Deciding on the new artefact’s design was easy after Rino knew what he wanted the artefact to do. If there was a symbol of a peace-loving protector, that had to be a staff.

Many things were associated with the simple wooden staff, but most of all, it was a tool used to support someone else. In old age, the staff was there to help with mobility. The staff was also used as a symbol of fashion and a statement to quell all objections by people of power. It didn’t matter if they were a village chief or an earl, the presence of a staff brought with it power.

Speaking of power, it was also a tool used by many magicians to help them channel their mana more accurately and amplify the area of their spells. Staffs were usually designed with the magician specifically in mind, and Rino did not remember any staffs used as a murder weapon.

In the east, the bo staff was a symbol of protectors. Monks were trained to fight with them to protect the commoners seeking refuge. It was also used to defend against invasion and corruption. Monks would never kill, but they were strong and repelled pirates who came in with cannons and swords, holding the sea criminals for long enough before the reinforcement from local authorities came.

Rino had a lot of respect for the staff, even if he did not use it. The staff was also a sign of discipline. Many jailers carried it around as a sign of authority and law enforcement. They marched, carrying it around and would use it to prevent crazy crowds from breaking past their human barrier whenever people of importance entered the town.

In short, the staff was a very versatile creation that was worthy of overruling all the other weapons. Used in almost every industry and for many purposes, Rino could not think of a better artefact to create.

In his previous world, the range of artefacts was so diverse that sometimes the artefact owners would not know it was an artefact unless a trained eye passed by.

Rino witnessed a mortar and pestle passed down for generations in a family that made the best nut butter spread in the empire. It was purely by coincidence that Rino discovered that artefact. Unlike the Crimson Sword, the mortar and pestle’s requirement for an owner wasn’t too stringent. All it needed was someone passionate about making food to become a worthy owner.

Rino wondered what kind of criteria he should set for the staff artefact’s owner. The creator of an artefact has the right to shape it into what it is. However, the more intense the feelings, the more difficult it becomes for the artefact to find a future owner after the original creator passes on.

If it was something simple like the passion for creating delicious food, Rino would be worried. After all, this artefact was meant to become the town’s guardian in his absence. It should not be easily obtained by regular people. Rino wondered how his town’s fate would be if Quasimodo was to become the artefact owner. While he did not hate the troll, Quasimodo was far too gentle to fight for everyone else.

On the other hand, Rino did not want Kamiya to be left in charge of the town’s safety. Even if Kamiya and his clan were loyal to Rino, the same could not be said about their views of others. From various incidents since their addition to Town Zera, Rino knew that they were more monsters than humans. Although he could trust them to fight, he could not trust them to prioritise the right things and look at the bigger picture in the heat of the moment.

Zerg was a promising individual, but he was far too young and green. Kragami was brilliant, but he might not be alive when the artefact needed him. Rino went through the list of subordinates he had and realised that none of his existing summons were suitable for the task at the present moment. Perhaps a few of them might make it in a few years after some grooming, but for now, Rino could not trust any of them.

He needed someone determined, wise and far-sighted to wield this staff. As the new leader of his empire, the artefact’s owner must know how to utilise everyone’s strengths and bring his army together to defeat the enemy without forgetting Rino’s philosophy.

Perhaps he was asking too much. In any case, much like the stone in the sword that can only be pulled out by the true saviour of this world, Rino hoped that one of his subordinates would grow to become the hero that he could not be.

Every artefact was given a name that brought it to life. Rino already knew what he wanted to name the staff. It wasn’t difficult, and this time, he had to admit the naming sense that normally failed him worked. Town Zera was definitely an inspiration, but Rino liked the name Zeraphina. It sounded very much like Seraphina, the name of the archangel who guards God’s throne.

Putting the naming and design sense aside, Rino had to decide on the artificial soul. If he could reverse engineer one of the dwarves’ artefacts, he might find his answer. However, Rino had no guarantee that he would be able to put the disassembled artefact back together again. It was a risk that came with reverse engineering, so Rino decided against it for now.

The stone slabs in the dwarven library did not mention much about how they created their greatest masterpieces. Rino also checked through his tutorial, and nothing much about creating an artificial soul was mentioned. Maybe he had to find a powerful monster to hunt. The jungle of doom seemed like a good place to start. Likewise, that womanticore was still alive somewhere in the living cave. If he fought seriously, he might be able to kill her.

Deciding that he could try creating an artificial soul using a powerful monster’s core, Rino made arrangements to leave Town Zera for a while.

“Do you still remember the hole we fell through and the living cave where the womanticore rules?” Rino asked his loyal mount.

Mutt wagged his tail eagerly from within Rino’s shadow and nodded. As a monster, he had a better sense of direction than his master.

Rino trusted Mutt to lead them there but more importantly, he needed to know if he was ready for battle against a boss that could decapitate him without warning. Sure, the last time that happened, he was distracted. However, he could tell how powerful the womanticore was. The only worry he had was the ecosystem of that living cave in the jungle of doom. She appeared rather important after all. If anything happened to the ecosystem underneath the jungle, would it affect those living above it?

Perhaps. However, it was a risk Rino should take. Crafting an artefact took precedence. If the jungle of doom’s ecosystem went truly out of hand, he would employ the more experienced fighters to control the situation. Besides, having practical guerilla warfare experience could only benefit his population who might need to fight against Harvesters in the jungle domain where Rino first encountered them.

Not very well-versed in weapons, Rino only prepared a few talismans and runes. As cowardly as it sounded, magicians never ought head-on if they could. The only exception to that rule was enhancer magicians who were weaker in magic powers but physically stronger to convert mana into physical buffs. Some people called them magic knights, but to Rino, they were still magicians.

When Rino fought, he often did it solo. There was no need for tools such as a staff or combination magic to fuse complementary elements for an enhanced effect. Rino was a caster with all four elements and holy attributes. He had the aerial advantage and immaculate mana control that could take out enemies faster than they could cry for their mothers.

However, the same cannot be said about his capabilities in this new world as a lich. First of all, he had too many vulnerabilities. The sun was a deadly foe, and the lack of elemental air magic bothered him. Rino wasn’t an expert in dark magic either, and holy magic would hurt him more than aid him. Healing depended on his mana levels that Rino was unsure would be sufficient if he fired several catastrophe-level spells.

Runes and talismans were only temporary solutions for Rino to create things like a flash bomb or a quick divination spell. Rino prepared enough elemental runes to help him fly, but without the connection to his mana web array, the runes only helped him to convert pure mana into basic air manipulation magic.

Mutt settled into a sprint to the jungle of doom in the cover of night, and Rino wondered if it was too late to start scribbling a grimoire of his own using a spare sketchpad in his shadow sack. After a short debate with himself, Rino took out the spare sketchpad and graphite pencil.. Even if this wasn’t mana-imbued ink or blood, the magic circle patterns in the sketchpad could still be used as a medium to save him some casting time.