405: Chapter 405 Lord of Qirui City, Vary Goode

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

The sentence echoed through the empty hall.

Tie De's chest suddenly puffed out, and a sound like a broken bellows issued from his throat.

He pointed at Chen You, his finger shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"You... you..."

*Pfft—*

An arrow of blood sprayed from Tie De's mouth, turning into a bloody mist in mid-air.

The City Lord of East Iron City rolled his eyes and fell straight backward.

"City Lord!"

"The City Lord is spitting blood!"

The surrounding dwarf guards and NPC blacksmiths immediately fell into a panic, rushing forward to help.

The players watching from the side were dumbfounded.

"Man, he actually got so angry he coughed up blood."

Chen You remained expressionless.

According to the rules, that Xiaji Eight Hammers manual was supposed to be given to him anyway.

Even if it wasn't necessarily useful, there was no reason to refuse a freebie.

He turned his head to look at Grandmaster Bronzebeard.

Bronzebeard was currently clutching the tome emitting a purple-gold glow, his body shrinking back slightly.

According to the system's process, Chen You had obtained the recognition of the ten veteran blacksmiths, so the Xiaji Eight Hammers should indeed be given to him.

But seeing Tie De so enraged that his life or death was uncertain, he began to hesitate.

What if the City Lord woke up and looked for trouble with him!

"This... this secret manual..." Bronzebeard stammered, trying to stall for time.

Before Chen You could speak, the Iron Anvil at his feet lost its patience.

"Old geezer, are you deaf? Didn't you hear my boss wants the manual!"

The Iron Anvil's golden eyes glared, and its four short legs suddenly kicked off the floor.

*Bang!*

The ancestral Iron Anvil, weighing several thousand catties, jumped two meters high.

It traced a black parabola in the air, accurately slamming into Bronzebeard's stomach.

"Ouch!"

Bronzebeard let out a scream, his whole body sent flying backward, and the Xiaji Eight Hammers flew out of his hands.

The Iron Anvil performed a nimble roll in mid-air, catching the purple-gold tome steadily with its broad, flat back.

It landed.

Its four short legs moved rapidly, creating a blur as it slide-knelt directly in front of Chen You.

"Boss, your secret manual! I've brought it to you!"

Chen You bent down and picked up the Xiaji Eight Hammers from the Iron Anvil's back.

Just as his fingertips touched the ancient cover, a system notification suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Detected ancient forging secret technique: Xiaji Eight Hammers. Do you wish to learn it?]

"Learn," Chen You muttered in his heart.

The tome in his hand turned into a blinding purple-gold light, following Chen You's arm and drilling directly into his forehead.

[Skill: Xiaji Eight Hammers (Unique mythological-grade)]

[Description: The supreme technique left behind by the Ancient God of Forging.]

[Effect 1: Forging success rate increased by 100%, with a 30% chance to cause the finished product's quality to jump a major tier.]

[Effect 2: When using hammer-type weapons, there is a certain chance to deal defense-ignoring shock damage to the target and cause a 1.5-second stun.]

[Note: I'm serious about forging iron. I'm even more serious about beating people up.]

Chen You raised an eyebrow.

Not only was it a god-level forging skill, but it was also a large-scale AOE crowd control?

Pulling out a hammer to forge iron on the spot during a fight, and stunning the opponent while forging?

The image was too beautiful; Chen You decided he wouldn't try it unless absolutely necessary.

He clapped his hands and closed the skill panel.

His business in East Iron City was finished; he had the mark on the contract silk, and the secret manual was in hand.

It was time to go to the next stop.

Chen You turned and walked toward the main gate.

"Boss! Boss, where are you going! Take me with you!"

The Iron Anvil jumped around anxiously in the back, its four short legs desperately giving chase.

Chen You stopped and glanced back at it.

"Boss! Take me with you, Boss!" The Iron Anvil clung tightly to Chen You's right leg, its metallic body dragging on the ground and creating a series of sparks.

"I can warm the bed! I can tell jokes! Only a hundred gold coins a day, satisfaction guaranteed!"

Chen You looked down at it, his tone flat: "You're a piece of iron, what bed are you going to warm?"

"I can heat up! I can burn up to three thousand degrees!" the Iron Anvil argued hurriedly.

Chen You checked the time.

Of the ten minutes bought for two thousand gold coins, only one minute remained.

Once the time was up, this Iron Anvil would turn back into a lifeless object.

"Let go," Chen You's voice had no fluctuation.

The Iron Anvil reluctantly let go with its front legs and slumped on the ground, making a wronged mechanical sound: "Boss, you can't just use me and throw me away."

"I've offended everyone in East Iron City. Once you leave, they'll definitely melt me down and forge me again."

"They won't dare," Chen You patted the Iron Anvil's hard top.

"You're my employee now. Stay here and keep an eye on East Iron City for me. When I come back next time, I'll give you a bonus."

The Iron Anvil's eyes lit up: "Really? How much bonus?"

"Depends on your performance," Chen You casually promised.

Ignoring the Iron Anvil's cries of gratitude behind him, Chen You strode out of the forging hall's main gate.

The players and NPCs left behind looked at each other, none of them daring to approach the ancestral Iron Anvil that had completely defected.

Standing by the roadside, Chen You summoned the Nine Nether Heaven-Devouring Kun again.

"Let's go, Qirui City."

The giant Kun let out a long cry, its tail fin flicking as it tore through space and departed.

...

Qirui City.

Chen You put away his mount and entered the city on foot.

Pink banners hung on both sides of the street: "The Source God guides my center-stage debut."

A group of Temple Knightss in heavy armor were lined up in a square formation at the intersection.

They weren't holding weapons. They were twisting their waists and hips in unison to the beat coming from a magical loudspeaker.

The lead Temple Knights shouted: "For the glory of the Source God, please vote for contestant number three!"

Chen You pressed his temples.

This idol-show craze was blowing too hard; he even felt a bit guilty.

He had been to Qirui City before for the Mysterious Merchant.

However, he had been in a hurry then and hadn't looked at the city closely.

Looking at it now, the entire city was a massive religious fortress.

The architectural style was somewhat European, with many spires and complex religious totems everywhere on the walls.

He walked to the center of the city.

The City Lord's Mansion was a towering domed cathedral.

The doors were tightly closed, and two Temple Knightss in heavy armor crossed their halberds, blocking the way.

"The City Lord is listening to the Divine Voice; idle people should stay away," the Temple Knights on the left said coldly.

Chen You didn't speak. With a flick of his wrist, two heavy bags of gold coins landed on the ground.

The bags opened, and the golden light stung the Temple Knightss' eyes.

The Temple Knightss paused, and their halberds were instantly retracted.

The two bent down to pick up the gold coins, their movements so practiced it was almost painful to watch.

"The Source God says you are a guest of destiny," the Temple Knights on the right pushed open the heavy copper-clad doors and bowed, making an inviting gesture.

Chen You stepped inside.

The light inside the hall was dim, and the dome was painted with intricate creation murals.

In the center stood a ten-meter-tall faceless statue, its hands held out flat, supporting a massive bronze scale.

Below the statue, a middle-aged man wearing a pure white divine robe with gold thread had his back to the door, kneeling with his hands pressed together.

Chen You glanced at the ID above his head.

[City Lord of Qirui · Very Good]

This name was truly wonderful.