In the core region of the Crook Plains, one could encounter a pack of juvenile grassland lions almost every hundred yards. The slightest misstep in positioning would draw the aggro of dozens of them, and near the central great tree of the plains, a group of Level 6 Elite Grassland Lions roamed — making it a zone that even Level 6 players dared not enter.
Yet within this forbidden ground, Bai Qingxue's squad was systematically clearing the surrounding Level 6 juvenile lions, carving out an open space intended for hunting the Elite Grassland Lions. Such a bold move would leave any ordinary player gaping in astonishment.
The squad was engaged in battle against over ten juvenile lions at once.
Bai Qingxue, clad in azure armor, moved with the heroic grace of a goddess of war. Standing like a bulwark that no army could breach, a single casual sword swing sent three juvenile lions flying, while a nimble dodge let her evade the claw strikes of the remaining two. Any expert watching would have had their eyes pop out of their heads — that seemingly offhanded slash had struck vital points on all three lions, and her evasion was nothing short of miraculous, as though she had eyes in the back of her head. Without even turning around, she sidestepped the claws lunging from behind.
On the other side, the Scarlet Flame Witch Zhao Yueru operated like a living cannon. A single Frostfire Burst detonated and erased a third of a juvenile lion's health. When the creature switched aggro and charged toward Zhao Yueru, she let out a contemptuous laugh, murmured the final incantation, and completed the rune inscription with her slender white hand. An Infernal Dragon erupted forth, spewing searing flames that obliterated the charging lion in an instant.
Zhao Yueru's command of magic was masterful to the extreme, and her proficiency with incantation and rune-writing was beyond what most could fathom. Where an ordinary mage needed three seconds, she took only 1.6 — yet her completion rate hit 83%, boosting the Infernal Dragon's Roar by 120%. That was how she one-shotted a juvenile lion with two-thirds of its health remaining.
After a brief while, all ten-plus juvenile lions lay dead.
"Take a breather, then we'll pull the two Elite Grassland Lions over here," Bai Qingxue ordered, gathering the loot drops while eyeing the pair of patrolling elites not far away. "Shield Warrior, you tank one. I'll handle the other."
While the group rested, Bai Qingxue received a message. The sender's name read: Black Flame.
At the sight of that name, Bai Qingxue's brows furrowed slightly. She had previously put out a public notice expressing her interest in cooperating with the Black Flame Blacksmith. Before long, replies had poured in, which had initially excited her — but then message after message had arrived, every single one claiming to be the Black Flame Blacksmith. After a few simple screening questions, she'd discovered they were all imposters trying to swindle her out of money.
"Qingxue, another spam message? Why don't you just set your privacy to block non-friends? That way you won't be bothered," Zhao Yueru suggested, noticing Bai Qingxue's expression.
Bai Qingxue shook her head. "I've never actually met the Black Flame Blacksmith. If the real one does contact us and we miss it, wouldn't the whole effort of posting that notice have been wasted? I'll keep checking. Besides, it's easy enough to tell whether the Black Flame Blacksmith is genuine."
But when Bai Qingxue read the actual message, she froze.
The message was terse and to the point — a straightforward proof of Black Flame's authenticity. It directed her to go to the Virtual Trading Center, enter a specific virtual trading room using a provided login password, and there exchange the blueprint for the Gleaming Breastplate.
"It seems the wait has finally paid off," Bai Qingxue said with a faint smile. From the text alone, she could sense that this Black Flame Blacksmith was genuine. An imposter would never propose a transaction at the Virtual Trading Center — after all, no fake Black Flame would actually possess the blueprint.
"So the real Black Flame contacted you?" Zhao Yueru's eyes lit up the moment she saw Bai Qingxue nod. She was visibly excited, eager to meet this mysterious blacksmith. "When are we meeting?"
Nowadays, the Black Flame Blacksmith was a name everyone knew. He held a blueprint that could give a guild a decisive edge in expanding its influence, and his string of perplexing moves had only just now revealed his true purpose. Zhao Yueru had to admit — the Black Flame Blacksmith was brilliant.
He had spent enormous resources purely to seize the initiative in a strategic game against the major guilds. Now every guild in the White River City region had been drawn into this vortex, forced to play along or risk being edged out by rivals. That kind of effortless mastery — turning the tide with a flick of the wrist — even she found herself somewhat impressed.
Not like certain people, she thought — getting by on dumb luck and acting all high and mighty. Just looking at him was enough to make her blood boil. Compared to the Black Flame Blacksmith, the gap was wider than ten thousand miles.
"He just got in touch, but he won't add friends. He only said to meet at the Fisis Canyon — Level 8 zone — in four hours. It's not far from where we are. I'll go buy the blueprint first, then we finish clearing the Elite Grassland Lions quickly and head over. We should make it." Even Bai Qingxue, usually so composed, looked pleased. Among all the first-rate guilds in the Star Moon Kingdom, Black Flame had chosen to cooperate with them. They were lucky — or perhaps Black Flame had his own agenda. Either way, she couldn't quite figure out his intentions.
"Great! Then let's hurry. What if he gets impatient and decides not to see us?" Zhao Yueru leaped to her feet, grinning.
"Look at you in such a rush. We still have time." Bai Qingxue rolled her eyes. She hadn't expected Zhao Yueru to be this interested in Black Flame — she'd never seen her this enthusiastic about anyone else.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng had already left Red Leaf Town and was heading toward the White Sand Ruins.
The White Sand Ruins was a Level 10 monster zone, and one of the essential leveling spots for players from Red Leaf Town and the surrounding hamlets. It offered a wealth of quests — including guild missions and reputation quests — and, more importantly, two Unique quests. Those Unique quests came with exceptionally generous rewards that would prove highly beneficial for future entry into White River City. That was precisely why Shi Feng had made his way here.
Just as Shi Feng was running through a vast expanse of white sand, a message arrived from Bai Qingxue. She abruptly requested that their agreed-upon meeting time be pushed back by one hour. To compensate for the inconvenience, she would purchase the blueprint for twenty-four thousand Credit Points as originally agreed, plus wire an additional twenty thousand Credit Points on top — extravagant generosity that bordered on absurd.
Shi Feng didn't mind the delay. The quests he needed to do here would take plenty of time anyway.
And twenty thousand Credit Points — that was a white-collar worker's salary for two full months. Bai Qingxue had tossed that out as a mere apology for running late…
This preliminary deal alone had netted him over forty thousand Credit Points. He had to admit, partnering with someone like Bai Qingxue came with serious perks — especially since money was no object to her. Even the wealthiest whales from other virtual games couldn't hold a candle to her.
Following his memory, Shi Feng searched through the White Sand Ruins until he found a little-known hidden path. He followed it for over twenty minutes before spotting a bunker half-buried in the white sand. Guarding its entrance were two Level 10 Elite Black Iron Dwarves.
Inside this bunker awaited a Unique quest: "Steel Shell Fortress — Balutia."