Swallowed Star: Reboot

Chapter 14: The Mace Strikes

"Curious, aren't you?" Grandpa Jiang asked with a smile, cradling a hand warmer in his palms.

Jiang Zhe nodded eagerly.

"These two weapons are relics from an ancient civilization," Grandpa Jiang began. He had already made up his mind to show his exceptionally gifted grandson a broader and more wondrous world.

As he revealed bits and pieces of knowledge about ancient civilizations, Jiang Zhe cooperatively widened his eyes in astonishment, fully immersed in the tale. Once Grandpa Jiang had shared what little he knew, he moved on to introducing the two weapons in front of them.

"Only the major powers are allowed to excavate ancient ruins, or those like Hong and Thor, who possess overwhelming strength. I'm certainly not qualified to get involved, let alone profit from them," the old man said with a sigh. "But our Jiang family has a long legacy. Back in ancient times, a few treasures from ancient civilizations leaked into the world. Our ancestors managed to acquire some, and they've been passed down ever since. After the Great Nirvana, when humanity discovered the path to transcendence, these treasures began to shine again."

Suddenly, he asked, "Have you heard of Qin Qiong?"

"'The mace strikes across three provinces and six prefectures, the horse tramples both banks of the Taihe River!'" Jiang Zhe blurted out, eyes wide with excitement. Looking again at the weapons, he realized—they really did resemble Qin Qiong's gear.

"Haha, good that you know," the old man chuckled, then revealed their names.

"This is the Four-Flanged Gold-Plated Refined Copper Mace."

"And that is the Water-Absorbing Skull-Lifting Spear, also known as the Eight-Treasure Tuo Dragon Spear."

"Here, try holding them," he said, suddenly pushing the two maces toward Jiang Zhe.

Jiang Zhe picked one up and tested the weight, then frowned and shook his head. "It's too light, maybe 30 to 40 jin. Not even as heavy as a Series-2 combat blade. Doesn't feel right in the hand."

"How heavy do you want it to be?"

Jiang Zhe thought for a moment. "A little over 200 kilograms."

Grandpa Jiang grinned, set aside the hand warmer, and picked up the other mace. He channeled his origin energy into it, lighting up the simple patterns carved into the surface. The patterns flickered briefly, then dimmed. Only then did he pass the weapon to Jiang Zhe.

"Try it again."

Jiang Zhe took it and found the weight just right. He let out a surprised expression on cue.

"This… is its special ability? Does it have any other powers?" he asked, hopeful. After all, these were force weapons—he'd likely use this type until reaching the Undying level.

"Its maximum weight is still manageable for me. Does that count?" Grandpa Jiang said casually.

"Uh..." Jiang Zhe didn't respond aloud, but his face said it all—kind of underwhelming. Probably not even a first-grade force weapon.

"You greedy little rascal!" Grandpa Jiang laughed and scolded him. "Here, that one's yours. Use it to practice your whip techniques."

"Huh? Thanks, Grandpa!" Jiang Zhe replied joyfully, swinging his "new toy" a few times.

Generally, maces are used in pairs, while whips are single-handed. A whip is usually longer, but this gold mace was 1.1 meters in length—pretty long for a mace—and felt very smooth to wield.

After a while, Grandpa didn't bring up the Eight-Treasure Tuo Dragon Spear again. The conversation seemed to have ended.

Jiang Zhe wasn't satisfied, of course. He asked about it directly, making no effort to hide his real interest—the pill furnace.

Grandpa Jiang's expression turned misty. "That? I'm not really sure about it either."

He turned and took the furnace down from a chain, placing it on the table in front of Jiang Zhe.

"Take a look. Use your spiritual force abilities. The furnace slag we use in our household is formed by me channeling cosmic energy into it."

He paused, then added, "But I feel like I've been using it wrong. It's too exhausting, not worth the effort…" His voice grew softer and softer, eventually trailing off into a murmur.

Jiang Zhe didn't press him further. Instead, he held the furnace and studied it carefully. With his vast "book knowledge," he might actually spot something others had missed.

The furnace was about the size of a monkey's head, forged from unknown metal. Though it was rusted all over, the exposed areas revealed intricate arcane engravings—definitely not of low quality.

Its spherical body had four large round openings, one on each side. Through them, a brilliant white crystal core could be seen inside.

Jiang Zhe asked, "Grandpa, have you ever tried destroying the core?"

"No, it generates an energy shield," the old man replied.

Jiang Zhe nodded and didn't attempt to break it. Instead, his gaze shifted to a more peculiar part of the furnace—the lid.

Unlike the corroded body, the lid was pristine, gleaming like new. It was covered in dense etchings, dividing the surface into countless sesame-sized grids.

Jiang Zhe frowned. "Feels like… these grids are movable?"

It wasn't just a hunch. He extended his spiritual force toward it—and sensed a difference.

With a tug of mental power, thousands of thin metal flakes—each as small as a sesame seed and delicate as a cicada's wing—lifted off from the lid and floated in the air.

Grandpa Jiang's calm demeanor cracked. He clenched his fists slightly. Could the mystery finally be unraveling?

Jiang Zhe was also excited—but for a different reason.

Was this a spiritual weapon?

But he quickly abandoned that idea. Though the flakes were tough and patterned on the back, they weren't inscribed with force law patterns. They had no offensive capability.

"There are 10,081 flakes," Jiang Zhe said. "The patterns on the back differ from each other, yet seem related. Looks like they can be assembled into full diagrams… Eight layers peeled off the lid—maybe they form eight complete images?"

Thanks to his powerful mental strength, even the intricate patterns on those sesame-sized flakes were crystal-clear to him.

He thought of the jigsaw puzzles he used to play in his past life—countless similar-looking cardboard pieces forming a single anime image.

"It feels like a password lock. Maybe once all the pieces are in place, the lid can be opened," he said to Grandpa.

The old man asked hopefully, "Over ten thousand pieces… can it be done?"

"I'm not sure. I'd need a lot of time—and a lot of trial and error."

Jiang Zhe thought of Babata. As an early-stage intelligent lifeform, its computing power far exceeded humans. With its help, the trial-and-error process could be drastically shortened.

But he sighed to himself: Sigh, the same old problem… I've got secrets I can't afford to reveal. I can't team up with Babata.

That shortcut was off the table.

Grandpa Jiang shook his head. "Too time-consuming? No, that won't do. You can't waste your time on this."

Then he promised, "Xiao Zhe, restore it for now. Once you reach the Councilor level, it'll be yours. You'll have all the time in the world to study it then."

"Understood, Grandpa."

With a wave of spiritual energy, Jiang Zhe guided the flakes back onto the lid. Inwardly, he marveled—he never expected to find such a "small fortune" on Earth, which he once thought barren.

Looking forward to it~

---

As the train rumbled along, Jiang Zhe asked why Grandpa had brought him out for experience so suddenly.

"If we hadn't left now, I'd be stuck at home," the old man replied. "Word's already out that I killed the King Clam and broke through to the Councilor level. Now I'm in the spotlight—everyone wants a piece of me, either to win me over or force me to pick a side."

"I hate that kind of fake politicking. I don't even want to go to the War God Temple. I'd rather take you out for some peace and quiet."

"Oh right, the War God Temple is a virtual organization. All global powerhouses above War God level are part of it. You'll understand one day."

---

Boom—

The train came to a halt at the South Military District station.

It was Jiang Zhe's first time in the wilderness, and Grandpa acted as his guide.

"See that tall tower? That's a lighthouse. You've read books from before the Great Nirvana, so you should know what it's for, right?"

"This way. That area's the martial supply base. Our Jiang family has business interests here."

"Villa A8—our family's exclusive rest area. There's a steward in charge here. When you come alone in the future, just tell him what you need."

…

They spent half a day at the martial supply base. When they left, Jiang Zhe had a sack of soybeans slung over his shoulder.

Yes, soybeans—not bullets.

Jiang Zhe was baffled. He never imagined his "starting loadout" would be like this.

Grandfather and grandson walked along an abandoned railway, heading toward County-Level City No. 0177. On both sides of the path, dilapidated ruins stretched into the distance—a scene straight out of a post-apocalyptic game, now made real.

(End of the Chapter)