This silver-white pocket watch, crafted according to Lucian's design, was filled with intricate and precise mechanical aesthetics. At its center was a white dial, upon which mysterious symbols composed of different gemstones represented the passage of time, while black second hands ticked away, their sound seemingly resonating in the hearts of everyone present. Beyond that, this pocket watch had another special feature—at the junction where the dial met the cover, there was a button on each side, each gleaming with a metallic luster.
As for everything else a pocket watch should have—a cover, a chain—it possessed those as well.
With a casual wave of his hand, the silver-white pocket watch flew into Lucian's grasp, and the silvery-gray chain automatically clipped itself into the buttonhole of his brown vest.
Lucian pressed the index finger of his right hand, snapping the cover shut. The ticking sound of flowing time came to an abrupt halt. His thumb flicked, and the cover popped open, enveloping the surroundings in a mysterious aura.
His right hand gripped the body of the watch, watching the black second hand dance nimbly within, and his thumb, resting on the right button, pressed down hard. A crisp click rang out, and the second hand froze. The colors around him rapidly drained away, leaving only shades of gray and white, as if everything had slowed to an extreme crawl. Nothing could move normally anymore—except himself.
Legendary Arcane Magic, "Advanced Time Stop"!
Click. Lucian pressed again, and all the vivid colors rushed back. The second hand resumed its ticking, and the world returned to normal.
As Lucian slid his thumb up and down along the edge of the dial, the second hand fluctuated between rushing and crawling, and the objects nearby shifted erratically between speed and slowness.
"Just as expected of the 'Space-Time Observer's' characteristics." Lucian tried the left button next. Instantly, on the stable star composed of iron elemental forces, faint traces of "black" gravitational manifestation appeared, and the fabric of space began to warp. Within several kilometers, gravity became chaotically distorted—everything except spells that acted directly on the body without needing a trajectory found its path bent and twisted.
"Gravitational Collapse" could not only deal direct damage to a target but also serve as a crowd-control spell.
After testing the effects of his personal legendary item to his satisfaction, Lucian nodded approvingly. Then, following the conventions of this world, he inscribed the pocket watch's information into its central Magic Circle and gave it a name.
"Moon Clock. First-tier high-grade legendary item. Aside from mages with a profound understanding of space-time, only those whose Perception of the World has been semi-solidified or in an equivalent state may use it. Even for mages who are intimately familiar with space-time, they must have achieved materialization of the Perception of the World—otherwise, their bodies and souls will be eroded by the flow of time, rapidly aging until death."
"The Moon Clock is the beacon of the 'Space-Time Observer.' Its wearer gains immunity to all extraordinary abilities related to time and space below the legendary tier—spells cast by the wearer themselves are unaffected and will instead be amplified, with improved precision. Against legendary-tier or above space-time manipulation, it also provides a degree of resistance."
"It is also the lord of time. Its owner's aging rate will be slowed, adding five hundred and twenty years of lifespan beyond the original span."
"Its left and right buttons can substitute for incantations, activating 'Gravitational Collapse' (twice per day) and 'Advanced Time Stop' (twice per day) respectively through the simple act of pressing them."
"Rubbing the body of the watch grants effects equivalent to a portion of the 'Space-Time Scepter's' abilities—namely, the ability to slow or accelerate time within a certain range. How many times this ability can be used depends solely on the holder's mental power."
"Inside the dial, twelve ninth-tier arcane spells can be stored in advance and activated instantaneously without consuming any mental power."
"The mysteries of space-time are among the deepest truths in this world, and only wisdom can penetrate them!"
"—Lucian Evans"
With a snap, Lucian pressed his index finger to close the cover of the Moon Clock and slipped it into the pocket of the brown vest beneath his black double-breasted tailcoat. The thin silvery-gray chain trailed out from within and connected to the buttonhole.
"Good thing I had the legendary profession model to assist me—otherwise, my first foray into legendary-grade crafting would definitely have failed." Lucian reflected on the experience and lessons from the process, finally understanding why the first legendary items crafted by demiliches, his master, and other legendary mages often overlapped with their own abilities.
After tidying up the residual fragments on the ground, Lucian let out a long breath:
"Whew, everything's ready. Now I just need to wait for the 'guests' to arrive."
…………
At an estate on the outskirts of Lantart.
A young man dressed impeccably in a black top hat and his companion sporting a thin mustache stepped down from the carriage and, led by the servants, entered the sitting room.
The fire in the hearth had long since been extinguished—the season of spring blossoms had no need for it as ornamentation. The young man, whose black hair and blue eyes were indistinguishable from the vast majority of Holm Kingdom's natives, smiled as he opened the arcane refrigerator built into the wall. From it, he withdrew a bottle of champagne bearing the royal crest of Tiria and casually poured two glasses.