by Zhuang Bifan
Elijah was not to be messed with. He was somebody that traded in frequently in the black market. There was no way to hide this little trick away from his eyes.
"Mr Felic, you can ignore him. This fella is a cheat. He doesn't have any exclusive secret manual…" After Elijah had taught a lesson to the fat bandit, he carefully explained to Lin Lin Li in fear that Lin Li would misunderstand that he had anything to do with the bandit.
"It's nothing…" Lin Li smiled; he did not take it to heart. From the start, he never believed there was an exclusive secret manual. Why would anyone with this secret manual fall so low as to depend on selling magical beast offspring for a living. Furthermore, it was so cheap. A Thunder Eaglet for a thousand gold each?
This was a level-10 magical beast. If it was possible to rear it, it could be sold randomly for tens of thousands of gold coins, and not just a thousand gold.
It was not a small matter to rear a level-10 magical beast.
Even Lin Li, a former super hunter, was only able to master the art of rearing a level-5 magical beast.
The real question for Lin Li was: where did this guy get these Thunder Eaglets from?
Thunder Eagles were indeed level-10 magical beasts naturally proficient at Thunder Spells. Not everybody could withstand a Thunderbolt. From the looks of it, this bandit was not higher than level-10. It would already be very exhausting to face a Thunder Eagle alone. Furthermore, he had to steal their offspring from their nest.
A single Thunder Eagle nest would require a team of ten people. If he went alone, wouldn't it be the same as courting death?
Just as Lin Li seemed uncertain, that round bandit was looking puzzled.
He did not understand some things. He knew the status of Elijah, captain of the Silver Moon Ranger Mercenary Corp. He was only in his twenties, and had single-handedly raised a mercenary corps to a scale of more than a hundred people. He could be considered one of the top figures even amongst Alanna's adventurers.
No matter how he looked, he couldn't understand it—why was Elijah so respectful towards this young mage?
This was uncharacteristic of Elijah…
Could it be the background of this young mage was so good that Elijah had no choice but to be respectful?
The fat bandit could not make head nor tail out of it. He only heard that Lin Li left him a message before leaving. "Help me reserve one Thunder Eagle."
"Ah?" The fat bandit was stunned for a while.
When Elijah had appeared just now, he already knew this deal was busted. A person like Elijah was definitely able to see through his small trickery. Since that young mage was Elijah's friend, naturally he would not be going to be baited.
But…
When that young mage left, what did that sentence mean?
Help him reserve one Thunder Eagle? There were still people who were earning a lot?
"Oh, yes. What is the background of that bandit?" Lin Li casually asked while walking.
"That guy is called Shaun, a famous cheater in this area. He is a level-10 bandit. I heard he was from Breezy City, but for unknown reasons, he came to Alanna. Usually, he does not dot accept missions from the Adventurers Guild; he only relies on selling magical beasts' offspring to make ends meet. I also do not know where he gets these magical beasts' offspring from…"
"Are there a lot?"
"Yes. Almost after each period of time, he would change the offspring he is selling. The other time, I think I saw him selling Shadow Panther offspring. That fella is really screwing around. Luckily, they were sold. Otherwise, when these Shadow Panther cubs have grown up, who knows what may happen…"
This fella was really talented, he could even obtain the cubs of a Shadow Panther…
Chapter 163 - The Old Blacksmith
Lin Li was interested in this fat bandit, but there was not much time. He had to wait till he finished settling the Fire Salamandrid leather business before coming back to have a chat with him.
Elijah and Lin Li walked through the foul-smelling street amidst the arguments. They squeezed through with difficulty until half an hour later, when Elijah finally stopped.
"Mr Felic, it's here."
What he pointed at was a torn and tattered workshop.
This workshop was befitting of being described as torn and tattered. From afar, it was just a piece of wood dangling. It seemed like a gust of wind would blow away the main door, while the furnace outside the door was not even lit. The anvil had a thick layer of dust on top. When Lin Li walked over, the sight was b.a.r.e and empty. It was as if it had been a while since the furnace had been lit.
"The Fire Salamandrid leather were purchased from here." Elijah stood outside the workshop and introduced it to Lin Li softly, "This boss has a weird temperament, he may not open his store for days. Today, I saw that he had opened his store when I came early in the morning, so I rushed to the Guild of Magic to look for you. Luckily, we made it…"
Lin Li looked at the insides of the furnace, and then he looked at the anvil before asking curiously, "Oh, yes. Mr Elijah. How much did you spend to purchase those items?"
"Just calling me Elijah will do…" Lin Li addressing him as "Mr." caused Elijah to be overwhelmed by flattery and honor. He was in a daze for a while before he remembered about the deal. "Those items were traded for with a batch of ores."
"Oh…" Lin Li nodded, and did not ask what ores.
The shop was terrifyingly silent. When both of them walked in, Lin Li thought that he had entered a haunted house.
There was nothing inside except for a thin old man, lying in a chair with his eyes closed. It seemed like he was taking a break, but it also felt like he was taking a nap. His hand held a lighted pipe that was flickering. In the midst of the sound of clicks, he suddenly erupted into coughing. It sounded like a workshop's bellows with a raspy sound. This made Lin Li sympathize with him.
"I will not do any deals today. If there is anything, we'll talk tomorrow." Only when the both of them walked into the store did the old man open his muddy eyes.
"Master Hoyer, don't you remember me?" Elijah carefully asked.
The old blacksmith glanced, and seemingly remembered. "Oh, it's you…"
"Master Hoyer, my visit today is to ask you about—"
Elijah had a smile on his face, but before he could finish speaking, the old man had rudely interrupted, "Did you bring any ores again when you came over today?"
"That, that I didn't…"
Elijah was stunned slightly. Before he could speak, the old man waved his hands. "Then you can scram."
"…"
Lin Li was astonished. He had seen many bad attitudes before. This included himself as he was a person with a rather bad attitude. However, this old man's bad attitude was a first for him…
The old blacksmith's words were not any different from a slap. Even a tactful person like Elijah was frozen right there. At that moment, leaving or staying were both not right. His fair-toned face was filled with awkwardness.
"Master Hoyer, may I say a few words?" Lin Li shot a look over to Elijah to tell him to take a seat; he'd settle the rest of it.
"You are?" The old blacksmith was smoking his cigar; he did not even raise his eyelids.
"My name is Felic, and I am from Jarrosus."
"What has that got to do with me? I am just asking you if you brought ores…"
"…" Lin Li rolled his eyes. This old man was rather persistent about the ores, but after taking into account the source of Fire Salamandrid leather, he controlled his temper, and answered, "Ores are not an issue. If you can promise to answer my questions, I will try to source out whatever ores you want."
"Such big words…" The old blacksmith coldly laughed.
"How about Eternal Adamantine ores? I have a batch of refined ones with me right now."
"You're saying you have a batch Eternal Adamantine?" This was the first time the old blacksmith looked surprised ever since Lin Li walked into the workshop.
"I coincidentally have
one batch…" Judging by the look on the old man's face, Lin Li knew that there was a good chance this time. He immediately smiled, and continued tempting him. "If you don't like those, I can provide others. For example, Abyss Mithril and Abyss Fiendish Iron. I got a couple of those Ice Crystal Metal and Infernal Copper or something on hand right now…
"These ores… You have them all?" The old blacksmith could not sit still once he heard of the myriad of ores; he immediately changed from lying to sitting down. He stopped smoking and just left it in his mouth despite the choking smoke spreading. That face, which was full of wrinkles, was now astonished. The way he looked at Lin Li was no longer disdainful.
"I should have them…" Lin Li thought for a bit, and he was a little unsure. "There are too many ores. I don't have the time to check them one by one as well."
"What do you want to know?"
"I just want to find out, where did you hunt for Fire Salamandrid leather that you gave to Elijah the previous time?
"Fire Salamandrid leather?" The old man glanced at Lin Li, but he did not answer the question. He just took another two puffs of his cigar before turning to Elijah and asking, "I gave you something like that before?"
"That leather armor…" Elijah cautiously reminded him.
"Oh, you're talking about that leather armor?"
"That's right."
"Kid, that was just a piece of leather armor. What made you so sure that I would be able to tell you the location to hunt for Fire Salamandrids?" The old man leaned back in his chair. His emotions could not be felt from his voice.
"You're joking…" Lin Li smiled. He pulled over a chair to sit down without waiting for the old man telling him to do so. Then, he began to tell the old man, "Look, I am a mage. Mages are able to determine the actual attributes of equipment through a special method. Allow me the liberty to say this: those two pieces of equipment had identical attributes. In other words, they came from the same person."
"What has that got to do with me? It could be that someone sold it to me."
"You're joking again…" Lin Li was still smiling. He shifted his chair and moved closer to the old blacksmith. "I am not too sure about that Fire Salamandrid Leather Armor. However, I am sure I did not misjudge that double-edged sword. It is definitely from this workshop…"
"Kid, did you see clearly? That is a magical weapon. I am blacksmith that is waiting to die. If I had that ability, I would have been hired by a large workshop like Magical Weapon. Why would I stay in this forsaken place?"
"Naturally, I have my reasons for being so sure. Don't be hasty, listen to me slowly." After Lin Li said that, he pointed at the furnace outside. "If I remember correctly, the top of the double-edged sword should have some Abyss Fiendish Iron melted into it, right? When I walked in just now, I had already looked inside the furnace. It was such a coincidence that the inside of the furnace had a trace of crimson imprints. Don't tell me that you don't know that when Abyss Fiendish Iron has melted, it would quickly permeate any metal it comes in contact with? Just a little touch would leave a permanent imprint."
The old man puffed his cigar. After some time, he suddenly asked, "You're really a mage?"
"I guess so…" Lin Li thought for a bit. He was really slightly unsure.
"A mage that knows forging isn't common…" The old man carefully placed his pipe down. He stood up as though he has made a decision. His muddy eyes stared at Lin Li and extended two fingers. "Number one, forge magical equipment with two attributes for me now. I don't believe that you are a mage that knows how to forge. Number two, give me a batch of Eternal Adamantine. I will not take it for free, I will trade it with you. You can put forward anything in this workshop of mine that you take a fancy to.
"Once these two tasks have been completed, I will tell you where to hunt those Fire Salamandrids."
"No problem." Lin Li did not say anything else, and rolled up the sleeves of his robe. He lit a fire in the furnace by himself, not allowing the blacksmith to help him.
For Lin Li, magical equipment with two magical attributes did not pose any difficulty. Just by the designs in his head, he could come up with dozens of them. The Frostfire Sword that he'd forged in the Guild of Magic the other day was a typical example of magical equipment that had two attributes. It was just that Lin Li did not plan on doing the same thing again.
"Eh…" Just when the fire had started, Lin Li suddenly discovered that the temperature of the furnace was higher than normal furnaces'. Furthermore, the flame inside was purer than normal. Just this discovery alone increased Lin Li's appraisal of that old blacksmith. Only blacksmiths like them that reached this level would know that during forging, factors other than craftsmanship were just as vital. The purer the flame, the lower chance of producing impurities and making mistakes.
Chapter 164 - Ward of Bad Luck
After starting a fire in the furnace, Lin Li casually took out an iron embryo from a pile of metals.
The old blacksmith leaned against a recliner with his eyes closed as he s.u.c.k.e.d on the pipe intensely. The thick smoke that filled the Blacksmith Shop did not affect him at all. If he was only a little curious at the beginning, then he would be a little surprised now…
He had been a Blacksmith for decades. How would he not know the difficulty in forging a dual-attributed magical weapon? Just the selection process for the materials alone would be long and arduous. The two different attributes were fated to clash with each other. Therefore, a special magical metal such as the valuable rainbow adamantine would be required to forge a multi-attributed magical equipment.
Although this man is a young mage, he is familiar with the characteristics of Abyss Fiendish Iron. Not only that, he also knows the special qualities of my furnace. Hence, he might have some knowledge in forging. But why would one use an iron embryo as material in forging? Can't he tell that that is only a normal iron embryo that cannot withstand the clashes between the different attributes?
The old blacksmith could only think of two possibilities…
The first was that Lin Li was trying to act smart: after hearing about the characteristics of the Abyss Fiendish Iron, Lin Li went to him to act like he knew everything. That reason, however, was less likely. Normal human beings would not be so natural and composed when lying…
The second reason would be that Lin Li had extreme confidence in using a normal piece of iron embryo to create a magical weapon that would have two attributes.
Frankly speaking, Hoyer was still skeptical…
He had lived in Alanna as a Blacksmith for decades, and was thus fully aware that there would only be three to five people who were able to use ordinary iron embryos while forging dual-attributed weapons in the whole of Alanna. Lin Li's occupation as a mage, and his young age, however, did not seem like a person from the Master-level…
"Dong, dong, dong…!"
A rapid and clear noise sounded out as the red iron embryo transformed quickly under the hammer.
Lin Li used a different technique when he was knocking on the metal. Although he was very gentle, the frequency of the knocking was extremely high, like never-ending raindrops.
Under that crisp and rhythmic knocking, the red iron embryo turned into a thin sheet in a short amount of time. After cooling the metal by folding it around for a couple of times, Lin Li placed it back in the furnace again.
While he winded the bellow with one hand, he wiped the sweat on his forehead with another.
"H-hundred-Folds Forging Technique… " The old blacksmith gasped through the pipe that he left in his mouth. His cloudy eyes immediately became sparkly as he stared at Lin Li with amazement.
T-t-that's… how is that possible?
The old blacksmith was dumbfounded at what he saw…
This thin and weak-looking young mage is indeed a blacksmith… and a proficient one!
And he used the Hundred-Folds Forging Technique!
Hoyer had been a blacksmith for decades. How could he not know about the Hundred-Folds Forging Tech
nique? It would be no exaggeration to say that the mastery of this method would make one a guru of the smithing industry.
The Hundred-Folds Forging Technique required countless knocks onto the iron embryo to turn it into a thin metal sheet. Then, it would need to be folded repetitively.
Although the weapon created with such a technique would appear thin and flat, within, it would be like a thousand-layered cake. With that, not only would the edge of the blade be sharp, it would also be malleable and tough. This technique was especially vital for weapons like single-handed swords, machetes, and daggers; they would be powerful, and not be destroyed during battles.
Seeing that, the old blacksmith knew that he had met a guru.
For such a weapon, its craftsmanship would be enough to turn it into a top quality equipment—not forgetting its magical properties. It had been ages since the old blacksmith had last seen the real Hundred-Folds Forging Technique…
Elijah was completely stupefied too.
He was not a professional like the old smith, and he had never heard of the Hundred-Folds Forging Technique. To be frank, he was absolutely unskilled in forging.
Yet even this amateur could tell that Lin Li was definitely a forging expert just from looking at his swift and precise movements. With such craftsmanship, anyone could tell that it was not Lin Li's first attempt at holding a hammer.
If someone were to tell Elijah that the young mage outside was actually an old and experienced blacksmith, Elijah would accept the saying without questioning it.
And that was the reason for him to be utterly surprised.
How could Elijah not know who was that man outside their shop? He was a genuine mage, a mage that could kill a level-18 Shapeshifter in the blink of an eye—just like a Skeletal Warrior with flesh!
At this moment, another person entered the blacksmith shop.
He was a burly middle-aged man around 40, and had a squarish face with a majestic beard, and short and bold blond hair. His mere presence radiated a strong sense of righteousness!
