"Stop! Let go of that Mara-Struck!"
The young swordsman rushed forward, drawing the longsword from his waist—scabbard and all—and thrust it forward, intercepting the greatsword Fu Zhu was about to bring down.
But the moment the young man's longsword made contact with Fu Zhu's greatsword, he felt an irresistible force transmit from his own blade, his expression changing drastically.
Fu Zhu's Godfall Sword pushed straight through the resistance of the young man's longsword and stabbed directly into the chest of the Mara-Struck individual lying on the ground.
Fu Zhu tilted his head with a somewhat peculiar expression to glance at the youth who had tried to stop him. In this day and age, someone actually thought they could block Steve's attack with a weapon?
Steve's attacks could never be interrupted from beginning to end; they could only be blocked by shields or other weapons with parrying mods.
As long as Fu Zhu swung his weapon, an attack roll would inevitably occur, followed by a determination of whether the attack caused damage.
Even an Aeon couldn't interrupt Fu Zhu's attack, let alone this young fellow before him who looked like he was still in junior high.
However, Fu Zhu didn't continue attacking the motionless Mara-Struck on the ground. It wasn't because he was afraid of the sword-wielding youngster, but more so due to the Cloud Knights accompanying him.
Although he didn't know which department or faction these fully armed soldiers belonged to, seeing their identical armor, they were most likely an official violent arm of the Luofu. If he continued to act, he might cause unnecessary trouble.
It was just a monster that could revive. At worst, he could secretly catch a few and raise them in a mob grinder. There was no need to provoke the Luofu's official forces at a time like this.
"And you are?"
Fu Zhu retracted his Godfall Sword but kept the shield in his off-hand raised, maintaining a relatively safe distance from the Mara-Struck.
He couldn't be sure if this Mara-Struck was truly dead. What if it learned from him and launched a sneak attack while others were in a cutscene? That would be a heavy loss.
The young swordsman stared blankly at Fu Zhu for a good while before snapping back to reality. He re-sheathed the longsword at his waist, almost imperceptibly rubbing the wrist that had held the sword, then politely cupped his fist towards Fu Zhu.
"I am Yanqing, Captain of the General's personal guard. Might I ask who you are, sir?"
This kid is quite polite!
Although Yanqing had just interrupted his mob grinding, since he was being polite, Fu Zhu also smiled and nodded at him.
"A Nameless of the Astral Express, Fu Zhu."
Upon hearing Fu Zhu was a Trailblazer, Yanqing's face immediately showed a bit more warmth and a smile.
"So it is Sir Nameless from the Astral Express! Yanqing has long heard of your renown and yearned to meet you. To encounter you today is truly a great fortune!"
Fu Zhu almost instinctively followed up with, "Sing to express my aspirations?"
"Ah?" Yanqing paused, suddenly a bit confused.
Could this be some kind of secret code among the Nameless?
Yanqing quickly explained, "Sir Fu Zhu misunderstands. Yanqing is merely a native of the Xianzhou and is meeting a renowned Nameless for the first time."
Now it was Fu Zhu's turn to be a little confused. Why did Yanqing specifically point that out?
Though he didn't understand that point, Fu Zhu had at least figured out one thing: Yanqing and the fully armed soldiers behind him were indeed an official organization on the Luofu.
The proof was Yanqing's self-introduction just now and his manner of speaking.
So young, yet speaking in such elaborate pleasantries, he could only be from an official organization.
After a simple exchange, Yanqing brought the topic back to the Mara-Struck individual.
"Sir Fu Zhu, why were you fighting a Mara-Struck in the street?"
Fu Zhu immediately retorted, "Are you suggesting a Nameless should stand by and watch someone die? Although I don't know what a Mara-Struck is, I happened to pass by and saw this Mara-Struck individual seemingly about to attack someone, so I intervened. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"Of course not!"
Yanqing quickly waved his hand, then showed a puzzled expression. "But according to the report I received, Sir Fu Zhu, you had already drawn your weapon before this person succumbed to Mara. Could it be that you...!!"
Although Yanqing didn't finish his sentence, Fu Zhu could guess what he wanted to ask. It was simply about how he knew someone was about to succumb to Mara, and whether he had any connection to this person's Mara-Struck transformation.
To this, Fu Zhu's response was... a smile.
Seeing Fu Zhu staring at him with a smile, Yanqing immediately knew he had misspoken and quickly cupped his fists in apology.
"My apologies, Sir Fu Zhu, it was Yanqing who misspoke. It's just that the number of Xianzhou people succumbing to Mara has suddenly increased recently, so Yanqing has become a bit suspicious. Please forgive me."
"It's fine, understandable."
"Then, Yanqing has one more question, if Sir Fu Zhu would be so kind as to answer?"
"What question?"
"You... was it truly your first time seeing a Mara-Struck? Although this person succumbed to Mara, he was an ordinary Xianzhou citizen before that. Why did you..."
Yanqing didn't say the last part directly but used his hand to mimic a stabbing motion.
Fu Zhu understood, then put on a serious expression and said sternly.
"Young Yanqing, you yourself said it has succumbed to Mara; it is no longer an ordinary Xianzhou citizen. It is already dead. It cannot be allowed to harm others. And since it was my first time encountering a Mara-Struck, I didn't know it could revive multiple times. So, what I did was to prevent it from reviving again and harming others. Nothing wrong with that, right?"
"Nothing wrong with that..."
Hearing Fu Zhu's explanation, from his perspective, it seemed quite reasonable. After all, not everyone had the rich experience of Xianzhou natives in dealing with Mara-Struck.
When encountering an enemy that can revive for the first time, being nervous and cautious is inevitable.
"Well then, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Fu Zhu was still thinking about finding a blacksmith shop to try and forge the Yamato. If it weren't for this sudden appearance of a Mara-Struck, he wouldn't have lingered here. Now that the misunderstanding with Yanqing was cleared up, he just wanted to leave quickly.
Without giving Yanqing a chance to speak, Fu Zhu turned and walked away. Yanqing wanted to stop him, but Fu Zhu was already more than ten meters away.
After a moment's thought, Yanqing turned and instructed the accompanying Cloud Knights to handle the Mara-Struck individual, while he himself quickly chased after Fu Zhu.
Fu Zhu was looking at various buildings on his minimap, trying to find something that looked like a blacksmith shop, when Yanqing's voice suddenly sounded beside him.
"Sir Fu Zhu!"
Fu Zhu sighed and turned off the minimap, glancing at Yanqing who had caught up. He couldn't help but ask.
"Why are you following me? Am I still a suspect in your eyes?"
"No, of course not!"
Yanqing waved his hands so fast they almost became blurs, fearing Fu Zhu might misunderstand.
"I was just a little curious. Sir Fu Zhu, are you also a swordsman?"
The weapon Fu Zhu had used earlier to subdue the Mara-Struck was a broken, fiery-red greatsword. If it weren't a commonly used weapon, Yanqing really couldn't imagine why someone would willingly use a broken greatsword.
Fu Zhu thought back to his MC playing days. He did indeed use swords quite often. Although axes could cleave, he preferred the sweeping attacks of sword-type weapons.
But ultimately, rather than a swordsman, Fu Zhu should be described as proficient in all weapons.
Even this proficiency wasn't limited to conventional weapons; even a block of dirt could become a weapon in Fu Zhu's hands.
To be honest, he casually replied.
"I know a little bit about all kinds of weapons."
This statement made Yanqing's eyes fill with a touch more admiration, followed by an eager declaration of his own request.
"Sir Fu Zhu, Yanqing has an impertinent request."
Before he could voice his request, Fu Zhu directly raised his hand and interrupted him.
"Since it's an impertinent request, then don't say it."
Fu Zhu was all too familiar with this kind of plot!
In various games, whenever an NPC said something like this, they would definitely assign the player a very troublesome, very stingy-rewarded quest.
If it were a female NPC with an eye-pleasing model, Fu Zhu wouldn't mind putting in a little effort for the sake of special rewards like affection points.
But for an NPC with a young boy model like Yanqing... I refuse!
Fu Zhu's refusal made Yanqing quite regretful. Fu Zhu's casual strike earlier had been difficult for him to withstand, even nearly spraining his wrist. This made him intensely curious about Fu Zhu's strength.
Either Fu Zhu possessed divine strength, or his skill far surpassed his own; otherwise, it would be impossible for him to be unable to even block it!
This sparked a strong desire in Yanqing, who aspired to become the Luofu's Sword Master, to challenge Fu Zhu. However, Fu Zhu clearly didn't want to fight him now, which troubled Yanqing somewhat.
Should he first build a good relationship with Sir Fu Zhu before requesting a spar? After all, they had only just met.
"Sir Fu Zhu, what are you planning to do?"
Hearing Yanqing ask this, Fu Zhu couldn't help but pause. Yanqing also stopped and looked over curiously.
Fu Zhu tilted his head and stared intently at Yanqing's face. Wasn't he just愁找不到铁匠铺 (worrying about not finding a blacksmith)? Isn't there a free Luofu guide right in front of him!
"Little Brother Yanqing, are you familiar with the Luofu?"
When Yanqing heard Fu Zhu ask this, he naturally puffed out his chest and said confidently, "Of course, Yanqing is a born and bred Luofu native. I'm very familiar with all the streets and alleys of the Luofu. Is there somewhere Sir Fu Zhu wishes to go?"
Hearing him say this, Fu Zhu couldn't help but smile and nod.
"Yes, I'm looking for a blacksmith shop. I wonder if you have similar establishments on the Luofu?"
"We do, Sir Fu Zhu, we do."
Yanqing immediately guessed that Fu Zhu was looking for a blacksmith probably to repair the broken sword in his hand.
Even though the sword was broken like that, Sir Fu Zhu still cherished it. Truly a model for us swordsmen!
Yanqing immediately took on the role of guide, leading Fu Zhu towards the nearest blacksmith shop.
"I'll lead the way. Sir Fu Zhu, please follow me this way."
[Unlock Achievement: Acquainted with Yanqing]
[Obtain Achievement Points: 5]
Whoa, this kid he accidentally met actually has his own exclusive achievement. Could he be a key supporting character in this Trailblaze journey?
Fu Zhu raised an eyebrow but didn't dwell on it, following Yanqing's steps forward.
With Yanqing, a local, leading the way, Fu Zhu's efficiency in finding a blacksmith skyrocketed. In just a few minutes, he led Fu Zhu to a blacksmith shop in an adjacent street.
"Sir Fu Zhu, we've arrived."
Fu Zhu looked up at the blacksmith shop in front of him, then turned to look back in the direction they came from. So the navigation app he used earlier had actually led him to the next street over? That was way too off!
He definitely had to give it a bad review when he got back!
"Sir Fu Zhu, shall we go in?" Yanqing asked softly, noticing Fu Zhu standing motionless at the entrance.
Fu Zhu nodded and walked in with Yanqing.
As the two pushed open the heavy curtain covering the shop's entrance, the incessant clanging of metal on metal filled their ears.
"Is Master Gongsun here?"
Yanqing called out towards the inner room, and soon, a reply came from within.
"Coming, coming."
A burly man with a full beard and rippling muscles walked out from the inner room. Seeing Yanqing, he grinned and laughed heartily.
"Yo, Yanqing, come to order more flying swords? Can you even control that many?"
Yanqing chuckled somewhat embarrassedly, rubbing the back of his head, then quickly pointed to Fu Zhu beside him and explained, "Master Gongsun, it's not me who needs something this time, but this gentleman next to me."
Yanqing then explained to Fu Zhu, "Sir Fu Zhu, this Master Gongsun Lei's forging skills are superb. Their Gongsun family is also quite renowned within the Artisanship Commission, so you've definitely come to the right person."
Hearing Yanqing praise this Master Gongsun so highly, Fu Zhu also began to feel some anticipation.
Gongsun Lei, with his muscular arms crossed, laughed heartily. "This young lad looks unfamiliar. Whatever you need, just tell me. There's no weapon I can't forge or repair! This kid Yanqing's flying swords are all custom-made here!"
"Is that so?" Fu Zhu became even more delighted. To be so confident, his skills must be truly excellent.
"Indeed!"
"Then I'll say it. I need you to forge a sword that can sever space and distort space to achieve something akin to time-stop!"
"What?!"
Master Gongsun Lei was stunned by Fu Zhu's request and couldn't help but curse.
"Kid, are you here to mess with me?! Sever space, distort space... If I could make such a weapon, would I still be running a small shop here?!"
"Huh?" Fu Zhu was instantly disappointed.
"So you can't do it."
You can't do it.
Can't do it...
Fu Zhu's words deeply pierced Gongsun Lei's heart. He clutched his chest, his eyes bloodshot, panting heavily.
For a craftsman, the most unbearable things are others denying their skills and their own inability to achieve certain forging techniques.
But Fu Zhu's request happened to hit both of these sore spots for Gongsun Lei, the craftsman.
Seeing Gongsun Lei panting like an enraged bull, his eyes bloodshot, Yanqing hastily pulled Fu Zhu towards the exit, apologizing to Gongsun Lei as they left.
"Apologies, Master Gongsun, we'll visit another day!"
Gongsun Lei watched the two leave, his initial anger gradually subsiding. But just as he was about to sit down and drink some water to calm himself, he got angrier the more he thought about it.
No! If word of this got out, how could his shop continue to operate?
Get help! He must get help! No matter what, he had to forge the sword Fu Zhu described, as long as he could ultimately afford the price!
Even if Fu Zhu couldn't afford it, he could use this sword for publicity!
Just as Gongsun Lei picked up his phone, ready to call for backup, he suddenly remembered that Fu Zhu hadn't seemed to specify what the sword should look like.
"Damn it!"
"Sorry, Sir Fu Zhu, I couldn't help you. But weren't you looking for a blacksmith to repair your broken sword?"
"You mean this one?"
Fu Zhu took out the Godfall Sword and explained with a smile and a shake of his head, "No, this sword can repair itself, so I don't need to specifically find a blacksmith to fix it. I was looking for a blacksmith to custom-make a special sword."
"It can repair itself? What an amazing sword!" Yanqing exclaimed with sincere admiration, but then he became curious as to why such a powerful sword would be broken.
"Sir Fu Zhu, then why did your sword break like this..."
Yanqing glanced at the Godfall Sword. The blade was practically snapped in half. If it were any other weapon, it would probably be unusable and only fit for reforging.
"Well, about that..."
Fu Zhu was also a bit surprised Yanqing would ask this. When he first found the Godfall Sword in Herta's Space Station, it was just a fragment of the tip. It was only due to the Mending enchantment that it had recovered to its current state with a hilt.
The change in model made Fu Zhu exclaim once again, MC is truly magical!
Hey, wait a minute!
Fu Zhu secretly glanced at Yanqing. He remembered this kid introduced himself as the General's personal guard when they first met. Although he wasn't sure what rank a General held on the Luofu, the position definitely wouldn't be low!
And as the General's personal guard, Yanqing certainly had some say in official matters. He could use this opportunity to take care of the Astral Express crew's official business on the Luofu.
Thus, Fu Zhu quickly concocted a story in his mind.
"Yanqing, do you really want to hear why this sword broke? This story might be a bit boring."
Yanqing nodded emphatically, "Yanqing wants to know!"
How strong was Fu Zhu? Yanqing, having briefly clashed with him, knew very well. And how strong would the person who could break Fu Zhu's personal sword be?
This truly intrigued Yanqing, who had always wanted to become stronger and be the Luofu's Sword Master.
Seeing Yanqing take the bait, Fu Zhu feigned a profound look, clasping his hands behind his back and gazing up at the sky.
"This is a long story. It all began with the grudge between our Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters..."
Yanqing stood by, unable to help but swallow. Behind this broken sword, there was actually a story involving two factions renowned throughout the cosmos!
A heroic tale was about to unfold before him!
"The middle part is rather dull, and I'm afraid it might not appeal to someone your age, so I'll make a long story short. Our Astral Express engaged in a fierce battle with the Stellaron Hunters on an ice planet. The result was that one of the Stellaron Hunters broke my sword, but ultimately, they were no match for me and fled to the Luofu, where they went into hiding. That's why our Astral Express specifically came to the Luofu, to pursue this Stellaron Hunter."
"Huh?"
Yanqing blinked blankly. You skipped the most exciting part?!
Yanqing looked at Fu Zhu with some grievance. "Instructor Fu Zhu, the details of that..."
Fu Zhu waved his hand dismissively, looking entirely unconcerned.
"Yanqing, you must understand, the process isn't important; what matters is the result!"
How could he make up such a convoluted story so quickly? A reasonable ending was good enough!
Besides, he just needed the Luofu officials to know that the Astral Express was pursuing a Stellaron Hunter who had fled to the Luofu. That was sufficient.
Yanqing cupped his fists with a somewhat wry smile. "The result is what matters? Yanqing has been taught."
He had wanted to hear a legendary tale, but he didn't expect Instructor Fu Zhu to skip all the essential parts!
He had even hoped to learn something from Fu Zhu's description, as clashes between experts were extremely rare.
However, Yanqing immediately noticed another matter: Fu Zhu mentioned that the Stellaron Hunter he fought had already fled to the Luofu.
Yanqing's smile vanished, his young face turning serious.
"Instructor Fu Zhu, you said a Stellaron Hunter has fled to the Luofu and is hiding here?"
Fu Zhu nodded, sighing with a troubled hand on his forehead.
"As soon as we Nameless logged into the Luofu, we split up to try and find that Stellaron Hunter before they could cause harm to the Luofu. Unfortunately, we haven't found any clues so far."
Yanqing immediately patted his chest and declared, "Instructor Fu Zhu, please rest assured. This is the Luofu. Stellaron Hunters are also wanted criminals on the Luofu. Since they dared to flee to the Luofu, they shouldn't expect to leave safely!
Instructor Fu Zhu, perhaps you don't know this as it's your first time on the Luofu, but the Luofu has Six Commissions. Among them, the Divination Commission specifically divines for all of Luofu's routes. Perhaps when you and that Stellaron Hunter landed on the Luofu, the Great Diviner of the Divination Commission already divined it?"
"Divination?"
This surprised Fu Zhu. He hadn't expected this high-tech civilization of Luofu to actually have a department dedicated to fortune-telling.
"Yes! Specific details are classified, so I can't say much, but Instructor Fu Zhu, you just need to know that the diviners of the Divination Commission, especially the Great Diviner, their divinations are extremely accurate!"
Just as Yanqing was boasting about Luofu's Divination Commission, a chestnut-haired young woman came running over, panting. She stopped in front of the two, gasping for breath with her hands on her knees.
"You... you two... Little... Little Brother Yan... Yanqing, and... and the Nameless, right?"
Fu Zhu and Yanqing, who were chatting, were suddenly interrupted and looked quizzically at the chestnut-haired young woman before them.
Yanqing touched his chin, looking somewhat puzzled. "And you are?"
The chestnut-haired girl caught her breath for a moment, then straightened up and introduced herself.
"I am Qingque, a diviner from the Divination Commission. I am here under the orders of the Great Diviner to find you two, especially you, Sir Nameless. The Great Diviner wishes to see you."
"The Great Diviner?"
Fu Zhu was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that just after he and Yanqing talked about this Great Diviner, she would send someone to find him the next second. It seemed her divination abilities were truly something!
Hearing that the Great Diviner had sent someone for Fu Zhu, Yanqing also looked surprised, then a smile spread across his face as he looked at Fu Zhu, as if to say, "See, I wasn't wrong, was I?"
"Instructor Fu Zhu, it seems the Great Diviner has divined something. Let's go over there. I also need to report what the Great Diviner has divined to the General."
"Alright."
"I'll lead the way then."
Yanqing very proactively took the lead, guiding Fu Zhu towards the Divination Commission.
Qingque, who was suddenly left behind, blinked in confusion.
"Shouldn't I be the one leading the way? Why is Little Brother Yanqing being so proactive?"
She had long heard of this genius youth, Yanqing, who worked by the General's side at such a young age. Seeing him today, it was clear that his mind had been thoroughly corrupted by tedious work!
It wasn't even his job, yet he was rushing to do it!
A trace of pity appeared in Qingque's eyes. Indeed, being constantly busy makes people lose their minds!
Just like the Great Diviner this morning, pacing back and forth in her office like a madwoman, muttering things about "Nameless" and "fated person."
When she saw her, she even blushed and scolded her for eavesdropping, even though she had been knocking at the door for a long time!
The more Qingque thought about it, the more she felt she needed to find more time to slack off. Otherwise, she would eventually become like Yanqing and the Great Diviner!
By the time Qingque snapped out of her thoughts, Fu Zhu and Yanqing had already walked quite a distance. She hurriedly ran after them.
"Hey, hey! Wait for me!"