Without losing a single soldier, Qian Yuelong captured the entire Gengxin City and a large number of blacksmith resources.
Lou Gao saw Qian Yuelong and Hu Liena off, then stood in front of the blacksmith association gate, which was more than 30 meters high, looking up from the bottom floor as if trying to imprint it deeply in his mind.
"teacher?"
A puzzled voice came from the side.
Lou Gao withdrew his gaze and said to his apprentice, "Si Long, summon all the senior blacksmiths in the Blacksmith Association. I have something to announce."
Silong nodded and quickly went to call for more people.
Other association members who knew about Lou Gao's meeting with the Martial Soul Empire and were also waiting for the outcome of the meeting rushed to the meeting room.
Lou Gao solemnly announced the contents of the agreement he had signed with Qian Yuelong.
Upon hearing the promise that the Martial Soul Empire would treat every blacksmith in the Blacksmith Association fairly in the future, and that the army's iron hooves would not trample over Gengxin City, the members of the Blacksmith Association present all showed joy at surviving a disaster and anticipation for the future.
In the Douluo Continent today, apart from Gengxin City, blacksmiths are at the very bottom of society everywhere else. Everyone can trample on them, and they have no status whatsoever, just like ordinary people.
Frankly, they had no interest in which empire ruled Gengxin City, because their opinions were of no importance to the imperial nobles, and their own lives were of no value to them.
Respect is mutual.
The empire doesn't recognize them, and they have no intention of accepting the Star Luo Empire. It's just that they can't bear to part with this metal capital that has changed hands several times, a city that holds so many memories for generations of their ancestors, Gengxin City, which their blacksmiths are so proud of.
They truly hadn't expected that the Holy Maiden of the Spirit Empire would be willing to accept and respect them, the blacksmiths.
Even if they haven't achieved anything remarkable yet, the other party is willing to give them trust and opportunities first.
Many people were slightly moved, thinking that changing their country of residence was not necessarily a bad thing.
Lou Gao took in the excited expressions of the veteran members, and taking advantage of their joy, he announced the second thing—
"Ahem, there's a second thing."
Lou Gao coughed twice to clear his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"The second thing is that I have decided to pass on the presidency of the Blacksmiths' Association to my eldest disciple, Silong, starting today. I will write an appointment letter later, and my works will be left to you four brothers to handle. After I am gone, you brothers should work together to run the association well."
"teacher?!"
Silong stared in astonishment, his expression flustered.
"How...how do you make this work?"
Lou Gao looked at his disciple, who had grown taller and stronger than him, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes. He patted Si Long's shoulder with his calloused, rough hand and said with relief, "Why can't I? I've raised you since you were a child. You have inherited my forging knowledge and smelting methods. You've been in the Blacksmith Association for so many years and are very familiar with the procedures. You are worthy of the position of president."
"I am very confident in entrusting the future of the Blacksmiths' Association to you energetic young people."
Silong sensed something else in his teacher's tone.
He pressed down on Lou Gao's withdrawn hand and asked nervously, "Teacher, are you leaving? Why?"
Silong was puzzled and saddened.
The others also watched their old chairman quietly.
Lou Gao's eyes flashed with reminiscence: "In the Tang Sect, one of the sects that is hostile to the Spirit Empire, there is my dear old friend Titan. Even if he is no longer the vice president of the Blacksmith Association, he will always be my dear friend."
"Over the years, this is the only old friend I've had."
“He is in deep trouble now, and I can’t just sit idly by and abandon him. This time, I’ll be willful for once, unload the burden on my shoulders, and fight alongside my old friend as Lou Gao.”
Lou Gao looked intently at his eldest disciple, who was now capable of handling things independently.
A bittersweet feeling welled up in his eyes. Si Long looked at Lou Gao, whose mind was made up, opened his mouth, and all the advice he wanted to give was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say it.
Lou Gao used a little skill to break free from Si Long's grasp, patted him on the shoulder one last time, and then went to prepare for the handover of his duties.
The next day, Lou Gao, all tidied up, walked out of the city of memories protected by the gray and white walls, amidst the farewells of many members of the blacksmiths' association.
Silong watched the figure disappear from sight and shouted out with red eyes.
"Teacher! Take care on your journey!"
Lou Gao didn't turn around, but waved his hand with his back to everyone to indicate that he understood.
The places he walked through looked as if they had been soaked in water, with a few spots of slightly deeper soil remaining.
The Dark Soul Guards monitoring Gengxin City wrote a report on the changes in the Blacksmith Association and submitted it to Qian Yuelong.
"Holy Maiden, Lou Gao's actions are clearly a betrayal of the agreement. Should we..."
The subordinate made a throat-slitting gesture.
Qian Yuelong shook her head and put down the report. "No need. Lou Gao has already handed over all the formalities, stepped down as president, and handed over all authority to his eldest disciple, Si Long. Lou Gao left in his personal capacity. Having withdrawn from the association does not constitute betrayal. The agreement between our Martial Soul Empire and the Blacksmith Association still stands."
The subordinate was still uneasy: "But Holy Maiden, Lou Gao clearly knows that his departure means joining the enemy camp of our Martial Soul Empire, which will lead to future conflict. Even if he steps down, the current president is still his disciple. What if the Blacksmith Association harbors resentment..."
Do you think Lou Gao is the kind of person who says one thing to someone and does another behind their back?
Qian Yuelong countered with a question.
The subordinate thought for a moment about the personal information he had gathered about Lou Gao, then shook his head: "No."
Qian Yuelong nodded: "That settles it then. He has already shown us through his actions that the above actions were all his own will, so we should return the courtesy and respect his personal life and death. Since Lou Gao is a person who values loyalty and righteousness, even if the disciples he trained do not particularly value loyalty and righteousness, they are still rational people. Just carry out the plan as before. We don't need to care about Lou Gao's stay or leave. From now on, just pretend that he never existed."
Subordinates should bow their heads.
"By the way, I heard that Her Majesty the Queen sent out two teams of elite knights a few days ago, each with only about fifty men. Why is that?"
She has been focusing on the fifth test of the divine trial lately.
The fifth test is closely related to her sister Qian Renxue, and she is currently making long-term plans, so she hasn't paid much attention to Bibi Dong's movements.
The subordinate understood and explained in detail: "Your Majesty, those two squads of knights were scouts sent by His Majesty to the Star Dou Great Forest."
"Star Dou Great Forest?"
A place name that I haven't seen in a long time but is familiar with.
After a moment's thought, Qian Yuelong thought of Xiao Wu's two half-brothers, both 100,000-year-old soul beasts: the King of the Forest, Titan Giant Ape, and the Emperor of the Forest, Azure Bull Python.
Could it be...?
"Two 100,000-year-old soul beasts live in the center of the Star Dou Great Forest. Her Majesty the Empress is preparing to hunt them."
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