Chapter 151
Chapter 151
Yun An: Brother Zhou, you owe me a favor.
“The Dragon Domain Guardian deserves immense credit for keeping the Dragon Domain safe from disturbance in these chaotic times.” Zhou Ming put away the note and sighed inwardly.
Yun An had balanced everything perfectly. He kept both himself and the Dragon Domain out of danger while turning a blind eye at the right moment, allowing Zhou Ming to accomplish his goal naturally. Such intelligence was anything but ordinary.
If Long Kun, the emperor of the Eastern Region, possessed even half Yun An’s ability to govern, Zhou Ming would have been driven out of business long ago.
Putting those thoughts aside, Zhou Ming solemnly cupped his fists. “I am Zhouyou Shijie, leader of the Hope Faction!”
As he introduced himself, Zhou Ming cast Inspect.
[Dwarf Chieftain · Rob] (God-Tier BOSS)
Level: ???
HP: ???
Attack: ???
Defense: ???
Skills: ???
Description: Chieftain of the Dwarves and their greatest genius in the art of forging. Honest and straightforward by nature, he dislikes hypocrisy.
…
“I am Rob, the current chieftain of the Dwarves!”
The muscular Dwarf at the front immediately returned the greeting.
Although the Dwarves kept themselves apart from worldly affairs and focused entirely upon improving their craft, Rob knew perfectly well that the man before him appeared constantly in the news feed. Most server-wide announcements were connected to him in some way.
Such an important figure could not be treated lightly!
“Chieftain Rob, to be perfectly honest, I came here to ask the Dwarves to forge a weapon for me,” Zhou Ming said bluntly. Then another thought occurred to him, and he added, “If possible, I would also like you to forge a complete set of equipment. I’ll provide the materials!”
In the battle against Flame Giant King · Rod, Zhou Ming had lost every item on his person. His current equipment left much to be desired.
Now that he had finally made contact with the Dwarves, he naturally wanted more than a divine weapon. He hoped to forge everything at once and reach an unprecedented peak state.
“Well…”
Rob hesitated.
“Is there some difficulty? As for compensation, you may rest assured, Chieftain Rob. I will not shortchange you in the slightest. If you have any other requirements, please name them.”
“Zhouyou Shijie, there is something you don’t know…”
Seeing the sincerity of Zhou Ming’s offer, Rob decided to stop hiding the truth. “Several decades ago, the Dwarves signed an agreement with the Dragon Domain. While conducting business with them, we may not accept forging commissions from anyone else. If we do, the agreement will immediately be terminated, and we must pay compensation!”
“That formal?” Zhou Ming was surprised.
“It was all Yun An’s idea!”
At that moment, another sturdy Dwarf emerged from the crowd and said helplessly, “Unfortunately, the forging materials provided by the dragons are simply too exceptional. We had no choice but to agree.”
[Dwarf Elder · Harrison] (Demigod-Tier BOSS)
So that was it!
Zhou Ming understood perfectly. The Dwarves did not want to refuse his commission. The contractual restrictions were the true source of their difficulty.
With that in mind, he countered, “The note just now came from the Dragon Domain Guardian, correct?”
“Yes.” Rob nodded.
“He knew I was coming, and he knew that my reason for finding you had to be a forging commission. Even so, he still asked you to deliver this note. Surely you understand the implication, Chieftain Rob?” Zhou Ming patiently guided him toward the answer.
“Hm?”
Rob scratched his head as realization dawned. “So that was what he meant?”
“Exactly!”
Zhou Ming nodded as though his argument were irrefutable. He deliberately showed Rob the note’s contents. “Can you forge for me now?”
“What if it’s a trap?” Rob still did not dare trust him so easily. “Why don’t you ask the Dragon Domain Guardian for a written guarantee that he won’t turn around and accuse us later? Then I’ll forge it for you.”
Zhou Ming was speechless.
Was he really that stubborn?
Or had Yun An tricked him so many times that he was now afraid?
The problem was that Zhou Ming truly could not speak with Yun An again. As far as the Dragon Domain Guardian’s current situation was concerned, he had been “deceived,” allowing Zhou Ming’s “scheme” to succeed and bringing him into contact with the Dwarves.
“There’s no need to make things so complicated.”
At that moment, Qianying, who had been quietly observing from the side, stepped forward and reminded him, “Take out your forging materials. The Dwarves will agree.”
Qianying did not know much about the Dwarves, but she understood the intensity of their passion for forging.
It was practically carved into their very genes.
Take out the forging materials. The Dwarves will agree…
The moment she said that, every Dwarf stared at her in fury after a brief instant of shock. They felt deeply insulted.
“What utter nonsense!”
“Do you truly think the Dwarves are a race willing to throw away their dignity for the sake of forging?”
“What forging material haven’t we seen? After what you just said, even if you produced god-tier ore, the Dwarves would never agree!”
…
The crowd erupted in anger!
From the chieftain and elder down, every Dwarf was infuriated by the woman’s insulting words.
“I have heard of the Divine Ember Queen’s renown and her unique exclusive ability!” Rob said sternly. “But because of what you just said, peaceful relations between you and the Dwarves are now impossible!”
Ding!~
[System Notification: Dwarf Chieftain · Rob’s affinity toward you -10. Current: Indifferent!]
Ding!~
[System Notification: Dwarf Elder · Harrison’s affinity toward you -10. Current: Indifferent!]
…
Because of a single sentence from Qianying, Zhou Ming had been dragged into the fallout as well. His relationship with the Dwarves rapidly plunged to freezing point.
Zhou Ming was not particularly confident. “Qianying, will this really work?”
“Just take them out,” Qianying replied with perfect composure.
“…All right!”
Zhou Ming nodded, opened his inventory, and removed the forging material he had prepared long ago.
[Gale Boots] (War Soul Grade)
Description: Once a Peerless divine artifact, these boots were forged by the Dwarves at great expense at Su Feng’s request. Unfortunately, the passage of time has stripped them of their former power.
…
This equipment had belonged to the previous owner of the God-Demon Orb, Wind Wanderer · Su Feng.
“So he only wants us to reforge a pair of War Soul-grade boots?”
“I thought the leader of the Hope Faction, Zhouyou Shijie, would actually produce god-tier ore and slap us in the face. What a waste of my anticipation…”
“Still, there’s something interesting about that equipment’s description.”
The surrounding Dwarves remained unimpressed. Some looked disappointed, others angry, and still others mocking.
Unlike the other Dwarves, however, Chieftain Rob’s expression grew serious.
“God-tier ore was mixed into the materials used to forge this equipment!” Elder Harrison exclaimed before he could restrain himself.
“You noticed too, Harrison?”
Rob gently reached out and touched the Gale Boots, almost as though he were caressing them. His tenderness was so unbelievable that even Rob’s wife would have been jealous.
“This should be one of the previous chieftain’s finest works,” Rob assessed. “Unfortunately, the forging structure deteriorated with the passage of time, causing its grade to fall drastically.”
“What?!”
Only then did the other Dwarves understand the value of the Gale Boots.
“But if you think this is enough to trample upon the Dwarves’ dignity, then you underestimate us!” After wrestling with the decision for a long time, Rob pushed the Gale Boots back into Zhou Ming’s arms.
“Don’t be so hasty!”
Seeing this, Zhou Ming knew Qianying’s judgment had been correct. He smiled. “There’s more!”
…