Chapter 152
Chapter 152
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Domain…
The night was silent beneath a bright moon and sparse stars.
After all the commotion, the dragons had once again settled down to rest.
Near the Dragon God Temple, however, a group was discussing the culprit behind it all.
“You’re saying Zhouyou Shijie did all this?” Cork asked.
“It could only be him!”
Yun An nodded confidently. “I already found it strange. How could they learn about something we decided only yesterday and immediately come participate in the Trial Tournament? Even with an insider helping them, they couldn’t possibly have acted that efficiently.”
“You mean their goal from the beginning was to contact the Dwarves, and obtaining the dragon egg was actually the accident?”
“Exactly!”
Yun An looked toward the Dragon God and said pointedly, “I am sure the Dragon God understood long ago. That must be why you deliberately cooperated with me, took the teleportation array to the Dwarves, and put on that entire performance.”
“…Hahahaha!”
Dragon God Abel froze for a moment, then burst into laughter. “To think I hid it so deeply and deliberately pretended to understand nothing, yet you still saw through me!”
Cork and the many Elemental Dragon Kings were thoroughly humbled.
As expected of the Dragon God and Dragon Domain Guardian. They had known it was a scheme yet deliberately stepped into it anyway. Such intelligence was far beyond ordinary people.
…
“There’s more!”
Elsewhere, Zhou Ming removed the Flame Essence from his inventory.
“Hiss!!”
Every Dwarf sucked in a sharp breath, stunned beyond belief.
Zhouyou Shijie had actually produced a god-tier forging material!
“You obtained Flame Giant King’s true form!” Elder Harrison rushed forward, took the Flame Essence, and examined it as though holding a sacred relic. His unbelievable adoration was enough to make even Harrison’s wife jealous.
“And this!”
Zhou Ming then took out the Stone of Divine Condemnation.
It was the ultimate trump card!
Rob reacted with lightning speed and took it first. Holding it in trembling hands, his face flushed as he marveled, “I’ve never seen anything like this!”
“One person owns three pieces of god-tier ore. Are you some kind of demon?” Harrison demanded through gritted teeth.
Regret!
Harrison bitterly regretted his actions now.
If he had not joined the crowd in mocking Zhou Ming earlier, he could have happily accepted this enormous commission and gone down in history as a legendary divine smith.
“There’s also half a piece of demigod-tier Luminous Ore outside, along with some… rather unusual stones,” Qianying continued, tempting them with further rewards.
Zhou Ming was surprised. “We still have the Luminous Ore?”
“Renee didn’t eat it,” Qianying explained. “She said she was keeping it safe for you.”
“That girl…”
Warmth surged through Zhou Ming’s heart.
Renee was innocent but fiercely competitive. He might have dragged her into the Hope Faction, and she might constantly insist that she had “been tricked into joining,” but none of her actions suggested the slightest intention of abandoning the cause.
“You…”
Hearing that even more astonishing materials awaited outside, Rob’s eyes reddened. He said with difficulty, “Come with me first!”
“All right!”
Zhou Ming and Qianying followed him deeper into the Dwarven Settlement and arrived at a smithy.
“I apologize!” Rob said remorsefully. “I was wrong… It was mainly because there were so many people watching earlier…”
Ding!~
[System Notification: Dwarf Chieftain · Rob’s affinity toward you +20. Current: Friendly!]
Zhou Ming glanced at his affinity list and saw his affinity with numerous Dwarves climbing. He found it rather amusing. “There is no need to apologize, Chieftain Rob. I understand your difficulties.”
“Then… what would you like me to forge?” Rob stared at the three treasures, the Stone of Divine Condemnation, the Flame Essence, and the Gale Boots. His hands were already itching to begin.
“A divine weapon!”
Zhou Ming answered without the slightest hesitation.
Rings, necklaces, and capes were certainly rare equipment. But if one asked which item in a full set provided the greatest increase in strength, the answer could only be the weapon.
“Good!”
Rob nodded. “If you’re willing to provide these three treasures, every Dwarf will devote their full strength to forging you a Peerless Divine Weapon!”
“Every Dwarf?” Zhou Ming was surprised.
“My personal ability is limited. These absurd forging materials are more than I can handle alone,” Rob said helplessly. “The Stone of Divine Condemnation in particular is unlike anything I’ve encountered in my life. I am certain it can affect the forger’s mind. If I bear that influence alone, it will interfere with my work.”
Zhou Ming immediately agreed. “Then I must trouble every member of the Dwarves to lend their strength and bring this divine weapon into the world!”
“Naturally!”
Rob was brimming with excitement, without a trace of his earlier hesitation.
If Yun An came to hold them accountable, that would be a problem for later. First, they would enjoy themselves!
Ding!~
[System Notification: Congratulations! You have successfully activated the hidden main quest [Peerless Divine Weapon] (Difficulty: SS)!]
[Peerless Divine Weapon] (Difficulty: SS)
Description: This is not equipment you should possess at your current stage.
Quest Requirement: Provide Dwarf Chieftain · Rob with forging materials including the Stone of Divine Condemnation, Flame Essence, and Gale Boots.
Quest Reward: The completed divine weapon.
Failure Penalty: None
…
“!?”
Zhou Ming’s gaze sharpened. He immediately sensed that both the quest category and difficulty were wrong.
Forging a weapon should have been his personal affair. How had it become connected to the game’s main storyline?
Moreover, how could the difficulty be as high as SS?
“Does the system simply refuse to let me obtain a divine weapon so easily at this level?” Zhou Ming wondered.
After receiving Zhouyou Shijie’s agreement, Rob strode out in high spirits. “Please wait a moment. I’ll have every Dwarf put aside their current work. We cannot forge the divine weapon here, either. When the weapon is completed, the entire Dwarven Settlement may be caught in the aftermath!”
“Then may I choose the exact location where we forge it?”
Zhou Ming had essentially concluded that this matter could not be concealed.
The moment the weapon was completed, it would undoubtedly trigger a heavenly phenomenon.
When that happened, the gods and Demon Gods would inevitably come and attempt to seize it by force.
“Very well!”
…
After both sides finished discussing the details, every Dwarf left the settlement.
Ding!~
[System Notification: You have entered [Frozen Wastes] in the [Tsar Region]!]
Heavy snow filled the sky and blanketed the land.
Zhou Ming and the Dwarves emerged from their settlement into a world of ice and snow. The bitter wind outside stood in stark contrast to the warmth within.
“Haa!”
The warm breath Zhou Ming exhaled swiftly vanished into the freezing wind.
The Tsar Region!
He had taken the Dragon Domain’s teleportation array to reach the Dwarves, only to discover that he had traveled straight out of the country!
“Leader of the Hope Faction, where should we carry out the forging?” Harrison asked.
Zhou Ming thought for a moment. “Find the lowest-grade village nearby!”
“Very well. Let’s move!”
Once the decision was made, the enormous group set out. Qianying left to contact the others.
“…Qianying!”
Watching the graceful silver-haired beauty in white as she departed, Zhou Ming could not resist calling out to her.
“Hm?”
Qianying turned around, a trace of confusion in her clear eyes. “What is it?”
“You’ve worked hard, following me from place to place,” Zhou Ming said gently. “I haven’t forgotten your plan to return home. Once the divine weapon is forged, we’ll find a way to teleport between domains!”
Zhou Ming did not dare let success go to his head.
The divine weapon and sacred dragon egg were both later additions that made a good situation even better. Qianying alone had offered him help when he needed it most.
“…Mm!”
Qianying smiled and drifted away.
…
Two days later…
Snowflake Village, a Tier 4 village.
It was an obscure little place lost amid the wind and snow.
After spending a modest number of Gold Coins, Zhou Ming properly relocated every villager elsewhere. Only then did the true forging process begin.
“This is definitely going to be an unmatched sword!” Ye Zhibei and Cangxuan were both tremendously excited.
The divine weapon about to emerge was destined to be extraordinary.
Moreover, with the Divine Ember Queen’s assistance, its grade could advance another level.
They wanted to see just how powerful it would ultimately become.
“Then shall we begin?” Chieftain Rob asked after confirming that every Dwarf was fully prepared and burning with determination.
“We still need to wait!”
Zhou Ming shook his head, then stunned them with his next words. “There are several more forging materials that need to be added!”
“Th-There’s more?”
Rob stared blankly.
Just how obscenely rich was this man?
“Leader of the Hope Faction, what else do you intend to add?” Harrison pressed.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Every Dwarf and the many god-tier powerhouses on Zhou Ming’s side turned to look at Zhouyou Shijie. None of them could guess what he intended.
Under everyone’s gaze, Zhou Ming took a deep breath, then spoke with complete candor. What he said left every listener too stunned to speak.
“I want to add…”
…