177: The ultimate goal of the god-level blacksmith

The empty blacksmith shop instantly fell silent when Boqi said those words, with only the flames in the corner furnace occasionally flickering, emitting a "sizzle" sound.

Ye Xiao stared at Boqi with a cold expression, his staff having appeared in his hand at some unknown point.

"Don't get agitated. The fact that you're still standing here leisurely already proves that I have no hostility towards you, doesn't it?"

Ye Xiao ignored him, instead keeping his eyes fixed on Boqi. If the other party made even the slightest move, he would strike directly.

He replayed the scene of their earlier interaction in his mind, but couldn't find where the problem lay.

Boqi looked at Ye Xiao's vigilance and couldn't help but chuckle, "You hide it very well. I can responsibly say that if you hadn't met me, no one would have discovered your problem in the short term."

Ye Xiao frowned and asked, "How did you find out?"

Seeing this, Boqi merely sighed softly, a deep memory involuntarily surfacing in his eyes.

"Naturally, it's because of the Mythical Crystal in your hand."

Ye Xiao was startled, not expecting the problem to be there, but then he quickly understood.

His most important purpose for coming here was to inquire about the use of the Mythical Crystal. He had spent 100 million points on it, and he would be unwilling if he couldn't use it, so it was impossible not to take it out.

This was something he couldn't control.

At this moment, Boqi spoke again, "You might not know, but before we retreated into Xingluo City, I served as the main city's royal blacksmith, specifically responsible for providing equipment forging services for you. This was originally a thankless task. With my status at the time, I could have refused the City Lord's appointment, even the Father God's laws couldn't interfere, but I agreed without hesitation. Do you know why?"

A hint of curiosity flashed in Ye Xiao's eyes.

Boqi smiled and pointed at Ye Xiao, "Naturally, it was to wait for one of you to come to me with this Mythical Crystal."

Ye Xiao was a little strange, "Why are you so sure that someone who obtained this Mythical Crystal would definitely come to you?"

Boqi didn't answer, but instead retorted, "You got this from the Endless Trial, didn't you? It seems you're quite a rare Talent over there."

Ye Xiao was surprised but didn't speak, essentially acknowledging it.

Boqi wasn't surprised either, sighing softly, "Eighty years have passed in the blink of an eye, time really flies, but unfortunately, I don't have many years left to live."

After his lament, Boqi explained to himself, "Kid, the reason I agreed to the City Lord's conditions back then was that by becoming the main city's royal blacksmith, I would gain recognition among you. And the only source of this Mythical Crystal is the Endless Trial space. Only the special rules there can nurture such a miraculous ore."

"And with my excellent forging skills, once one of you obtains this Mythical Crystal from the Endless Trial, you would undoubtedly come to me first."

After listening to Boqi's explanation, Ye Xiao suddenly understood.

So, the Endless Trial was the only source of this Mythical Crystal.

It was not difficult to understand why Boqi had guessed his identity.

Looking back now, the excuse Ye Xiao had used earlier seemed a bit ridiculous.

Since Boqi knew the origin of this Mythical Crystal, he would certainly also be aware of the difficulty in acquiring it.

And how could the Human Job Holders who could obtain this item be so easy to kill?

Anyone with eyes could see that it didn't make sense.

However, Ye Xiao would not believe the other party based on a few words; that would be seeking death.

So, he slowly said, "Although what you said is very honest, it's not enough for me to trust you."

As he spoke, Ye Xiao slowly approached Boqi.

Facing Ye Xiao's blunt answer, Boqi was so angry that he stroked his beard and glared. As for Ye Xiao's approaching movement, he saw it but didn't react.

After taking a deep breath, Boqi's expression suddenly became extremely solemn.

"Kid, although you and I belong to different places, I've never cared about these old stories. My lifelong pursuit is only forging techniques that surpass the divine level, and this Mythical Crystal is my only hope. For this hope, I can even sacrifice my own life."

Then, he ignored Ye Xiao's cold killing intent and walked directly towards Ye Xiao.

"I hope you can trust me. As long as you give me this Mythical Crystal, I will definitely give you an unexpected surprise."

Watching Boqi slowly approach, Ye Xiao's thoughts raced, and the staff in his hand slowly rose a few centimeters.

However, when Boqi stood in front of him completely defenseless, Ye Xiao ultimately suppressed the killing intent in his heart and chose not to strike.

It wasn't because he was moved by Boqi's dream, but because he truly needed Boqi.

Since the Endless Trial was the only way to obtain the Mythical Crystal, then it was fine if one didn't recognize it, but anyone who did would naturally know its origin.

In that case, even if he changed to someone else, the situation would be the same.

Given this, killing Boqi would not solve the problem at all.

After analyzing, Ye Xiao slowly put away his staff.

"Creating a contract is fine, but we need to add a clause about identity confidentiality. Although I won't, I believe you should understand."

Boqi was stunned, then his eyes burst with joy, "Good, good, good! As long as you let me help you, let alone keeping your identity a secret, I can agree to anything you ask."

Perhaps he had waited for too long, as Boqi was now in an abnormally excited state. If it weren't for Ye Xiao's aloof expression, he would have truly wanted to rush forward and hug and kiss Ye Xiao fiercely.

Fortunately, despite his excitement, Boqi didn't forget the main task. He turned and eagerly walked to a nearbyutility cabinet (miscellaneous cabinet), rummaging for a while. A moment later, he emerged with an ancient scroll made of an unknown leather.

Then, he bit his finger and drew on it for a while.

A moment later, Boqi excitedly said, "Alright, let's begin."

Ye Xiao glanced at it, then held the scroll together with Boqi.

In an instant, a circle of peculiar runic light appeared at their feet.

Within it, Ye Xiao quickly understood the content of the contract through the light. After confirming it was correct, he and Boqi recited the incantation together.

When the incantation ended, an invisible energy entered both of their bodies.

At the same time, Ye Xiao's panel information also popped up.

Seeing the contract success prompt, Ye Xiao also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

This was, after all, the Meiya People's territory, allowing no room for error.

Fortunately, it was a close call, and his luck was quite good, allowing him to meet Boqi, who recognized the Mythical Crystal.

At this moment, Boqi said, "Alright, the contract is done. Next, I need to do some preparatory work."

Ye Xiao looked at the impatient Boqi and quickly interrupted, "Aren't you going to ask me what kind of equipment I want to forge first?"

Who knew Boqi would roll his eyes, "What do you know? After the Mythical Crystal is naturally formed, there is already a prototype of equipment inside. What kind of equipment can be forged is not something you or I can decide."

Ye Xiao was dumbfounded. After all that, he couldn't even choose for himself. If he ended up with equipment he couldn't use, wouldn't that be a huge loss?

"Oh, right, what is your Profession?"

"Mage."

"Tsk tsk! I see. Give me the Mythical Crystal then." Boqi said, shaking his head.

However, Ye Xiao didn't give it to him, but instead looked at Boqi, "What do you mean by 'I see'?"

Boqi's eyes flickered a bit, but facing Ye Xiao's persistent gaze, he finally cleared his throat.

"Mages are actually not bad, they should be able to use it."

The more Ye Xiao listened, the more confused he became, and he couldn't help but frown, "Explain it clearly."

"Uh..." Boqi's rough, dark old face scrunched up, sounding a bit lacking in confidence, "It's just... the prototype of this Mythical Crystal is a weapon."

"You can tell that?"

Boqi raised an eyebrow, "I've waited for this moment for nearly a hundred years. Although I can't change the prototype of this Mythical Crystal, it's not difficult to predict what kind of equipment this blank will eventually become."

"That weapon you mentioned, it's not some kind of ranged equipment like a bow and arrow, is it?" Ye Xiao was a little anxious.

Fortunately, Boqi shook his head, indicating it wasn't, then hesitantly said, "If my judgment is correct, it should be a dagger."

"Dagger?"

Ye Xiao couldn't help but feel a little exasperated when he heard this answer.

What was a Mage doing with a dagger?

At this moment, Boqi cautiously comforted him, "Actually, Mages can also use daggers."

Ye Xiao rolled his eyes. Wasn't that obvious? Did he not know that?

In the Eternal World, any Profession could equip any weapon, but weapons corresponding to one's own Profession, whether in terms of attributes or additional effects, were the most compatible with one's own Profession.

Weapons of other Professions would always be slightly inferior.

Thinking of this, Ye Xiao felt a bit depressed.

However, all his points were already spent, and it was too late to regret now.

Anyway, Boqi had said earlier that he would provide other materials, so he might as well try his luck.

With this thought, Ye Xiao sighed softly and once again took out the Mythical Crystal from his inventory, handing it to Boqi.

The latter's eyes lit up as if he had seen a naked beauty, and he carefully took the Mythical Crystal.

Just as Ye Xiao thought he was about to start forging equipment, Boqi suddenly asked, "Oh, right, since you can obtain the Mythical Crystal, your strength shouldn't be weak, right?"

Ye Xiao was puzzled, "Is there a problem?"

Boqi shook his head, "Naturally, there's no problem, but I hope you can help me find a black dragon scale."

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Ye Xiao frown and quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand. Although the materials I have are enough to help you forge a transcendent-grade weapon, if a black dragon scale can be added on top of that, the effect of the forged equipment will be greatly enhanced."

Hearing this, Ye Xiao's brows relaxed.

Due to the creation of the contract, Boqi couldn't deceive him about anything related to the Mythical Crystal.

However, although Ye Xiao had never heard of a black dragon scale, the two words "black dragon" alone were enough to prove that this item was not simple.

That was a dragon, a high-level creature in the Eternal World, now almost extinct.

Where was he supposed to find it?

Boqi seemed to see through Ye Xiao's thoughts, "It's like this, I know a place where a dead black dragon is buried. I investigated it before, but unfortunately, there's a powerful demonic beast guarding that place, and I'm no match for it."

After a pause, Boqi continued, "I'll tell you the location, and whether or not you go is up to you. Before the official forging, I need three days of preparation time. You can take your time to consider and then tell me your decision."

"Of course, I can tell you first, any weapon that incorporates a black dragon scale will have its power increased by at least 30%, and it will at least deal an additional 20% damage to dragons."

Although Boqi said he would let Ye Xiao decide whether to go or not, his undisguised words and his eager, longing eyes had already betrayed his true feelings.

Combining Boqi's previous words, Ye Xiao could understand his thoughts.

For a divine-grade blacksmith like Boqi, having finally encountered an opportunity, he would naturally try every means to forge a peerless divine weapon to the greatest extent possible.

At the same time, a brilliant piece of information suddenly popped up.

--- ---

[Ding! You have triggered a hidden quest -- Legendary Blacksmith's Dream.]

[Quest Content: Help Blacksmith Boqi go to Xiling Ruins and bring back a black dragon scale.]

[Quest Reward: Boqi's Favorability.]

--- ---

Ye Xiao looked at the quest panel in front of him, feeling a bit unfamiliar.

After all, since the Extinguish Yuan Battle ended, Human Job Holders had never received quests from NPCs.

So much so that he subconsciously overlooked the fact that Boqi was a genuine NPC.

At the same time, he didn't expect this to be a hidden quest.

But this quest reward... Boqi's Favorability?

Ye Xiao looked at the rough old man in front of him, and goosebumps involuntarily rose all over his body.

He was a little exasperated. If it weren't for the fact that the black dragon scale could genuinely increase the power of forged equipment, with such an unexciting quest reward, anyone else would probably not be interested at all.

Of course, this excludes some obsessive players.

Ye Xiao really didn't understand why such a cheap quest reward would be a hidden quest.

He couldn't figure it out.

However, thinking that this was the first time he had received a quest from an NPC, Ye Xiao was somewhat curious. Furthermore, after Boqi introduced the function of the black dragon scale, Ye Xiao was actually a little moved.

Although a dagger was not his primary weapon, if it could truly be forged into a transcendent-grade quality, it would be enough to compensate for this drawback.

Especially if the black dragon scale's amplification was added.

Having made up his mind, Ye Xiao immediately accepted the quest.

--- ---

[Ding! You have accepted the quest -- Legendary Blacksmith's Dream. Please first inquire about the situation of Xiling Ruins from Blacksmith Boqi.]

--- ---

Seeing the quest prompt, Ye Xiao immediately looked at Boqi, "Tell me what you know about Xiling Ruins."

"Hmm?" Boqi stared blankly at Ye Xiao, "You know that place?"

Ye Xiao said impatiently, "Isn't this a quest you issued?"

Boqi suddenly reacted, his eyes widening sharply.

"You accepted the quest? You're going to get the black dragon scale?"

Ye Xiao nodded.

Boqi's old face immediately broke into a joyful smile, and he said with immense excitement, "Good, good, good! The first time I saw you, I noticed you were different, kid. Wait for me."

With that, Boqi turned and went back into the room behind.

He soon came out again, only this time he had an extra item in his hand.

"This is an exploration compass I spent ten years making. It can help you avoid some trouble when entering Xiling Ruins, and it's also a token."

"Token?"

Ye Xiao took the exploration compass Boqi handed over, feeling a little puzzled.

Boqi nodded, "Xiling Ruins is a space of a different dimension, so its location is not fixed. Even though I went in back then, that was a long time ago. Nowadays, the only one who knows the entrance to Xiling Ruins is the ancient ruins researcher, Milad. Take this token and tell him that I sent you to find him. This way, even if he can see your identity, he won't say anything."

Ye Xiao was stunned when he heard this.

"What do you mean? He can see my identity?"

Boqi nodded, "Milad naturally possesses the Talent to discern any race. Any disguise is useless in front of him."

Hearing Boqi's words, Ye Xiao instantly became uneasy.

One Boqi was fine; at least the other party was interested in the Mythical Crystal, plus the binding of the created contract made it relatively safe.

But as for that ancient ruins researcher, Ye Xiao wasn't sure if the other party would be hostile towards him, a Human Job Holder.

Boqi also saw Ye Xiao's concern and quickly explained, "You don't need to worry. Milad is like me, only passionate about what he considers great research. Plus, I once helped Milad. If he knows I sent you to find him, there will definitely be no problem."]}