"You're really telling me you only need three iron ingots to make this kind of axe?"
Fu Xuan still found Fu Zhu's words somewhat hard to believe. While she wasn't an expert in craftsmanship, an axe with such capabilities requiring only the most common of materials?
Faced with Fu Xuan's disbelief, Fu Zhu felt a bit helpless. "At this level, if it were a lie, it surely wouldn't fool our great Diviner, would it?"
Fu Xuan's delicate cheeks flushed a faint red. Her gaze darted away as she raised a fist to her lips and coughed lightly, trying to ease her embarrassment.
"Of course! This Seat knew from the start that every word you spoke was true. I was merely asking again out of surprise."
Sitting beside Fu Zhu, Xing, who had been observing with her arms crossed the entire time, noticed the change in Fu Xuan's expression. She couldn't help but frown, leaning over to whisper in March 7th's ear.
"March, why do I get the feeling the great Diviner is a bit like Bronya?"
"Bronya?" March 7th stared at Fu Xuan, studying her from top to bottom, but failed to see any resemblance to Bronya.
"I don't see it. Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
If she had to point out a similarity, it would probably be the air of authority that came from holding a high position for a long time.
Xing crossed her arms and furrowed her brow in deep thought.
She was certain her feeling was correct, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
Fu Xuan carefully examined the two iron axes, one in Fu Zhu's hand and one in her own, and after confirming there was no difference, she hesitated for a moment.
"Fu Zhu, could I borrow the axe in my hand to take back as evidence for the General?"
The iron axe Fu Zhu had created seemed to possess a power that could counter [The Abundance]. This was a matter of great importance and had to be reported to Jing Yuan. The axe itself was the most direct proof.
Fu Zhu agreed without a second thought. After all, he was the one at fault for having chopped down the Ambrosial Arbor. Being able to atone for his mistake with an iron axe that had half its durability gone was an absolute bargain.
"Of course, you can. It's just an iron axe. Consider it a gift to the Luofu."
Fu Zhu's generosity left Fu Xuan unsure how to respond. After hesitating for a long moment, she came up with an idea.
"Thank you. Then this Seat shall accept it as a gift. Later, if you have time, I would like to treat you to a meal."
After saying this, Fu Xuan couldn't help but praise herself silently. She had been worrying about how to ask Fu Zhu out to get to know him better. After all, she couldn't possibly remain a stranger to her own fated person. Now that Fu Zhu had given her the axe, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?
"Alright, just let me know when you've picked a time," Fu Zhu nodded in agreement.
While he didn't quite understand why Fu Xuan was the one inviting him to a meal when he was giving the axe to the Luofu—logically, it should have been Jing Yuan—it was a minor detail. It didn't matter; he was the one profiting from the exchange. Not only did he make up for his mistake with a single iron axe, but he also improved their relationship and even scored a free meal. This was a fantastic deal.
Just then, there was a knock on the interrogation room door.
"Great Diviner, Mr. Welt has arrived."
"Let him in."
The door was pushed open and Welt Yang walked in. His gaze immediately fell upon the three figures of Fu Zhu's group, sitting upright opposite Fu Xuan. The only strange thing was the lack of a table between the four of them; there were only four chairs facing each other.
This didn't look like a proper interrogation scene at all.
For him, however, this was good news. When he received the call earlier, he had already prepared himself for a jailbreak.
"Lady Diviner, may I ask what happened to these three?"
Fu Xuan stood up, a smile on her lips as she explained, "It was just a small misunderstanding. These three were unaware that the Ambrosial Arbor was off-limits and rashly went over to take pictures. A few other things happened in between, but let's leave the details for tomorrow at the Seat of Divine Foresight. Mr. Welt, you can take them with you for now."
Although Fu Xuan's explanation was rather vague, it put Welt's mind at ease. At the very least, Fu Zhu was still smiling at him, which meant the relationship between the Astral Express and the Luofu had not soured.
"Alright, then I'll take them back with me."
Welt shot a look at Fu Zhu's group. The three of them quickly stood up from their chairs and obediently followed him out of the room.
After the four of them left the Cloud Knights' detention center, Welt finally turned his head to the three little ones trailing behind him and asked.
"So, what great trouble did you three get into this time?"
First, it was capturing a Stellaron Hunter. Don't tell me you found a Stellaron this time?
Fu Zhu scratched the back of his head sheepishly. The current atmosphere gave him the awkward feeling of a child who had been caught doing something wrong by his parents.
"While we were taking pictures, I accidentally chopped down the Ambrosial Arbor. But don't worry, Uncle Yang, I restored it! Besides, the Luofu seems to have its own opinions about the Ambrosial Arbor, so Fu Xuan didn't intend to pursue our responsibility for cutting it down."
Fu Zhu's words filled in the gaps from Fu Xuan's earlier explanation, allowing Welt to understand the cause and effect of the situation.
But after hearing it, he couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Didn't Dan Heng say this Fu Zhu kid was very reliable?
How did he start causing trouble with March? Was he led astray by her?
As Welt thought this, he couldn't help but cast a suspicious glance at March 7th.
March 7th sensed the doubt in Welt's gaze and immediately pouted in grievance, though she didn't know how to argue back. In their past Trailblazing journeys, she had indeed been the one to cause the most trouble.
"Alright, since it's nothing major, let's head back to the guesthouse to rest. We still have to see General Jing Yuan at the Seat of Divine Foresight tomorrow. I've also ordered a grand feast for you at the guesthouse as a reward," Welt said.
"Yay!"
At the mention of a grand feast, the previously dejected March 7th and Xing instantly perked up.
"Then let's go quickly!"
Late at night, after enjoying the grand feast Welt had prepared for them, Fu Zhu's group returned to their respective rooms to rest.
Fu Zhu rested for a short while before pulling out his phone to check the time. It was almost time for his meeting with the Disciples of the Medicine King.
Back at the detention center, he hadn't mentioned this to Fu Xuan because he wasn't sure of the situation.
It was a good chance to investigate tonight. If that group was related to the Stellaron, he would report the situation to Jing Yuan tomorrow and let them handle it.
However, if they were truly involved with the Stellaron, a conflict was highly likely, and a battle might be unavoidable.
Fu Zhu felt that his current strength was not yet enough to run rampant on the Luofu, so he needed to make some preparations before setting out.
First was upgrading his weapon.
Fu Zhu had already purchased the SlashBlade MOD, but he had been unable to craft any of the advanced blades, so he had put it on the back burner.
But now, it was absolutely necessary to craft a blade to deal with various attacks. Although the Divine Sword of Meteorfall had high damage, it wasn't fully repaired and still had room for improvement. Besides, the Divine Sword was ultimately just a weapon without special mechanics. In terms of mechanics alone, it couldn't compare to any of the swords in the SlashBlade MOD.
Fu Zhu glanced at the materials in his inventory, then placed down a crafting table. The only blade he could currently make was the starting point for all SlashBlades—
Nameless Sword [Wooden Puppet].
As the most basic weapon in the SlashBlade series, the Wooden Puppet only required a wooden sword with a bit of durability used and two wooden planks to craft.
Even though it was a starter weapon, it still possessed all the characteristics of a SlashBlade. Its high attack speed and low crafting cost alone were enough to crush a standard diamond sword.
[Achievement Unlocked: Nameless Sword "Wooden Puppet"]
[Received: 1 Achievement Point]
"I didn't expect adding the SlashBlade MOD would also add its own set of exclusive achievements. This is some good news."
Fu Zhu had originally planned to just pick a strong sword from the mod to craft, but now it seemed collecting them all was absolutely necessary.
With his weapon prepared, Fu Zhu took out his phone and sent a message to Xing, telling her he was heading out and that if she received another message from him, regardless of the content, she was to immediately provide backup based on his location.
After securing his support, Fu Zhu placed the [Wooden Puppet] in his item bar, ready to be equipped at any moment.
Just as he was about to leave, his room door was suddenly pushed open, and Xing burst in, holding her phone.
"Old Bro! Why aren't you taking me with you on a big mission! I want to go out and play too!"
Seeing it was her, Fu Zhu walked over speechlessly and gave her a light chop on the head. The girl immediately clutched her head and let out a pained "Ouch."
"I told you very clearly in the message, I'm going out on business! Not to play!"
Xing clutched her head, looking aggrieved. "Isn't going through the main storyline even more reason to take me? If you're the male protagonist, then I'm at least the female lead!"
Fu Zhu rolled his eyes, not wanting to waste his breath arguing with her on this matter.
"Have you ever considered what happens if we both go out and get wiped out?"
"No problem!"
Xing immediately grabbed her phone and tapped away furiously. She made a slight edit to the message Fu Zhu had sent her and forwarded it to March 7th and Welt. Then, as if presenting a treasure, she turned her phone around for Fu Zhu to see.
"See, I told March and Uncle Yang about it. If anything happens, they'll come bail us out!"
Fu Zhu had wanted to say something more to refuse her, but seeing Welt's reply of "Be safe," he could only nod and agree.
"Fine. But you are not allowed to speak without my permission when we're outside!"
"Mm!"
With Xing's promise, Fu Zhu finally took a Golden Apple from his inventory and handed it to her, instructing her to eat it immediately if she got hurt.
He himself had the Saturation effect from the Trailblaze blessing, allowing him to regenerate health naturally. The biggest use of a Golden Apple for him was the temporary health boost, which was far less useful than giving it to Xing.
After giving his instructions, Fu Zhu finally led her out of the room. The moment the two of them stepped out of the guesthouse, the Iron Golem that had been standing guard outside the main entrance immediately followed them.
Fu Zhu immediately turned and ordered the Iron Golem to stop. "Iron Golem, you stay here and protect March 7th and Uncle Yang."
Although the Iron Golem would be a huge help if it came with him, its large size made it too conspicuous for this operation. It was better to leave it at the guesthouse to protect the others.
Besides, the moment he took any damage, the Iron Golem would instantly rush to his side anyway.
"Let's go."
Fu Zhu called to Xing, and the two of them headed for the teahouse the Disciples of the Medicine King had specified.
Although it was deep into the night, many shops in Changlefang were still lit, and a few pedestrians could be seen on the streets.
Soon, the two arrived in front of the designated teahouse. Even though it was late, there were still two tables set up in the open space outside, with four people sitting at each table drinking tea.
Although they were drinking tea, Fu Zhu and Xing both noticed the eight individuals' gazes constantly scanning the surroundings. The moment the two of them appeared, the gazes of all eight fell upon them, filled with scrutiny.
Fu Zhu stole a glance at his minimap. The names of these eight people all had the "Disciple of the Medicine King" prefix, just like the Lu Renjia he had encountered at the Ambrosial Arbor, though they lacked the Alchemy Commission prefix. It was obvious they were part of the same group.
Fu Zhu gave Xing a look, signaling her not to speak rashly, and then walked over with a confident stride.
The moment they approached, two men immediately stood up from their seats.
"Are you the two who have come for the appointment?"
Fu Zhu nodded with a deliberately cold expression. Since this Lu Renjia and his group had mistaken him for some big shot, he had to act the part.
The more arrogant, the better!
"Sirs, this way please."
The man in front didn't ask any more questions. Seeing Fu Zhu nod, he led the two of them into the teahouse, all the way up to a private room on the second floor.
After Fu Zhu and Xing entered the room, the man closed the door and left.
Inside the room, a woman was sitting at a table, sipping tea. Hearing the commotion, she looked up, but her eyes were bound by a silk ribbon.
"You're earlier than expected. Did you bring the Stellaron?"
A Stellaron?
Fu Zhu and Xing couldn't help but exchange a glance, a flicker of surprise in their hearts.
They had really stumbled their way into a key plotline by sheer luck.
"Why aren't you speaking?"
The woman waited for a long time without a response from Fu Zhu, and her tone began to grow cold.
Fu Zhu also noticed that a large number of yellow markers had gathered outside the room on his minimap. It was clear their counterparts didn't fully believe he was the person they were waiting for.
After a moment's thought, Fu Zhu reached out and took the Stellaron from Jarilo-VI, holding it in his hand.
"What? You dare to doubt me?"