Chapter 73
Inside the workshop, the light was dim. Xie Qingyun stood hunched in front of the forging furnace in the corner, staring intently at a piece of material that was gradually melting inside.
A few sparks flew out of the furnace from time to time, but he did not try to avoid them, allowing the hot little particles to fall on himself and turn into a wisp of light green smoke.
If an ordinary person before the end of the world walked into this room, he would probably be very surprised. The fire in the forge was burning fiercely, but the warehouse of more than ten square meters was surprisingly maintained at a somewhat cool temperature.
Xie Qingyun had already gotten used to all this.
Anyway, these are just special effects made by the doomsday game to increase the immersion. Even the monster materials that seem to be burning red feel cold to the touch, which creates a weird contrast.
Estimating the time, Xie Qingyun took the fired materials out of the forging furnace and placed them on the workbench on the side. He picked up the tools on the table and continued to concentrate on the next step.
The final step of polishing is completed, and a light halo appears on the ornament.
[Forging completed!] 】
[Obtain: [Ornament (unnamed)]*1]
【property:……】
Xie Qingyun waited for a while, but didn't see any other pop-up windows, and couldn't help showing a disappointed expression.
He also discovered a few days ago that the items forged within the hot spring's barrier not only have improved quality and efficacy, reduced consumables, but also have the chance to gain additional attribute bonuses.
For example, the heart-protecting stone. In fact, before coming to the hot spring, the heart-protecting stone made by Xie Qingyun could only withstand one attack. It was no different from those made by other blacksmiths. At most, it looked better in appearance.
Jiang Qing and Fu Yiming guessed correctly. The Heart-Protecting Stone was indeed restricted by the game, but it was the hot spring that helped Xie Qingyun break through this restriction.
After the heart-protecting stone was made, a reminder popped up in front of Xie Qingyun.
[Forging completed!] 】
[Obtain: [Heart Protection Stone (click to change the name)]*1]
[Congratulations, this forging has triggered a hidden effect! 】
[Item attributes have been updated! 】
【Attribute: Accessory.】 Can help the wearer resist a second attack that exceeds the maximum health value...】
It was then that Xie Qingyun discovered that forging in hot springs had such benefits.
The only drawback is that the hidden effect is not triggered every time. According to his observations during this period, the frequency of appearance is completely random, but on average, one out of five or six forgings can be endowed with this attribute.
Waiting for that pop-up window has become a new hobby for Xie Qingyun besides forging.
He felt a little disappointed when he found that the newly made ornament failed to trigger the hidden effect, but he quickly adjusted his mood and opened a panel in the workshop.
[You are visiting: [Handicraft Shop] Business Panel]
【Access identity: employed employee】
[Currently a total of xxx items in stock]
【View directory (unlocked permissions)】
[Adjust pricing (some permissions have been unlocked)]
【View sales (unlocked permissions)】
[View employee panel (unlocked permissions)]
【……】
【Click here to add products】
Xie Qingyun skillfully pressed the last glowing button and dragged the newly made ornament from his backpack to the blank page of the panel.
[It was detected that you submitted [ornament (unnamed)*1]]
【Click to set product description】
【Click to set price】
He casually gave the ornament a name, copied the attributes given by the system in the product description column, and set the price at 800 points.
After finishing, Xie Qingyun checked it one last time, confirmed that everything was correct, and then chose [Put on the shelves].
Inside the store, a customer was picking up an item from the shelf and examining it, when suddenly something flashed in his peripheral vision.
He was startled for a moment, then looked over and found that there was an ornament on the shelf that he had never seen before, standing there quietly.
The customer looked around and didn't see any clerk approaching, so he rubbed his eyes and muttered in surprise.
"That's weird, is it because I'm dazzled?"
Was there originally such an ornament here?
He put down the product in his hand, picked up the ornament again, and checked the product description.
He found that it was exactly what he wanted, and the price of 800 points was also reasonable - at least it was much cheaper than other products in the store. The customer's chubby face showed joy, he quickly stuffed the ornament into his arms, and walked to the checkout counter to pay.
On the other side, Xie Qingyun still had no idea what was happening outside.
After he finished putting the items on the shelves, he stood up and stretched his body, then walked to the storage box in the corner, opened the box and took a look.
The first two pages of the storage box were filled to the brim with materials. Xie Qingyun turned all the way to the third page before he saw some things that were different from monster materials.
He did all of these on his way home from get off work these days.
Xie Qingyun took them out of the box and put them into his backpack. After checking the time, he stood up and opened the door of the workshop.
The employee behind the cash register heard the noise and turned back to greet him, "Good afternoon."
When Shu Mo assigned positions to the two employees, he did not specifically mention Xie Qingyun's identity to them. He only told them that his workshop was in the warehouse behind the store, so the attitudes of the two employees towards him were also normal.
Xie Qingyun greeted him and asked casually, "Have you eaten?"
"Not yet. We're too busy." The male employee in charge of the cashier had a bitter face.
On the first day of the new store opening, many players came to join in the fun. He and another person were so busy that it was already past one o'clock in the afternoon and they hadn't had time to eat yet.
"Then you go and have a rest, I'll take care of the store." Xie Qingyun said.
The employees still have some concerns, “Is this okay?”
"It's okay, go ahead."
Xie Qingyun waved casually and sent him away. He sat down behind the front desk and took out a red bean bun from his backpack.
He was not an ascetic monk, so he would not eat cold canned food even when he arrived at the hot spring. He did not go to the restaurant to eat just because he was lazy. In fact, Xie Qingyun had secretly put a lot of food in his backpack on the first day he arrived at the hot spring.
——Fully implement the nature of the blacksmith’s hoarding maniac.
He unwrapped the red bean bun, took a bite, and swung his legs comfortably.
*
After lunch time, two young men walked out of the main building of the hot spring.
A man and a woman, both looked very gentle. The boy touched his stomach and said, "It's so delicious. I feel like I haven't experienced this kind of satisfaction for a long time. The Nuan Nuan Hot Spring is really as good as its reputation."
"Isn't it? This is the only place in the whole game that sells real food." The girl said, "Did you see the price of that table of food and the price of the room we stayed in? Just two rooms plus this meal cost nearly a thousand points. If it weren't for the teacher's treat, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stay here for two days with my savings."
"Me too...but the teacher looked very relaxed when he paid." The boy looked longing, "I wonder when we can become a forger of the teacher's level. When that time comes, can we eat meals like this every day?"
"Be brave, maybe you can move directly to the city center!"
This man and this woman are both students of a blacksmith in Guangming Town. Their teacher is quite powerful, and the commission for inviting him to forge a piece of equipment is about 400 points. He is already one of the best blacksmith players in the town.
For a blacksmith of this level, once the student quota is opened up, it will often attract dozens or even hundreds of people to compete for that one position. The fact that these two people could become his disciples was the result of a lot of effort put in by his family.
But in their hearts, no matter how many gifts they give, it is worth it.
——After all, finding such a master is equivalent to ensuring security for the rest of your life.
Once you have learned the skill and go out to take orders, you can earn dozens or even hundreds of points for one piece of equipment.
If you are good enough, you may be invited by the mayor to become the town's official blacksmith, which is equivalent to having a stable job and the whole family can enjoy the benefits.
However, learning forging is just like learning painting in the past. A large amount of materials will be consumed during practice. Most of their money is used to buy materials, and the rest is only enough to maintain basic life.
The reason they were able to come to the hot spring this time was because the teacher received a big order and was in a good mood, so he made an exception and invited them to come and relax for two days.
"Sorry for the wait."
Hearing the voice behind them, the two turned around and saw their teacher Li Hui walking out of the hall, adjusting his belt, "Let's go."
"Not long, not long at all." The boy shook his head wildly.
Li Hui smiled and patted his shoulder. "Haha, don't be so restrained. You're on vacation, so just relax a little."
He pointed casually, "Why don't we just walk along this road? We can also see what this legendary hot spring hotel is all about."
The two of them had no choice but to follow the teacher.
Li Hui walked to the newly opened handicraft shop and saw the sign. He stopped and said, "Oh? There is a handicraft shop here."
The two students, a boy and a girl, also looked at each other.
Handicrafts, isn't this the blacksmith's main job?
When they first started learning, they began by making these small objects to practice their finger dexterity.
When they don't receive any orders or don't have the right materials to refine, they will occasionally make some small ornaments to keep the feel.
It can be said that every blacksmith is familiar with "handicrafts" and has his own set of research.
Li Hui became interested at this moment. "There are so many people around, it must be quite lively. Let's go and take a look."
In his opinion, the hot spring water and delicious food are indeed worthy of praise, but forging is his area of expertise. So in the past, I had a completely superior mentality as an expert.
When he got closer and saw the woolen products piled on the shelves at the door, Li Hui smiled.
"A doll..."
He picked one up and commented casually, "The design is quite good and the workmanship is quite detailed. Young girls of your age should like to buy this kind of thing the most, right?"
Li Hui said, looking at his female student, and frowned again, "But after all, it's just a handicraft made by an ordinary player to kill time. 20 points each... a bit expensive, but it's about the same."
The female student behind me felt a little embarrassed.
They say young girls like to buy it, but they also say the price is a bit high. Doesn’t that mean they like to spend money recklessly?
"That's right. What ordinary players make is completely different from what professional blacksmiths make." The boy nodded, not knowing whether he didn't notice the teacher's implication, or he noticed it but still chose to agree.
The female salesperson next to her twitched her lips, not knowing where these two people with such a loud voice came from.
Don’t they know that people who do this kind of thing in a hot spring will usually get slapped in the face?
She complained in her heart, but still had a smile on her face, and said in a gentle voice: "The products displayed outside are only part of our store. If you feel that there is nothing that suits your taste here, you may as well come into the store and take a look. There are still many things inside."
"There are some more in the store, let's go in and take a look."
Since there was nothing planned for the afternoon, Li Hui took the lead and walked into the store.
Seeing the first shelf, he shook his head, "Aren't these still dolls?"
"If all the shops were like this, there wouldn't be much to see."
What ordinary players make is only of ornamental value. In his eyes, it is no different from children playing house.
"They are so crazy about buying these dolls. If we sell the things made by the teacher in the store, won't they go crazy for them?" the boy said exaggeratedly.
Li Hui was very pleased with the compliment. He smiled with his eyes narrowed, and said with a bit of complacency, "Well, how can you compare? They are not even in the same field."
After saying that, he changed the subject and became serious.
"Moreover, as an elite blacksmith, you must have your own pursuits and strictly screen your customer base. How can you just casually put your own products in the store and let people pick and play with them at will like selling cabbages?"
"Look at the few weapon and armor stores in town that are well-known. Customers have to prove their strength before entering the store. Without a certain amount of wealth, they can't enter at all. It's not that they look down on ordinary players, but, well, how can they understand these things? They don't know how to control their strength. Who will be responsible if something is damaged? We have to cherish every piece of our work."
The boy nodded repeatedly, "You are right."
They were so busy chatting that they had unknowingly walked past the shelves near the door and into the depths of the store.
The female student who had been silent all of a sudden spoke up and took something off the shelf nearby, "Teacher, take a look at this."
There was something wrong with her expression, first it was surprise, then it turned into a bit of subtlety.
Li Hui turned around and when he saw the ornament in her hand, the conceited smile on his face suddenly froze.
The female student was holding a sculpture of a coiled dragon. The dragon's scales, claws, and beard were clearly visible, and it was portrayed lifelike. She didn't know what kind of processing the maker had done, but after staring at the dragon's eyes for a long time, she actually felt the majestic aura naturally released from this palm-sized sculpture from this legendary animal, and the terrifying pressure that even faintly aroused his soul to tremble.
Li Hui shuddered and came to his senses. He didn't dare to look into the dragon's eyes again. Instead, he used the light from above his head to look at the details on the dragon's body again.
The more he looked, the more incredible the expression on his face became.
The boy next to him blurted out, "Where did you get this? Was it made by the teacher?"
He had never thought that a store selling woolen dolls would actually have such handicrafts. He subconsciously thought that his senior sister must have gotten it from the teacher, so he took it and exclaimed in admiration.
"It's really beautiful. The scales are carved so delicately, and the knife moves smoothly and naturally. Your craftsmanship has improved again, teacher."
Li Hui: “…”
Isn't that progress? This is already a technique that crushes him!
The female student also felt that her junior’s reaction was unbearable to watch, “Keep your voice down, I took it from the shelf over here.”
The boy immediately shut up, looking at the sculpture in his hand with doubt, and said in a much softer voice, "...In the store?"
There are things like this in this store?
"That could be because some of the carving masters before the game came here to find a new job." The boy didn't dare to look at the teacher's face and tried his best to make up for it, "But the blacksmith looks at the game attributes. No matter how exquisite the appearance is..."
As he spoke, he clicked on the item introduction and his expression suddenly became very interesting.
Li Hui could tell something was wrong from the student's expression. He stood there for a while, wondering what he was thinking, "Who is the owner of this shop?"
Noticing that there seemed to be someone sitting behind the front desk, Li Hui walked over quickly and said, "You are an employee here, right? Let me meet your owner."
The other party seemed to be startled by him, almost choked, and coughed several times.
Only then did Li Hui notice that the man was holding a bun in his hand.
Instead of watching the store during working hours, he was still eating buns... What kind of service attitude is this?
If Li Hui was not in a hurry to meet the mastermind behind the scenes, he would have taught this employee a lesson.
He watched impatiently as the other person struggled to swallow a mouthful of red bean bun, smoothed his chest, and then raised his head towards him, revealing a somewhat decadent, yet extremely familiar face.
Li Hui: “…”
His face turned green.
Xie Qingyun?
…
How come he is here?
There is no elite blacksmith in the entire town who doesn't know this person.
Even many of them, including Li Hui, were studying the forgings made by Xie Qingyun, constantly researching and imitating his production ideas, which is how they reached their current position.
"So you made that sculpture just now... No wonder..."
Li Hui murmured. He originally thought that a new talented blacksmith had appeared near Guangming Town. He was a little worried that the other party would come to steal his job. But when he saw Xie Qingyun at this time, he suddenly felt that everything could be explained.
I felt relieved.
The big order that Li Hui took over a few days ago was actually given to him by the mayor.
I heard that the mayor originally wanted to give the position to Xie Qingyun, but this guy suddenly resigned and ran away. So out of helplessness, he temporarily found a blacksmith who happened to be free in the town to take over.
This is how the business fell into Li Hui's hands.
Just a small part of the work that Xie Qingyun put down was enough to make Li Hui so happy that he specially came to the hot spring resort to celebrate. But who could have thought that when he arrived at Wenquan, he would actually happen to run into the cause of all this - Xie Qingyun himself, who had resigned and ran away, was sitting comfortably behind the counter of a small shop in Wenquan, eating buns.
What a wonderful fate.
Li Hui felt dizzy.
Xie Qingyun, who was being questioned by him, spoke at this time: "Do you want to see the store manager? Our boss is very busy and can't be seen casually. You can talk to me if you have anything to say."
Li Hui: “?”
Who is the owner of this hot spring that he can let the chief blacksmith sit here and watch the shop while he is busy with other things?
The former chief blacksmith was looking at the last red bean bun left in his hand.
He hesitated for a long time, and while Li Hui was in a daze, he secretly lowered his head and put it into his mouth.
Then he said calmly: "If you have any opinions about the products in the store, you can tell me. There is no need to alarm our boss. After all, most of the things in this store are made by me."
"Oh, no, it's not a woolen doll."
Li Hui thought back to what he had just said in the store and he was about to break out in a cold sweat.
What did he just say?
Was he mocking Xie Qingyun for not having any pursuits?
...and still say his works are cabbages?
Li Hui's eyes went dark and he almost fell down with a bang.
But when he heard the last sentence, a little hope was kindled in his heart, "Of course, what I said was not about you, but..."
I'm talking about the woolen dolls made by ordinary players.
But before he could finish his sentence, Xie Qingyun continued, "Those dolls seem to be made by a grandma using the leftover wool from before the game. But I haven't found a substitute for wool in the game, so I don't have the materials to practice knitting and crochet techniques. What a pity."
"I can't make such a cute doll anyway."
He shook his head, swallowed the last bite of the bun, and finally looked at Li Hui and asked sincerely: "Can you do it?"
Li Hui: “…”
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