[LSB] Chapter 134: I Already Know How

Half a day later, Julian was once again in Artemia, quietly following Maldan through the village. The wild festivities had died down—but not entirely. The villagers were now spreading carpets across the ground and arranging short-legged tables in a circle, as if preparing for another miracle they believed Julian would bring forth.

Ever since he returned with Exhalia dwelling within him, the people—strangers, all of them—had begun treating him like something divine. Or in MEGAN’s words: an idol, a god, or both.

Most people would’ve let that kind of reverence go to their heads. But Julian wasn’t like most people. He had already endured months of adulation back on Earth and in the Martian colonies, and his strongest response to any of it had been nothing more than a slightly louder version of his hum.

Artemia was no different.

Well—perhaps it was, in one small way: he could see their gazes here. His working eyes met theirs, and he saw the awe reflected in every glance. Reverence. Idolatry. Expectation.

MEGAN had given him a brief explanation after skimming the internet again. And in Artemia, anyone contracted to a spirit was revered, no matter their race—Hyum, Gnarfolk, or Eldazen. It was one of the few things that united them.

But Julian wasn’t just bonded to a common spirit. Even Searadyn would be considered a Higher one. But most importantly, he carried a primordial avatar. Which meant they weren’t just revering him—they were truly turning him into an idol.

The only reason he wasn’t sitting on a throne right now was because he was in Dodona, in a humble village far from the cities. But that would change soon. Once he returned to civilization, the legend of the Shadow Blacksmith would only grow louder.

But as always, Julian ignored it. He simply followed Maldan without comment.

Maldan walked ahead with Nuru at his side, the older gnarfolk woman muttering prayers as she moved. Her palms were raised, her posture hunched forward in solemn respect, and her thick tail coiled tightly in front of her as she walked.

Earlier, Maldan had told him that Nuru was not just his assistant, but also a capable golemsmith in her own right. He had also advised Julian to bring someone of his own. But Julian was always going to bring Juliet with him, no matter where.

“Should I… really be here, Boss?” she asked, her voice a hushed murmur, as though afraid to interrupt Nuru’s prayers as she walked quietly beside Julian.

Julian didn’t share her caution. He simply hummed and replied, “Where else would you be?”

Juliet didn’t answer. She just kept walking. The village wasn’t large, but for some reason, it felt like they’d been walking for far too long. Every step was watched. Every villager they passed bowed their heads—not just to Julian, but to her as well.

The weight of it all pressed on her shoulders. It wasn’t until they passed by Kitty, who gave them a grin and a casual wave, that Juliet realized she’d been holding her breath.

“Good luck, you two,” Kitty whispered with a fist raised. “Can’t wait to see what you make next, Julian Winters.”

They also passed the Shield Saint. She said nothing, but offered a formal bow—her shield placed before her on the ground, her hand resting solemnly over her chest.

Juliet had forged hundreds of weapons and sets of armor. She’d tempered steel in the hottest flames, hammered metal until her fingers bled—but this… this felt different.

She wasn’t even the one that they were truly looking at, and yet her chest tightened with nerves. There was something sacred about the way the villagers watched. Something ancient about the ritual unfolding around them.

For the first time in her life, Juliet felt like she was about to create something—not just useful, not just beautiful, but something…

Something that might last.

And almost as if he’d heard her thoughts, Maldan glanced back at Juliet with a small smile.

"Pray pardon this sudden bout of theatrical flair, good Apprentice," he whispered. "The folk here have come to regard the crafting of a golem as something most hallowed—a sacred rite, a blessing from Lady Artemis Herself. 'Twas never my intent for it to become thus. Much as thy master ne'er sought to be hailed as a basilea—my people's word for king."

Juliet exhaled softly, her eyes drifting to Julian.
“The Boss… was always going to be looked up to,” she said quietly. “I’ve known that from the start. All it takes is for people to see his greatness.”

Maldan nodded, turning his gaze forward. "That is well. But take heed—once the wrong souls begin to look upon thee with reverence, seldom doth the tale end favorably."

Juliet held onto those words a moment longer, glancing back toward the Shield Saint and the members of the Order who were watching Julian with reverence in their eyes.
The Order of Artemia…
What would they do, she wondered, if they found out the one they revere might also be one of the very things they’re sworn to destroy?

And just as the thought began to spiral in her mind, Maldan and Nuru came to a halt in front of a small cottage.

Juliet narrowed her eyes. Hadn’t they passed this one before? Had they walked in a circle?

But once again, as if reading her mind, Maldan glanced back with that same knowing smile.

"The walk doth clear the mind," he said. "When I bring forth a golem, I place within it a piece of mine own self. And there be parts I would rather leave behind. So I walk. I ponder the weightiest thoughts I can muster... and then I set them free. The golem deserves not to bear my burdens."

“That’s… very thoughtful,” Juliet murmured. Her eyes flicked to Julian, and with just one glance, she could tell. He wasn’t thinking of anything at all.

The walk had done little for him. But he hadn’t voiced a single complaint. Not even a sigh. He simply hummed once in quiet respect for the ritual.

And at last, they stepped inside the cottage.

It was empty. Completely bare—no tools, no tables, not even a single sign that it was a room meant to create something. But Julian and Juliet said nothing.

Juliet stayed silent because she sensed there was more to come.
Julian didn’t speak because he already sensed something was below.

Without a word, Nuru slid her thick tail across the floor and coiled it around a circular metal handle embedded in the wood. With a firm pull, a hatch creaked open, revealing a stairwell descending into shadow.

And what lay beneath was no simple workshop.

It was a cavern—vast, sprawling, and almost too large to believe it existed beneath the modest village. Stone tables were arranged neatly. Tools, ancient and strange, lay scattered with purpose. And there, nestled on one of the tables, was the tiny hammer Maldan had shown Julian the night before.

He could feel it humming even now.

But something else was humming, too. Something incredibly familiar.

Statues lined the walls—reverent forms crafted from bronze, steel, and unfamiliar native materials that shimmered faintly in the low light. Their stillness felt heavy, almost aware. Almost… alive.

They reminded Julian of the Living Statues he'd faced deep in Artemia’s hidden dungeon.

"Ah, indeed..." Maldan gestured toward the statues guarding the cavern walls. "'Twas I who fashioned the Living Statues beneath Ethaca's dungeon. Long ago. But unlike thee and the crusader, my role in the Hidden Dungeon ended there."

He stepped toward the center of the vast cavern. As he moved, two of the statues along the wall began to stir.

Their limbs groaned as they pulled themselves free from the stone that had held them for decades. With halting steps, they walked toward Maldan, each one coming to stand at his side.

“Nuru,” he called gently.

Nuru stepped forward, carrying a small, worn hammer. Without a word, she took her place beside one of the statues.

“There are many ways to create a golem,” Maldan said, nodding once.

Nuru tapped the first statue lightly with the hammer. A dull, hollow thud echoed softly through the cavern.

"There exist several ways to fashion a golem," Maldan said, nodding once. "One method is to craft them piece by piece. Finger by finger. More intricate, more nimble... more lifelike in their movements."

As Maldan spoke, Nuru crossed to the second statue and struck it in the same place. This time, the sound was full and solid, like striking the heart of a mountain.

"And the other..." Maldan continued, placing his hand reverently upon the statue's shoulder, "...is to shape them from a single mold. They lack the delicate motion, the subtlety of joints... but in many ways, they feel more... alive. It depends entirely on what thou wishest to create."

Juliet’s eyes remained fixed on the statues as she asked quietly, “Which one is harder to do?”

“The latter,” Maldan replied, his tone quieter now. “It almost always leads to flaws.”

“The… large rabbit golem—?”

"The latter. Molded from a small hill. 'Tis easier to create beasts—creatures that bear not our likeness—in such a manner. But even with the former method, I have never once dared to craft something in our image. I feared it would be blasphemy. More importantly, I felt unworthy to touch what Artemis has mirrored unto Herself."

He turned to Julian then, eyes distant, as though seeing something that had not yet come into being.

"But thou, Forger... thou art worthy."

Julian said nothing for a moment, then offered only another hum.

“I’m just a blacksmith,” he said, repeating the words he always had.

He stepped forward, and both Maldan and Nuru instinctively moved aside. Julian approached the hollow statue first, tilting his head as he studied it. He ran his fingers across the chest, slowly, thoughtfully, then did the same to the solid one beside it.

“Hmm. Impressive.”

Maldan, who had likely lived Julian’s lifetime more than twice, seemed to glow at the simple praise. He bowed his head slightly, saying nothing, not wanting to interrupt the moment.

Julian’s fingers continued to brush along the cold metal. Then, without warning, he leaned his forehead against the statue’s chest.

“You created pathways,” he whispered. “Like veins…”

Maldan remained silent, letting him follow the threads of discovery himself.

Julian crouched slightly, pressing his ear to the statue’s chest. His breath quiet.

“And the veins lead to a core… like a heart. Pulsing, but not beating.”
He closed his eyes.

“It’s… beautiful.”

"Thank you, Forger," Maldan finally spoke.

And Julian merely replied, "No. Thank you, Maldan."

He softly sighed, finally moving his head away from the living statue—a single tear trailing down the side of his cheek. Nuru and Maldan were silently shocked at this sudden, vulnerable display, but Juliet only smiled.

Even with everything that had happened to him, even with all the exciting adventures that ended anticlimactically, Julian... really hadn't changed one bit.

The way of the forge, no matter which form, would still remain his greatest love, and that was something Juliet would forever treasure, as it was something the two of them shared.

"I'm ready," Julian said as he walked away from the living statues and approached an empty stone table nearby.

"Then let me commence thy teaching—"

"No."

Maldan was about to grab a hammer resting on one of the other tables, but Julian's words stopped him cold.

"You've shown me enough. I already know how to make them," Julian declared. This time, Maldan couldn't help but doubt. Yet it wasn't he who voiced this concern, but his apprentice.

"Golem creation is complex, Master Julian," she said. "It took me years before a core accepted one of my creations."

Julian only glanced at Nuru for a few seconds before casually saying, "Well... you're not me. Juliet, the core."

Juliet didn't move at first, his words having made the air awkward, but after a few breaths to calm the weight between them, she approached Julian and handed him the Golem Core. Nuru wanted to say something else, but Maldan stopped her with a subtle gesture.

"Dost thou wish to practice first, Master Julian? We have ample materials here for thy use," he offered.

Julian only hummed in response before placing his hand on the table. And there, they watched as his hand pierced through the very shadow it had created. After several seconds, he pulled out something that almost completely erased the darkness in the cavern.

Several ingots, but they were white. Incredibly so. Almost as if they were glowing by themselves, pushing back the shadows with their mere presence.

This was the request Julian had personally asked of Humanity Engineering.

Several pounds of the strongest known material in the Known Universe—xylarion. If he was going to create a flesh for MEGAN, then it would be the best one.

And suffice it to say, while Julian was seconds away from being in the peaceful and wild trance of forging, humanity's United Government, lightyears upon lightyears away, was in complete disarray, grilling Humanity Engineering for its actions.

Even the almost always stoic Victoria was having trouble defending what she and her company had done—but since she had told Julian not to worry about it, Julian intended to do just that.

Right now, he only needed to do one thing.

[I swear, Julian...] MEGAN whispered in his mind, [...I'm going to haunt you forever if you make me ugly.]

"Hmm..." Julian smiled. "Let's get this over with, then."

***

[LAST CHAPTER] <-----> [NEXT CHAPTER]

Ah, Julian... sometimes I forget just how monstrous he is since he's always just so... chill. But several pounds of highly, strictly controlled material? Yikes, that's... not gonna lead to anything, right? Humanity Engineering has this?

And as always, please do holler if you notice any mistakes.