Chapter 40: The Secret of the Reinforcement Machine, Who Said Sacrificial Items Are Useless...

"So, you made a bet with Kiri: +11 gets you the deed, and +12 makes it free?"

Tana raised an eyebrow after hearing his brief summary of the terms. It was surprisingly smooth, yet predictably difficult. She had heard rumors about the reinforcement machine long ago; getting to +11 was no easy feat. Even with the famously lucky Shiate, there was no guarantee Kiri wouldn't pull some dirty tricks on the machine. Luck could not change a predestined outcome when facing a cheater.

"Yes, we're going to try. I have a good feeling about it," Yelin said with absolute confidence.

"Your 'Blazing Sun' might shatter, you know..." Shiate couldn't help but remind him. Luck was intangible and invisible, and it was hard to feel truly confident based on it alone.

"I believe in you!" His gaze was filled with deep affection. He reached out to hold her small hand to give her strength, only to be blocked by the Hidden Dragon Greatsword... a bit awkward.

"If the Blazing Sun shatters, I won't compensate you. I don't have the money anyway."

"You could pay me back with your body..."

"Oh? Then I'll save my nail clippings for you."

"I meant your physical form..."

"Dead skin from my feet?"

Stunned for a moment, he decided not to continue the banter and lose his dignity, especially since the silly Mello had wandered over, hugging Migao.

"By the way, Mello, what weapon do you use? It looks like a sword, right?" Elven Knights usually wielded greatswords, or specialized lances when fighting alongside their unicorns.

"I use a wide-blade sword, a smaller version of a greatsword. It's a growth-type weapon gifted to me by Lady Nimelle."

A bronze-colored wide-blade sword appeared in Mello's hand, along with an exquisite small shield with a red gem embedded in the center—it looked like anything but an ordinary item.

[+7 Godly Spirit Leap]: (Artifact) (Greatsword) (Bound)
Note: Blessed by Nimelle, Goddess of Wisdom. This equipment is bound to the wielder; others cannot utilize its attributes. Its power grows as the wielder grows stronger.

...

The Reinforcement Shop.

Kiri placed a stack of deeds on the table and patted the shell of the reinforcement machine, a hint of subtle craftiness appearing at the corner of her mouth. "Handsome, we can start whenever you're ready."

Shiate took the Blazing Sun, her eyes filled with worry and her heart fluttering with anxiety.

"Wait a moment. I just bought two +7 pieces of equipment from the shop next door to use as 'buffers'." He handed a high-grade wand and a dagger to Shiate, signaling her to reinforce those first before trying the Blazing Sun.

"Buffers? A strange term. Does it help? The entrance to the reinforcement machine is spatial magic; just put them in."

The first item, the dagger, was tossed in. A red and blue light flashed rapidly beside the machine's entrance, followed by the sound of hard objects being crushed.

"Failed? Well, that's normal. Being lucky doesn't mean a 100% success rate." He was all too familiar with that sound—it was the unmistakable sign of equipment shattering upon failed reinforcement.

A leather hose connected to the other end of the machine pulsed, spitting out a dozen transparent crystals the size of fingertips. Colorless Small Cubes—they contained pure, special energy. Carrying them helped reduce combat wear, but because they were extremely hard until their energy was depleted, few people carried large quantities.

Shiate tossed the second high-grade wand in. Again, the red and blue lights flashed, followed by the sound of shattering...

"Yo, yo, this beautiful girl's luck seems a bit lacking." Kiri suppressed a smirk, holding an apple and looking relaxed. She even closed her eyes and hummed a tune, as if she had already won the bet.

"Let's just stop, shall we? The Blazing Sun is a very good weapon; it won't be easy to find a replacement if it breaks." Shiate's brows were knit with worry. If +7 items were shattering, the chances of reaching +11 were just too low.

"Put it in."

"But..."

"Trust me, put it in."

"Handsome, I'll give you a chance. You can choose to forfeit the bet. I can sell you these deeds at the market price." Since he was a friend recommended by Sossia, Kiri didn't want to burn bridges—after all, they still had to scam people together later. Teaching him a lesson that she wasn't to be trifled with was enough. Never provoke Kiri.

After Yelin insisted, the Blazing Sun was placed into the machine without hesitation.

Instantly, six eyes—including Migao's—were fixed on the entrance. Everything hinged on this moment.

Perhaps because of the higher reinforcement level, the red and blue lights flickered for a long time before slowly fading.

*Click.*

Mello, holding Migao, turned pale. Shiate looked at Yelin with a mixture of blame and helplessness—it had shattered after all.

"Bad luck, what a pity. I win. I can give you a 10% discount on the original price of these deeds." Kiri walked over and patted the machine. She looked regretful and sympathetic on the surface, but inside, she was ecstatic. She had made a fortune!

"What 10% discount? Shouldn't it be the original price?" Yelin sneered.

Shiate was stunned, biting her lip and whispering an apology: "The equipment shattered, I'm sorry..."

"Why apologize? It succeeded."

He walked over, seemingly casually patting the reinforcement machine, while giving Tana a signal.

Instantly, magical energy erupted, binding the caught-off-guard Kiri like a mummy. Tana had noticed something strange.

"Kid, this isn't very gentlemanly. A bet is a bet." Kiri’s calm expression flashed with panic, her heart skipping a beat. Had her secret been discovered? How could that be? The inside of the reinforcement machine was spatial magic; no one should have been able to detect what was happening inside.

"When the first 15th-level dagger shattered, the machine spat out seventeen small cubes. When the second 20th-level staff shattered, it also spat out seventeen small cubes. And my artifact, the Blazing Sun, also resulted in 17 small cubes..."

"So, you use the internal spatial magic of the machine to swallow people's equipment, don't you? Give me back my +11 Blazing Sun!"

Pretending that equipment that hadn't actually shattered was destroyed, spitting out a few cubes as a consolation, and then openly pocketing the gear to sell it later at the weapon shop next door or elsewhere—this tactic was classic Kiri.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Kiri forced a laugh, but the panic in her eyes was impossible to hide. *'Oh no, oh no, I absolutely cannot admit it. If this news gets out, I’ll be skinned alive.'*

Yelin stepped up to Kiri and smiled. "You've seen my magical abilities. I can melt down metal materials in a short time, including this machine. It’s easy for me to pry it open and check if the Blazing Sun is inside... Besides, the lady binding you has extraordinary magic. Even if you trigger the Quantum Bomb behind you, it won't matter; the only one who will die is you, Kiri."

Kiri looked at the inscrutable Tana, then back at her precious reinforcement machine, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

She had fallen for it! She had been careless! Why had she forgotten to change the number of cubes for the shattered items? But then again, she had never seen anyone use expensive equipment as a "buffer"! Didn't they cost money? Was he out of his mind? How did he even think of buying buffers?

Seeing him place his hand on the machine, ready to melt it into a pile of scrap metal, Kiri could only stop him, pouting in dissatisfaction. "Fine! I only use this trick on wealthy people. I don't have such a mean heart for ordinary, poor adventurers."

As it turned out, she had no ability to control the success or failure of the reinforcement, but she did have a remote device that controlled the internal space of the machine. Even if the equipment reached +13, +14, or +250, she could use secret operations to make the equipment "shatter" and spit out a few cubes to comfort the victim.

In reality, she would pocket the finished product. This was the secret that allowed her to remain invincible. Never mind a few buffers and a noble's estate; even with ten thousand buffers and all the wealth of the Bel Myre Principality, if they didn't discover her secret, she would ensure any item she wanted would shatter.

After all, there were no "Equipment Reinforcement Protection Tickets" here.

That was exactly what happened to the previous noble. After Sossia's equipment "shattered," Sossia had acted magnanimously, suggesting he go next door to buy some pre-reinforced gear. The allure of beauty was strong, and the corrupt noble had completely lost his mind...

Taking back the Blazing Sun, now glowing with a clear light, Yelin couldn't help but sigh, "Who says buffers aren't useful..."