Chapter 46: The Wealthy Ridge Peak City

Ten years had passed, and seeing that familiar face again, Fu Fu Lamei's heart surged with a myriad of complex emotions.

Now well over thirty, having experienced countless lives and deaths, neither her appearance nor her temperament was the same as the person she once was.

But Lin Yu, setting aside the pointed elf ears used for disguise, his face remained exactly as it had been ten years ago, indistinguishable from the handsome youth in Fu Fu Lamei's memory...

This is the power of an immortal god!

Fu Fu Lamei sighed softly in her heart, but a gentle smile appeared on her face as she said, "Indeed, long time no see!"

At the same time, Old Vol was stunned for a moment before realizing this was the appearance Lord Lord Longlongyan had worn before.

As expected, the change in the Lord's appearance was merely a disguise.

From the very beginning, he had been an existence of eternal youth!

Understanding this in his heart, Old Vol immediately bowed deeply, then quickly turned around, stiffened his face, and ordered the guards who had not recognized Lin Yu to patrol other areas.

Only after the guards received the order and left did Old Vol finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He knew Lin Yu disliked making a scene and especially disliked being surrounded and kneeling by a crowd, which was why he acted this way, not kneeling on one knee as he would in private to show his loyalty.

Seeing that his appearance had caused no disturbance, Lin Yu glanced approvingly at Old Vol, then said with a light laugh:

"Such flattering words are fine to say in front of others, but Fu Fu Lamei lived in the castle for a long time back then; in terms of understanding me, I'm afraid even you cannot compare to her!"

Old Vol did not refute, only smiling as he said, "My lord, that was not flattery. Without your lordship's protection, even if the people of the Ridge Peak Fief were to work as diligently as possible, it would be of no use..."

Lin Yu chuckled helplessly and waved his hand, saying, "Enough, go back to your work!"

"Yes!"

Old Vol bowed respectfully, then left with a cheerful smile.

"I knew it!" Fu Fu Lamei walked up to Lin Yu with a smile, "Knowing you as I do, you might care for them secretly, but you would absolutely never participate personally in the town's construction!"

"Correct."

Lin Yu turned his head, gazing at the surrounding town, and said softly, "Ridge Peak City looks as it does today, certainly due to my protection, but also the result of Old Vol leading the residents in their diligent struggle..."

"Understood!" Fu Fu Lamei laughed lightly, "The masses determine the course of history; I haven't forgotten!"

After saying this, the two exchanged a smile, seemingly finding the feeling of friendship from ten years ago.

Lin Yu's gaze turned to the silent elf girl beside him.

"Is she your disciple?"

"Correct."

Fu Fu Lamei smiled and patted the elf girl's shoulder.

The elf girl, with a calm expression, performed a standard Imperial salute to Lin Yu.

"Elf Mage, Frieren, pays respects to My Lord!"

Lin Yu smiled and said, "No need for such formalities; just call me Lin!"

Fu Fu Lamei pushed Frieren forward, smiling brightly as she said, "Lin, don't underestimate her. She is the disciple of the Great Mage Fu Fu Lamei, and the hero destined to defeat the Demon King in the future!"

Perhaps because Fu Fu Lamei's tone was too certain, Frieren felt somewhat embarrassed.

She shifted her shoulders awkwardly and sighed, "Can you use a different phrase next time? It's very embarrassing..."

Lin Yu smiled gently and looked at the two women, saying, "Walk with me first?"

"Sure!"

Fu Fu Lamei readily agreed, dragging the reluctant Frieren to follow behind Lin Yu.

Walking along the wide central avenue, Lin Yu led the way while enthusiastically introducing Ridge Peak City to them.

Although he rarely appeared in person during his daily life, every blade of grass and tree, every brick and tile of this town had been imprinted perfectly in his mind through his powerful spiritual sense.

Fu Fu Lamei listened with a smile on the side, feeling quite delighted by the changes in Lin Yu.

Deciding to let Old Vol and the others settle here back then was indeed the right decision!

If not for this, this otherworldly god living in solitude for ten years might not have become so full of humanity as he is now...

The Frieren beside him naturally did not have so many internal thoughts.

But seeing the scene before her, she could not help but sigh with emotion.

"I have to say, this town is truly remarkable!"

Lin Yu loved hearing such words and immediately asked with a smile, "What is so remarkable about it?"

Frieren glanced at him, then pointed to the blacksmith shop not far away, saying, "If I'm not mistaken, the forging material he is hammering in his hand should be the Mana Steel Ingots that only started appearing on the market three years ago!"

So that is what you are marveling at...

Lin Yu felt somewhat disappointed and sighed, saying, "Correct."

Frieren looked calmly at the young blacksmith and said, "Mana Steel Ingots, renowned for hardness rivaling dragon scales and possessing excellent mana conductivity; armor and weapons forged from them are, even in the Imperial Capital, the most top-tier goods."

"As far as I know, even the finest blacksmiths of the Unified Empire still require multiple people working together to forge equipment with it."

"Yet this young blacksmith can treat Mana Steel Ingots like ordinary metal to hammer; while there is certainly a factor of strength involved, the main reason lies in the hammer in his hand and the anvil below."

Speaking here, Frieren furrowed her fine brows, touching her chin in thought as she said, "I have never seen the material of this hammer and anvil, but since they can hammer Mana Steel Ingots, their hardness must be slightly superior!"

"..."

Fu Fu Lamei looked at the hammer in the young blacksmith's hand and vaguely sensed a familiar aura.

After a moment of thought, she quietly blocked the sound and said in a low voice with a strange expression, "Lin, why do I sense the aura of Lord Lord Longlongyan? Could it be that this hammer and anvil..."

Lin Yu glanced at her and also said in a low voice, "Correct. As you know, Lord Lord Longlongyan used to love eating metal. Three years ago, its digestive ability evolved again, and the feces it excreted..."

"Stop!" Fu Fu Lamei sighed, "No need to say more, I understand."

Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Actually, Mana Steel Ingots are made the same way; the recipe is just slightly different, adding things like Mana Crystals and Mana Gems."

"What?!"

Fu Fu Lamei's eyes widened, then she said gloomily, "Why didn't you say so earlier..."

Lin Yu showed a smile on his face and asked in a low voice, "Have you ever worn armor made of Mana Steel Ingots?"

Fu Fu Lamei fell silent, nodding with a melancholy expression.

Lin Yu couldn't help but laugh.

Their exchange was blocked by Fu Fu Lamei's barrier.

Frieren, completely unaware, continued analyzing in a calm tone: "Not only that, the bellows and the forge are no ordinary goods either. Judging from the mana fluctuations, they should be powered by pure mana crystals..."

"And that carpenter over there, the axe and chisel in his hands are also made of mana steel ingots..."

"The clothes in the clothing store still retain mana fluctuations; they must have been made using weaving magic..."

While analyzing, Frieren carefully observed the town before her.

She hadn't noticed before, but now that she looked, she was shocked!

Frieren was stunned to discover that every item in the entire town, including the building materials of the houses, the roof tiles, the stone bricks of the roads, and even the clothes worn by every resident, contained dense mana.

Tools made of mana steel ingots were possessed by almost every resident.

Rare timber, scarce in the outside world, was used here merely to build houses.

The guards wore top-tier equipment, and the shops sold Rare Items rarely seen in the outside world...

Frieren's gaze continued forward, discovering that every shop hung expensive and luxurious mana chandeliers; the entrance of the tavern in the distance was even made of the same material as her staff, possessing powerful defenses capable of withstanding high-level magic.

Compared to this place, the elf village where she once lived was nothing but a primitive tribe!

... What kind of town is this?!

Frieren stared blankly at everything before her, as if her entire worldview had been shaken.

(End of this chapter)