On the way to the fire room, Lu Bei was overjoyed, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably.
When things are going well, one's spirits are high; everyone looks cheerful and everything looks delightful.
The blue sky was even bluer, he was even more handsome, and even the grunting and shouting martial atmosphere of the parade ground was doubly captivating.
Being able to take on quests was of great significance to Lu Bei, directly influencing his plans for the future: whether to rely on his own strength to grow powerful, or to latch onto a wealthy sugar mama.
Admittedly, he could continue refining elixirs, gaining skill points through experience upgrades, and as his alchemist rank rose, advance to senior alchemist, grandmaster, and great grandmaster, refining higher-level elixirs to gain more experience.
Yet quests remained the fastest way to gain experience.
As a newly minted player, Lu Bei already faced a bottomless pit of major professions, sub-professions, techniques, and skills that consumed vast amounts of skill points. One could well imagine that relying solely on the experience gained from alchemy to fill this void would be like trying to put out a cartload of burning firewood with a single cup of water—a narrow, seemingly endless path.
Quests, however, were the broad, smooth highway.
At this moment, Lu Bei was walking the righteous path; how could he not be ecstatic?
As expected of a major commandery county and a future player starting village, coming here was indeed the right choice!
No wonder the general told me to keep an eye on him and not let him run about; this fellow doesn't look very smart.
Lu Bei's silly demeanor—taking two steps and then pausing to chuckle three times inwardly—was observed by the personal guard, who silently passed judgment. Upon reaching the fire room, the guard sought out a bearded blacksmith to explain the situation.
The bearded blacksmith was tall and robust, with curly facial hair and a bare upper torso, his muscular frame dotted with numerous tiny scars.
He was the blacksmith in the military camp responsible for repairing damaged armor and weapons, leading four apprentices and belonging to the logistics department. He was quite courteous upon the arrival of the personal guard.
Hearing that Lu Bei was Wei Mao's cousin, he slapped his chest with a resounding thwack, declaring that it was no problem at all and that in no time at all, the general's soft and tender cousin would be sitting obediently back in his room.
It was a strikingly familiar scene; Lin Bohai had been just as full of confident promises back then.
The difference was that Lin Bohai had accepted red envelopes, whereas the army governed by Wei Mao had no such sordid corruption.
Going through the procedure for the second time, Lu Bei recovered the feeling of playing a game. Ignoring the NPC bearded blacksmith, he rummaged around the room until he unearthed a manual on basic blacksmithing techniques.
Experience ↓
Skill ↑
New sub-profession acquired.
Blacksmith Lv4 (10/8000)
Keeping his experience reserve above two hundred thousand, Lu Bei rubbed his hands together, picked up the white-tier iron hammer by his feet, and began hammering out a rough saber blade with a clatter.
A Hundred-Refined Saber, as the name implied, required at least a hundred strikes.
So Lu Bei believed. Boosted by his blacksmith profession, he quickly entered the zone.
His practiced posture and precise movements left the nearby bearded blacksmith and personal guard staring at each other in blank dismay. It seemed they had misunderstood something: General Wei's pretty-boy cousin wasn't a freeloading kept man after all—at least he could earn a living hammering iron.
Clang!
Lu Bei tossed aside the hammer, quenched the blade blank, hammered on the hilt and handguard, and finally slid the weapon into its scabbard, handing it directly to the personal guard.
"???"
The personal guard stared at the steel saber presented before him, blinked, and shook his mouth: "No need, you misunderstood. I was just speaking off the cuff; I wasn't planning on wanting another saber."
"I know. Just take it first and we'll talk."
"..."
At Lu Bei's insistence, the personal guard took the steel saber and with a *shing* drew it from its scabbard. Seeing the chilling, blinding glare of the cold light, he couldn't help but nod.
"Fine saber!"
The quality was superb, just right to replace the new saber he had changed into only last year.
Suddenly, both his hands felt empty.
"Since you don't want the second one, I'll take it back."
"I didn't..."
Receiving the quest completion prompt, Lu Bei reclaimed the Hundred-Refined Saber, turned with a flourish, and strode away, leaving the personal guard standing in place, utterly bewildered.
No wonder the general told me to keep an eye on him and not let him run about; letting this guy out makes people really want to beat him up.
Over on Lu Bei's end, he deposited the first forged steel saber into his Qiankun Pouch, opened the notification prompt, and beamed broadly as he read.
[You have completed a forging. Based on item grade and quality judgment, you gain 500 experience points. For your first true forging, an additional 2000 experience points are awarded.]
[【Forge a Hundred-Refined Saber】completed, gain 500 experience.]
Five hundred experience was very little, and in terms of cost-effectiveness, forging a Hundred-Refined Saber could not compare to Lu Bei running five alchemy furnaces simultaneously to grind experience. Yet this was undoubtedly a wonderful beginning, far more meaningful than farming over two hundred thousand experience in the elixir room.
"Worth celebrating. A drink is hardly asking too much."
Lu Bei left the fire room by the way he came and looked at the personal guard beside him: "My good man, where is the wine cellar? No, wait, where does the old military doctor live? Be so kind as to lead me to fetch a flask. When running the tab, charge it to my... big cousin Wei Mao's name."
So you never intended to pay at all!
The personal guard curled his lip and shook his head: "Drinking is forbidden in the army; this is a rule set by General Wei. Anyone who defies it receives thirty strokes of the staff and forfeits half a month's pay."
"Rules cannot be broken. As big cousin's little cousin, I mustn't make things difficult for him."
Lu Bei nodded in deep agreement, then changed the subject: "In that case, why don't you take me outside and I'll treat you to a drink? That way it won't be breaking the rules."
The personal guard said nothing, simply shaking his head in refusal.
With that, he avoided routes with walls and led Lu Bei straight across the parade ground, completely cutting off any notions the latter might have had of scaling a wall to escape.
Lu Bei was deeply shocked, never imagining that an ordinary NPC soldier could have such a sharp mind, entirely devoid of honest simplicity.
Because his mood was excellent, Lu Bei accepted his misfortune, entered the small cell-like room, and asked the personal guard to pass a message to Wei Mao: he missed the days in the elixir room and strongly requested to be sent back for further refinement.
Unable to endure Lu Bei's incessant chatter, the personal guard had someone else relay the message while he stood firm at his post, nailed like a spike to the doorway without moving a single step.
Before nightfall, Wei Mao arrived and took Lu Bei away from the military camp.
"Wei, my good senior brother, did you agree to let me return to the elixir room tomorrow?" Lu Bei asked in the carriage.
"No."
"Then why suddenly take me out of the military camp?"
"Official business is concluded; tomorrow is a rest day."
"Go grab a drink?"
"I've quit drinking."
"Listen to some tunes?"
"Your senior sister doesn't allow it."
"..."
Lu Bei rolled his eyes into the back of his head, racking his brains yet utterly failing to understand how someone as lively as Zhu Yan had ever taken a fancy to Wei Mao in the first place.
Opposites attract, a complementary match?
How strange; any random man could achieve that—wouldn't he be better than Wei Mao, who couldn't squeeze out a fart through three beatings?
After pondering for a long time, Lu Bei could only conclude that Zhu Yan chose Wei Mao because he was honest and dependable.
...
Before the Wei Estate, the carriage departed, and a servant opened the door to welcome Wei Mao.
At that very moment, a lavishly decorated carriage slowly pulled to a halt. A young man pushed aside the curtain and greeted with a smile: "General Wei, Brother-in-law Wei, long time no see."
"You are... Ah, it's Young Master Kui."
Wei Mao raised his hands in a salute: "It's been a long time; for a moment I didn't recognize you, Young Master Kui, please don't take offense."
The young man was named Zhu Kui, tall, sturdily built, and of striking appearance. As his name suggested, he was yet another member of the imperial clan far removed from the center of power in the Zhu Clan.
"Not at all. Brother-in-law is busy with official duties, yet still remembers this younger brother—that is already my honor."
Zhu Kui leaped down from the carriage, returned the salute, nodded toward Lu Bei, and said courteously: "Greetings, brother."
"You're too polite, too polite." Lu Bei responded with a smile.
"Oh, right, brother-in-law, is my elder sister at home?"
"She returned to her ancestral home these past few days; she isn't here."
"Then I really picked a bad time to come..."
Zhu Kui lamented his bad luck and spoke bluntly: "Some time ago, my family's trading firm partnered with the Dasheng Pass Elixir Room and Armory. Hearing that my sister was in charge at the elixir room, I thought of coming by to build some ties, hoping she might look after this younger brother in the future."
"She will return in half a month; you can come back then."
"That may be so, but this younger brother has prepared a modest gift; surely I can't just haul it back?"
Zhu Kui said with a troubled expression: "Yesterday I sent people to deliver invitations, specially setting up a banquet to host you. Did brother-in-law not receive them?"
"No."
"..." x2
The two of them fell silent. One was Zhu Kui, who was trying every which way to cozy up and claim relation, only to find Wei Mao impervious like water-tight stone and thoroughly difficult to deal with. The other was Lu Bei, lamenting how the warmth of human relationships was no better than this; when he was just a lowly employee, wealthy relatives had never once sought him out.