The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor

Volume 31 Chapter 6 — Hummingbird’s Journey

Weed met with the sculptural lifeforms that became annoyed with him during the time he hunted with Bahamorg.

Goldman was drawing graffiti on the ground while Yellowy was ploughing the field. The wound on their heart was big so they wouldn’t commit any actions. The wyverns, Silver Bird, Golden Bird and Bingryong were exploring the sights.

“Cough, you were suffering so I gave you a holiday. Haven’t you rested a lot in the meantime?”

“Gol gol gol. I don’t want to talk.”

“Ummoooooo.”

Yellowy didn’t even turn his head. He had been hurt by Weed in the meantime. He couldn’t compare to Bahamorg’s fighting skill and had been given the tedious and demeaning task of working in the field.

More than anything else, the sculptural lifeforms were hurt that they had been discarded by their master. His visit and pampering behaviour meant that Weed wanted to make them work soon!

Weed nodded as if he knew everything.

“I’ll give you something to eat.”

“Gol gol gol, I won’t move for food.”

“Ummoooooo. Absolutely not.”

The wyverns, Bingryong and Phoenix didn’t just look from a distance. It was decided in advance that Goldman and Yellowy would be talking to Weed. The sculptures given life in the Jigolaths hadn’t become bored enough for complaints.

Weed spoke softly like he was hurt.

“I can’t believe you would think that I deserted you. Goldman, don’t you know what type of heart I have to give life to you twice? I always thought of you the moment we parted.”

“Gol gol gol…”

“Yellowy, I will fix the barn of your calves.”

“Ummoooooo!”

He was able to recover their relationship with past memories and promises of housing. Bingryong and the wyverns also received a generous bundle of food.

“This family atmosphere.”

And Weed was able to show the final result to Bahamorg.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

“A radiant beauty. I need to go to Rhodium the City of Artists in order to receive the quest for the final secret technique.”

Weed also visited the city of beggars! It was a paradise for those of the production classes like sculptors, artists and architects.

Rhodium also had a long history associated with sculpting. In the past it was a village where the sunset was so beautiful that painters and sculptors gathered to live there. The works of art they created were sold to the entire continent.

The spot where the stone sculptures were created in the early days became the glory of Rhodium! This was just behind the Sculptor’s Guild.

“I can’t fail…”

Weed was uneasy so he decided to bring Bahamorg and Seo-yoon. He also gave the order for the other sculpture lifeforms to come as quickly as possible.

“Then the arrival spot is Rhodium Square.”

Yurin came and painted a picture for teleportation.

Fortunately Rhodium was safe from the Central Continent war and suffered no damage. None of the prestigious guilds or lords valued the arts. The tax income was small and a lot of money was needed to maintain the peace. There was no point in occupying the city and the armies even avoided it on purpose.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

“Aigoo… Please come here.”

“Just a little penny…”

“Hey, you’re in a similar situation to us!”

As expected, they were welcomed by users begging in Rhodium Square! That’s why Weed had changed to his dirty beginners clothes. Bahamorg and Seo-yoon also wore common deer leather so they could sneak away.

“The people here seem to have decreased.”

Weed felt like the number of users had decreased since they last time he came.

At that time sculpting had been in the midst of its popularity. It had been the golden age for sculpting after the pyramid construction! But it was difficult, the money wasn’t a lot and it was tedious so the number of users selecting sculpting as a job decreased.

Many also left Rhodium to gain art inspiration from Morata. Originally users would prepare basic materials in Rhodium before moving around the continent to work.

“I’m going to the Sculptor’s Guild.”

Weed felt uneasy. He really hoped that the final sculpting technique wasn’t useless.

‘If it is something like Sculpture Transformation or Great Disaster Nature Sculpting… It would be good.’

There was also a high possibility that it would be something like King Belsos’ Elemental Creation. Sculpting Blade was something that even a weak sculptor could raise well.

He worried that the final technique would be something purely related to art. It was the reason why he didn’t feel comfortable coming to Rhodium.

‘I need to firm up my heart. Even if the city gas charges increased, I could withstand the warm winter by firming up my mind.’

Weed opened the door of the Sculptor’s Guild and entered inside.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

“It would be good if I could slash a tree and eat the tree worms.”

“The trees near the beach are good.”

The Sculptor’s Guild was filled with novices. They were discussing methods to obtain materials for sculpting.

‘Tsk tsk, you should just pick anything up and use it…’

Sculptors inevitably became sensitive about the ingredients they used for their work. Yet it wasn’t possible to make sculptures if they questioned their material too closely. This was the secret to how Weed managed to sell an excessive amount of sculptures as a beginner!

Weed walked past the other sculptors in the guild. Seo-yoon and Bahamorg came along with him. He didn’t need to meet a sculpting instructor so there was no need for him to explore the guild.

At the back door behind the Sculptor’s Guild! This was a place with historical significance to Rhodium so it had guards blocking the door.

“What do you want?”

“I’m trying to enter there.”

“…You are qualified enough. You can enter.”

The guards stepped aside. In order to enter the glorious place, an artist needed to reach advanced sculpting or be recognized by nobles. Otherwise the price of admission was 200 gold!

Weed was allowed to enter for free.

The door opened and brightly shining stone sculptures could be seen.

-You have appreciated Rhodium’s sculpture, Stellar Tear.

This is a work where the sculptor expressed the beauty of the night sky.

Art stat has increased by 13.

Your skill proficiency has risen slightly from observing an excellent sculptor.

He heard the rumours but it was a really beautiful place. It was a place made from a piece of meteor that fell and decorated by Rhodium sculptors. More than thousands of sculptures glowed at night to form a night sky.

Weed wasn’t a normal sculptor so he could immediately see the greatness of this work despite it being daytime.

“The amount of labour involved in this!”

While others would purely see the art, he could see the spirit that dwelled inside it. He knew how hard it would be to make thousands of stars from sculptures. If the work was seen in the day then it would just be a pile of stones. The architects even built the tower to clearly show 13 constellations.

It was a landmark in Royal Road that couples were always eager to visit! Dozens of users spend money to eat lunch here. At night a bunch of people would gather to chat and watch the stars.

Weed walked to the centre of the Stellar Tear.

It wasn’t night time yet the Stellar Tear started to shine with light. The light spread over Weed everywhere it walked like it was welcoming him.

“It is similar to the neighbourhood taverns.”

It was an extremely realistic feeling! There was an old person in the centre of the Stellar Tear with so many wrinkles on their face that it was difficult to tell their age.

“Come quickly. Since the Stellar Tear is welcoming you, a person who knows Moonlight Sculpting has come.”

“I want to know a way to express radiant beauty.”

“Rhodium has existed for hundreds of years and I finally found someone to speak to about radiant beauty.”

Tears dripped from his eyes as the old man looked at Weed. The step to get the last secret sculpting technique started as an encounter with the old man.

Two of the stars around him emitted an absolutely brilliant light. The couples there were confused about the sudden incident. They didn’t realize that this was the moment the secret technique storyline started.

The old man only had one simple request. His talk was easy to understand but it was so slow that a yawn would come out.

“Do you want to hear the story about radiant beauty?”

“Of course.”

“I want to go back to when I heard about the radiant beauty. Can I do that?”

Ddiring!

-This is the ‘Radiant Beauty’ quest that will lead to the final sculpting secret technique and cannot be cancelled in the middle.

And if you fail in the process then you won’t get this chance again forever.

Nevertheless, do you want to continue?

“I would like to hear about the radiant beauty.”

-You are moving forward on the final secret sculpting technique quest.

The request related to the radiant beauty is classified as separate from any existing quests.

This will have no effect on the quest restriction limit.

-Fame has increased by 3,500.

“This is talk I heard a long time ago. This is a legend about sculpting passed down through the mouths of the people. I don’t know about the feasibility. Almost no one believed the story.”

Weed started to feel uneasy.

“I would still like to hear it.”

“Long ago, there was a lot of discussion among the sculptors of the continent. Then I’ll tell you the subject of the discussion. What is needed to make a truly beautiful sculpture?”

“……”

Was the final secret technique really purely related to the arts? Weed shuddered at the thought. He would only be able to cover the Versailles Continent in pure works of art. The Hermes Guild would wreck everything.

“Over the hundreds of years, sculptors had pondered about the idea of beauty. That’s how I came to a conclusion about how to create the most beautiful sculpture on the continent. I think that exploring many places will allow a proper insight.”

“It seems so.”

Travel would broaden a person’s horizons. It was quite a good experience to travel before doing any work.

“There are places that human feet can’t reach on the continent. There are dangerous places that can even trap the wind.”

Ddiring!

-You have acquired information about the Endless Nijel Caves.

There seeme to be some big secret there that no one else knows. It isn’t possible for the wind to come back or even curious fairies that entered to return.

“You won’t be able to enter a place that even traps wind. No matter how curious you are, you wouldn’t be able to go there. Anyway, you’ll need fast feet to see many places on this continent. And you should use your sculptor’s gift to become safe from dangerous monsters. I came to the conclusion that a hummingbird is the best method for travelling the continent.”

Fortunately he obtained information about the Endless Nijel Caves and about the quest. Weed continued listening.

“A hummingbird can fly to many places on the continent that a horse wouldn’t be able to reach in dozens of days. Neither hills or clouds would become an obstacle. Of course, such a thing is impossible but if you carve a sculpture… If I see you within the next few weeks then I will continue talking about radiant beauty.”

The hummingbird was the smallest of birds. But it was a mysterious bird. If it flapped its wings quickly then it could stall in the air. The pointy beak could take nectar from flowers like butterflies and it had shiny feathers. The hummingbird could travel long distances at a speed that transcended imagination and was a symbol of good luck among travellers.

Ddiring!

-Hummingbird’s Journey

Become a hummingbird and travel the continent for 12 days looking for the best beauty.

Explore a wide range of places before returning.

You can gain experience and skill proficiency as you travel to many places and extract pollen.

If you finish the hummingbird’s journey and return then the next quest will start.

Level of Difficulty: Secret Sculpting Technique Quest

Quest Restrictions: Sculpture Transformation is required.

Sculpture Transformation cannot be turned off in the middle of the quest.

The quest will fail if you die.

A hummingbird was small and very quick but vulnerable to bites. Weed had used Sculpture Transformation to turn into an orc, troll and lich but this was an entirely different species.

“Hummingbird… It sounds like a really good experience.”

-You have accepted the quest.

“Taking a trip as a hummingbird…”

He couldn’t get help from Bahamorg, Seo-yoon and the other sculptural lifeforms on this quest. It was impossible for the wyverns to chase after the hummingbird’s quick speed.

“I can’t waste time here. Come on.”

Weed left the Sculptor’s Guild and entered one of Rhodium’s alleys. There were small alleys with few people to see him. He urgently began carving a piece right in front of Bahamorg and Seo-yoon. His sculpting was outstanding but it wasn’t easy to carve a small hummingbird made of wood.

It was close to the difficulty of jewel sculpting.

‘I need to go for 12 days…’

Weed therefore had to make the hummingbird accurate. He didn’t know much about other animals so he waste precious time finding the appearance of a hummingbird.

Ddiring!

-A hummingbird has been completed.

A hummingbird brings good luck.

This is an excellent work that expresses the realistic appearance.

The work of the genius sculptor Weed.

Artistic Value: 760

Special Options: Movement speed increased by 10%.

Luck +4

The effect doesn’t overlap with other sculptures.

A work that was faithful to the original appearance of a hummingbird could be seen! He didn’t make an intimidating appearance like the orc Karichwi.

“Sculpture Transformation!”

-Sculpture Transformation has been used.

The infinite affection for sculpting has made the sculptor and sculpture resemble each other!

Weed’s body suddenly decreased. Feathers stuck out from his skin and his mouth changed to a beak.

-Your body shape has changed so a number of equipment can’t be worn.

New equipment is needed depending on the species.

-Agility, Endurance and Perseverance has increased under the influence of Sculpture Transformation.

Strength, Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma, Faith, Dignity and Honour had fallen to the minimum amount.

Vitality has increased substantially.

The race essential skill ‘Swift Flight’ has been acquired.

Vitality will be consumed less than other species while flying.

There are many movements so hunger will decrease rapidly.

This will last until Sculpture Transformation is released.

Weed successfully transformed. Seo-yoon approached while he was practicing a few flight manoeuvres.

‘Ik…’

His body was much smaller so Weed was fearful when Seo-yoon stretched out her hand.

Seo-yoon lifted Weed’s hummingbird body and lightly stroked his wings. He was so cute that she couldn’t help it! No one would have expected him to change into this cute hummingbird.

Weed stayed for a moment in her hand before opening his wings and flying up powerfully.