“...”
They stared at each other.
“Um, customer...”
“No, you're the customer now.”
Li Xiuman waved his hand and pulled out his adventurer's license.
“I can take a commission to retrieve that shipment for you.”
“The price will be ten percent of that batch of magic steel.”
“...Deal.”
After asking Terub's apprentice about the strength of the bandits, Li Xiuman left the blacksmith shop.
“Rorona, you're my familiar, right?”
“This mission is yours.”
This was probably the legendary multi-tiered outsourcing.
The legendary conscientious boss, a skeleton.
“Master, I will absolutely complete the mission!”
Rorona wasn't unhappy at all. On the contrary, she was incredibly happy, her face full of excitement.
What an excellent employee.
He felt deeply gratified. If all of his future familiars could have the same dedication as Rorona...
...his skeleton corporation would surely thrive and prosper.
In truth, Li Xiuman wasn't cheating Rorona either.
Right after becoming his familiar, she had leveled up twice in a row and gained new skills.
She desperately needed combat to adapt to her new power.
Moreover, based on Li Xiuman's questioning of Terub's apprentice, those bandits weren't beyond Rorona's capabilities, though there was still some danger.
They would serve as the perfect whetstone for her.
Since Rorona had chosen to become his familiar, Li Xiuman wouldn't go soft on her.
He didn't want a mere decorative vase; he wanted a sword.
And so, the sword had to be polished.
“Well then, I'll wait for you at home. I hope you'll return before dark.”
Li Xiuman pulled his Rib Sword from his chest and handed it to Rorona.
“I also hope you return this sword to me before nightfall.”
“Yes, Master!”
Rorona took the sword, slipped into the dark alleyway, and vanished.
The reason Li Xiuman gave her the sword was to prevent any accidents.
If anything went wrong, he would be able to sense the Rib Sword's location and rush to her aid.
With the mission outsourced, Li Xiuman clocked in at the Reby Merchant Association on his way back.
Afterward, he returned home.
After all, what could possibly compare to the allure of knowledge?
Pushing the door open, the golem was still in the exact same spot where he had left it, motionless.
Hearing the noise, it finally raised its head and tilted it, looking over.
Li Xiuman picked up the golem and went back down to the basement to continue reading.
While reading, he used the golem to perform experiments and adjustments.
He didn't know how much time had passed when a notification window popped up before his eyes, showing an increase in experience.
It looked like Rorona had started killing the bandits.
Li Xiuman dismissed the notification and went back to his reading.
At the moment, he was reading about various non-humanoid animal-shaped golems.
There were anatomical diagrams of different animals and guides on making animal golems.
And so, the golem in Li Xiuman's hands was molded by him into various animal shapes.
By the time he had experimented with every animal in the book, the golem had been turned into a little stone kitten.
“Come here, little one.”
Li Xiuman opened his hands, and after a one-second delay, the golem leapt into his embrace.
Well, it might look like a cat...
...but it didn't feel nice to pet like a real cat. It was pretty hard.
Li Xiuman put the golem back on the floor.
Now, he had finished reading the entirety of A Book to Tell You What a Golem Is.
He flipped open the next book, The Construction of Golems.
Just as he opened the book, he heard the door being pushed open.
Rorona walked in, covered in blood and carrying the bone blade, her blood-red eyes glowing with an eerie light in the darkness.
“Master, the mission is complete.”
Rorona handed back the bone sword, along with a large bag of magic steel.
It seemed to be the ten percent cut of the shipment.
“Mhm, well done.”
Li Xiuman took the sword and the magic steel from Rorona's hands.
“Thank you for your hard work. Go take a bath and get some good rest.”
“Yes, Master.”
Rorona left the basement.
After reattaching the bone sword to his chest, Li Xiuman pulled a silver ingot from the bag.
Magic steel was a relatively rare forging material.
It was a special magic alloy smelted from magic crystals, mithril, and secret iron.
Li Xiuman tried squeezing the magic steel; it was extremely hard.
The reason he wanted this magic steel was that it was hard to come by; only blacksmiths had a steady channel to obtain it, and it could also be used to craft golems.
This amount should be enough for his experiments.
Li Xiuman put the magic steel back into the bag, stacking it aside with the other ingots.
Then, he submerged himself back into the sea of knowledge.
The Construction of Golems was clearly much more obscure and difficult than the previous introductory book.
It forced Li Xiuman to spend far more time reading and comprehending.
The complex structures inside gave Li Xiuman a headache.
He had no choice but to experiment, understand, and memorize them one by one.
In this manner, Li Xiuman read until dawn once again.
Another night without sleep. His spirit wasn't fatigued, but he didn't feel particularly excited either.
At this moment, he placed a magic steel ingot on the floor, set the golem on top of it, and raised his wand.
“Fuse!”
A brilliant light flared from the magic steel ingot as it slowly merged into the golem's body.
Subsequently, the clay-yellow golem also began to shine with a bright silver light.
Across the surface of its stone body, straight, intersecting silver lines began to spread.
Li Xiuman carefully constructed the golem, integrating the magic steel bit by bit.
By the time the magic steel had completely merged and disappeared, the golem's appearance had changed drastically.
It looked much more solid and compact.
Its size had also reached the height of a normal human.
It resembled compressed rock, with silver lines branching out from its chest.
Its two arms were exceptionally long, with thick forearms that ended in three fingers.
Its shoulders and upper body were remarkably broad, radiating physical power.
On its head were two round silver holes that glowed with a deep blue light like eyes, staring down at Li Xiuman.
[Name] Golem Li
[Level] 15
[Class] Heavy Armor Golem
[Skills] Great Strength Lv 2, Elemental Resistance Lv 2, Hard Rock Lv 2, Resilience Lv 2, Rock Manipulation Lv 2, Close Combat Lv 1, Self-Healing Lv 1
[Status] Decay (Expected to collapse in 15 days)
[Description] An excellent golem created by the Mage Xiuman Pound Li. It is a qualified Heavy Warrior, possessing outstanding strength and defense. The craftsmanship is mediocre, but it has plenty of character.
“Raise your arm.”
The golem swiftly raised its arm.
The delay was practically gone.
But what about its intelligence...?
Li Xiuman looked at the golem he had created with his own hands.
Staring into those eyes, he could feel no intellect.
So, he asked.
“What is two plus two?”
After a one-second delay, the golem held up its only three fingers.
See? How stupid.
Despite being able to inherit his skills, it couldn't absorb even a fraction of his intelligence.
Li Xiuman went back to studying The Construction of Golems.
The more he read, the more marvelous he found it.
Just what kind of genius was the person who created the very first golem?
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