Wearing a sky-blue magic robe and carrying a magic staff, he walked along the streets of Hess City.
This was Lin Lei's current appearance.
This time, Bei Bei had stayed behind in the small courtyard on Keyan Street in Hess City. As Lin Lei had instructed, if Clyde ever showed up, Bei Bei was to communicate with him through their soul link immediately. Lin Lei and Bei Bei shared a soul connection, so no matter how far apart they were, they could always sense each other's thoughts.
Today, Lin Lei had come out to deal with the matter of a "heavy sword."
"Hm?" Lin Lei glanced at a weapons shop nearby and walked straight in.
Business at the weapons shop was average. Two customers inside were browsing the weapons on display, but Lin Lei walked directly to the counter and said in a calm voice, "Who in Hess City is the most skilled at forging weapons?"
The attendant behind the counter took one look at Lin Lei's attire and realized before him stood a mage. She immediately spoke with respect, "Master Mage, our shop's Master Porter is quite skilled in forging. There's no weapon he can't make."
"I asked who in Hess City is the most skilled at forging weapons." Lin Lei's expression turned cold. "If the weapon I need turns out to be beyond the ability of your so-called Master Porter, don't blame me for tearing this place apart."
The attendant was startled by Lin Lei's threat. She had originally been trying to drum up business, but now she didn't dare boast any further. "Respected Master Mage, the number one forging master in Hess City is Master Kolby. His shop is in the west district of Hess City, not far from the Temple of Light."
"Kolby?" Lin Lei memorized the name and turned to leave.
"But, Master Mage," the attendant said in a low voice.
"Hm?" Lin Lei looked back at her to see what she wanted to say.
The attendant spoke respectfully, "Master Mage, if you want a custom-made magic staff, you'd be better off visiting a magic equipment shop. This weapons shop is for warriors selecting weapons." In her view, a mage buying weapons—and wanting to commission the best forging master to custom-make one—was a rather strange affair.
A mage's weapon was a magic staff. And crafting a magic staff required a skilled alchemist.
The corner of Lin Lei's mouth curved into a slight smile, and he walked out of the weapons shop.
Half an hour later, Lin Lei arrived in the western district of Hess City near the Temple of Light. According to his reconnaissance the day before, the "Pope of Light" and the group of Saint-realm powerhouses from the Church of Light had not come to Hess City. He had heard that only a cardinal in red robes had come to Hess City, working alongside the King of Hess to arrange the army at the border.
As for where the Church of Light's Saint-realm powerhouses had gone, no one knew.
"I truly hope that 'king' of the Magic Beast Mountain Range kills a few of those Saint-realm powerhouses," Lin Lei thought to himself. He harbored deep resentment toward the Church of Light—their Pontiff, Ha廷斯, had once cast "Divine Beast Descent" on him. Although Lin Lei didn't fully understand the effects of that spell, the "power of faith" from the Divine Beast Descent had attempted to merge with his very soul.
The soul.
That was the most important and core part of one's being. Lin Lei was certain that Ha廷斯 had harbored ill intentions.
"So this is the so-called weapons shop of Hess City's number one forging master?" Lin Lei looked at the weapons shop before him. The storefront was dozens of meters long. Outside the entrance stood two broad-shouldered, muscular men clad in ornate armor, each holding a weapon on either side of the doorway.
The weapons shop had an imposing presence—it was clearly a cut above the one Lin Lei had visited earlier.
Stepping inside, Lin Lei found the attendants to be all beautiful young women. One spotted his mage's robes and her eyes lit up as she hurried over, speaking politely, "Respected Master Mage, what weapon might you be looking for? Please, come with me—over here we have a fine selection of ornate court swords."
Lin Lei sighed with a helpless smile.
It seemed this attendant took him for one of those mages who only cared about looking stylish.
"I heard Master Kolby works here?" Lin Lei asked directly.
The attendant nodded eagerly, "Yes, Master Kolby is our chief forging master. His forging ability is absolutely the best in all of Hess City. To this day, I haven't heard of any weapon that Master Kolby couldn't forge."
"Oh. Have Master Kolby come out, then. I'd like to commission him to forge a weapon for me," Lin Lei said directly.
"Have… have Master Kolby come out?" The attendant gave an awkward smile. "Master Mage, Master Kolby never receives visitors on his own. If you want to see him, you'll have to go to him yourself. And… seeing Master Kolby requires a fee. Otherwise, you won't get an audience."
Lin Lei had to admit—Master Kolby certainly carried himself with an impressive air.
"Fine. I'll go to him. How many gold coins?" Lin Lei asked directly.
"Not many—fifty gold coins," the attendant said quickly.
Fifty gold coins was nothing to wealthy nobles, but for an ordinary commoner, it was enough to live on for one or two years.
"Fifty?" Lin Lei produced a pouch of gold coins from inside his robe. The pouch contained a hundred coins. He poured out fifty and said, "Lead the way." Lin Lei usually carried only a hundred gold coins for daily expenses, along with his magic crystal card—whenever he needed more, he could simply go and withdraw some.
"Yes, Master Mage!" The attendant was delighted.
Five minutes later, under the attendant's guidance, Lin Lei arrived outside an unassuming residence. The gatekeeper apparently recognized the attendant and let them pass without question.
When Lin Lei saw Master Kolby, the man was lounging in a chair, quietly sipping tea. Master Kolby's hair had already turned gray, but his muscles were clearly well-defined—he was obviously a powerful warrior.
Generally speaking, the best forging masters were formidable warriors as well.
"Master Kolby, this Master Mage wishes to see you," the attendant said respectfully.
Master Kolby looked at Lin Lei and smiled. "Young man, my prices are quite steep. The starting price for forging a weapon is ten thousand gold coins."
Lin Lei, however, could sense roughly how strong Master Kolby was.
Either a seventh-level or eighth-level warrior.
"I can do that," Lin Lei nodded. "But I'll be providing my own materials for this weapon. Oh, and would you mind having everyone else step out for a moment?"