Chapter 73: Ambush! Third Watch

  "It's okay, it's okay......" Francis waved his hands repeatedly: "Although I don't know what you want to do, but whatever you want to do, I will fully support you! No iron ore? Someone, push that cart of pig iron over to Qianjin!"

  "This..." Kane gazed at the heap of raw iron that had clattered to the ground, looking somewhat embarrassed as he glanced at Francis. These weren't just a pile of raw irons; they could also be said to be a pile of money! Francis' Ironworks, although it was once the second-ranked ironworks in Oakland and now temporarily ranked first, its income was still far less than Lucas' Ironworks for the time being.

  These two tons of pig iron were also a considerable expense for Franklin's blacksmith shop.

  "Come on, use it if you need to! Be a man and stop fussing about this and that!" Franlin swung his arm forcefully, with an impatient look: "I can afford to lose this little bit of money!"

  Can afford it? Several blacksmiths around him twitched the corners of their mouths. The price of iron ore was not too expensive, but the price of pig iron was not cheap either. Ordinary iron ore could produce only one kilogram of pig iron for every ten kilograms, which meant that a thousand kilograms of pig iron would require ten thousand kilograms of ore!

  Franklin's blacksmith shop was not wealthy, and two thousand catties of raw iron were almost one-tenth of Franklin's property!

  His chest felt slightly warm, and he didn't know if it was the hot air from the Iron Forging Breathing Method circulating in his dantian or the warmth brought about by Franlin's words. He secretly made up his mind that one day he would craft a few qualified weapons for Franlin to auction off as a way of repaying him.

  The hammer rose again, and the metallic collision sound accompanied by splashing sparks once again became the main melody in the courtyard.

  After lunch, everyone didn't ask Qianjin what he was going to do, they just watched him from noon ironing until deep night, until all three cars of iron ore were beaten into iron ingots.

  Franklin fiddled with the unusual metal in his hand, speculating about what it was and how it differed from the usual refined iron. Even if a master blacksmith of the ninth or tenth level were to forge it, they should only be able to produce ninth- or tenth-level refined iron. How could they possibly forge such an unrecognizable, bizarre metal?

  Franklin asked quietly during dinner time as the dusk arrived, "What is this?"

  "This." Qian Jin smiled: "It's a piece of iron essence."

  The bright, shiny iron ingot slipped from Franlin's hand and fell to the ground, rolling with a clattering sound all the way to the stove before coming to a stop. He stared blankly at Zhen Ganjing, his mind a complete blank.

  Iron Essence! Only exists in rumors, haven't even seen it myself, said to be a special top-grade material that only a master craftsman would add. Iron Essence is on a completely different level than refined iron? Even tenth-grade refined iron is like dirt and pebbles compared to Iron Essence?

  "You..."

  "Shopkeeper." Gan Jing scratched his head and said in a low voice: "I'm going to participate in a trial at the academy in a few days, so I want to forge a suitable weapon. After thinking about it for half a day, I decided to simply forge a Dou soldier that belongs to me..."

  Franklin's palm suddenly covered Gengjin's mouth, his face extremely serious and lowered his voice: "This matter, you just tell me about it. Don't tell anyone else, I don't care if you can really forge a Dou soldier or not, but remember this for me. After the weapon is forged and tested, immediately wrap it up with canvas for me! How many Dou soldiers are there in the entire Auckland City? You're just a first-year warrior student, probably only a second or third-level warrior, right? If you attract the attention of eighth-level warriors or above, they will really risk their lives to kill you and take the weapon!"

  "It's probably not just an eighth-level warrior..." Franlin thought seriously for a moment: "Even the lord of the city may be moved..."

  "Does he have no soldiers?"

  "Hey kiddo! Would anyone mind having too many fighting soldiers?"

  Qian Jin nodded, rubbing the red spot on his forehead where Franlin had jumped up and knocked him. It was precisely because he knew Franlin wouldn't reveal their fight that he told this respectable shopkeeper, who also knew from reading books since childhood, the principle Franlin had just mentioned.

  But Gan Jing wasn't too worried about someone snatching his sword, as a 9th-level warrior! Even without the Doubing in hand, just casually holding a kitchen knife would almost allow him to walk sideways throughout the entire Auckland City. If he added the Doubing with a horse-slaying saber, aside from Fabre Des and his daughter, as well as the city lord, it was really hard to find anyone who could defeat him in single combat.

  As for the city lord? Kaine didn't put too much emphasis on it, according to Fabreides' words, the current city lord Zagalo is a very clever person, and his days are not easy, many things need Fabreides' help.

  A clever man would not have believed that he would offend the only one who could help suppress the Kay family, Fabreidis, for a single soldier during difficult times.

  After dinner at the blacksmith's shop, Qian Jin lay down on a hammock in the backyard to rest for a while, looking up at the sunset on the horizon and feeling that bit of Dou Qi regrowing inside his body.

  One day's intense tempering of the iron essence, Qian Jing felt that when he used the Iron Forging Breathing Method, the heat energy that his body could accumulate seemed to have increased again compared to before, and even his Ninth Grade Battle Qi was growing.

  The stars replaced the sunset, and Blake's arms, which had regained their strength from the intense exercise, jumped off the trampoline. He was about to enter an endless world, but he didn't have enough physical strength. His face looked terrible, as if it could scare people to death.

  The nights of Auckland City are usually very quiet, except for a few bars with loud noises, and only occasionally passing city soldiers can be seen.

  A few loud and unbridled shouts rose from the opposite side of the street, Qian Jin slightly furrowed his brow as he watched three people walking towards him from afar, each holding a wine bottle, supporting each other and staggering forward.

  "Drunk so early?" Qian Jin raised an eyebrow and glanced at the moon in the sky. Usually, it was around this time that the drunkards would start to appear on the streets, but now they were already out in full force, two hours ahead of schedule.

  "Waaa... Waaa... I am the greatest adventure king of Zhen Ce..."

  "I am the greatest warrior..."

  "I am the king! All beautiful women are mine..."

  The clamor after getting drunk kept echoing in the air above the streets. Gan Jing covered his nose with his hand and quickened his pace, shaking his head secretly and letting out a helpless bitter smile. People who go crazy after drinking are usually those who live dissatisfied lives on ordinary days...

  No!

  A fierce and sudden killing intent was felt! His eyes rapidly rounded, his right foot's ankle, which was stepping on the ground, quickly twisted along with the explosion of 9th-level Dou Qi, his body swiftly flashing to one side like a whip that had been suddenly lashed out!

  Just as the dry and powerful force was about to be unleashed! A snow-bright knife light suddenly burst forth in the black night, the dazzling knife light reflecting the cold glow of three moons in the sky, bursting out with a fierce and naked killing intent!