“Lord, do we need to send a few troops to guard the underground tunnel?”
Gray looked at the troop that passed through the two-way portal and hesitated.
“The underground passage is not a secret if the gray-colored dwarves retaliate…”
For the past few days, Twilight City ran amuck in the underworld.
The amount of wealth they had plundered from the gray-colored dwarves was the hatred they had for them.
Richard said while he shook his head.
“Let the blood-colored mummies initially stationed here continue to be on guard. It’s enough to inform the tree roots beforehand if enemies are coming.”
It was not much of use to send defensive troops.
If they sent too many, Twilight City could not handle the troops. If they sent too few, they could not deal with the enemy.
They stationed the god’s ancient tree on the other side of the two-way portal.
If the other party wanted to go to the surface through the teleportation formation, it would be a piece of cake.
Moreover, spatial energy protected the two-way portal. Even extraordinary hunters could not destroy it, so there was no need to worry about the other party’s destruction.
Gray immediately stopped talking.
After Richard made some simple arrangements, he watched the last skeletal blood dragon leave without hesitation.
He let Alves, who sat down, fold its wings and cross the portal with his body lowered.
After it passed through a small obstacle, Richard saw the towering figure of the god’s ancient tree.
He revealed a smile on his face.
The feeling he traveled a hundred miles with one step was perfect.
Unfortunately, the two-way portal was a 4-stars treasure that only luck could provide.
Otherwise, they could expand the sphere of influence of Twilight City by a lot.
After Richard instructed the abomination Gu Shumi to guard the two-way portal, he returned to Twilight City with his troops.
The sun was about to sink into the earth, and the orange setting sun shone on his body. It gave him a layer of dazzling armor.
Coupled with his outstanding temperament, Richard was striking.
It was especially true for the young women of the city. Their faces reddened at the sight of him, and their eyes glowed.
He wanted to take a few more glances, but he was somehow shy and didn’t dare to.
After Richard dismissed the troops, he didn’t return to the Lord’s mansion. Instead, he went straight to the blacksmith shop.
“Lord Richard, you’re back!”
When Adele saw him, she was pleasantly surprised. She wiped the sweat off her forehead.
She didn’t notice some dust on her hand, which left a distinct mark on her face.
However, with that lovely face, she looked a little more playful.
“You’re back. The harvest this time is not bad.”
Richard looked at the young girl’s smile. His mood improved.
“How’s the forging of the dragon-hunting crossbow?”
Adele responded in a light tone.
“We have completed the preliminary preparations. As long as the rare resources are in place, we can make five dragon-hunting crossbows in three days.”
The dragon-hunting crossbow was a 4-stars treasure, and Richard had always regarded it as a trump card.
They developed this to hunt giant dragons. So one could imagine its destructive power.
In the dungeon that was about to open, there was no need to think to know that a powerful boss would appear.
He could not stop the other party, so it was a perfect defense system for Twilight City.
The dragon-hunting crossbow existed to kill bosses.
The weapon was powerful, but the resources it required were also ridiculous–5000 units of mercury, 5000 units of sulfur, 5000 units of crystal, 1000 units of refined iron, the fascia of a dragon above level 15 or a mixed-blood dragon, and a notable blacksmith.
With this in mind, he glanced at his attribute panel, and the feeling of getting rich instantly disappeared by half.
“Damn, after plundering so much from the underground world, I only had enough to forge three to five dragon-hunting crossbows.”
He wasn’t sure if it was because the underground world was destitute or if this thing was genuinely precious.
However, there was scant to say about the level of a 4-stars treasure.
“I’ll give you ten thousand units of mercury, sulfur, and crystal each for the time being to forge two swords.”
“We have completed one Hurricane Arrow Tower, and two more were still under construction.”
There should be at least one dragon-hunting crossbow in each of the three arrow towers.
In addition to the one he smithed earlier, he now had three.
“Forge six dragon-hunting crossbow bolts first, and I’ll also give you the resources.”
The dragon-hunting crossbow was relatively cheap. It required 500 units of crystal, 500 units of sulfur, 500 units of mercury, and 100 units of refined iron.
However, as a consumable, the crossbow bolts were also expensive.
As a result, 39,000 units in this wave and the rare resources in his hands immediately fell sharply.
[Gems: 12,329 units]
[Mercury: 41,320 units]
[Sulfur: 412 units]
[Crystal: 19,306 units]
The other resources were still sufficient, but there was a shortage of sulfur, so he could not continue to increase the price.
Richard’s head hurt.
“The financial resources of Twilight City are not enough to use the dragon-hunting crossbow as you please, so you need to make some ordinary heavy crossbows to match it…”
Adele said with a paltry admiration.
“It’s alright, Lord. It’s already enough that you’ve developed Twilight City into such a powerful state in just three months.
“These difficulties are only temporary. I believe we can solve them soon.”
Richard’s heart warmed at the trust in those eyes.
He reached out and pinched the girl’s face and wiped away the mark on her forehead.
When Richard saw the young girl’s face turn red and shyness filled her eyes, he laughed.
“Did you find any apprentices with the potential to become heroes?”
Adele was busy with her tasks. She lost time on technology research and development.
It was imperative to train a second blacksmith.
One of the conditions for upgrading Twilight City from a level 3 small city to a medium city was to possess advanced technology.
However, relative conditions had stuck the technology of Twilight City for a long time, and they only had three primary technologies.
When Adele heard this, her eyes flickered. She said hesitantly.
“Lord Richard, there’s a potential candidate among the residents of Twilight City …”
Richard raised an eyebrow.
“What now? Is the candidate not willing to join the blacksmith shop?”
Adele shook her head.
“No, that’s not the reason. It’s… The candidate only has one arm.”
“Only one arm?”
Richard flinched.
“An arm? Then, how would the candidate forge?”
Although Adele intended to train him to be a hero who specialized in research technology, forging was the root of the blacksmith profession.
No matter what industry, losing an arm was more difficult than usual people encounter.
Not to mention the blacksmith profession.
Richard wasn’t the only one who had the same question.
Sam’s choice puzzled the people around him.
It was simply too arduous for a person with a missing arm to choose the profession of a blacksmith.
“Sam, I heard the blacksmith hired you?”
Sam, who had just returned from the blacksmith’s shop, wiped the sweat off his forehead with his right hand. He looked at the woman in front of him and nodded with a smile.
“That’s right, Auntie Marie.
“Lady Adele hired me.”
Auntie Marie said while her heart ached.
“Silly boy, of all the things you can do, why would you choose to be a blacksmith?
“You can only… Sigh.”
“If you’re not used to it, you can go to the agricultural area and help me manage the Russian olive forest and sand barley… Thanks to his lordship’s trust, I am in charge of the agricultural area. I am currently recruiting people.”
Her round face was like a red apple and was oddly kind at this time.
Sam was very grateful. This lady lord had helped them a lot in the past few days.
“Thank you, Madam Marie. But I’m already a part of the blacksmith shop. I would no longer trouble you.”
He said seriously.
“I like the blacksmith profession. I like the feeling of forging ores into farm tools and weapons.”
As he said that, he turned his head and looked into the room with a gentle gaze.
“Also, Shanna likes it when I become a blacksmith.”
Auntie Marie sighed again.
“You’re a good child, and Shanna is a blessed person…”
Before he could finish, the door opened.
A freckled girl in a coarse, long dress appeared at the door.
The girl’s face was thin due to long-term malnutrition.
Surprisingly, the freckled girl’s eyes were wide open when she looked at the two people from the door. There was no focus at all.
They were like the eyes of a mechanical puppet.
The girl pushed the door open and faced the side where neither of them was.
“Sam, you’re back?”
“I heard Auntie Marie’s voice. Auntie Marie, are you there?”
Her tone was as light as a sparrow’s.
When Auntie Marie saw this, her heart ached.
“Shanna, I’m here.”
When the freckled girl heard the sound, she held onto the wall and turned around carefully.
“Good afternoon, Auntie Marie. Thank you for the olives you sent over last time. They were delicious.”
Her eyes were still unfocused.
Auntie Marie stepped forward and supported her.
“If you like them, I’ll send more next time.”
Then, she turned to look at Sam.
“Your sweetheart went to the blacksmith shop to apply for a job today. They had already hired him. From now on, he will work for the lord. That is a decent job.
“His lordship places great importance on the blacksmith shop.”
When the freckled girl heard this, surprise shrouded her face. She turned in the direction of the voice, but she couldn’t face Sam.
“Sam, is this true? The blacksmith hired you? You can work for the lord in the future?”
Something suddenly seemed to block Sam’s throat.
He nodded vigorously.
“Shanna, that’s right! The blacksmith shop has already hired me, and I’ll get a salary every month!”
“We don’t have to receive any more financial aid from the lord. We can earn our own money to buy food.”
The girl clapped her hands excitedly.
“That’s great! Sam, I knew you could do it!”
He seemed to have thought of something and suddenly said carefully as she spoke.
“They… The lord didn’t say anything to you, right?”
Sam shook his head.
“No, Shanna. The master in the blacksmith shop values me very much. They didn’t have any objections because I’m missing an arm!”
Auntie Marie felt a lump in her throat when she heard this.
How could it be so easy for an ordinary person with a broken arm to join the highest-ranking blacksmith in Twilight City?
When she thought of this, she felt an inexplicable sense of pride.
They were in Twilight City, not any other city.
The lord and the residents will not discriminate against capable candidates.
“That’s right. Sam is capable.
“Don’t worry, Shanna. This is Twilight City, under Lord Richard’s rule! No one would dare to do such a thing!
“And I’m here. Whoever dares to bully Sam, I’ll back them up!”
The girl instantly smiled.
“Thank you, Auntie Marie!”
After Aunt Marie said that, she turned to face Sam again. This time, she finally faced him.
She said in a solemn tone.
“Sam, Twilight City is a territory worth protecting. The lord’s kindness to us is more precious than gold.
“Go to the blacksmith’s shop and work hard. Contribute to Twilight City and his lordship.
“Without Twilight City, we could have died already in the broken temple.
“We’ve moved through so many territories, but have you seen that values ordinary residents like Twilight City?
“They did not discriminate or oppress us. They gave us a warm and safe house and enough food…
“This is a huge favor. Without Twilight City, we could have never found a home to live in peace.
“Sam, I know you’d have a better life without me. That’s why I hope you can still live well even if I’m not here one day.
“Your talent is not limited to this. You can shine in Twilight City…”
Sam looked at the solemn girl in front of him, and his eyes turned red.
The girl’s eyes were still devoid of spirit, but in his eyes, they were as bright as the starry sky.
That night, someone summoned Sam to the Lord’s mansion.
Then, the second blacksmith was born in the city.
Before Sam left the Lord’s mansion, the young man with only one arm knelt in front of the gate and kowtowed nine times.
He silently swore in his heart that in this life, he would only be for Shanna and Twilight City…
[Ding~ The Axe of the Dead is a medium attack. Twenty days, estimated resources required: 20,000 gold coins, 20,000 units of stone, 100,000 units of iron ore, success rate: 60%.]
Richard was in a good mood while he glanced at the system notification system.
After more than a month, Twilight City finally launched the technological research of the city.
This time, it was no longer the precious Adele who took this heavy responsibility. But the blacksmith master whom she bestowed with the power of a hero–Sam.
Richard was pleasantly surprised to see three of the man’s remarkable traits after he summoned him–tenacity, intelligence, and diligence.
Sam has yet to become a hero.
The two residents Richard had previously promoted to heroes only had one characteristic.
It was no wonder Adele thought so highly of him.
Later on, Richard learned that this one-armed blacksmith had lived alone with a blind girl, and it quite touched him.
He had found them in the desert. Before the accident, they had planned to cross the desert of death…
The two physically disabled sweethearts snuggled up to each other and wanted to cross the vast desert.
That feeling made him silent just thinking about it.
The heavens had deprived them of a lot, so he would give them hope again.
After Sam became a hero, his attributes were also quite good.
He now had the attribute bonus of increasing the success rate of research and development by 20%.
Although he was not as outstanding as Adele, he could unquestionably take on the substantial task of developing technology.
After Richard provided the resources for research and development at the blacksmith shop, he returned to the mansion.
As soon as he entered the house, the system notification suddenly rang.
[Ding~ This week is disaster week. It will resurrect the dead. Lords, please be prepared.]
[Ding~ The system has refreshed the troop lairs. Lords, please recruit your soldiers.]