The forge room was still just as white and glossy as before. Ed didn't pay it any mind and quickly made his way towards the holding box dumping in all of the materials.
'Start the forge' Ed quickly commanded.
The system didn't loiter as the mythical white flame ignited without delay.
'Now, what would be the right procedure?' Ed pondered while watching the ethereal white flame flicker coldly looking for inspiration.
'The flame seems to turn all materials into a liquid…' Ed decided to first figure out the forge's actual functionality.
The consciousnesses previously melted inside of the flame while maintaining its shape. This was obviously something unique to this forge.
Of course, it could also be solely unique to the consciousnesses. Maybe if he put the skeleton's bones in there he would see it drip into the flames. This was what he needed to test.
After a minute or so of waiting. Ed felt it was time to throw something into the fire.
He made the holding box provide a chunk of antimony which he quickly chucked into the flames. It landed simply in the flames without causing any sort of fuss. Thus, to save time. Ed got a leg from the holding box and put it to roast over the flames with a pair of tongs.
Ed observed as the chunk of metal was slowly molten. Soon, it would completely liquify. The same couldn't be said for the leg as it seemed to melt at a much slower pace. Ed didn't mind it though.
The system and dungeon had definitely tempered his patience. He was able to watch the whole process without batting an eye or a word of complaint.
In what felt like ten minutes, the metal had liquified. But most importantly, it had retained its shape.
'Indeed, the forge always allows the molten materials to maintain their shape' Ed was satisfied with this but the next step was to check if it was possible to combine different materials.
Thus, he patiently waited for the bone to finish its melting process. It wouldn't kill him to wait a while longer.
'Unless the dungeon sees this and decides I've lived long enough' He joked as he saw the boney leg turn liquidy and gooey.
[Compatible materials detected, combine? Y/N]
Before Ed could even start to consider how exactly he would combine the two things, the system lent him a helping hand.
'Yes!' Would he dare turn it down?
Ed's grip over the liquid leg was removed. This was obviously the system's doing. And it was all because it didn't need it anymore!
The leg floated above the flame as if waiting for something.
It was waiting for the melted antimony which was slowly floating upwards!
The two materials floated side to side and without much fanfare, were rammed into one another. Ed could almost hear both materials splash as they collided. Obviously it wasn't really the case.
'It's getting bigger…' Ed noticed as the metallic liquid squirmed around the leg reinforcing different bits of it. The system evenly distributed the metal, the leg didn't grow deformed.
And soon, the previously dirty white bones could be seen no longer and were instead replaced by an ominous gray. The leg which had grown in size now carried a metallic sheen after assimilating the metal's lustrous property.
The gray was much lighter compared to the metal's original color but it didn't fail to intimidate. It was as if the skeleton was burnt in the deepest pits of hell.
'When it was actually burned inside my head' Ed added amusedly.
Once he assembled the skeleton, it just might be taller than him! Not to mention scarier. A whole army of those things was bound to intimidate the average adventurer and directly strike terror into the hearts of normal people.
With that image in mind, Ed wasted no time in throwing in the other leg alongside another chunk of metal. He obviously removed the other leg first for it to cool down in advance.
'System, please make sure all the limbs are uniform' It wouldn't do for one leg to be larger than the other by a single centimeter. Limping skeletons might add to the scare factor but it definitely wouldn't work out in battle.
[Noted]
Ed only nodded after receiving a response. It wasn't the first time so he wasn't quite amazed. Anyway, all he now had to do was wait. The system would do all the heavy lifting so he only needed to patiently observe the process.
'I wonder if it is possible to mass-produce or speed up the process' Ed grumbled mentally. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to wait but rather that he would easily be besieged before his army was completed if things were allowed to continue at this rate.
'I should be able to upgrade this' Ed said inwardly in realization.
Out of the first five consciousnesses he received from the skeletons, three were used to unlock the forge. The other two were mixed in the forge through the system's basic functionalities.
'And if it's only basic then there is room for improvement! System, what do I need to spend to upgrade the forge?' Ed asked the system while the materials melted.
[Upgrading from basic functionalities requires two orc consciousnesses. Offer? Y/N]
Ed's thoughts turned bitter but he had to acquiesce nonetheless.
'Yes, but don't take Vorgarag's or Durgash's if they are here.' This demand was clearly biased but what was he to do?
[Taking offerings...]
[Upgrading forge…]
Following this message, the forge's flame shone an even more blinding white. Ed could no longer see anything other than white. He was also assaulted by a suffocating cold that obviously originated from the forge.
He involuntarily took some steps back before the light finally died down.
The forge before him seemed to have grown wider and its flame more mystical. This likely meant it could accommodate more materials as well as melt them faster.
It was exactly what he needed. But then again... It might still be a tad bit too slow.
[Upgrading from improved functionalities requires 15 orc consciousnesses. Offer? Y/N]
'Looks like you are taking the initiative. Same conditions, upgrade.' Ed agreed without any drama or hesitation.
[Taking offerings...]
[Upgrading forge…]
The same two messages appeared and the forge once more burned blindingly. The surroundings grew icy and after a bit, the new forge appeared before Ed's sight.
'The room is larger now' The forge was at the center so there wasn't a way to increase its size without it becoming obstructive. The only option was to expand the room.
'I suppose this means I can also upgrade the storeroom' He didn't plan on doing that though since it had yet to become necessary.
[Compatible materials detected, combine? Y/N]
'Oh' As soon as he saw the message he expected the system to ask for another upgrade but it was instead regarding the materials. It seemed that upgrading the forge while they were still melting sped up the process.
'Yes' Ed replied.
Although he was much further back this time, he could still see the two liquid items converge and the leg turning a glossy gray. A short while after, a new leg had been created.
Just as Ed was about to grab it with some tongs, he got another system alert.
[Compatible materials detected, start the combination process? Y/N]
He instantly knew that this was a new feature of whatever his current package was. It seemed that as long as he placed the necessary materials into the holding box the system would be able to infer the next logical step.
'All I need now are conveyor belts from the storage room into here' Ed contemplated if the system offered such a thing or if he would have to make his own. If it was the latter it would never happen.
'I'll start a bone factory' After thinking so, Ed quickly shook his head. Maybe not call it that…
[Compatible materials detected, start the combination process? Y/N]
'Yes' He forgot to reply due to his useless thoughts.
The system then took out a total of four chunks and four bones. They were all thrown into the ethereal white flames to melt away.
Ed only watched as the flames flickered with newfound strength and melted the materials. He couldn't do much else since he would still need to personally grab the product if he wanted to bring it outside. His only console was that the process was much faster following the two upgrades.
'I'll upgrade it again after trying this out' Ed determined after seeing the bones and metals start to combine. The price was worth it, that is if he could even use these limbs.
Until he ascertained that he would hold off on the upgrade. There was no need to make any pointless sacrifices, quite literally.
The new bones came fresh out of the oven by themselves this time. Perhaps due to being initialized through a process. After those came out, new pieces of bones and chunks of metals were tossed into the flame.
Seeing this spectacle Ed became quite expectant. He still had many orc consciousnesses, who knew what new rooms or functionalities he might be able to discover?