Chapter 287: Transition
"If you don’t mind my asking, Vahn, what are your plans now that you’re here...?" asked Carla, her long, white-furred tail swishing slowly behind her as she sat across from Vahn at a rectangular dining table, flanked by Ghislaine and Fran. Her expression was a casual, narrow-eyed mask of curiosity, but beneath the table, she discreetly rubbed his right foot with her own after slipping off her flats.
’She’s become bolder...’ noted Vahn, outwardly sporting a relaxed smile as he affirmed, "I’m going to be training, of course. As for what that entails, I intend to split my time between physical conditioning, meditation, forging, and sparring."
"Forging? As in, you plan to make stuff...?" asked Bonney, seated to Vahn’s right with a nearly six-centimeter-thick, deep-dish, cheese and mushroom pizza.
"That’s right," Vahn confirmed, nodding. Then, producing a simple dagger purchased from his Shop, he explained, "By now, you’re aware that I have the power to convert a currency called Origin Points into virtually anything that can be imagined. However, quality items, especially those that utilize rare materials or have powerful enchantments, are absurdly expensive. By forging and enchanting items directly, I only need to cover the cost of the materials."
"If you need help with enchantments, I might be of assistance," chimed Wendy, perking up to Vahn’s left before adopting a slightly embarrassed smile as she conceded, "Though, admittedly, the enchantments I use are temporary or require a constant supply of Magic Power. I’m not sure how effective they would be for producing items on the level of those found in the Tower Shop or Corridor..."
"Well, you’re more than welcome to join me and find out together. I’ll be learning from scratch, so I expect I’ll be experimenting a lot," said Vahn, causing Wendy’s eyes to narrow in satisfaction as he caressed her head with his left hand.
"Then we might as well learn to forge together," contended Bonney, her brows furrowing as she bumped Vahn with her left shoulder and asked, "Or were you hoping you and Wendy would have some alone time? She’s even younger than me, you know..."
"If you want to learn or forge alongside me, I won’t stop you," responded Vahn, caressing Bonney’s head in concert with Wendy’s as he added, "But I intend to take it seriously. Forging requires immense patience, and if you lose focus at any point in the process, the result could be unusable. If you can push past that without losing your cool, I’m certain you could become a great Blacksmith..."
Preempting Bonney’s response, Vahn removed his hands from her and Wendy’s heads and swept his gaze over Fran, Carla, and Ghislaine before smiling as he affirmed, "As for learning as a group, hammering metal for hours on end isn’t suitable for everyone. Focusing on training and what interests you is more efficient and fulfilling than splitting your priorities to meet the expectations of others."
"Very well said..." affirmed Carla, running her foot along the interior of Vahn’s right calf as she stated, "As one would expect from the Dragon God who presides over innumerable fates."
"What did you have in mind for training...?" injected Ghislaine, drawing Vahn’s gaze as she took a bite of the ribs she was working on, causing a drop of sauce to fall onto her left breast and nearly slip into her chasm-like cleavage, bound in a stylish, strapless black brassiere with rose trim. Before it could, she lowered her head and extended her inordinately long tongue, covered in fine, hook-like papillae, and licked it up.