Jason looked at Dalia visibly confused, after reading the title of the file he received, not knowing why his masters gave him such a rare technique.
If his knowledge was not completely wrong or forged, only the highest authorities within the army, big families, their offsprings, and other individuals should have the ability to obtain a concealment technique.
Humans at the magus and the ongoing ranks were able to conceal their mana fluctuations to a certain degree, however, the disguise was shallow and others would still be able to perceive the rank roughly, if one wanted to know it.
But a concealment technique was somewhat different. As long as someone a few ranks higher than him wouldn't try to figure out his exact mana core rank, Jason would be able to make sure that nobody would be able to read his mana core rank, with a few particular exceptions like he himself was, which could have positive and negative results.
On one side, he wouldn't be underestimated anymore because of his low mana core rank, while on the other side, the high amplification he received from his soul world and the baptism would be disguised.
However, Jason was confused why xactly Dalia and Shane gave him such a technique because with him practicing this technique, he would indirectly tell everyone that there was someone backing him up.
With this, Shane and Dalias existence couldnt be hidden forever and it was only a matter of time until Jason had to reveal everything.
Was the current use of the concealment technique really large enough to risk something as important as Shane and Dalias existence to the whole world?
Jason wasn't sure about that and Dalia sensed his hesitation and insecurity about the technique he received as she could faintly understand his train of thoughts.
"Dont think too much about it, Jason...We dont have to reveal ourselves directly and we didn't plan to hide forever in the first place.
More important to us, however, is your survival and we think this concealment technique might help you out if you were to be separated from your team, which could happen, even if its unlikely.
In the end, only the possibility of someone backing you will be exposed and if the worst-case happens with someone forcing you to reveal who gave you the concealment technique...you can also lie!"
Chuckling slightly to lift the tension around Jason, he stared at her weirdly
"Lying? Like what? Saying someone else gave me the technique until someone finds out the truth?" He said jokingly, as Dalia nodded her head.
"Exactly. If someone were to force you to tell who gave you the concealment technique, just tell them Old Drake or maybe even your teacher Till Greil gave it to you. It doesn't really matter as long as your opponent believes you... In the end, I doubt that anyone will ask you about the origin of your technique and just see you as a powerful opponent from a big family or ancient clan.
Furthermore, the equipment we already gave you is enough reason for others to think that you're backed by someone!"
Nodding slightly, Jason found her reasoning somewhat logical, yet completely off.
However, it was probably not wrong that normal youths would ask him about who supports him because he could just ignore them, while only big families had to be taken care of extremely carefully.
He was still unsure whether or not he would practice this technique for now, because his expedition team was unlikely to possess a concealment technique, while their mana fluctuations were much more distinct than his, attracting beasts.
Even if others possessed a concealment technique, his innate mana fluctuations were already below-average with his mana core rank at the 3rd Adept rank.
As such, he wouldn't be hunted by any kind of high ranked beasts, because they instinctively only hunted beasts with strong mana fluctuations instead of someone with weak fluctuations like he currently had, with the sole exception being starving beasts.
They stopped talking about the concealment technique as they entered the forging room, where Shane was already impatiently waiting for them.
Without wasting any time, Shane threw a large Jade iron ore towards him, while instructing him to perfectly cleanse it, while maintaining the same temperature.
Jason only glanced at the Jade iron ore in front of him and his mana eyes immediately told him that it was a very lively and precious piece because the mana veins within seemed to be alive, squirming around like chained worms.
From the mana conductivity the single large jade iron ore had, Jason would already have more than enough to forge the two daggers he made secretly, but he didn't say anything at all, as he started with his task.
Perfectly purifying a jade iron bar was like child's play to him, when he ignited his black origin flame in one hand before starting the oxidation process he was already more than a little familiar with it.
Only half an hour passed, when he finished his perfect purifying, as a crudely shaped jade iron bar could be seen in front of him, shining in a green reddish light due to the heat within.
Jason was told to maintain the heat, as he turned around to Shane in order to figure out what he should do next.
Once Shane noticed that Jason was already done with his task, he took out a silver shining bar from the smithy which shone as if stars were imbedded into it.
"Give me the Jade iron bar, now" Shane ordered him, as his mana enveloped the jade iron bar causing it to levitate before it floated towards him.
"Heat up your flame by 50C and place it below the flame I extinguished."
"Ignite a second flame and heat it up to 2000C if possible. Try to maintain the flame as long as possible! Dalia, please take out mana stones for Jason to replenish his mana pool, so he can supply the origin flame longer"
Shane ordered and Dalia wanted to say that she could use her own origin flame when she remembered that everything Jason learned right now, would help his future growth.
As such, she remained silent, while taking out a bunch of head-sized grade-1 mana stones.
Jason felt that his mana consumption increased by a large margin because he had never increased his flame to 2000C and doing so now was extremely taxing.
Unfortunately his master told him to maintain this astronomical heat, as he forced his whole potential out of him, while maintaining a low heat flame subconsciously.
Passively replenishing his mana from his sub-area was helpful, but Jason was additionally forced to loosen up several mana treads from the mana stones, before he lead them into his body, while circulating it completely through his mana channels in order to prevent over-drafting his mana due to his high consumption.
Jason didn't even have much time to care what Shane was doing and he could only see from a side-glance, that the large bars within his master's hand decreased in size as hitting on them, while slowly merging them together, creating an alloy.
Suddenly he remembered a certain alloy made out of a silver-colored ore.
`He merged a komatite bar with the jade iron? Won't this create Jadetite?` He asked himself inside his mind while maintaining the head of both flames at the same time.
Jadetite was considered one of the best grade-1 alloys due to its extremely high mana conductivity, which allowed astronomical amounts of mana to flow through it unhindered.
Adding that both bars they used were perfectly purified, Jason was sure that the weapons produced out of this particular Jadedite bar in front of him would have to be extraordinary.
After Shane finished the merging process smoothly as if he had done so thousands of times, Jason was allowed to extinguish one flame.
Jason was told to maintain his flame, after increasing its temperature before Shane began the shaping process after he divided the Jadetite alloy into two equal parts.
Their size decreased by more than 50%.
Even after they were fully merged, the alloy was barely enough in order to forge two daggers for Jason, which was more than enough.
Dalia leaned down to Jason who was completely exhausted as she held a potion in her hand
"Take it, afterward you can take a good look at what exactly Shane is doing! Youll have to do the same in the future if you want to forge real mana weapons!