The Devil’s Cage

After getting off the train in the big city, Kieran followed the address Rachel had provided and strolled along the street.

When Kieran finally stopped, a half open-air smithing shop with a signboard of a hanging hammer and furnace appeared within his sight.

Other than the absent display rack and him being unable to look inside from the outside, it really looked like a real smithing shop that could also be found in real life.

This place was the first destination Kieran visited: Xiu Bai’s place.

When Kieran requested for entry, he was granted it in the very next second.

His sight blacked out for a second before it lit up again, thus revealing a big room before him.

A heatwave that blew across his face captured his attention right away.

A massive furnace that occupied most of the center spot was burning fiercely; the heatwaves that came out of it made it hard for one to breathe.

Around the furnace were 22 square wooden pillars that required at least two men to move. The pillars were wrapped with an extra layer of metal skin, making them look extra sturdy. Together with the bluestone floor, the whole room looked a little older.

“2567? The alleged Blade of the Daybreaker, the Fiery Emperor?”

After the rough voice came an extremely tall woman who walked over to Kieran.

The woman wasn’t just tall, her body was extremely buff as well, especially around her shoulders and her deltoid muscles, which almost looked like 3D cubes. Many self-proclaimed strong men would break a sweat before her.

Xiu Bai’s body together with her wheat-colored skin emanated a natural sense of pressure.

Kieran’s sharp perception even sensed a dash of a “wild and primitive” aura from her.

“Some kind of special bloodline?”

Kieran was guessing this in his heart, but he didn’t allow the rough appearance to rob him of his basic manners.

“Nice to meet you, Xiu Bai,” Kieran said with a nod.

Offering a handshake to a lady on the first meeting wasn’t a great option.

Kieran learned this lesson in the past because of his ignorance, and since then, he had branded the lesson in his mind.

Xiu Bai, however, looked a little dubious at Kieran’s greeting.

“Hi.”

Xiu Bai then leaned on one of the metal pillars and took out a system contract.

The contract stated the responsibility Xiu Bai had to uptake as a smither, in addition to keeping the items she repaired a secret. The part that concerned Kieran was the price that was listed down already.

“Starting from 100K?”

Kieran muttered that number, which didn’t seem much to him.

100K to repair an item of Advance Ranks was quite worthwhile, even a lesser rank like Above Legendary would be worth it, but when it was listed as “starting from” and had no upper limit, Kieran had to make things clear.

“This is the item I want to repair. How much will you need?”

Kieran screenshotted [Extreme Night] and sent over the details.

“Damaged and a rank II weapon? Can I have a look at the real thing?”

Xiu Bai’s eyes shone when she saw the picture with [Extreme Night]’s details.

“Sure.”

With the existence of the system contract and its bindings, Kieran passed [Extreme Night] to her without worry.

Then, Kieran witnessed a scene of Xiu Bai obsessing.

Xiu Bai held [Extreme Night] like a devout believer. She softly caressed the sheathe before slowly drawing the blade out little by a little as if she was afraid that she would break it if she was any rougher. When she finally saw the cracked bladed body of [Extreme Night], Kieran clearly noticed how Xiu Bai’s breath had stopped.

It seemed that her heartache had caused difficulties for her breathing functions?

Kieran was looking at her with an interesting gaze.

Everyone had something that they were passionate about.

Some loved to eat while others lusted for money, but being obsessed with swords, it was a first for Kieran.

After a full 20 seconds, Xiu Bai finally came to her senses.

“I wouldn’t suggest that you allow me to fix it. I am not confident enough. I can feel that this blade contains powerful energy and it’s something that I cannot handle,” Xiu Bai shook her head and said honestly.

Her honesty won a sense of fondness from Kieran.

“If you were to level up your techniques, would you be able to fix it then?” asked Kieran.

Xiu Bai nodded in assurance first before saying in a helpless tone, “Of course, but that’s something a lot further ahead.”

The duration she mentioned seemed to exceed Kieran’s expectation by a lot.

Kieran, of course, couldn’t wait that long for her.

After all, Kieran would have acquired a much stronger weapon by then.

Given how fast Kieran himself grew, it was an almost certain fact.

Kieran heard something between the lines, but he didn’t say anything to Xiu Bai.

He wouldn’t just throw away some special equipment though.

People who abandoned their partner would eventually face betrayal from their partner.

No one understood better than Kieran how precious the warmth of his partner was when he was alone and helpless.

However, Kieran didn’t explain any of this to Xiu Bai, as they weren’t that close.

“Thanks anyway. I’ll try with the others.”

Kieran nodded before walking out of the establishment.

According to Kieran’s plan, Xiu Bai’s place was the one with the least hope anyway, but even if she couldn’t help, Kieran still had two other options, so he didn’t feel sad about it.

However, soon enough, Kieran faced his second failure.

Kieran didn’t even get to meet Doordolde in person before he was rejected.

The reason for rejection was simple: busy.

One word rendered Kieran speechless.

He stood in front of Doordolde’s door and raised a confused brow.

No one could do anything to a player if they hadn’t left their room, Kieran included.

Moreover, neither of them had any quarrels with each other.

Kieran wasn’t someone who would bully others with his powers. His character determined that before there was truly a conflict of profit, he would hardly coerce or bribe a stranger.

So, he opened his PM tab.

….

2567: I need the location of Swordsmith Alisritter.

2567: Anyone who tells me and proves to be valid with their information will get a 1000 Point reward.

Rachel: 1000 Points? Stingy.

….

Kieran laughed when he saw Rachel’s reply.

He was indeed stingy.

It was already a solid, known fact, so to hell with what others said about him—he didn’t care as long as it was fruitful.

1000 Points wasn’t much by any means but he would add on slowly. Who would really offer the highest price at the start of a bargain?

It would be too wasteful.

With his meticulous, calculative heart, Kieran counted the time quietly.

He was prepared to raise the price after half an hour, to a point that it would be enough to attract attention.

But before the time was up, Kieran received a reply from Rachel.

…

Rachel: Swordsmith Alisritter has been located.

Rachel: Around the outer ring of the big city.

…

A map followed the reply as well, but when Kieran saw the tagged location, his face turned strange.