"Magic crystals allow us to overcome this issue . Forgemasters and Alchemists both consider a crystal as a beating magical heart in search of a body . The more powerful the gemstone, the greater the number and quality of enchantments it can sustain .
"That is also the reason why Alchemical tools mostly use up to yellow gemstones, because it would be a waste otherwise . Alchemical tools are meant to be cheap and mass produced .
"Using green crystals or above for a single spell would defy everything Alchemy stands for . The cost of the gemstone alone would be enough to buy a better Forgemastered item .
"Embedding a crystal is a delicate and irreversible process in Forgemastering . Once the heart has a body, they become one . If the iron sword of my previous example were embedded with a green crystal, its innate magic would raise to one thousand .
This means that we can now infuse into it a magical force up to ten thousand . It makes it possible to imbue the sword with multiple spells . "
"How does a crystal fix the problem of the limited time window for enchanting an item?" Asked a chestnut haired boy .
"Once one or more crystals are embedded, the Forgemaster no longer channels their magic directly through the object, but through the gemstones instead . They are also amazing magical conductors that widen the time window from a few seconds up to a few days, depending on their strength .
"Otherwise it would be impossible for a single Forgemaster to have enough mana to imbue so many spells at once . Another reason for using mana crystals is because they are a power source .
"If you remember, the elemental weapons you crafted during the past third trimester, can be only used two, three times a day tops . Gemstones allow using multiple spells in a short time frame with no mana expenditure from the user .
"Good magical items, like your communication amulets, require one blue gemstone minimum . Blue and violet gemstones are expensive, but they absorb mana very quickly from the environment, making it possible to keep an enchanted item active almost indefinitely .
"Green and cyan crystals are employed only for making toys or ceremonial weapons . Any more questions before we move to a practical demonstration?"
Lith raised his hand while Solus left his finger to take a closer look at the students . Her mana sense perceived a familiar sensation, but it was too faint to recognize it from a distance .
"Does it mean that crystal embedded Forgemastered items can last forever?" Lith's question was linked to Solus's nature .
'What Wanemyre explained doesn't make sense . Thanks to true magic I know that without the imprinting from the mage, the mana pathways fade away with time and the pseudo core dissipates . If crystals are also power sources, why Solus almost died?' He thought .
"I would have talked about this before we studied constructs, like golems or gargoyles . No harm in moving a little ahead of time, though . The answer is no, they don't . Most stories about heroes finding legendary equipment laying on the floor are just stories .
"Without a user, an artifact will degrade over time, magical gemstone or not . It happens because all items have passive properties that are always kept active, like weight reduction, self repair, or enhanced resistance .
"Usually, the more powerful the artifact, the more passive abilities it has . It means that magical gemstones alone cannot keep up with the mana expenditure . That's why golems require arrays that serve as recharge pods .
"Unlike artifacts, arrays have a single function making them easier to preserve . Ancient noble households are protected by several arrays, but each one has its own magical stones and requires maintenance . Anything else?"
Lith shook his head .
'The tower from her memories was so big and powerful that probably it would have required a whole crystal mine to keep it active . Especially since Solus cannot go in stand by mode . It would mean her death . '
By the end of Wanemyre explanation, Solus had returned .
"Yes . " Asked a black haired girl . "Why not just enable passive abilities to be turned off whenever the object is not imprinted?"
"Because most of those spells are needed to preserve the magical item . Even if you do not notice it, imbuing an object with a great magical force causes a constant erosion . If an artifact sustains too much damage, it loses all its magical properties .
"The only way to preserve it from the passage of time is either to pass it to a new owner or use an array . Both solutions require for the original user to die in a manner convenient enough to allow for the artifact to be preserved . Useless to say, it doesn't happen often . "
Then, Professor Wanemyre proceeded to teach them the Bonding spell before giving a practical demonstration . She placed an amulet and a green gemstone inside a magic circle entirely made of runes of power . They were so tightly packed to almost resemble a straight line .
"I hope you learned to use water magic well, or drawing this kind of circles will take you days . " Wanemyre grinned seeing many quivering at her words .
She didn't need to charge the magic circle with mana . Wanemyre directly chanted instead .
The amulet and the gemstone started to float in mid air, orbiting around each other like twin stars while the runes turned into threads of blue light . The threads pierced both items, passing through them over and over again .
After each passage, the amulet and the crystal neared each other until they came into contact . Then, Wanemyre chanted a different spell . The threads entered inside the gemstone, painting it blue before spreading to the whole surface of the amulet .
Lith could see the lines of power even without Life Vision, finally understanding why crafters considered magic crystals like living hearts . The threads had formed the equivalent of a mana circulatory system, allowing the gemstone to fill the amulet/body with its power .
The lines turned from blue to green before disappearing, while the amulet returned on the flat surface of the black Forgemastering table .
'It's just as she said . ' Solus was amazed . 'I can see with my mana sense that the amulet has now a powerful magical aura . In a way, it reminds me of ourselves . '
"Now the amulet is ready to be enchanted . The use of the Bonding spell does not imply the need to imbue spells right off the bat . Bonding and Forgemastering can be considered two separate processes .
"Now it's your turn to try . This is tier five magic, so remember that the spell requires from you to generate as many threads you can control . The greater the number, the better the Bonding . A Forgemaster like me can generate one thread per each rune .
"In your case, since it's your first attempt, one out of four runes can be considered a passing grade, but only if the Bonding is successful . All the threads must always go through both targets . If even one misses, the spell will fail . Who wants to go first?"
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