Celestial Era: The Rise of the Full-Time Enhancer

'It seems that it has something to do with the crafting method of this item. Magic Technician Airi Kayser… I wonder if she's related to me… Should I ask Ronan about her later?'

Vincent thought as he finished reading the appraisal result.

He then shook his head since that could be done once he increased his "affinity" to Ronan.

Anyway, he was also tempted to Enhance and even Ascend this item because he was bothered by the word "Imperfect" but he has to hold back.

Perhaps, the Ironbird was really made imperfect and not some abnormal status after it was crafted with poor skills.

Vincent then took a deep breath as he started to gather his mental energy…

He doesn't have impressive mental strength so he has to concentrate for a while. This is completely different from using mental techniques through his items after all.

After gathering his mental energy, he immediately focused on pouring it into the Iron ball…

However, it doesn't seem to be going well.

'Hmm… Something is blocking… I can't touch the Virtue Crystal at this rate.' Vincent mused as he observes his Mental Energy gets blocked by some mysterious power surrounding the dormant automaton.

Nevertheless, he decided to continue pouring his Mental Energy and after ten minutes, he realized that he made a progress. But it wasn't even a centimeter! His Mental Energy managed to poke the Iron ball but at this rate, it will take him more than 9 hours!

'Not good… Let me try another method…' Vincent thought as he decided to study the Iron ball using his other sense.

After a couple of minutes, he realized a few things. He can tell that the Virtue Crystal or its core is inside the Iron ball by using his Pseudo-Celestial Energy perception.

It seems that Pseudo-Celestial Energy is not being blocked by the Iron ball… It can only block Mana Sense, Soul Sense, and Mental Energy.

He can tell that if he forcefully or aggressively uses his Mana Sense or Soul Sense, the Virtue Crystal will break and make the Automaton unusable. That would be a waste of Automaton.

He wasn't sure how expensive this is but it was definitely pricey considering it came from the Star Garden Peak and none of this can even be seen in the Black Tower.

Anyway, during his tests, he learned that the Virtue Crystal can only accept the force coming from Mental Energy…

'Ahhh… If that's the case… Is it possible to make a path using my Pseudo-Celestial Energy to the core?' Vincent's eyes lit up.

Since Pseudo-Celestial Energy is somehow being ignored, Vincent thought of an idea and carefully implemented it.

He has to do it slowly since it would be quite embarrassing if the Iron ball's Virte Crystal was destroyed during his attempt… After all, if that happens, it would seem that he tried using his Mana to pierce through the Iron ball and Ronan would certainly judge him for that and think that he was trying to cheat.

Vincent visibly calmed down as he concentrated on his task… Since this is his first time doing this, he wanted to be very careful and not care about the time.

Even if Ronan thinks that he's really slow at this, he wouldn't mind it at all.

He wouldn't mind being untalented in this profession since he already has his System Skills.

After another ten minutes… Vincent unwrapped his Mental Energy that was previously covered by his Pseudo-Celestial Energy…

As soon as he did this, the Virtue Crystal immediately sensed his Mental Energy and absorbed a wisp of it.

This small amount was more than enough to create a connection to this lowest-tier Automaton.

Soon, Vincent heard the gears activated within the Ironball…

"Eh? You're done?" Ronan asked in surprise after hearing the turning gears inside the Iron ball that Vincent was holding. Not even 30 minutes had passed when Vincent took the Automaton from him!

"Yes… I think I managed to get a connection. It was quite difficult since I didn't really practice my Mental Energy…"

"…"

Ronan was a bit flustered after hearing Vincent's excuse… After all, Vincent's speed in making a connection tells him that he had probably practiced his mind cultivation technique for a dozen or so years. Furthermore, it should be a high-level Mind Cultivation technique since he wasn't able to sense Vincent's cultivation even if he was so near to him.

'I guess I'm already getting old. The standard of the younger generation is already different… In my generation, only 15 years old can start their mind cultivation… But this young man probably started learning when he was seven or eight... Ugh, is that really possible?'

Ronan couldn't believe that someone below 12 years old could learn high-level mind cultivation. He could probably accept if they're genius so they learn it at 14, 13, or 12… but those younger than that should not have the mental capacity of learning such a complicated method that even those in their 30s would find difficult if they don't have a solid foundation.

In the end, he can only think that Vincent is quite special, or perhaps, he was using a high-grade magic artifact that helps him concentrate and feel his Mental Energy easily.

"Now that you've made a connection and the automaton responded, you can start controlling it… The one you're holding is an Iron Sparrow and the range it can cover will depend on your mental strength."

"Got it… Let me try…" Vincent replied as he focused his mind.

Just like what Ronan mentioned a while ago, as soon as he made a connection, it was already quite easy… The bird easily flew out of his hands as he willed it to circle their carriage.

'That was easy…' Vincent thought after seeing the Iron Sparrow's movement.

Of course, although it was easy, it was all thanks to how it was engineered and not how good he was with his mental energy. It is definitely related to how it was crafted as an "automaton" and not just an "iron with a shape of a sparrow".

"Can this thing be used as a weapon?" Vincent asked.

"Err… With its size, it can only poke a bug-type Savage Beast so it's not possible. Well, it can still be used for scouting if you want to."