Chapter 37: Crafting a Belt

After hearing Li Xuan's words, Zhao Xiaohu paused to think; it was clear that a child his age usually doesn't pay much attention to things like jewelry.

"Young master, I recall that Salah City has only one shop that can make jewelry, located in the western part of the city; the craftsmanship is unquestionable, though the price is indeed a bit high," Zhao Xiaohu scratched his head and then told Li Xuan everything he knew, leaving the decision to Li Xuan.

As one of the guard cities of Spirit City, Salah City serves the strategic purpose of defending Spirit City and supplying it with troops, so the Martial Soul Hall Branch and the Guard Army here are both extremely powerful, and the city's defenses are exceedingly solid.

This has led everyone to expect a war here, so essentially no Soul Master Family or noble chooses to settle here.

Thus, although Salah City has relatively strong armed forces, its economic development is indeed lacking.

The various shops are merely staying at a subsistence level.

"As long as the craftsmanship is good, Xiao Hu brother, take me there," Li Xuan smiled at Zhao Xiaohu, nodded, and said.

After hearing Li Xuan's affirmative reply, Zhao Xiaohu said nothing more; since Li Xuan had decided, there was no need for him to persuade further, and he immediately followed Li Xuan toward the jewelry shop.

Li Xuan's intention in going to the jewelry shop wasn't to show off, but to find a craftsman who could forge a piece of jewelry to serve as a container for his Void Pearl.

Although Li Xuan is fairly skilled at weaving grass rope, the material is inherently poor; a slight tug will cause it to snap, and losing the Void Pearl would be a huge loss.

Therefore, embedding the Void Pearl into an object is the safest method.

After a dozen minutes, Zhao Xiaohu led Li Xuan to the entrance of a shop in the western part of the city.

"Yuning Jewelry Store"

"The name does sound rather elegant," Li Xuan said with a smile, looking at the sign.

"Indeed, the shop owner is a very nice person, and the couple are especially affectionate," Zhao Xiaohu said to Li Xuan with a smile.

"A family‑run shop, then—let's go, Xiao Hu brother, we'll have a look," Li Xuan said and walked through the main door, with Zhao Xiaohu following behind.

Upon entering the shop, Li Xuan immediately saw several counters, each laden with all kinds of jewelry.

Li Xuan stepped forward a few paces and then examined the jewelry on the counters carefully.

Although these pieces use ordinary copper, iron, and wood, the carving craftsmanship is excellent, and Li Xuan could sense that the makers had put great care into them.

"Young master, greetings. I am Li Yu. May I ask if you are here to purchase jewelry?" a very steady middle‑aged male voice came from behind.

A modestly dressed, smiling middle‑aged man walked from the back courtyard to Li Xuan's side,

his face was amiable, his smile abundant, giving a very friendly impression.

"Yes, sir, I would like to buy a piece of jewelry that can embed this item," Li Xuan removed the grass rope from his wrist; with a light flick of his finger the rope untied itself, and five Void Pearls fell onto the counter.

"What is this…?" Li Yu's eyes lit up noticeably upon seeing the Void Pearls.

Although Void Pearls are fruits borne of plants, they are crystal‑clear like jade and as hard as iron, no worse than those gems.

Li Yu hadn't crafted jewelry with gems for many years.

"Young master, could you sell me these pearls?" Li Yu hesitated briefly, then said to Li Xuan.

"Ha ha, these are precious, sir; I'm afraid I can't sell them to you. I'm here today to forge something that can embed these pearls into jewelry," Li Xuan replied without hesitation, rejecting Li Yu.

Void Pearls are not ordinary gems; they are treasures comparable to Soul Guide Devices. Li Xuan doesn't have many of them, so they naturally cannot be wasted.

"Fine then, let me satisfy my hands‑on craving; it's been a long time since I've handled gems. What kind of jewelry does the young master wish to forge?" Li Yu, though a bit disappointed, brightened at the thought of using such gems to craft something.

"I would like you to use some precious materials to craft a belt; I still have many of these pearls, and I want to embed all of them onto the belt," Li Xuan told Li Yu his idea.

Li Xuan can cultivate one Void Pearl per day, and the output remains fairly stable.

Belts and rings are the most suitable choices for storage space, but Li Xuan currently only has Void Pearls that are large in quantity but small in space, so a belt suits him better now.

Thus, the more Void Pearls the belt can hold, the larger Li Xuan's personal storage becomes.

"A belt forged from pure metal… possible, but I need to design it first. I can finish it in about three days. Young master, will that be in time?" Li Yu thought for a moment and asked Li Xuan.

"Three days… I can rush the work, but I'm afraid I might not make it," Li Xuan frowned, hesitated briefly, and said apologetically to Li Yu.

"If we rush, it's doable, but it will require extra payment. In that case, I should be able to finish the belt by tomorrow night. Young master, does that work for you?" Li Yu considered and said to Li Xuan.

"Fine, fine. Then, sir, how much will this belt cost?" Li Xuan asked again.

"Perfect. I have a piece of Red Jade Fire Pattern Steel sufficient for the belt, plus some precious metal. These materials cost about two Gold Soul Coins, the labor fee is one Gold Soul Coin, and if we rush, an additional fifty Silver Soul Coins will suffice," Li Yu thought, then retrieved a watermelon‑sized red steel ingot from beneath the counter and placed it on the counter.

The red steel ingot before them was indeed the size of a watermelon, extremely heavy, entirely flame‑red, with an orange floral pattern on its surface that looked like a blaze burning upon the steel.

"Sir, you could use a bit more precious material; I'll give you five Gold Soul Coins, and once the belt is finished, deliver it to Xiao Hu's building‑materials store. Thank you for your hard work these two days," Li Xuan bowed to Li Yu.

At the same time, Li Xuan took five Gold Soul Coins from the money pouch in his chest and also handed a Void Pearl to Li Yu.

After the Void Pearl absorbed Li Xuan's soul power, its interior space can only be activated by Li Xuan's soul power; in anyone else's hands it is merely a slightly prettier ordinary bead.

"Then… I will definitely craft a belt for you at the fastest speed," Li Yu, seeing such a broad‑shouldered child for the first time, was momentarily stunned, then nodded, and took the Gold Soul Coins and Void Pearl from Li Xuan's hand.

However, Li Yu thought that he couldn't take the Gold Soul Coins for free; he must use his finest craftsmanship to forge the belt.

Li Xuan nodded at Li Yu once more, then left the jewelry shop.

Standing outside the shop, Li Xuan relaxed; his purpose for coming to Salah City this time had been fulfilled.

Leaving the Flower Sea, he surveyed the surrounding terrain, purchased enough building material to lay the foundations for tunnel excavation, and planned that the belt, by expanding storage space, would allow him to store more resources from the Flower Sea.

As for the map, that was simply an unexpected delight.

Now Li Xuan can leisurely stroll around Salah City.

"Xiao Hu brother, I've already accomplished my goals in Salah City this time; now take me to enjoy a proper tour of the city—any good food or fun activities are welcome," Li Xuan said, his whole body relaxed, to Zhao Xiaohu.

Zhao Xiaohu smiled and nodded, then led Li Xuan on a walk through Salah City.

May all the esteemed readers be happy every day; I will keep working hard on my writing, but lately I've been too busy and my health is a bit off—my apologies to all of you.

I bow to all the esteemed readers.

(End of Chapter)