CHAPTER 464: CHAPTER 451: THE UPGRADED 10-CHARACTER PICKAXE AND PLANK SHIELD (PLEASE SUBSCRIBE)

At the blacksmith shop, Han Qiwu routinely placed six frozen crystal spheres on the counter and joked, "Good morning, Master Shuzi. Same as usual, we’ll split these fifty-fifty."

"Sure, but why are you here so early today? The shovel will still take another two hours to finish," Master Shuzi casually picked out three crystal spheres with a small hammer and tapped them one by one.

"Nothing much to do at home, so I thought I’d come over and hang out." Han Qiwu replied.

Soon, Master Shuzi had extracted the items from the three crystal spheres:

[Ice Tin Stones] ×3.

"Ice Tin Stones? What properties do they have? It’s my first time seeing them," Han Qiwu asked curiously, holding them up for inspection.

The surface of the Ice Tin Stones was bumpy, surprisingly lightweight when picked up, soft in texture, and had a bluish-silver hue.

Master Shuzi glanced at them and explained with a smile, "I haven’t worked with them much myself. Their characteristics are twofold: when added to materials, they significantly increase malleability at high temperatures, but at room temperature, they make the material soft."

"That’s quite intriguing!" Han Qiwu stowed the three Ice Tin Stones away, then took out a lava stone slab, a lava needle, and a damaged paralyzing thorn from his storage compartment and placed them on the ground.

Master Shuzi walked out from behind the counter, clearly intrigued, and commented, "Must’ve been quite the intense battle. These are some pretty good scraps."

From his pocket, he took out a peculiar metallic needle resembling a thermometer, carefully testing it on the lava stone slab. Nodding with satisfaction, he then rubbed it against the lava needle, his smile widening.

"These are decent materials. You can toss your old, broken slab now."

Upon hearing this, Han Qiwu immediately stored the damaged paralyzing thorn back into his storage compartment.

Understood!

Back home tonight, it’s going straight into the sell bin.

Master Shuzi grabbed a pair of gloves from nearby, put them on, and instructed Han Qiwu, "This slab needs to be crafted quickly to stabilize its properties. Want to join me? I’ll teach you some techniques for crafting high-temperature items."

"I’d love to!" Han Qiwu quickly picked up the lava needle and followed him into the forge.

Forging is a man’s game!

Two hours later.

Han Qiwu dashed out of the forge, panting heavily.

At this moment, he looked like a shrimp on the verge of being boiled—bright red from head to toe.

Good thing he had decent fire resistance; otherwise, he’d be fully cooked.

The process of crafting high-temperature items was scorching.

Behind him, Master Shuzi emerged with a chuckle, handing him a glass of water. "So, how was it?"

Han Qiwu gulped it down, wiped his mouth, and grinned. "Fun. When I find good materials next time, I’ll definitely come again."

"Now that’s the spirit!" Master Shuzi nodded approvingly. "Though it might’ve worn you out this time, the item we’ve crafted should be pretty great. It’s worth all that sweat. Just five more minutes."

Han Qiwu nodded, his eyes glimmering with anticipation.

"Oh, by the way, the upgraded cross shovel is ready too. Take a look at its stats first." Master Shuzi turned and handed over the cross shovel.

Han Qiwu took it with both hands and looked down at it.

The upgraded cross shovel had a reddish-brown sheen all over and felt slightly warm when held.

[Tool: Flame Iron Cross Shovel]

[Usage Instructions: The Flame Iron Cross Shovel allows fewer strikes to mine a site, can break open large mining spots, and when charged, triggers special effects.]

[Special Effects: When charged, the Flame Iron Cross Shovel has a moderate chance to discover minerals within stones and a moderate chance to unveil double gemstones while striking gem veins. The triggering chance of special effects doubles in high-temperature environments.]

[Notes: The power of fiery heat.]

Since no special materials had been added, the Flame Iron Cross Shovel’s basic attributes were similar to those of the original Copper Cross Shovel, with a moderate increase in the chances during charged strikes compared to the previous low probability.

The enhancement brought by the Flame Iron Ingot was reflected in the specialized high-temperature ability, where the chances to trigger effects doubled.

"Looks like I’ll need to make more charged strikes while mining. Doubling the chance means the loot rate must be great," Han Qiwu silently noted to himself before storing the Flame Iron Cross Shovel away and thanking Master Shuzi.

A few minutes later, Master Shuzi emerged from the forge carrying a crimson piece of equipment resembling a door plank and placed it on the floor with a grin. "Hefty, isn’t it? See if you like it."

"Alright!" Han Qiwu eagerly moved forward to check its stats.

[Scorching Plate Shield]

[Craftsmen: Master Shuzi, Han Qiwu]

[Requirements: Fire Resistance of 50 points]

[Special Effect - Flame Toxin: When the front of the Scorching Plate Shield contacts an enemy, it deals minor damage and applies a layer of Flame Toxin. When the Flame Toxin reaches three layers, it automatically detonates, causing burn damage and additional harm.]

[Special Effect - Combustion Enhancement: After detonating Flame Toxin, affected enemies take an additional 30% fire damage for the next ten seconds.]

[Notes: A warrior’s best companion!]

After reading the stats, Han Qiwu felt very satisfied.

The Scorching Plate Shield had absorbed the special effects of the lava stone slab and the lava needle. Although Combustion Enhancement required the Flame Toxin to detonate first, its duration and amplification had been significantly improved.

As for detonating the Flame Toxin, Han Qiwu felt it wasn’t a big deal.

Just go all-in!

Han Qiwu moved to the back of the Scorching Plate Shield, gripped its handle with both hands, and lifted it with effort.

Whoa.

It’s heavy all right.

He figured that once he equipped this thing, running was off the table.

A test during combat would reveal more.

"Thanks, Master. This is an excellent piece of equipment," Han Qiwu said with a cheeky grin while storing the Scorching Plate Shield in his inventory.

After glancing at his storage compartment, a sudden idea popped into Han Qiwu’s mind. He quickly excused himself and rushed back into the forge.

Watching Han Qiwu’s hurried demeanor, Master Shuzi stroked the remnants of his burnt-off beard with a sense of accomplishment.

Ah, youth.

Over half an hour later, Han Qiwu returned from the forge with a smile on his face.

Curious, Master Shuzi asked, "What did you just craft?"

Han Qiwu chuckled and pulled out two oversized shoe-like items, placing them on the counter.

Master Shuzi examined one closely and asked, somewhat puzzled, "What exactly are these? Mini boats?"

Han Qiwu: "....."

Aren’t these supposed to be shoes?

"I crafted these for my pet bear using Ice Tin Stones and iron ingots. Thanks to the malleability boosted by the Ice Tin Stones, I could shape them during forging, and once cooled, their soft properties make them more comfortable to wear." Han Qiwu proudly explained, holding up the other shoe—which he dramatically named "Little Prince’s Shoe."

Master Shuzi nodded approvingly and praised, "Not bad, you’ve learned how to match materials yourself. This is a fine piece of work."

"Of course! Who else but your star pupil?"

"You cheeky rascal, you sure know how to talk!"

After packing up the shoes, Han Qiwu chatted with Master Shuzi for a bit before leaving the blacksmith shop.