404: Chapter 404 It was too eager to improve.

Chen You looked at the lively black iron lump before him, and that title appeared in his mind.

[Title: Wealth Can Reach the Gods]

[Equip Effect: Spend at any neutral or friendly NPC in the Source Realm to enjoy a 1% supreme discount.]

[In addition, when encountering non-boss hostile units, there is a 0.01% probability of triggering "Monetary Temptation." By paying double the enemy's worth in gold coins, you can directly bribe them to serve you (duration: 10 minutes).]

[Note: Money makes the world go 'round; if it doesn't, it means you're just not rich enough.]

This was the crappy title he got back when he taught Hill how to scam him out of his money.

He had always thought it was just a joke to lighten the mood.

A 0.01% probability.

The two casual taps Chen You gave it just now happened to trigger the check.

This Iron Anvil, enshrined by East Iron City for hundreds of years, was actually just a "non-boss unit" worth 1,000 gold coins in the system's judgment.

Deducting 2,000 gold coins, he bought out its soul for ten minutes.

The anvil got angrier as it spoke, its four short legs stomping on the floor with a series of bangs.

"Now this boss, just by standing here and without saying a word, directly transferred two thousand gold coins into my account! Two thousand! I've never seen so much money in my life!"

The anvil fawned over Chen You, rubbing against his leg in a manner more dog-like than an actual dog.

"Boss, just say the word, who should I smash? As long as the money is right, I'll level this crappy guild for you today!"

The players' worldviews were completely shattered at this moment, broken so badly they couldn't be pieced back together.

"Holy crap..."

"I've seen NPCs defect, but what the hell is an anvil defecting?!"

"This game can be played like this? Money can even change the system rules?!"

"As expected, with money, you really can do whatever you want!"

"You... you ancestor-forgetting beast!" Tie De's chest heaved violently with rage as he pointed at the anvil and cursed.

"Generations of City Lords from the Tie family nurtured you with their heart's blood and fed you meteoric iron! And yet, for two thousand gold coins, you acknowledge a thief as your father!"

"Pah!" The anvil hopped out from beside Chen You's leg and spat—though it was just a few sparks—at Tie De's feet.

"Stop talking about nurturing! Your grandfather's grandfather couldn't forge a divine artifact, so he took his anger out on me, smashing me with a sledgehammer for three days and three nights!"

"Your father would vomit all over me whenever he got drunk! As for you!"

The anvil's two eyes bulged: "You're even stingier!"

"You won't even buy a bit of high-quality quenching oil, smoking me with low-grade coal cinders every day! I've had enough of you paupers long ago!"

The players were all left dumbfounded.

"Holy crap, is this something we're allowed to hear?"

"This anvil's tongue is more vicious than Widow Wang from my neighboring village who curses in the streets."

East Iron City's most sacred Iron Anvil had not only gained a spirit but was also exposing the dirty laundry of past City Lords in public.

Tie De's face turned from red to purplish-red, then to an ashen iron-blue.

He gritted his teeth hard, a beast-like growl coming from his throat, yet he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

Chen You looked down at the time.

Two minutes of the ten-minute service period had already passed.

"That's enough." Chen You reached out and patted the anvil's hard surface.

The anvil immediately reined in its arrogant aura, its two golden-light eyes curving into crescents, and its four legs even performed a sycophantic, knee-bending motion.

"Boss, at your command. Do you want to hear a stand-up comedy routine, or see me smash a boulder on my chest?"

"As long as the money is right, I can arrange anything for you."

"He said just now that I'd only pass if I made you produce a resonant sound." Chen You pointed at Tie De. "Can you do it?"

The anvil looked where Chen You was pointing, a hint of disdain in its mechanical voice.

"That's it? Boss, just watch! If I don't blow the roof off this hall today, I won't be worthy of your two thousand gold coins!"

As soon as it finished speaking, the anvil took a deep breath of air.

Densely packed dark-red patterns began to emerge on its originally pitch-black surface.

Those were the hammer marks left on it by generations of blacksmiths, all appearing to be activated at this moment.

"Buzz—"

A low vibration emanated from within the anvil.

The ground began to tremble.

The flames in the blast furnace instantly shot up three feet, the firelight reflecting a bright red throughout the hall.

Immediately after, the vibration frequency climbed frantically.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Without any hammer striking it, the anvil produced deafening forging sounds on its own.

The sound didn't resemble ordinary strikes; it was more like thousands of troops and horses charging, or thunder rolling through the clouds.

The surrounding players covered their ears one after another, faces contorted in pain.

But it wasn't over yet.

The anvil's two golden-light eyes suddenly shot out two beams of light straight toward the ceiling.

Its four short legs stomped frantically on the ground, beating out a highly rhythmic drum sequence.

"Clang clang clang! Boom! Clang clang clang! Boom!"

The sounds of forging, thunder, and stomping merged perfectly, forming a world-shaking piece of True Metal Percussion.

The sound waves transformed into tangible golden ripples, spreading outward in concentric circles.

The bluestone floor of the hall cracked inch by inch, the display racks on the walls collapsed one by one, and countless precious weapons were scattered across the floor.

Chen You stood at the very center of the sound waves, but due to the system's protection judgment, not even a single strand of his hair was out of place.

He watched the anvil dancing like a demon before him, his lip twitching slightly.

This commotion was truly enough to startle the heavens and make the gods weep.

The anvil's exaggerated solo performance lasted for a full three minutes before it finally stopped.

Its four legs went weak, and it slumped at Chen You's feet.

"Boss..." the anvil's voice was a bit weak, "was this resonance... loud enough?"

Chen You nodded. "Very loud."

He turned around and looked at Tie De, who was completely petrified.

The City Lord of East Iron City stood there like a wooden chicken.

The ancestral sacred object he took pride in and the forging faith he had upheld his entire life had been shattered into nothingness during those three minutes of resonance.

Chen You pulled out the roll of contract silk again, walked up to Tie De, and spread it out.

"It resonated." Chen You's tone was flat. "According to the rules, stamp it."

Tie De stared intently at Chen You.

He wanted to refuse.

He wanted to draw the warhammer at his waist and smash this guy, who reeked of money, into a pulp.

But he couldn't.

He was the one who had made the promise, and the conditions had been met.

If he didn't stamp it, East Iron City's reputation would be ruined, and he, as the City Lord, would no longer have any credibility.

Tie De's hand trembled as he reached into his robe.

He pulled out a dark-red square seal.

The hand holding the seal paused in mid-air for a long time.

"You win," Tie De's voice was hoarse.

"Thud."

The seal landed heavily on the silk.

A flash of red light flickered.

On the contract silk, a fifth mark slowly emerged—a pattern of a hammer wreathed in flames.

[Ding! Quest progress updated: 5/7]

Chen You put away the silk, not giving Tie De another look as he turned toward the gate.

"Boss! Take me with you, Boss!" the anvil shouted frantically from behind, its four short legs churning desperately as it tried to keep up with Chen You's pace.

"I can sing! I can dance! I can even forge automatically! Just two hundred... no, one hundred gold coins a day!"

Chen You stopped and turned around.

"I almost forgot, shouldn't that Xiaji Eight Hammers be given to me as well?"