Chapter 252: Rank Two Artisan: Recruitment from the Grand Miracle

Morning.

Numerous plant people stood on their rooftops, basking in the warm light emitted by the rising star.

But Li Ang, who had returned to the main world two days ago, knew these were Morabiss Star's plant people having breakfast; the upper class typically had access to highly refined nutrient soil and clean water from frozen planets.

As for the poor,

they just dug up random soil by the roadside and made do—but digging up city soil would result in a fine.

After two days of rest, Li Ang planned to go today to the Federal Guild of Artisans for Certified Rank Two certification.

He had researched the details over the past two days: although the Federation did not sell life planets, the five major Juqi Society corporations within the Cosmic Enterprise Alliance did.

Of course, the prices were steep—but rumors said internal employees received discounts.

Unfortunately, the entry barriers for full-time positions at these Juqi Society corporations were absurdly high; for example, even the lowest-ranking crew security personnel at Aiou Logistics required Second-Level energy.

Laborers and maintenance staff did not count as official employees.

Therefore, Li Ang prepared a two-pronged strategy: either purchase a starship or acquire the blueprints for an alchemical starship, then venture out to see what luck might bring.

Since Morabiss Star lay near the Nation's border, if fortune favored him, he might indeed find a life planet not yet incorporated into the Federation's territory.

Of course, operating on such a planet could expose him to retaliation from natives, raids by space pirates, or attacks by Cosmic Wardens.

"Mr., please undergo identity verification."

As Li Ang's thoughts drifted, a soft voice pulled him back.

It was a staff member of the Guild of Artisans.

"Sorry, I was distracted."

As he spoke, Li Ang skillfully entered his citizen ID into the screen before him.

Soon, his Certified Rank One Artisan status appeared.

Seeing this, the staff member spoke respectfully: "May I ask what service you require today? Are you here to rent a facility?"

"No. I'm here for Certified Rank Two certification in Alchemy."

The staff member froze for a moment, then quickly recovered: "Understood. I'll book your appointment right away."

"The first three attempts at upgrading from Rank One to Rank Two are free. Since this is your first time, no fee is required."

"I've arranged everything for you. Please follow me."

With that, the female staff member led Li Ang into a room containing a massive furnace.

Shortly after, a middle-aged man with a stern face entered the room: "You're the candidate for this certification?"

"Will you use materials provided by the Guild, or your own?"

As he spoke, he began reviewing the candidate's file.

"What metals can the Guild provide?"

At the sound of the question, the middle-aged man instinctively looked up—and froze.

The reason was simple: the candidate's right eye was extraordinarily unusual. He had never seen such an eye before.

Its starlike blue iris stared calmly at him, sending a creeping chill down his spine.

Chills?

The examiner snapped back to himself, raising an eyebrow: "Today's youth are something else."

Hearing this, Li Ang felt a touch of exasperation.

Unlike the Rinnegan, the Transcendent Eye could not be shut off.

Over the past two days, everyone he met had been drawn to it—even the staff member who arranged his test had been sneaking glances at his eye.

At that moment, the middle-aged examiner handed Li Ang a device: "These are the metals the Guild can provide. Take a look and choose what you need."

Since this was a certification test, the materials provided by the Guild of Artisans were naturally subpar.

Thus, Li Ang selected only a few ores with slight energy-absorbing properties.

"Aren't you going to heat the furnace first?"

Watching Li Ang stand motionless after selecting the ores, the examiner asked in confusion.

Normal candidates always lit the furnace before materials arrived, to prepare for smelting.

In response, Li Ang merely waved his hand slightly and said nothing.

Seeing this, the examiner fell silent.

If the candidate knew what he was doing, there was no need to interfere—after all, it wasn't his own Rank Two certification.

Soon, the required metals arrived.

Looking at the pile before him, Li Ang exhaled lightly and activated Heaven and Earth as Furnace.

As his mental strength increased, Heaven and Earth as Furnace grew stronger—not only expanding in range, but greatly enhancing the purity of metal smelting.

'At roughly Fourth-Level mental strength, one could truly kill metal.'

Unfortunately, Conceptual Arms required more than just killing metal—they required extracting the concept.

As Li Ang smelted the metal using Heaven and Earth as Furnace, the examiner beside him stood gaping.

As a Guild examiner, the middle-aged man had sharp eyes—he could tell just how pure the metals being smelted by this young man truly were.

Not just Rank Two—this skill alone was sufficient to serve as an assistant to a Rank Three Artisan.

And this ability—

Feeling the terrifying aura filling the room, the examiner swallowed hard.

Unaware of the examiner's inner thoughts, Li Ang saw the metal was nearly refined and inserted an alchemical array, then retrieved a crimson dragon scale from his spatial ring to begin the alchemical formation of 【Long Lin】.

The next instant, a soft armor glowing with crimson firelight appeared in the room.

"Done."

Li Ang's voice pulled the examiner out of his shock.

The middle-aged man hurriedly picked up the soft armor and began examining it closely.

After quite a while, he finally spoke: "It's enough. Congratulations on becoming a Rank Two craftsman."

As he spoke, he set down the soft armor in his hands and asked, his Tone was solemn: "Are you interested in joining 【Taiyi Miracle】?"

Hearing this, Li Ang couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then a hint of interest rose in his heart: "You're someone from 【Taiyi Miracle】?"

The examiner first nodded, then shook his head: "【Taiyi Miracle】 is rather special. Many Alchemical item workshops operate under an affiliated nature."

"For these workshops, 【Taiyi Miracle】 takes a fee each year as operating costs, but doesn't interfere with the workshop's specific operations."

"Moreover, the treatment a studio enjoys isn't much different from that of a regular employee."

Hearing this, a light flashed in Li Ang's eyes: "How does one become an affiliated workshop of 【Taiyi Miracle】?"

Although life-planets were expensive to purchase, that didn't stop him from preparing in advance.

The examiner now realized what the young man before him wanted to do, and couldn't help but try to persuade him: "To establish a workshop affiliated under 【Taiyi Miracle】, you need to be at least a Rank Three craftsman."

"The treatment at my workshop is pretty good. The workshop master often teaches for free, and only takes a thirty percent fee on Alchemical item sold."

Hearing thirty percent, Ang has already made it impossible for him to join someone else's workshop.

He had no interest in being an uncompensated worker.

And a Rank Three craftsman—

Li Ang felt it shouldn't take him much time to reach that level.

The gains from the Naruto world had already given him some vague ideas about spatial creation, and he believed that after studying it a while longer, he'd be able to attempt it.

Even if he still couldn't reach the level of creating a Nibelung, making small spatial rings should be no problem.

Seeing Li Ang hadn't responded for a long time, the examiner sighed: "After becoming a Rank Three craftsman, apply on 【Taiyi Miracle】's official website, and someone will come specifically to assess you."

Back in the day, he too had dreamed of opening his own Alchemical item workshop, but in the end reality had struck him down without mercy.

Although the special smelting technique that young man had just displayed was quite stunning, that was all it was.

This was also why he had recommended the other party join the Alchemical item workshop he belonged to.

And to become an affiliated workshop of 【Taiyi Miracle】, Rank Three craftsman was only the most basic requirement.

'Young people are still young people after all.'

The examiner couldn't help but shake his head slightly, then began registering Li Ang's Rank Two craftsman status on the instrument before him.

After finishing his own duties, he exchanged contact information with the young man before him.

'Li Ang?'