Chapter 67: The Blacksmith Chaxi

This morning, when I asked the attendant, I found out that I had been in the cave for almost five months. Adding the half month I spent before entering the cave, this training trip had taken me nearly half a year. What a load of crap! If someone had told me before that I could sustain such a long period of fighting and killing, and all by myself, I would have sent them to a mental hospital for a check-up right away. But now, it seems I should be the one to get checked. Is this what they call the environment forging talent? Or is my adaptability as strong as a cockroach?

However, no one dared to look at me with disdain anymore. Even some obviously lower-level job changers would automatically make way for me. Damn, it feels so good. Thinking about how I was treated half a year ago compared to now, walking down the same street, among the same job changers, the difference in treatment is stark. It makes me realize once again how important strength is in this world.

After half a year, I walked down this secluded path again. The place is the same, but the people are different. In the past half year, it seems there are many new job changers. For example, the rookie paladin who just walked past me, looking disappointed, clearly another one hoping to hit that 0.1% chance with Chaxi. I think if they spent this time training instead, it would be more practical to form a team and farm the blacksmith when they are at a higher level. The time it takes to forge equipment is so long; how easy is it to hit that 0.1%? Most of the pressure on Chaxi's head comes from these rookies.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

After walking for a short while, the sound of hammering, which had almost faded from my memory, gradually reached my ears. I couldn't help but slow down, afraid of disturbing the poor yet stubborn "big" lady.

I stood in the same spot where we first met. Unfortunately, she was focused on the furnace in front of her and didn't notice my gaze. After half a year, she hadn't changed at all. Her brown eyes were as bright as when I first saw them, though they often carried a faint sadness that quickly turned into determination. Even when her abilities were doubted, she never considered putting down her hammer. The sound of her hammering was clear and loud.

Her light golden hair was still beautiful, tied back lightly, its color like ripe wheat. It wasn't as dazzling as the Amazon's golden hair on the archery range. The ends of her hair, slightly damp with sweat, sparkled with countless tiny, crystal-clear flashes as her hammer fell, exuding a charm of youth and vitality. Her well-proportioned, slender figure and healthy, elastic skin, without considering her height, gave me a visual impact that was as perfect as the promotional images of female warriors in those online games, almost unreal.

"Good morning, Miss Chaxi."

I only admired her for a moment before walking up to her. Strangely, if I had seen this scene before, I might have drooled. Now, I just felt a sense of appreciation for beauty. Could it be that after so much training, I've lost my basic male instincts? Thinking about this, I felt a bit uneasy. No way, even a weird old man like Larr managed to get a good wife, and Aunt Sally never showed a "grievance" expression!

Ignoring my random thoughts, poor Chaxi was rudely interrupted from her focused state by my sudden greeting. This forging attempt undoubtedly ended in failure again. She looked up, somewhat angry, and suddenly saw my dazed (thinking) face. Memories from half a year ago resurfaced—how could it be him again.

Chaxi took a step back in surprise.

"Y-You... good morning. Can I help you with something?"

I snapped out of my aimless thoughts and saw Chaxi's cautious, cute expression, like a small animal. It was hard to imagine that a tall person could make such a natural and fitting expression. But thinking deeper, although Chaxi is tall by human standards, she is a Barbarian. To other Barbarians, she is quite small and delicate. This personality and expression must have formed during her time with her tribe.

"Miss Chaxi, I want you to repair my equipment."

At the mention of work, Chaxi immediately got into her professional mode, her face showing confidence.

"No problem, repairing equipment is my specialty."

"Wait a moment."

I gave her a half-smile, half-serious look. Appreciation is one thing, but I'm not so foolish as to immediately take out my equipment.

From another corner of my inventory, I took out a pile of black stones. These were the magic crystals I obtained from killing the Corpsefire during my first training. This time, I also got quite a few from Bishubu and a few elites, filling a small corner of my inventory.

"T-This is..."

Chaxi's eyes lit up, staring at the object in my hand, unable to look away.

I chuckled and slowly took out all the magic crystals from the Corpsefire. Chaxi's eyes were already shining.

"These are just part of it. What do you think, Miss Chaxi?"

I smiled sinisterly, like a pedophile uncle.

"Really?"

Hearing this, Chaxi couldn't care less about the magic crystals in front of her. Her gaze immediately shifted to me, her expression like a starving puppy looking at its owner. Although many people had sold magic crystals to her before, none had such a large quantity, and this was just part of it.

"Sir, could you sell these magic crystals to me?"

Her tone had changed to "sir." Hoho, it seems she isn't as rigid as I thought. However, it was clear she wasn't a good merchant. She revealed her intentions right away, her nervousness and stammering clearly telling the seller—treat me like a fat sheep.

"Of course."

Seeing the fish had taken the bait, I smiled even more brightly and took out all the black fragments from my inventory, dealing Chaxi the final blow.

"Ah..."

Looking at the pile of black fragments like a small mountain, Chaxi's mouth dropped open, taking a while to react.

"Great! Absolutely fantastic, thank you, respected sir..."

Chaxi, like a child who had received a treasure, cheered and, in her excitement, grabbed my armpits and lifted me up, spinning me around like a child.

Damn! Are all Barbarians so bold and carefree?!

I instinctively tried to struggle free, but remembering that Chaxi wasn't a job changer, I feared that if I used too much force and hurt her, the job changers who needed their equipment repaired would happily tie me up and hang me from a tree to dry.

Sigh, forget it. This height is impossible to achieve without transforming into a Bearman. I'll just treat it as a free experience. I resignedly let go of my hands, my gaze drifting to the distance. As Chaxi spun, the whole world seemed to spin with it. Damn, it's like a super intense carousel. Feeling a bit dizzy, I quickly lowered my head. Hmm, the view here is quite nice—looking down, I could see Chaxi's firm, white peaks through her shirt, crystal clear.

After a while, Chaxi came to her senses and realized she had lifted me high. Her movements froze.

"Are you satisfied?" I said expressionlessly, still suspended in the air.

"Y-Yes... yes."

"Then put me down."

Although the "view" was indeed nice, thinking about it, it was a huge blow to my male pride to be lifted like a doll by a woman. What kind of master is this?

When Chaxi almost threw me down, I didn't give her a chance to apologize. I immediately instructed her to sort through the pile of black fragments, which definitely contained some magic cores, essential for making teleportation scrolls.

As a blacksmith, if Chaxi couldn't distinguish between magic crystals and magic cores, she might as well go back to Harrogath and make ice cream. She picked through the pile for a long time, sighing each time she found a magic core and tossing it aside. Please, these are hundreds of times more valuable than your magic crystals. Don't treat things that aren't useful to you as worthless. I quickly caught them, afraid of missing any.

In the end, she only found less than one percent magic cores from the pile.

After putting away the magic cores, I took out over ten pieces of white equipment that were useless to me. Chaxi, completely absorbed by the pile of magic crystals, didn't show surprise at the equipment. She just picked one up and looked at it, puzzled.

"Sir, these pieces of equipment are all at full durability!"

"Who said I want to repair these?"

"Then..."

Chaxi's eyes gradually filled with sympathy, as if remembering our first meeting.

"What are you thinking?"

I glared at her. I don't know when, but our relationship had naturally formed a hierarchy. My expression was like I was scolding a junior, and Chaxi didn't seem to mind at all.

"Leave these with you to sell. It will save the rookies from always coming to bother you. Remember, sell no more than one a week, and set a high price, especially for those troublesome rookies. Got it?"

"But..."

Chaxi was stunned, looking at me in disbelief. After a long time, she said in a low voice.

"Why are you doing this? I..."

I was taken aback. There were two reasons for this. One was the promise I made to help her farm the blacksmith's hammer, which I haven't fulfilled. This is a form of compensation. As for the second reason...

"I will continue to provide you with equipment and magic crystals. In return, you must keep a secret for me. Can you do that?"

I stared intently at Chaxi. If there was any hesitation in her eyes, I would turn and leave. Even if I had to throw away the equipment, I wouldn't let her repair it. With the bug amulet, my equipment will only get better, surpassing others by a wide margin. This is a huge risk. I don't believe all job changers are righteous. A good piece of equipment is equivalent to strength, and how many people can resist such temptation?

Even the best equipment has durability. When it runs out, it needs to be repaired by a blacksmith. I can hide my equipment from anyone, but not from a blacksmith. Therefore, Chaxi is a crucial link. I spared no effort to appeal to her with "emotion" (equipment) and "benefit" (magic crystals), ultimately to win her over and keep my secret.

Chaxi was stunned by my strange request but didn't show any doubt. She lowered her head, her expression showing disappointment, and forced a smile.

"You are the customer, and this request is very reasonable. There's no need to do this."

She was regretful but stubborn, looking at the magic crystals in front of her. Although she was reluctant to part with them, she was unwilling to lie.

Hearing Chaxi say this, I felt even more at ease. At least, there was no better blacksmith than her now.

"It's fine. These magic crystals and equipment are useless to me anyway."

I waved my hand, indicating she should take them, then took out the equipment I wanted to repair.

Chaxi stared in disbelief at the golden leather armor in my hand and the pile of equipment on the ground, finally understanding why I went to such lengths to keep it a secret.

---

End of Chapter 67