Chapter 56

"Is... is that it?"

After hearing Qin Yu's formal announcement of establishing a romantic relationship with Wen Xiaodao, Tu Lao Li stared with his bulging eyes, slurping his porridge while waiting for more.

Qin Yu and Tu Lao Li were the closest of friends, so naturally, such a "lifetime matter" wouldn't be kept from Tu Lao Li. Besides, they shared a pot every day, so it was impossible to hide anything.

"Rubbish, what do you want?"

"It's not that I want anything, but what else is there between you two? You can't be more daring just across the living room? Brother Yu, are you not up to it?"

"Use this to splash some hot rice soup on his face."

Qin Yu handed the stainless steel spoon to Wen Xiaodao, who was about to scoop the soup when Tu Lao Li quickly covered his head with both hands.

"Alright, I give up. You two are now a couple, I can't compete with you... If you two hadn't gotten together so quickly, I was thinking of moving in to live with you. Wouldn't I just become a third wheel then?"

As he said this, Tu Lao Li gave Qin Yu a flirtatious look.

"Do you think you weren't a third wheel before? You live in your 'noble' apartment, why come and live with me? Get lost, not welcome."

"It's more convenient for meals, no need to run back and forth—though it looks like it's going to be tough. How about this, you two live in one room, and I'll live in another? After all, you two are already a couple... Ow!!"

Wen Xiaodao smacked Tu Lao Li on the head with the spoon, not hesitating at all.

"Let me tell you, the 30 gold free meal deal is almost over. Soon, I'll be free and won't have to deal with your freeloading."

"Damn, you two are both so ruthless. You really aren't a family, but you act like one—fine, fine, fine, you two have your own world. I'll live upstairs, okay? The upstairs is for rent."

"Are you going to rent a two-bedroom?"

Actually, Qin Yu hoped Tu Lao Li would come and rent a place, just not in the same room. How could he "invade" Wen Xiaodao if Tu Lao Li was around? Though he promised not to "eat" Wen Xiaodao before meeting the parents, he didn't promise anything else. Qin Yu wanted to take things further.

"Rent it first, maybe a beautiful girl will come to share—then I'll learn cooking from you!!!"

"......"

"......"

Wen Xiaodao and Qin Yu were both speechless at this scoundrel, but he indeed wasn't short of money. Renting the whole building wouldn't be a big deal.

In the end, Tu Lao Li just didn't want to live with others. Even in the school's apartment, he lived alone in a two-person room. Apart from Qin Yu, this rich second generation with many quirks couldn't live with anyone else.

"Let's get to the point. The Necromancer asked me about the [Glory Touch] last night. The guild is preparing to raid the Viper Temple, and he wants to get the two-piece set attributes—how do you plan to exchange them?"

"Attack gloves, or a cloth armor with will and constitution—something I can use."

Qin Yu was afraid of being tricked again, emphasizing that it must be something he could use.

"Rubbish, would I exchange something you can't use? Alright, I'll go talk to him. You learn forging first, then level up to learn the Light Arrow, and I'll send you some materials."

Tu Lao Li finished the last piece of pickled cucumber, patted his belly in satisfaction, and went back to the game. Qin Yu and Wen Xiaodao also finished cleaning up and went online.

Of course, there was a small interlude—Wen Xiaodao insisted on watching Qin Yu clean up the dishes before going back to the game. This made Qin Yu both surprised and happy. It felt like watching his lover do something for him.

This feeling—was quite pleasant...

......

......

The life skill learning point was at the Durotar Watch Post, where everything was available. To learn forging, Alpha had to go to the "Silver Hammer" blacksmith shop and find the blacksmith John Halifchek. So, Alpha hurried to the "Silver Hammer" blacksmith shop as soon as he logged in.

Learning forging as a mage, Alpha was about to take an unconventional path again.

As a spellcaster, mages and warlocks naturally had little to do with iron:

Not only was metal armor a challenge for the weak strength of mages, but any metal armor would significantly reduce the spellcasting success rate of mages and warlocks. This fatal flaw made spellcasters avoid metal armor.

Apart from a few weapons that mages could use, items like wands and staves that enhance spellcasting effects were rarely made of metal.

—It was said that this was due to electromagnetic shielding principles, which was a bit far-fetched.

This also led to mages having little to do with blacksmiths, except for buying arrows for [Shoot] spells. Learning forging from a blacksmith was undoubtedly a bizarre idea.

For example, now, John Halifchek, the blacksmith at the Durotar Watch Post, couldn't understand Alpha's request to learn forging:

"I mean, are you sure learning forging will be useful? Young man, to be frank, your energy should not be wasted on trying things that are unsuitable for you."

In other words, why bother with these useless things when you should focus on improving yourself?

Clearly, John Halifchek knew about Alpha's reputation as a weak mage. Even the senior scout Jennifer Lawrence at the Durotar Watch Post knew Alpha's story, let alone the old blacksmith.

"I know, but I still hope you can teach me how to forge."

Alpha quietly insisted, inwardly cursing the mage mentor Lex Luther in Northshire Valley.

Now, every NPC he met would lecture him about being a weak mage, and John was relatively polite for not directly mentioning his mage status and lack of energy to learn life skills.

Actually, this wasn't because John was looking down on Alpha, but because mages and forging were just too incompatible.

Not to mention electromagnetic shielding and spellcasting success rates, even if a mage wanted to serve the people by learning forging, they needed the strength to work, right? After all, weak mages had little strength to swing a hammer.

—In John's eyes, mages could barely hold a quill pen.

Seeing Alpha still insisting on learning forging, John disdainfully hammered the anvil a few times, as if to show off his muscle strength and make Alpha give up.

The clanging of the hammer seemed to hit Alpha's heart, making him anxious.

How could he not be anxious? He had thousands of [Raw Iron Ore] and a [Recipe: Forge Basic Light Arrow] in his hand. Could he calmly wait for John to ramble on about mages not learning forging?

"Since you insist, alright."

John shrugged and put down the hammer.

"I can consider teaching you forging, but as the best blacksmith in all of Northshire, I don't want my apprentice to tarnish the 'Silver Hammer' blacksmith shop's reputation. Dear Alpha, you need to prove to me that you have the talent to master the essence of forging.

—Yes, at least you need to be able to lift that hammer."

John pointed to the black hammer next to the anvil, with a face full of schadenfreude.

Alpha tilted his head, looking at the half-meter-long hammer with a head as big as two of his own heads. John looked smug.

"That's the one... Don't look at it as old, but you might not know, this hammer has been there since my great-great-great-grandfather... In short, a long, long time ago. Every apprentice who wanted to learn forging had to swing it like a windmill. I did the same when I was young."

Yes, lifting the hammer was the standard entry task for learning forging. If you couldn't even lift the hammer, how could you forge? This was a fully realistic game, not the old point-and-click games.

John's hammer was the tool that kept many mages from learning forging.

Actually, before Alpha, there were mages who wanted to learn forging, but 9.999 out of 10 were rejected because of this hammer.

—It required a strength of 12 to lift, and how many mages in "Dungeons and Dragons" had a strength over 10? Except for freaks like Alpha.

Of course, for Alpha with a strength of 16, it wasn't a problem.

Without a word, Alpha picked up the hammer and started hammering the anvil, even showing off a few tricks, throwing it up and catching it, scaring the nearby apprentice blacksmith.

John Halifchek stared in shock at Alpha's performance, unable to react until Alpha calmly put down the hammer.

"My God, are you really a mage? Not a warrior or a barbarian in an apprentice robe?

Oh, why did you choose to learn magic from that idiot Lex Luther? You should have learned swordsmanship from D'Artagnan.

—Speaking of which, he should call me uncle, you know, we have the purest, direct bloodline."

Indeed, as the legend goes, John always liked to mention his distant cousin, the Northshire swordsmanship instructor D'Artagnan de Baz, a minor noble. Being related to a noble was a dream for a commoner like John.

"Only because I was too young back then—can I learn forging now?"

"Don't rush, don't rush, dear Alpha, cough... Perhaps you really have a talent for forging... But... I think..."

John stuttered, hesitating. Alpha thought, can you stop being so indecisive like a woman? Just say it. It's not like you're going to tell me that mages can't learn blacksmithing no matter what, right? Lancelot didn't mention such a rule.

Fortunately, it wasn't the case. John finally decided to finish his sentence:

"...Well, forging can be learned, but I think I need to give you... oh no, give you, a test, yes, a test..."