DADH Chapter 52

In Lan City, recently, some strange people have arrived.

They all shared two distinct characteristics.

First, they wore clothes that clearly didn’t match their status and often gathered together, speaking in strange, incomprehensible words that the locals couldn’t understand.

Second, they all wanted to meet the Grandmaster of Artifact Smithing.

Seeing these peculiar outsiders gathering at the doorstep of Ga’erfu’s house, the people of Lan City couldn’t help but shake their heads and sneer, saying, “Do these people really think that Master Gao will be impressed by the rare metals they’ve brought?”

“These outsiders are clueless. They don’t even know how to get on someone’s good side. It’s laughable!”

Finally, a few players noticed the words of the NPC passersby and managed to find out why they were being mocked.

It turned out that this master had a unique forging technique!

He never used high-level or rare metals for crafting tools, yet the results were always divine.

“Amazing! I think this master might be the one for that artifact quest!”

One player wearing a wizard’s hat said excitedly while slamming the ground with a wizard’s staff. This action drew the attention of the nearby Lan City residents.

A real wizard would never treat their wizard’s staff so roughly, so these people seemed suspicious.

The player in wizard’s attire muttered to himself, “This game’s NPCs are just too realistic. I bought a wizard outfit and now I have to maintain the character. I better clean my staff carefully.”

Since an unknown wealthy player had gathered everyone for a map-clearing mission, various side quests in the game had been progressing rapidly.

This artifact quest stood out among a heap of side quests and had a note in the mission description: “Title Quest.”

Now, the game’s leveling groups had reached level 50 and higher, with some power-levelers already hitting level 60, such as the Jing brothers from the Jing family.

As a result, title quests weren’t a new occurrence, and within a few rounds, everyone had figured out the reward rules.

For every title quest, the first three completions or teams received special titles, and the rewards decreased in order of completion.

So, most players readily chose this gleaming title quest.

The quest hints didn’t explicitly mention which master crafted the artifact, only that the master was living in a mixed city.

Among the maps that players had already explored, there were only three mixed cities, and Lan City was one of them.

Players had already approached some masters in these three cities and successfully crafted artifacts, but the quest didn’t show as completed.

Therefore, this quest likely pointed to a special master.

And now!

Was there anything more special than a master who could create artifacts from low-level metals?

No!

Several players on the scene looked at each other with excitement.

They must have found the right person.

However, a few seconds later, they rummaged through their warehouses and backpacks.

Once again, they exchanged glances.

“Guys, I don’t have any low-level metals here. I thought they were useless, so I left them in my warehouse, and now they’re gone.”

“Same.”

“Me too…”

The player in the wizard costume suggested, “Then, let’s not make a fuss for now. Before anyone notices, let’s go get some low-level metals.”

As they were about to leave, they suddenly noticed a little figure in a cloak not far away, asking for directions in a childlike voice.

“Excuse me, sir, can you tell me where 666 Heshun Street is?”

The little one asking the question appeared to be just a young elementary school student.

However, a few players were intrigued by the child’s identity.

Because he was a player!

The players exchanged glances, and their steps paused as they discreetly eavesdropped.

“Haha! Did you say you want to see Master Ga’erfu?”

The local from Lan City whom Jing Nian called “Uncle” lowered his head, glanced at Jing Nian’s height, and burst into hearty laughter. Having encountered outsiders looking for a blacksmith all over town in recent days, a child was a rare sight, so he found it amusing.

Under the cloak, Jing Nian’s face turned slightly red as he pursed his lips.

In his new body, with a pair of small dragon horns on his head, wearing a hooded cloak made him look top-heavy and small-bodied, effectively turning him into a child.

He was aware that his current height and physique were somewhat cute and lacked credibility.

But he wanted to go home, and he had no choice.

Feeling other eyes on him, Jing Nian tiptoed and tilted his head slightly, looking to the right of the passerby NPC.

And he locked eyes with four or five pairs of prying gazes.

Jing Nian also recognized their identities; they were players.

Then, Jing Nian noticed the levels of these players, and a trace of hidden surprise flashed in his eyes.

55, 56, 54, 57, 58!

What’s going on with their levels???

It had only been a few days, how could they have leveled up so much?

Suppressing the surprise in his heart, Jing Nian averted his gaze. For him, finding the source of the mushroom was more important now.

He decided that he would meet Ga’erfu first and then check the situation on the players’ side.

On the other side, the five players noticed that Jing Nian had spotted them, and they straightened their heads, their gazes becoming alert as they followed his glance.

‘Oh no!’

‘This is bad!’

‘This little guy got ahead of us!’

‘Should we (kill and loot)?’

…

The group of players began frantically communicating in their private channel.

Jing Nian didn’t pay any more attention to those people. He followed the NPC “Uncle’s” hand to look at where he was pointing.

Not far away, there was a tightly closed, massive stone door. The stone door was carved with intricate patterns and, even more notably, various types of locks were carved onto it, each with countless layers of locks…

Jing Nian tilted his head back to look at both sides of the stone door. Not only was the stone door locked, but the courtyard walls of the entire house were also built very high.

Heavy fortifications were evident, and one could tell at a glance that the owner of this house must be eccentric and reclusive, not liking to interact with people, and constantly keeping the message “No Visitors Allowed” on the front door.

Jing Nian: “…”

For some reason, the style seemed vaguely familiar.

He suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Ga’erfu once.

At that time, Ga’erfu seemed to have mentioned that ever since the forging guild recognized his forging work, annoying spirits had been bothering him more and more.

To get him to work, some folks would stop at nothing, even trying to break into his place.

Coincidentally, a big client had given him a house.

So, he reinforced the door and built tall walls.

After reminiscing, Jing Nian looked up at the house that was even more tightly secured than the starship prison he was more familiar with.

Jing Nian: “…”

What he thought of as “high” was just relative to his dwarf friend; he never expected it to be this truly high.

Jing Nian suspected that with such a high stone door, Ga’erfu might not even hear him knocking on it. He considered using a magic message to inform Ga’erfu. Jing Nian gently lifted the nearest lock clasp, preparing to knock on the door, when suddenly the stone door lit up.

Noticing the light, the five players and the people from Lan City who had gathered to watch, all craned their necks to look over.

After the light faded, a small door suddenly opened beneath the massive stone door.

The size of the stone door was just right for two Jing Nians standing side by side.

It was clear that this was custom-made.

The next moment, a cheerful voice came from inside the door:

“Friend, come on in!”

As the voice fell, Ga’erfu, who had not been seen for a long time, came out of the small door, swinging his arms and legs. His big red nose was still a familiar sight.

Jing Nian was momentarily stunned, and then a smile appeared on his face under the cloak. Following Ga’erfu, he entered the door in the heat of everyone’s gaze.

Not long after, the players learned some news.

[The champion title for that artifact quest is gone!!!]

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