your mindset wasn't ideal.
Bloodlines were special—they are descendants of the Gifted and the artifact was designed to be used by them or was attuned to them.
Mindset was very important because some artifacts had elements of mystic bone in them, which brought alterations to the body and mind.
The Grade 3 artifact Zavien promised Sol was made of silver, copper, and some gold, but its core was mystic bone.
Using it induced hunger and increased sensitivity to the groin area. That's why Zavien would want it back when they reached Golden Capital.
Other artifacts with mystic bone cores also came with effects that the Mage needed to know before using them.
The last was the most important: functions of the artifact.
Each artifact had abilities, and Mages or Molders had to choose an artifact that would give them a set of abilities they liked.
There was one problem. Artifacts were rare—or to be precise, controlled. The higher the grade, the stricter the control.
Zavien Ashkafi's Grade 3 artifact underwent investigation three times a year by the Iron Roll City Artifact Registration Agency, and he also had to inform them of any usage within the timeframe.
From Grade 5 to Grade 7, no one could own an artifact unless they had a permit from Golden Capital itself.
Even if you obtained a Grade 5 artifact, you must submit it to the Mega City, pay for safekeeping, and undergo a series of documentation before they would lend it to you.
The good thing was that if the city used the artifact, you would be paid, and other people could also borrow it for a fee.
The object Zavien's son had taken was an artifact made solely from mystic bone. And it was Grade 5.
The son had made his move before they reached Iron Roll City, knowing he would never get another chance like that.
Sol sighed as he copied another book—a volume on anatomy, but this one spoke only of the bones of the body.
'Knowledge is vast.'
Sol couldn't believe that just the bones of the body required such a large book. What shook him more was that there was a section of the bookshelf with a series of books about human bones, many books each discussing different aspects.
***
Sol was early as always but found half the class already full. Among them was a new boy with golden hair and golden eyes. His uniform was the same as theirs, and he stared at everyone who entered.
Sol's heart skipped a beat. Those eyes belonged to the nobility. He unknowingly nodded at the boy, who reciprocated.
Yesterday, he had been too tired to arrange his sentences properly, so he began organizing them now.
The more they used the book, the easier it became. What he was using now would have been difficult due to stamina drain, but his body had adapted.
The teacher came and nodded at the new student before continuing to teach about artifacts—what Grade 1 and above meant, what defined them.
Grade 1 artifacts had a single ability, and it was internal. For example, their books—they could only store knowledge through writing. That made them Grade 1.
That's why the books were Growth Type artifacts that grew with them.
A genuine Grade 1 had a single function, and it was mostly internal. For example, an oven that could be used to cook food. You needed to put the food inside to be heated, and that was it.
Grade 2 artifacts had two functions—either both internal or one internal and one external. For example, a mage staff that could store energy inside and then use it to send an attack.
Grade 3 artifacts had two or more functions, and the scale of their functions was large. For example, a Stronghold device that created a dome of 10 km defense.
Strongholds were defensive devices used when traveling through dangerous areas.
Grade 4 artifacts weren't just about function. They could have only one function, but the scale was so vast and the output of their functions was something no Grade 3 of the same kind could replicate.
All cities that weren't Mega cities in the Kingdom had Grade 4 Strongholds to protect them. Even Iron Roll City had only five Grade 4 Strongholds as protection.
The students took a deep breath. Now they understood that getting a Grade 4 artifact to possess would be very difficult.
"From Grade 5 to 7, their functions are not something you can easily understand. But let's just say that some of them can be used to control the weather, blow wind, and increase the growth of plants at the scale of the whole... Kingdom!"
"What?" students exclaimed with wide eyes.
Sabey Salvador smiled and nodded. "Each Mega City has a foundation of Grade 5 or 6 artifacts, but Golden Capital has 4 Grade 7 artifacts that control the whole Kingdom."
Sol leaned back and swallowed hard. The idea of getting a Grade 7 was a pipe dream. He quickly raised his hand, and the teacher nodded.
"That means the growth of Molders is very limited due to the rarity of high-grade artifacts!"
"Yes. From the First Era to Third Era, the reliance on artifacts is high, but from Fourth Era to Sixth Era, things become too complicated. Perhaps your path has no subsequent artifact, you can only forge your new path"
He sighed and smiled. "Even I only got my chance at a Grade 4 because I won a competition at Golden Capital. So yes, most Molders stop at Third Era. But that isn't the end. Oathbound has no such restrictions. Most of us will eventually venture into that!"
The lesson continued. No questions were asked, so no Ei was given.
As the teacher ended the lesson and was leaving, Sol stopped him.
"Sir, can you give me permission to show you something?"
"Go ahead."
Sol moved away from the students and held his book before closing and opening his eyes. . His body flashed with iron color, but this time it didn't disappear—it concentrated and became a flat shield before him.
Hummmm!
An iron round shield appeared before Sol for a second before it vanished. He fell to the ground with zero stamina.
"Haha." Sabey Salvador chuckled. "100 Ei for Sol!"
Sol stamina returned and exceeded previous levels, his mind in the clouds. He bowed and ran out so fast it was like he'd never been there.
His destination: the library.
The golden-eyed boy's eyes lit up.
'Didn't he do that to show me?' he wondered, and so he followed Sol to the library and found the boy busy copying basic anatomy information.