CHAPTER 104: 104 ARROW OF REJUVENATION

"God of Craftsmen System: The origin is in the heart, craftsmanship in every detail. Behind every great achievement lies a group of people pursuing the ultimate. Carve a skill to its peak, and you can change the world."

[Recognize ten kinds of tools; Reward: Precision +1]

Just as expected.

When Lin Bai stood in the Blacksmith Shop, hammer in hand, the God of Craftsmen System activated automatically.

"Storekeeper Lin, if you have any instructions, just tell me. I’ll do my utmost to carry them out." Lin Bai’s arrival left Zhang the Blacksmith overawed and respectful. He reached out to take the hammer from Lin Bai’s hand, "These coarse tasks aren’t for esteemed individuals like yourself."

"This is a hammer," Lin Bai said softly, dodging the hand trying to snatch it.

"Yes, a hammer," Zhang Shutang replied, puzzled.

"Tongs," Lin Bai stated.

"Yes," Zhang Shutang said.

"Bellows." Lin Bai then pointed to the bellows Zhang Dashan was vigorously working, leaving the young lad utterly stupefied.

...

Seeing Lin Bai’s odd behavior, [Master Artificer] immediately started a live broadcast: "Pure Milk, Good Quality: Mu Ming Milk reminds everyone to tune in! Lin, the Storekeeper, is up to his usual antics!"

Lin Bai was the key to trending in Jiamucheng.

As soon as the advertisement aired, Lin Bai had secluded himself in the City Lord’s mansion. Advertisers constantly complained to the Beggar Gang about the lack of exposure, even suggesting they drag Lin Bai out to generate some news or, failing that, head to Qian City ahead of schedule.

But Lin Bai had absolute authority within the Beggar Gang, and since he was currently occupied with Alchemy, no one dared to disturb him. Offending Lin Bai was a minor concern; being expelled from the flourishing Beggar Gang (which was Like the Midday Sun) just wasn’t worth it.

Just when everyone was at their wit’s end, who would have thought Lin Bai would suddenly show up at the Blacksmith Shop acting erratically?

It was a timely rescue.

[Master Artificer] was absolutely ecstatic. Advertising revenue was a collective earning, but the live stream money was all his!

...

"He finally came out!"

"Been waiting for this!"

"Place your bets! What’s Lin, the Storekeeper, up to this time? 1. Artifact Refining; 2. Spoken Law Follows; 3. Attracting traffic with eccentric behavior."

"1" "2" "2" "2" "3"...

"None of the above. Lin, the Storekeeper, is obviously practicing how to teach children to recognize items. My guess is, Lin, the Storekeeper, must have had an ’accident’—either the City Lord’s expecting, or Jiang Qingqin is."

"Poster above, get lost! The City Lord is so unattractive; how could she possibly be worthy of Lin, the Storekeeper? Jiang Qingqin is the Beggar Gang’s officially designated leading lady!"

"Is it true that Players can fall in love and marry NPCs?"

"True, but you need a high affection score. If your affection isn’t high enough and you attempt any illicit acts, you’ll be forcibly logged off. Also, you can’t live stream in that situation."

"Wow, I think I just found new motivation to play this game!"

"Stop dreaming. You think a short, unattractive, poor loser in real life can find a partner in the game?"

"I’d be okay with just a platonic romance!"

"I may be a short, unattractive, poor loser in real life, but in the game, I’m a total slayer! Plus, with face customization, aren’t all Players veritable chosen ones?"

"Heh! Duplicate face customizations will be rejected. By the time it’s your turn to log in, there probably won’t be many good-looking preset faces left. Besides, the Beggar Gang has plenty of handsome faces, yet isn’t it Lin, the Storekeeper, whom Jiang Qingqin has her eyes on?"

"Agreed. Only someone with my kind of Personal Charm is qualified to attract fairies."

"Someone with dark yellow pee, give the poster above a wake-up call!"

"That a game like this is even allowed online is something else. But I like it!"

"Don’t dream about truly enjoying it in the game. We’re all using in-game bodies. Even with genuine intimacy, there’s no physical pleasure. It’s just a platonic romance, not that meaningful."

"How does the poster above know that?"

"Read it on the forums. Some guy called [Love Expert] maxed out his affection score and hit a home run, only to find there was no sensation. The NPC became utterly attached to him, and by the time he regretted it, it was too late. He ended up deleting his character and starting over. Wasted more than ten days. My advice: be cautious about romance in the game."

"Right, I saw [Love Expert]’s post too. He completely squandered his closed beta advantage by getting into an in-game romance."

"Not only that, but the comments below his post were a torrent of abuse. Many accused him of toying with emotions and vowing to hunt him down in-game. His reputation was nearly ruined."

"Pah! If it were me, I’d hunt him down too. Scum!"

"We’re off topic! We’re here to watch Lin, the Storekeeper, not to listen to you all discuss in-game dating!"

"DAMN! Lin, the Storekeeper, picked up a hammer! Is he actually going to do blacksmithing?"

"Looks like it."

"Isn’t he a Pill Master?"

"When Lin, the Storekeeper, recruited Master Artificer, he said that if they joined the Beggar Gang, he’d teach them Artifact Refining methods. Turns out he’s learning this Artifact Refining method on the spot and plans to teach it right away!"

"And he’s learning it right in front of the Master Artificer! PFFT!"

"The Master Artificer’s face darkened."

"A new surprise every day, each one different. Lin, the Storekeeper, always does the unexpected, and he’s not subtle about it either."

"Master Artificer: Storekeeper Lin, I want to learn Artifact Refining! Lin, the Storekeeper: Hold on, let me learn it first. HAHAHA!"

...

The initial tasks for every system were relatively simple.

Having unlocked a new system, Lin Bai eagerly tackled its tasks, expanding his Skill tree.

Who knew that the system’s backend would inexplicably start transmitting resentment from [Master Artificer].

Come to think of it, this fellow was providing positive emotional feedback when I first entered!

How did I manage to provoke him again!

His mood swings are faster than Xu Longyun’s; so unpredictable and odd!

Having made too many grand promises, Lin Bai had long forgotten his earlier commitments.

However, with so many Disciples in the Beggar Gang, he couldn’t attend to every single one. He paid no mind to [Master Artificer]’s minor grievances and refocused on the God of Craftsmen System tasks.

[Skillful use of hammer; Reward: Precision +1]

[Skillful use of bellows; Reward: Precision +1]

[Skillful use of...]

[Identify 10 types of raw materials; Reward: Precision +1]

...

[Craft a simple handmade item; Reward: Forging Technique]

[Craft a composite item; Reward: Quenching Technique]

[Craft a crude weapon; Reward: Material Identification Technique]

[Forge a piece of refined steel; Reward: Heat Treatment Technique]

[Craft a finished weapon; Reward: Alloy Smelting Technique]

[Craft a splendid composite weapon; Reward: Basic Artifact Refining Technique]

[Forge a Magic Treasure with attributes; Reward: Basic Theory of Magical Items]

...

「Two days and two nights.」

Under the astounded gazes of Zhang the Blacksmith and his son, Lin Bai transformed from a forging novice into a skilled craftsman.

[Master Artificer]’s initial resentment had also turned into admiration. He discovered, to his amazement, that Lin Bai’s progress was even faster than his own.

It reached a point where he couldn’t even tell: was he the Player, or was Lin Bai the Player?

Storyline NPCs are truly something else; they don’t even need a growth period to master Skills...

...

"Absolutely perfect." The composite weapon Lin Bai had just finished crafting was a Bow and Arrow set. He examined it, unable to suppress his admiration.

In my twenty-plus years on Earth, I never imagined I’d one day become a blacksmith, let alone craft a set of weapons with my own hands.

"Indeed, perfect." [Master Artificer] stood beside Lin Bai, also observing the Bow and Arrow. He looked at the circular groove on the arrowhead in confusion. "Storekeeper Lin, I don’t understand why you’d design such a hole on the arrowhead. It doesn’t look like a blood groove, nor is it decorative. It feels like it only increases the forging difficulty without any real purpose."

"Meaningless? That’s only from your perspective." Lin Bai glanced at him with a smile, took out a bottle of Pill Medicine from his robe, tipped one out, and fitted it snugly into the groove. "Don’t forget, I’m also an Alchemist. If a teammate runs out of Pill Medicine during battle and can’t be reached for close-quarters support, these arrows can be used for long-range resupply."

"..." [Master Artificer].

"..." Zhang the Blacksmith and his son.

The live stream’s bullet comments exploded instantly:

"HOLY CRAP! Lin, the Storekeeper’s, thinking is truly out there!"

"I’m speechless! Totally convinced!"

"Truly a... combat medic!"

"Inflict pain upon my teammates! New class: Ranged Combat Medic!"

"You either die in battle or at the hands of your own medic! AHAHAHA..."

"Delivering medicine via arrow... is that going to cause blood loss or replenish health?"

"HAHAHA, on second thought, that’s actually damn practical!"

"There’s nothing you can’t imagine, and nothing Lin, the Storekeeper, can’t achieve!"

...

[Forge a Magic Treasure with attributes (Completed); Reward: Basic Theory of Magical Items (Issued)]

[Arrow of Rejuvenation: An arrow to the abdomen provides continuous healing for internal injuries, while simultaneously causing sustained blood loss.]