Starting from Ainz Ooal Gown, simultaneously traveling through time

"Could this be a magical weapon made of Damascus steel?"

Toronto examined the wavy patterns on the sword closely, but quickly shook his head, dismissing his guess.

"No, Damascus steel's patterns are formed through a special folding and forging process, but this sword..."

"It hasn't undergone any of that kind of rigorous forging process at all; it's more like it was cast directly from a mold and shaped. The only difference is that the patterns look somewhat similar, but the underlying principles are definitely completely different."

He made his judgment to himself, the dwarf's stubbornness making him convinced of his own judgment.

Then, his gaze was drawn to the sword's cross guard and the round counterweight at the end.

It is etched with extremely fine and dynamic patterns.

"This is... a dragon?"

Toronto squinted and moved closer.

The design depicts a group of giant dragons in various poses.

They spread their wings and soar above the rolling clouds or mountain peaks, their huge mouths opening to spew out scorching streams of flame, burning the earth below.

The depiction is so lifelike that you can almost feel its destructive power.

"What's the purpose of carving these patterns?" Toronto frowned.

The dwarven craftsmen knew that any exquisite decoration was never unintentional; it often contained the creator's beliefs, commemorations, or the guidance of some power.

Is this scene of "dragons burning the world" a record of a disaster? Or is it a display of some kind of authority or power related to dragons?

"【A Battle of Dragons】? 【A Frenzy of Blood Dragons】? Or some other legend?"

He could only speculate wildly: "Perhaps the swordsmith witnessed a similar horrific scene, and the impression was so profound that he engraved it on the weapon as a... warning or a memorial?"

His gaze continued to move, and he soon discovered some even stranger symbols on the inside of the handguard.

It was a script he had never seen before, with a beautiful and ancient structure, carrying an air of mystery.

"I've never seen this kind of writing before..."

Toronto frantically searched his mind for all the runes and ancient language knowledge he had accumulated, but to no avail.

"It must be the script of some lost civilization, or it comes from an extremely distant place."

Fortunately, he was prepared.

Dwarven artisans often need to study ancient relics and magical inscriptions, and mastering the corresponding auxiliary magic is a basic skill.

He concentrated and recited in a low voice: "[Textual Interpretation]!"

A cool, magical sensation flowed into his eyes and mind.

The strange symbols in his field of vision seemed to come alive, their strokes rearranged, and their meanings naturally emerged in his mind.

"[The glory of Valyria endures forever]..."

Toronto read it aloud unconsciously, his voice tinged with confusion.

"What? Have you figured it out yet? Tell me quickly!" Dortmund, who had been waiting for a long time, was itching to know what was going on and urged him impatiently.

Toronto snapped out of his daze and pointed to the inscription on the hilt: "This sword might be related to something called Valyria."

"Valeria? Is it a person's name? Or a place name?" Dortmund looked bewildered.

"Not entirely sure," Toronto said, stroking his beard as he analyzed.

"But the phrase 'glory lasts forever' is usually not used to describe an individual, but rather to refer to the past glory of a family, a dynasty, or a place."

Dortmund muttered, "The glory of Valyria will last forever... What does that mean? I've never heard of it."

"I don't remember either, but I'll write it down for now." Toronto put the question aside for the time being and continued his medical examination.

Soon, he found an even shorter inscription on the spine of the sword, near the hilt, with an even more ancient and elegant script.

"【Blood and Fire Share the Same Origin】..." he read aloud, a strange feeling stirring in his heart.

These four characters seem to contain some heavy and powerful concept, subtly echoing the dragon flame pattern seen earlier.

"It sounds like a proverb or a family motto, and it's very likely related to Valyria. If we can find records about Valyria, we might be able to understand its meaning," he speculated.

After repeatedly examining every part of the sword, no new inscriptions were found. Toronto knew it was time to look inside the sword.

He took a deep breath and channeled his magic once more, this time using his core skill for identifying magical items:

"[Item Appraisal]!"

A magical light enveloped the sword. In that instant, Toronto's consciousness seemed to be pulled into an illusion—

He saw molten iron, hot and churning like the melting sun, gathering and taking shape under an invisible force.

Immediately afterwards, a bright red, scalding liquid gushed out.

is blood!

The blood splattered on it made a piercing sizzling sound, but instead of evaporating, it strangely fused with the metal.

Finally, boundless, raging flames rose up.

The flames were a noble yet violent golden-red, with an unimaginably high temperature, as if they were burning everything and forging all impurities into pure essence.

The burning sensation in the illusion almost broke through the limits of magical feedback, scorching his mind!

"Huh!" Toronto jolted awake, snapping out of the illusion. A cold sweat broke out on his back, and his heart pounded.

"What's wrong? What did you see?" Dort was startled.

Toronto waved his hand, calming his breathing: "It's nothing. I just saw some... clips of the sword's forging process, which were quite interesting."

"How is it interesting? Don't keep me in suspense!" Dort's curiosity was completely piqued.

"This sword," Toronto said slowly, his eyes still filled with shock.

"It is born from the extreme flames and fueled by blood, the two perfectly fused together. The phrase 'blood and fire share the same origin' probably refers to this forging process itself."

Dortmund was completely confused: "What blood and fire? Be more specific! Isn't it normal to add some blood when forging weapons?"

"I've heard that some primitive tribes throw live livestock or even prisoners of war into furnaces, saying it's a sacrifice to their weapons to make them more ferocious and powerful! Isn't that the same thing?"

"That's called 'blood sacrifice'," Toronto patiently explained to his companion, who lacked knowledge of the craft.

"Living objects contain trace amounts of metallic elements, life energy, and magic. When incorporated into the forging process under specific rituals, it is indeed possible to slightly enhance certain properties of the weapon, but the principle is very crude, and the enhancement is limited."

He changed the subject, pointing to the sword in his hand: "But this sword is different. Regardless of what kind of blood it uses, the fire is no ordinary fire. The flames I saw were far more powerful than ordinary magma."

"More powerful than lava? What kind of fire is that?" Dort's eyes widened.

Toronto did not answer immediately. His gaze fell again on the "dragons breathing fire" pattern on the hilt of the sword, and an absurd yet gradually clear idea emerged in his mind.

"A dragon...?" he murmured unconsciously.

"What? What did you say?" Dortmund didn't hear clearly.

"It's nothing." Toronto shook his head violently, as if trying to shake off this absurd idea.

He thought to himself, "It must be an illusion. Forging weapons with dragon breath? How could those proud and volatile creatures possibly be used by humans? That's wishful thinking."

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he conducted a series of routine tests.

Hardness, toughness, sharpness, magic conductivity, magical properties...

The results all show that this is indeed an extremely excellent and exquisitely crafted weapon.

In conclusion, he said, "In short, this is a top-tier sword forged in one piece using unknown cutting-edge technology. Its forging philosophy and techniques far exceed my current understanding."

As for what that unknown craft was, he dared not think any further about that crazy speculation about "dragons".

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" he kept telling himself, trying to convince himself.

After the appraisal was completed, Toronto carefully placed the stunning sword back into its simple leather scabbard.

Then he handed it back to Dortmund, speaking in a serious tone:

"I've finished looking at it. Now I'm returning it to its rightful owner. You should quietly send it back to where you took it from."

"Huh? We have to give it back?" Dort looked reluctant, as if his prized possession was about to fly away again.

"Nonsense!" Toronto glared, his stubbornness rising.

"If we don't return it, we'll really be considered thieves! Listen, when you return it, be careful not to leave any trace, in case you get caught..."

He clenched his fist, which was as hard as a hammer, and snorted, "Don't expect us to bail you out. If the captain finds out about this, you'll be the first one he deals with."

Seeing Toronto's unwavering expression and his fist the size of a casserole dish, Dortmund shrank back and could only accept the sword with a mournful face.

"Okay, okay, I'll go return it... Honestly, what a waste of time."

He muttered to himself, clutching his sword, before disappearing back into the shadows of the alley to carry out his second secret operation of the night.

Toronto stood still, gazing in the direction Dortmund had disappeared, then looked at his own hands.

He could almost still feel the lingering warmth of the raging flames in that illusion, his brow furrowed as he fell into deep thought.