Chapter 156: Arriving at Gengxin City

156. Chapter 156 Arriving at Gengxin City

Five months later.

Metal Capital, five kilometers outside Gengxin City.

"Young master, Gengxin City is just ahead. Shall we enter now?" Da Tou slowly stopped the carriage, then respectfully asked Li Xuan.

"Of course we'll enter. As usual, this time it's Er Tou's turn to book a room, San Tou to gather information, Da Ya and Er Ya to scout for food. Let's set off." Li Xuan opened his eyes, lifted the curtain, and said to the slaves.

"Yes, young master!"

Hearing Li Xuan's command, the few slaves assigned to work quickly returned to the carriage, and the two carriages behind suddenly accelerated, charging toward Gengxin City.

Da Tou, unhurried, drove the carriage, swaying gently with Li Xuan toward Gengxin City, while admiring the scenery along the way.

What was most striking was Gengxin City, which kept growing larger in Li Xuan's eyes.

In Li Xuan's view, Gengxin City resembled a steel colossus forged entirely of pure metal, crouching on the ground, immovable and extraordinarily imposing.

"Sniff…"

Li Xuan sniffed; the surrounding air was filled with the scent of metal and dust.

Even from a distance, the sound of weapon forging in Gengxin City could be heard.

No wonder it's the Metal Capital.

…

Half an hour later, Li Xuan and Da Tou strolled the streets of Gengxin City, one ahead of the other.

As the Metal Capital, most shops in Gengxin City are blacksmith shops; the remaining two tiers of shops sell daily goods, ores, and fuel.

Li Xuan walked while observing the surrounding blacksmith shops and was surprised to find that virtually every blacksmith shop in Gengxin City had its own unique craft.

Although the crafts were myriad and strange, any blacksmith able to take root in Gengxin City must possess superb skill and solid technique.

Along both sides of the street were mostly stalls, displaying all kinds of precious ores.

Unfortunately, Li Xuan didn't understand ores at all, so he made no purchases; after a round of touring Gengxin City, he returned directly to the inn booked by Er Tou.

Just after returning to the inn, San Tou, Da Ya and Er Ya also arrived, standing respectfully before Li Xuan.

"Young master!" The few saw Li Xuan return and hurriedly saluted him.

"Everyone, stand up. After five months of long travel we finally reached Gengxin City; you've all worked hard these past days," Li Xuan said to the five slaves before him.

"Not hard, not hard…" The slaves waved their hands quickly; although Li Xuan is approachable, Da Tou and the others know their positions, so they remain dutiful and do not overstep.

"I'd like you to rest, but there's another task you must help me with. Work hard today, rest well tomorrow. Later, go out and gather information on the Blacksmith Guild and Luo Gao. My current status isn't suitable for public places," Li Xuan said seriously to the slaves.

"Yes, young master." The five slaves respectfully saluted Li Xuan, their tone full of resolve.

"Alright, set off. The earlier you go, the sooner you return," Li Xuan waved his hand to the slaves and said.

"Yes, young master," the five slaves replied, then turned and left the inn.

After watching them leave, Li Xuan's mind shifted, and he returned to the space of the Sky‑Grasping Vessel.

Opening the Void Pearl, four sets of armor—white, yellow, blue, black—and eight weapons appeared before Li Xuan.

Although blacksmiths hold low status on Douluo Continent, becoming a Divine Blacksmith eliminates the pain and instantly makes one a guest of honor among major factions.

Moreover, the Guild President Luo Gao of the Blacksmith Guild. Thus, Li Xuan meeting Luo Gao is not easy.

After some selection, Li Xuan picked up a silvery‑white long sword from the ground and brushed the dust off it.

This blade is the silver‑armored person's sidearm, and Li Xuan was lucky; while the silver‑armored person was still staggered after just waking, he removed all its weapons.

Then Li Xuan took out an embroidered box and placed the long sword inside.

The sword is bait, meant to lure the big fish that is Luo Gao.

As a blacksmith, seeing such a complexly forged long sword would certainly attract attention, especially since its surface bears engraved sigils that boost combat power.

Li Xuan believes that with just this sword, he can meet Luo Gao and even persuade him.

As for the Heaven‑Shaking Cannon Blueprint, Li Xuan doesn't intend to let Luo Gao see it anytime soon; it's not stinginess—fishing hinges on one word: tension.

If he produced a Heaven‑Shaking Cannon Blueprint upon first meeting, Luo Gao would easily dismiss it, so Li Xuan will gradually use bait to draw Luo Gao into the Spring‑Autumn Tavern.

Then Li Xuan returned the remaining armor and weapons to the Kongming Crystal, since before meeting Luo Gao they offered little benefit.

Having chosen the gifts, Li Xuan stripped off his clothes and jumped straight into the Hot Spring, intending to wash away today's fatigue.

After soaking for a while, Li Xuan dried himself, changed into pajamas, and left the space of the Sky‑Grasping Vessel.

Back at the inn, Li Xuan suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion, and fell asleep on the bed after a short while.

…

Early the next morning, Li Xuan got up early; the five slaves had already come with food to find Li Xuan.

"Young master, we gathered the basic information of Gengxin City yesterday; here is the map of Gengxin City." Da Tou took two maps from his pocket and handed them to Li Xuan.

Li Xuan looked at Da Tou with satisfaction; this fellow is the oldest in the group, yet only twenty‑four years old.

"Young master, Divine Smith Luo has recently obtained an extremely precious iron ore, offering a reward of ten Gold Soul Coins for the method to melt the ore. Your flame is unstoppable; we could register to try, and that would let us meet Master Luo Gao," Er Tou raised his head and said obediently to Li Xuan.

"Young master, Gengxin City's only specialty is potato pancake; everything else is terribly bland, and I haven't found any particularly tasty food," Da Ya lowered her head, speaking timidly, her eyes full of guilt.

"It's fine. It's normal that a city of rough iron‑workers lacks gourmet food," Li Xuan said gently to the somewhat guilty Da Ya.

"Young master, the fabrics in Gengxin City are also mostly hemp clothing. Apart from being sweat‑absorbent and durable, there's nothing else special," Er Ya shook her head and continued.

The rest offers no particularly valuable information.

"Da Tou, Er Tou, tomorrow the two of you go help me see what kind of ore Divine Smith Luo needs to melt; the others stay at the inn and rest tomorrow. After such a long trek you should all relax, it's been too hard."

"Thank you for the master's concern!" The slaves simultaneously saluted Li Xuan respectfully, their tone obedient.

In truth, Li Xuan meeting Luo Gao is still very difficult; after all, his current status is merely that of a human infant, and approaching someone of Luo Gao's caliber is essentially impossible.

Thus Li Xuan can only use this method to meet Luo Gao, since forging the Heaven‑Shaking Cannon later will require Divine Smith Luo's direct involvement; Li Xuan's flame temperature is extremely high and carries various additional attributes, so melting ore should pose no major problem.

After the slaves finished arranging their tasks, each returned to their own rooms; during this period they indeed felt somewhat weary.

After all, a trek of over ten thousand kilometers would exhaust even a steel man.

And Da Tou and Er Tou left the inn to scout for information.

Li Xuan watched the departing slaves, his mind stirred, entered the space of the Palm Sky Bottle and began cultivating. (End of chapter)