Lord Zhao Yun returned to Leeds City with the Merchant Caravan the next morning. After bidding farewell to the Dru Merchant Caravan, he headed towards the Mercenary Guild with Aleia and Nia.
Along the way, Aleia stood on her tiptoes, trying hard to catch the aroma wafting from the bakery on the street. Her round Cat Ears face was full of anticipation and curiosity, her amber vertical pupils reflecting the novelties along the street.
Nia’s Silver Bell Earring jingled as she turned her head. She excitedly pointed at a street performer’s marionette and exclaimed loudly, “Sister, look! That puppet is dancing by itself!” Her Cat Ears flapped excitedly like a fan, and her tail wagged continuously with delight.
Aleia suddenly tugged at Zhao Yun’s Armor, her eyes flashing with surprise.
“That shop’s leg of lamb is emitting golden light!”
Her amber vertical pupils reflected the charcoal stove of the Roasted Meat stall. The lamb leg, roasted to a golden, oily sheen, radiated an alluring golden light under the glow of the charcoal fire.
Hearing this, Nia immediately stood on her tiptoes and leaned against the counter, her nose almost touching the rotating rock sheep leg, muttering continuously.
“It smells so good, Sister, I want to eat it.”
Seeing their adorable appearance, Lord Zhao Yun couldn't help but smile slightly. He flicked out a Silver Coin to buy two lamb legs from the shop owner and handed them to Aleia and Nia. The two sisters immediately held the sizzling large lamb legs and began eating happily.
When Lord Zhao Yun brought Aleia and Nia to the Mercenary Guild, the two sisters were even more excited, looking around with curiosity.
Lord Zhao Yun led them straight to the counter to report the mission to Tina, placing the Wolf King's head on the counter.
Seeing the massive Wolf King's head, Tina exclaimed in surprise, “Did you slaughter the entire Werewolf tribe?”
She quickly took out the identification crystal and tested the Blood Moon Werewolf's head. The detector burst out with a dazzling red light.
“The contamination traces of the Dark Corrosion Magic Crystal match the mission description.”
The Old Dwarf sitting next to Tina glanced at the identification crystal.
“Due to the increased difficulty from the Blood Moon Werewolf's demonization, the bounty is raised to sixty Gold Coins, and additionally, the Merchant Caravans have added forty Gold Coins to expedite the restoration of the Trade Route.”
He lightly tapped his Staff, rolling over a money pouch containing one hundred Gold Coins.
Lord Zhao Yun took the bulging money pouch, calculating his next steps. His Dragon Gallant Silver Spear had been lost at Changban Slope, and the Green Rainbow Broken Sword ultimately didn't suit him; he urgently needed to find a suitable Long Spear.
But Leeds City was a maze of streets and alleys, with numerous Blacksmith Shops. Finding a Blacksmith Shop capable of forging a weapon that would satisfy him was far from easy.
Lord Zhao Yun took Aleia and Nia to inquire around the city. They asked many passersby, but most of the answers they received were vague.
Some said there were a few Blacksmith Shops in the east with decent craftsmanship; others mentioned the ironworking street in West City Wall Section, which had many shops but varied greatly in quality.
Lord Zhao Yun was not discouraged. He led the two girls, following the directions of the passersby, searching shop by shop.
They first arrived in the east of the city. The Blacksmith Shops here were filled with the strong scent of smoke and fire, with the sound of hammering rising and falling.
Lord Zhao Yun entered a Blacksmith Shop that appeared relatively large. The interior was filled with various weapons, from heavy Battle Axes to light Daggers—they had everything.
However, when he picked up a Long Spear to examine it closely, he found that both the material and the craftsmanship of the shaft were unsatisfactory. The Spear Shaft was not tough enough, and the spear tip lacked sufficient sharpness; clearly, it could not meet his combat needs.
He shook his head, left with Aleia and Nia, and continued searching for the next one.
Next, they arrived at the ironworking street in the West City Wall Section. The Blacksmith Shops on this street were lined up one after another, with numerous signs hanging overhead.
Lord Zhao Yun looked at the shops one by one and tested quite a few Long Spears, but he still couldn't find the weapon that truly moved him.
Some Long Spears were exquisitely designed, but when he swung them lightly, the balance felt off; other Long Spears looked sharp, but lacked sufficient resilience, showing fine cracks with just a little force from him.
Just as Lord Zhao Yun was feeling somewhat disappointed, Aleia suddenly tugged at his robe.
“Lord Zhao Yun, I just overheard those two Dwarves next door saying that there is a Blacksmith Shop called ‘Dragon Ridge Forge’ where the weapons are quite extraordinary. Perhaps we can go take a look there.”
Upon hearing this, Lord Zhao Yun asked passersby for the location of the ‘Dragon Ridge Forge.’ The three of them navigated through the intricate and complex alleys, following the directions given.
The alley was narrow and deep, with tall buildings on both sides blocking the sunlight, making the area somewhat dim. The ground was paved with Bluestone Slabs, which were covered in mottled marks from being washed by wastewater from the Blacksmith Shops over the years.
Finally, at the end of the alley, they saw the sign for the ‘Dragon Ridge Forge.’
The sign was an old wooden board, carved with a winding giant dragon whose body seemed to weave through the clouds, lifelike. Although the sign looked somewhat worn, the faint, mysterious aura emanating from it made Lord Zhao Yun feel that this might be the place he was looking for.
As Lord Zhao Yun led Aleia and Nia into the ‘Dragon Ridge Forge’ Blacksmith Shop, the bronze dragon head hanging above the doorway puffed out a wisp of Green Smoke. That Green Smoke carried a faint Sulfur Smell, slowly dissipating in the air.
A deep echo came from the depths of the forge, as if a sleeping giant beast was responding to their arrival. The interior walls were hung with weapons of various shapes, from Elf rapiers to Orc Battle Axes, their edges gleaming with the light of elemental Runes.
The Old Dwarf, Russ, who was forging a greatsword behind the counter, looked up. The gold rings embedded in his fiery, curly beard jingled. His One-Eyed gaze swept over the faintly glowing Dragon Mark on Lord Zhao Yun’s left arm, and his rough fingers suddenly tapped the cast iron counter.
“A Knight carrying a Broken Sword, seeking a blood-drinking spear?”
Aleia’s Cat Ears suddenly perked up. A certain weapon deep on the shelf resonated with the Beast Tusk necklace around her neck. She curiously walked toward the shelf, her tail swaying slightly, her eyes full of the desire to explore.
Nia stood on her tiptoes trying to reach the Mithril Scale Armor hanging up, but she was startled by the Defensive Magic Array, causing her tail to fluff up. She cried out, “Ayah!” and looked at Lord Zhao Yun with grievance.
Lord Zhao Yun gently patted her head to comfort her, then ran his fingertips over the Spear Shafts on display—elm wood, Black Iron, lightning-struck cedar... the materials varied, but none could stir the fluctuation of his Dantian Qi Vortex.
“Try this one.” The Old Dwarf kicked open the trapdoor to the Cellar and carried out a Long Spear wrapped in snakeskin. As the Spear Butt touched the ground, a web of Frost spread across the floor. The seven-foot spear shaft was forged from the cold iron of the Everfrost Mountains.
Lord Zhao Yun drew his fingers across the blade edge; the frost energy rushed straight to his heart meridian, causing the Dragon Mark on his left arm to suddenly burn hot, forcing the coldness out as white mist. The cold was bone-chilling, as if trying to Freeze his blood, but Lord Zhao Yun’s expression remained unchanged; he merely shook his head lightly, “Too cold.”
He casually threw the spear. The spear tip pierced the stone slab as if cutting tofu, and the slab instantly cracked, surrounded by a thin layer of Frost.
The Old Dwarf squinted his One-Eye, turned around, and retrieved a crimson Long Spear from the Cellar. The spear shaft was covered in Scale Armor-like protrusions. As soon as it left its sheath, it caused the Forge’s flames to surge, as if a slumbering fire dragon had awakened.
The flames in the Forge seemed to respond to the call, leaping wildly and licking the Long Spear, causing the scales on the shaft to shimmer with an even more dazzling light.
Lord Zhao Yun flicked his wrist and thrust out the Phoenix Nods Head. Wherever the Spear Wind swept past, the hanging chainmail melted entirely into molten iron. The scorching molten iron splashed onto the ground, making a sizzling sound and emitting bursts of Green Smoke.
Nia shrieked and hid behind Aleia, but her sister stared at the taut lines of Zhao Yun’s back as he spun the spear, her ear tips glowing bright red.
“The Blazing Dragon Spear, bathed in the blood of a high-level fire Magical Beast, the Magma Earth Dragon.”
The Old Dwarf looked painfully at the Slag covering the ground, “Eighty Gold Coins, with a complimentary fire resistance enchantment.”
Lord Zhao Yun felt something was still missing and returned the spear. He closed his eyes, recalling the chilling sensation of the Dragon Gallant Silver Spear piercing the throat of the Cao General. His Dantian Qi Vortex suddenly began to operate on its own.
A clear, resonant tremor came from the depths of the shelf. A dust-covered plain silver Long Spear shook off the Spider Web, and its Spear Tassel moved without wind.
The Old Dwarf’s expression changed drastically, “This spear, the Star Shatterer, has been displayed for three hundred years, and no one has been able to wield it.”
Before the words finished, Lord Zhao Yun had already grasped the spear. The Spear Shaft felt warm and smooth in his hand, like holding an old friend. As the rhombic spear tip forged from meteoric iron cut through the void, it actually trailed streaks of shattered Starlight.
Aleia’s Beast Tusk necklace suddenly grew hot; this spear seemed to resonate with the Totem passed down by her ancestors. Lord Zhao Yun spun and executed the killing move of the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Spear Technique. The Spear Shadow transformed into a green phoenix soaring through the sky, its surging energy shaking roof tiles loose. The moment the spear tip touched the ground, Starlight bloomed from the cracks in the floor tiles, possessing the might as if it truly shattered a star with one thrust.
“This is it!”
Lord Zhao Yun stopped his movement and stood still. The Starlight on the spear shaft gradually faded, turning into a simple silver-gray color.
The Old Dwarf’s hand gripping the Iron Hammer bulged with veins. “My grandfather obtained this spear from a forbidden area. He always said that whoever was fated could take it, so I will only symbolically charge you twenty Gold Coins!”
He pointed to the missing groove on the Spear Butt, “The groove on this Spear Butt was supposed to be inlaid with the Dragon Crystal, a treasure of the Dwarf Kingdom.”
The Old Dwarf’s One-Eye flashed with regret. “Unfortunately, a hundred years ago, the Goblin tribe attacked the Black Mountain Ore Vein, and the last Dragon Crystal has been lost.”
Lord Zhao Yun counted out twenty Gold Coins and handed them to the Old Dwarf. At this moment, Aleia leaned in to examine the markings on the Spear Butt and suddenly gasped, “These etchings look just like the Star Chart on the tribal Altar!”
Her furry tail unconsciously wrapped around Lord Zhao Yun’s wrist, then sprang away as if startled when he turned his head.
As Twilight dyed the ironworking street red, the three of them stepped out of the Forge. Lord Zhao Yun flicked his wrist, executing a spear flourish; the Star Shattering Spear tip cut a flowing rainbow in the setting sun.
Aleia chirped questions about the Spear Technique essentials while holding her newly bought Honey Cake, and Nia bounced around practicing her steps while wearing a mini heart-guard mirror given by the shopkeeper on her head.
Lord Zhao Yun looked at the swaying silver tassel on the Spear Tassel, momentarily seeing the beacon fires of Changban Slope again.
Though the Dragon Gallant was broken, the Star Shatterer shines anew.