Meeting Elfy's somewhat confused gaze, Andrew had no intention of taking credit and said frankly:
"This is a piece of music created by the people from where I used to live. I don't know the first thing about composing myself."
Hearing this, Elfy nodded in understanding and didn't press further.
After all, in New Eridu, there were many people like Andrew who came from other places. It was quite common for outsiders like Andrew to try and introduce the culture or music from their homelands to New Eridu.
And the origins of such things were often not something one could speak of happily.
Not asking any more questions, Elfy waited for the last few seconds.
After the phonograph had completely engraved the short, looping melody onto the record, Elfy handed it to Andrew and said softly:
"If possible, I look forward to you bringing in other pieces."
Andrew took the record and nodded.
"If I can replicate them, I'll definitely remember to have Gemma bring a copy for you."
He didn't mind sharing music with others; after all, music was meant to be heard.
The only condition was finding someone who understood symphonic music and was skilled enough to replicate the pieces based solely on his descriptions.
If that failed, his only option was to learn from scratch himself, grinding it out bit by bit.
Taking the freshly made record, he returned to the smithy. After looking around, he picked out the most balanced Engine to use for his experiment.
"Reverb" - Type I, a standard-issue Engine with balanced performance. Although it lacked any special tactical bias, it could effectively and comprehensively boost the combat capabilities of its user and their teammates.
For many rookies just starting out with no special combat needs, this Engine was their top choice.
Balanced meant average, but it also meant it had the versatility to adapt to anything.
And since the idea of the Hunting Horn had already come to mind, Andrew was naturally going to give it a try.
He already had a basic understanding of this kind of Ether-mechanical creation from when he modified Nicole's Demara's Bespoke.
Once he connected the two concepts, his stalled train of thought instantly clicked into place. Rather than converting energy into various common elements, converting it into various buffs for a hunter was far more practical.
No sooner said than done. Andrew began disassembling the other Engines one by one. Their unique internal structures allowed him to quickly grasp their general functional design.
While it was impossible for him to build one from scratch, making some of his own unique modifications wasn't a problem.
Lost in his research, forgetting to eat or sleep, time quickly flew by to the next day.
The workbench was covered in scattered Engine parts and the perfectly preserved Engine Cores that Andrew had salvaged from several generic Engines.
In order to extract these cores, he had scrapped seven or eight of the fifteen generic Engines.
What finally lay before Andrew was a brand-new Engine, completely different from its original form.
Seven Engine Cores were integrated and assembled, combined with some wyvern materials and parts salvaged from other Engines, all modified with the operational circuitry of a Hunting Horn to create a new Engine.
Moreover, he had used some wyvern bones to reinforce its structural integrity, and the energy-conducting medium was enhanced with a nourishing extract from the Vicious Claw Wyvern.
But the biggest difference from other Engines was its power source.
Unlike the Ether crystals others used, Andrew had placed the Vicious Claw Wyvern Gem right at its core.
Unlike the Ether energy needed for his motorcycle, this Engine required the Dragon Element energy from the world of Monster Hunter.
It was a perfect multi-purpose use for a single gem, emphasizing complete utilization, not letting a single drop of energy go to waste.
And both energy types could serve as a temporary substitute if the other was completely depleted.
With the power source replaced, Andrew inserted the newly engraved drive disk into the Engine.
The Meowscular Chef's Canteen tune flowed out of the Engine. As the cheerful melody played, the Engine emitted a flash of light, and a wave of energy surged from it into Andrew's body.
As it circulated through him, a gentle energy filled his every fiber.
Once it stabilized completely, a familiar sensation washed over Andrew.
It was none other than the buff for Health Recovery and Stamina Recovery.
And according to Andrew's feeling, the Meowscular Chef's Canteen tune and this effect complemented each other perfectly, achieving a synergy where one plus one was greater than two.
Just like how the buffs from a basic Hunting Horn were small, Andrew felt the long-missed Health Recovery (M) and Stamina Recovery (S) on himself and broke into a satisfied smile.
Just like with Ether weapons, the hardest part was always taking that first step.
Fortunately, there were many similarities between Engines and Hunting Horns. That, combined with the overlapping knowledge from his research on the Ether Tachi and his work on Nicole's Demara's Bespoke, meant it didn't take Andrew too long to take that first step this time.
But... if an Engine could become a portable Hunting Horn...
Every hunter would have their own personal horn. To get different effects, they'd just need to swap Engines. It would even be automatic, with no wind-up animation for playing the horn.
Even an Elder Dragon would see that and call it OP, right?!
They're already hard enough to fight, but now you can bring your own personal buff machine? And the thing is automatic, letting you adjust your buffs anytime you want.
Hiss...
With this, I might really become a man whose name goes down in the Guild's history.
Damn it, the place I always wanted to leave my name was in a Felyne cookbook, but it's going to be in weapon research first?
Could it be... I have more talent for forging than for cooking?
No, no, now's not the time to think about that.
There's only a day and a half left before the scheduled commission begins, and I still have an entire Odogaron armor set to make.
Time is tight and the task is heavy. The real world isn't like a game where you can just press fast-forward and have the equipment pop up in front of you.
I was just helping out before, so I didn't realize. Looking back, Gemma must have had it really tough, rushing to make gear for both me and my Palamute after every hunt.
No, wait, back then I had Meowscular and several other Felynes helping out, so it should have been a bit easier than this?
Forging alloys, tanning leather followed by trimming and sewing, polishing materials, adding and fusing components, and ensuring the articulation between all the different parts.
Crafting a full suit of armor is a massive undertaking in itself.
Rushing against the clock, working virtually without sleep for two days, he finally managed to finish it at the last possible moment.
But after pushing through to the end, the thought that he still had to make twelve sets for the Silver Squad made the light in Andrew's eyes begin to die.
Two straight days of high-intensity forging, during which he also researched and modified an Engine—Andrew felt it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call himself a superman.
Tomorrow was the first day of the job. Having finally finished, Andrew resolved to find a helper for his future crafting.
Utterly exhausted, Andrew threw himself onto his bed.
Right now, Andrew desperately wished he had a Nitroshroom. Combined with Honey to make an Energy Drink, a measly six or seven-day hunt would be a piece of cake.
Let alone crafting equipment.
But a Vitality Potion could also speed up recovery... I'll just use that as a substitute then...
With these random thoughts drifting through his mind, Andrew fell into a deep sleep on his bed.
____
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