95: Chapter 95 Dragon City in Turmoil

The feeling of being followed was like having ants crawling on my back—itchy and making me feel completely uneasy.

I pretended to be busy at the Stall System 3.0 branch, but my peripheral vision kept darting toward those suspicious figures across the street.

They played their parts well enough; one was disguised as a candied hawthorn seller, another as a fortune teller, and a third was crouching in the corner pretending to be a beggar—but the problem was, which beggar would glance at me every now and then while wearing level 30 gear, for crying out loud?

"System, can you scan their information?"

[Target information retrieval failed. The target has used a concealment item.]

"Interesting," I said, rubbing my chin. "Professional players, huh?"

Ye Liuli came in from the back door. Seeing my solemn expression, she asked, "What's wrong?"

"We're being watched," I said, gesturing with my chin toward the other side of the street. "They've been crouching there since this afternoon. I suspect they're Ye Wuji's men."

Ye Liuli followed my gaze, her brows knitting together. "They are indeed suspicious. Should I go and test them?"

"Don't alert the enemy," I shook my head. "They're just monitoring us for now, which means they aren't planning to make a move yet. Let's just go about our business and see what they're really up to."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Go to the City Lord's Mansion first," I said, pulling out the letter Mo Wentian had given me. "I need to take care of the task Master entrusted to me."

The Dragon City City Lord's Mansion was located in the center of the city, an imposing complex of buildings. Two rows of guards stood straight at the entrance, each one an elite NPC of level 35 or higher; they looked like people you didn't want to mess with.

"Halt! This is the City Lord's Mansion. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter!"

I hurriedly pulled out the letter. "Brother, I am a disciple of Mo Wentian from Tianqi City. I have been sent by my Master to request an audience with City Lord Iron Arm."

The guard took the letter, glanced at the handwriting on the envelope, and his expression changed instantly.

"So you are Old Mo's disciple. My apologies, my apologies. Please, follow me."

Following the guard through several corridors, we arrived in front of a grand hall. From inside, the clanging sounds of hammering echoed, as if someone were forging iron.

"The City Lord is in the forging room. Please wait a moment."

Before long, a burly middle-aged man walked out. He had a powerful build, a face full of whiskers, was bare-chested, and covered in iron filings—he looked every bit the seasoned blacksmith.

[Dragon City Lord · Iron Arm]

[Level: 40 (Legendary NPC)]

[Class: God-tier Blacksmith]

Level 40! I clicked my tongue in secret. At this level, he could crush me with a single finger.

Iron Arm took the letter and opened it. As he read, he suddenly burst into laughter. "You old dog Mo Wentian, you still remember me after all these years!"

After laughing, he turned to look at me, his gaze like a torch. "Kid, are you that old man's disciple?"

"I am indeed, junior Chen Ergou."

"Chen Ergou?" Iron Arm paused, then laughed again. "Good name! It's down-to-earth! Much better than those 'Aotian' or 'Batian' types!"

I: "..."

This City Lord's taste was quite in tune with mine.

"Since you're that old man's disciple, you're one of my own." Iron Arm waved his hand grandly. "Someone, prepare a banquet! I want to properly entertain this little brother!"

"City Lord, you are too kind, but this junior has important matters to attend to and cannot stay long..."

"Important matters?" Iron Arm raised an eyebrow. "What could be more important than eating?"

I was momentarily speechless.

"Besides," Iron Arm lowered his voice. "You came to Dragon City to investigate that brat Ye Wuji, didn't you?"

I was shocked. "City Lord, you..."

"Haha, don't be nervous." Iron Arm patted my shoulder. "There is nothing in Dragon City that I don't know about. Ye Wuji has indeed been active in Dragon City lately, and he is colluding with some illicit forces. You've come at the right time. In three days, Dragon City will hold the 'Forging Competition,' and all sorts of factions will gather there. You can use that opportunity to gather information."

"Forging Competition?"

"That's right, the most important event in Dragon City." A trace of pride flashed in Iron Arm's eyes. "At that time, forging masters from all over will gather to display their work. The winner will not only receive generous rewards but also earn the title of 'God-tier Forger'."

My eyes lit up. This was an opportunity!

"City Lord, although this junior is not a blacksmith, I can create some special items. I wonder if I might participate in this Forging Competition?"

Iron Arm looked at me with interest. "What can you make?"

I pulled out a few items created by the system: a strength pill, an explosive potato, an invisibility talisman, and the newly unlocked "immobilization talisman."

Iron Arm picked up the strength pill and examined it for a while, then sniffed the explosive potato; his eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Interesting, truly interesting!" He slapped the table in admiration. "Although these items aren't legendary weapons, they are practical, and the craftsmanship is unique. Fine, I grant you permission to participate in the Forging Competition!"

"Many thanks, City Lord!"

"However…" Iron Arm's tone shifted. "There will be many experts at the Forging Competition, so be careful not to get bullied. Especially that 'Iron Arm,' the number one blacksmith in Dragon City. He is petty and can't stand anyone being better than him."

"This junior will keep that in mind."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The Forging Competition was held in the central square of Dragon City, and the scene was even grander than I had imagined. Exhibition booths were set up all around the square, and various blacksmiths were displaying their work. Swords, spears, halberds, armor, protective gear, jewelry, and accessories were all on display—a dazzling array that left one's head spinning.

I wove through the crowd with Ye Liuli and Qin Wuji.

"That's Iron Arm," Ye Liuli signaled with her eyes.

I followed her gaze and saw a tall, thin young man standing in front of the largest booth, surrounded by a crowd. He was wearing a magnificent blacksmith's robe, and hanging on his chest was a gleaming gold badge with the words "God-tier Forger" written on it.

[Iron Arm]

[Level: 35]

[Class: Grandmaster Blacksmith]

A level 35 player who is also a Grandmaster Blacksmith—he certainly has the capital to be proud.

"Let's go, let's meet him." I straightened my clothes and walked over.

Iron Arm was showing everyone the longsword he had just forged. The blade was entirely blood-red and emitted an eerie glow.

"This sword is called 'Blood Drinker.' It was forged using thousand-year blood jade and has a chance to trigger a life-steal effect when attacking. It is an excellent weapon for PK!" Iron Arm said proudly. "Starting bid, five thousand silver coins!"

"I bid six thousand!" "Seven thousand!" "Eight thousand!"

The bidding calls rose and fell, and the smile on Iron Arm's face grew more and more smug.

Just then, I squeezed into the crowd and cleared my throat. "Um... excuse me, I would like to showcase my work as well."

Iron Arm frowned and looked me up and down. "Where did you come from? Don't you know the rules here? Only invited blacksmiths can display their work."

"I was specially invited by City Lord Iron Arm." I pulled out the token the City Lord had given me.

Iron Arm's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to his arrogant demeanor. "Specially invited by the City Lord? Hmph, a small fry at level 30—what kind of good stuff could you possibly bring out?"

"Whether it's good or not, you'll only know after you see it."

I didn't waste words, pulling a pile of items directly from my backpack and laying them out on the empty space nearby.

strength pills, explosive potatoes, invisibility talismans, immobilization talismans, and the newly developed "Berserk Potion"—a ruthless item that can increase attack power by 20% for a short time.

"What are these things?" someone asked curiously.

"strength pill: +10 Strength for 30 minutes after consumption." I picked up a black, pill-like object. "Explosive potato: a throwing item with a 3-meter explosion radius and 500 damage. Invisibility talisman: grants 60 seconds of invisibility. Immobilization talisman: can immobilize a target for 5 seconds. Berserk Potion: increases attack power by 20% for 2 minutes."

Every time I introduced an item, the surrounding crowd let out exclamations.

"These... the effects of these items are so strong?"

"And they're all consumables! You can buy more after you use them!"

"With that Berserk Potion, wouldn't you be invincible if you downed one during a PK?"

Watching everyone's reaction, I felt wonderful inside. System products are always top-notch!

Iron Arm's expression, however, grew uglier and uglier. He was supposed to be the star of the day, but now I had stolen all the thunder.

"Hmph, crooked paths!" he snorted coldly. "These things of yours are just flashy trinkets. True forging relies on craftsmanship! On heritage!"

I glanced at him and said, neither humble nor pushy, "Flashy? Try my 'flashy' things before you speak."

"You!" Iron Arm was furious. "Fine, fine, fine! Since you're so confident, dare you compete with me?"

"Compete in what?"

"We'll compete on whose item is more practical!" Iron Arm pointed to the arena in the center of the square. "We will each choose one work, find two players of equal strength to use them, and have a duel on the arena. Whoever's item wins is the victor!"

As soon as this proposal was made, the surrounding crowd erupted.

"We've got a good show to watch!"

"Iron Arm is the number one blacksmith in Dragon City; this kid is going to crash and burn!"

"Not necessarily; those items of his do look quite strange..."

I rubbed my chin, thinking this was a good opportunity for publicity. If I won, my stall business in Dragon City would be completely opened up.

"Fine, let's compete."

"Good!" A flash of malice crossed Iron Arm's eyes. "Then it's settled!"

Just as we were preparing to select people for the arena, the corner of my eye caught a few suspicious figures in the crowd. They were wearing ordinary player clothes, but their behavior exuded a sense of eeriness.

One of them was handing something over to another person. The item was wrapped in black cloth, so I couldn't see what it was. But when I used the system to scan it, I received a prompt that shocked me:

[Contraband detected: Shadow Crystal]

[Shadow Crystal: A specialty item of the Shadow Pavilion, used to control a player's mind.]

My pupils constricted. People from the Shadow Pavilion! They had actually infiltrated the Forging Competition!

And judging by their appearance, they seemed to be conducting some kind of transaction. The person who received the goods turned and walked toward the outside of the square, disappearing into the crowd.

"Chen Ergou, what's wrong?" Ye Liuli noticed my abnormality.

"It's nothing." I withdrew my gaze, but my heart was already churning with huge waves.

Ye Wuji's influence was even larger than I had imagined. They were not only monitoring me but also conducting some kind of shady transaction in Dragon City.

That Shadow Crystal... controlling a player's mind? What are they trying to do?

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Now was not the time to alert the enemy; I had to deal with the competition in front of me first, then investigate slowly.

But just as I was preparing to step onto the arena, in a corner at the edge of the square, a mysterious figure shrouded in a black robe was watching me quietly.

His face was hidden under a hood, making it impossible to see his features, but I could feel that his gaze was locked onto me.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, so soft it was almost inaudible: "Chen Ergou... you really came."