LRAB Page 116
Page 116
"Sister Ayin, why don't you accompany Master and the others for a stroll? I'll go and gather some information." Dongfang Jing decided to take care of the important matters first.
Ah Yin nodded slightly: "Okay, be careful."
……
Dongfang Jing raised his hand to put on the mask and walked alone through the bustling street.
He needed to find a highly skilled and trustworthy blacksmith to complete the forging for him.
The rare metal he carefully selected already had a core magic array engraved on it. All that was left was to create a matching outer shell and components, precisely embed the core, and then inject soul power to drive the vehicle.
Dongfang Jing's gaze swept across the shops lining the street and he noticed that in front of several shops stood several burly men with bare chests and bulging muscles, sweating profusely as they worked hard to forge iron.
With only a little forging knowledge, Dongfang Jing could tell from a few glances that these people were of varying skill levels, even far inferior to Tang San when he was six years old.
He had to admit to himself that Tang San's hand skills were indeed quite impressive.
The problem is that his second soul skill, Mirror Image Imitation, can only replicate the six-year-old Tang San, who is skinny and bony.
Although he is quite strong at his age, he lacks stamina.
He can weaken pig iron after a few taps, let alone forge it into a harder rare metal.
Therefore, Tang San, with his frail mirror image, was still a long way from the perfect product in Dongfang Jingxin's mind.
Just then, outside a blacksmith shop ahead, a loud voice was enthusiastically shouting.
The area near the source of the sound was already completely surrounded.
"Don't miss out! This is a Radiant Silver Sword handcrafted by a disciple of the current president of the Blacksmiths' Association, the master craftsman Lou Gao. It is truly incredibly sharp, capable of cutting through iron like mud! This is the only one of its kind, and it's being sold at a loss!"
The man standing in the center of the circle, shouting his wares, was a middle-aged man with a bare chest, revealing a muscular, bronze-colored physique.
'Master craftsman. How tall is the building?'
Dongfang Jing squeezed into the crowd, his gaze falling on the sword.
His expression froze instantly, and the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
The sword gleamed with silver light, dazzlingly bright in the intense sunlight.
The problem is, a sword is a weapon for fighting! How can you make it with a soft metal like silver?
This sword, though it may seem powerful, is ultimately just an ornamental object to be held and admired.
"You little rascal! You're using my teacher's name to swindle people again! You want a beating, don't you?"
Just as Dongfang Jing lost interest and turned to leave, an angry shout rang out from the periphery of the crowd.
The crowd parted with a whoosh, and a robust old man, about sixty years old, strode in with a brisk pace.
His face was ashen; he was clearly furious.
"Oh no! It's Uncle Renyuan!"
The middle-aged man selling his wares panicked when he saw him.
He grabbed his bag and disappeared in a flash.
"You little brat, you're pretty fast!" The old man stomped his feet in anger, but he was too lazy to chase after him.
He then turned to the onlookers and explained:
"That scoundrel who just ran away is nothing more than a distant cousin of Master Lou Gao's personal disciple. He only uses this relationship to swindle people by falsely claiming to be a 'second-generation disciple.' Don't think that my teacher—Master Lou Gao, one of the three great master craftsmen in the world—could have taught such a disgraceful fool!"
Upon hearing this explanation, everyone finally understood.
Some people looked indignant, while others turned and dispersed, unconcerned.
Dongfang Jing was intrigued by the phrase "three great craftsmen".
He had heard Ah Yin mention that Tang Dachui was one of the three great master craftsmen.
Since that was the case, once the crowd had mostly dispersed, he went straight to the old man named Ren Yuan.
He gently removed the mask from his face and politely inquired, "Old blacksmith, I would like to request an audience with Master Lou Gao to have him forge something for me. Are there any special conditions required?"
"you?"
Ren Yuan narrowed his eyes and looked Dongfang Jing up and down.
He was young, had a decent appearance, and spoke politely, which made people feel a sense of goodwill towards him.
But what truly made Ren Yuan take notice was that, despite his Soul King level strength, he couldn't detect even a trace of soul power fluctuation emanating from Dongfang Jing!
Logically speaking, this should be an ordinary person with no soul power.
Yet, Ren Yuan could sense an indescribable pressure emanating from this young man, as if he were hiding a sharp blade yet to be drawn.
He cleared his throat, abandoning his casual attitude, and said seriously, "My teacher Lou Gao doesn't just forge things for anyone. First, you need to have enough gold soul coins in your purse; second, it depends on his mood and interest. If he's interested in what you want to forge, he might even waive the forging fee, and you just need to prepare the materials."
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jing thought to himself that Master Lou Gao was indeed a man of character.
However, it is often the eccentric people who are the most capable.
"Don't worry, sir. The thing I want to build has never appeared on the entire continent before. I just don't know how I can find this master craftsman, Lou Gao?"
“That’s easy. The teacher is at the Blacksmiths’ Association headquarters. I’m going back to the association anyway, so come with me.”
"Good work."
After thanking him, Dongfang Jing casually raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Ren Yuan was taken aback, wondering to himself: What's this kid doing? Trying to show off in front of this old man?
But then he saw a butterfly shimmering with light flutter by.
The butterfly gently landed beside Dongfang Jing and hovered in mid-air.
Immediately, its body began to rotate rapidly clockwise, expanding in the blink of an eye into a halo as tall as a person, swirling with blue and pink light.
Ren Yuan's eyes widened instantly, and his jaw nearly dropped to the ground in shock.
He watched as three breathtakingly beautiful women gracefully stepped out of the halo.
It was Biji, Ayin, and Wang Qiu'er.
"Disciple, have you found the blacksmith?" Brigitte asked gently.
The three of them each held a cotton candy in their hands, creating a striking contrast.
"Yes, I'm going to the Blacksmiths' Association later," Dongfang Jing replied, then looked at Ren Yuan, who was still in a daze, "Uncle, I'll have to trouble you to show me the way."
Ren Yuan snapped out of his daze and quickly nodded: "Okay, follow me. This way, please!"
Chapter 130 The Master Craftsman Lou Gao, Three Sets of Hidden Weapon Blueprints
The crowd stopped the two carriages on the street.
The three women got into the last car, while Dongfang Jing and Ren Yuan rode in the first car.
The journey wasn't long, and we soon arrived at the impressive headquarters of the Blacksmiths' Association.
After getting off the carriage, Ren Yuan finally felt the tightness in his chest ease, and inwardly groaned.
In terms of appearance, all three women were like goddesses; anyone would want to take a second look.
But for some reason, especially with that green-haired woman, even though she was just sitting there quietly, Ren Yuan felt the hairs on the back of her head stand on end.
His attitude became increasingly respectful, and as he led the four inside, he introduced them:
"The headquarters building has five floors, and the president's office is on the fifth floor."
Ren Yuan escorted everyone to the stairwell leading from the second to the third floor. He first ran over and whispered a few words to the guard at the stairwell before returning, saying with a touch of humility:
"I am just an apprentice following Master Lou Gao. My status is lowly, so I can only see you all this way. The guards will take you up from here."
"Okay, thank you, sir."
Perhaps Ren Yuan had warned the guards in advance, because the guards were quite polite to them.
The two guards stationed at the entrance to the staircase from the third to the fourth floor were both Soul Saint level experts and Lou Gao's personal disciples.
After hearing the message from the guards below, one of them stepped forward.
"Distinguished guests, I am Silong, a disciple of Master Lou Gao. I've heard you wish to commission my master to forge these items?" he said, clasping his hands in a respectful but not overbearing manner.
"Yes." Dongfang Jing nodded.
"I'm really sorry," Si Long said with a hint of tact. "As you all know, President Lou Gao is one of the three great master craftsmen. He is always focused on studying forging techniques and has many daily affairs. Most of the usual commissions are handled by us disciples who have received his true teachings."
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jing immediately understood the implied meaning.
It means that Lou Gao disdains to do simple things and only takes on complex, special, and innovative jobs.
Without saying a word, he took out a thick scroll from his soul tool and handed it over: "This is what I'm going to make. If you think you can do it, then I'll give it to you."
Silong carefully took it, his curiosity growing.
He unfolded one end of the scroll and his eyes lit up, but he quickly frowned again.
The image clearly depicts the design of the convertible supercar envisioned by Dongfang Jing.
Silong is a man too, and he was immediately drawn to its cool design at first glance.
But he was completely mesmerized by the intricate and complex structural diagram.
And this is only a small part of the beginning of the scroll.
Silong pinched the edge of the scroll and continued to slowly pull it open to the side. The scroll, which was quite long, was covered with densely packed tiny characters, detailing the specific function of each component in an outrageously meticulous manner.
He felt his head was about to explode, so he quickly and carefully rerolled the scroll and respectfully handed it back to Dongfang Jing.
"I'm truly sorry, this is indeed beyond my capabilities." Si Long shook his head with a wry smile, then his expression turned serious. "But my master is certainly capable of handling this! Gentlemen, please follow me."
The group followed Si Long, passing through several heavy metal doors equipped with ingenious mechanisms.
The group eventually stopped in front of the No. 1 foundry at the deepest part of the room.
Silong stood respectfully by the door and knocked on the metal door.
"Teacher, we have some distinguished guests who would like to ask you to forge something for them."
Before he could finish speaking, he quickly added, afraid of being scolded: "I have also seen your drawings, but I am truly powerless to help you. However, I dare say that you, Master, will be very interested in them!"
As soon as he finished speaking, accompanied by a series of clicking sounds from the machinery, the heavy, wide iron door slowly slid open to the side.