Qi Xu carefully savored the allure of [Cherry Blossom Fall]. Now at level six, it didn’t have the flashy little designs of the Pink Chainsaw, but from its grip to its appearance, it hit all the right notes for Qi Xu.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away, clutching it tightly, itching to summon monsters with a Monster Summoning Card just to test it out in battle...
But the little goblin was getting impatient.
"World’s Greatest Weaponsmith: So? Satisfied or not?"
"Hey, say something already!"
"Let me tell you, I poured my heart into this. Used up all my extraterrestrial meteorite iron and even threw in extra powdered enamel. You’ll understand just how amazing this is later... trust me!"
"And I didn’t overcharge you—heck, I even took a loss. So don’t go thinking I swindled you!"
"If there’s anything you’re not happy with, just say it. Not that I’ll necessarily fix it, but I’d still like to hear feedback."
Qi Xu sent a voice message in response, screaming at the top of her lungs, "How could anyone NOT be satisfied with such a perfect weapon?! I was speechless—SPEECHLESS, you hear me?! Master, you’re a god to me!"
Clutching her two new treasures, Qi Xu refused to let go, acting like a madwoman—even taking them to the bathroom. Wait, the extraterrestrial meteorite iron was all used up? Tsk, not a scrap left. Guess she’d have to find new materials for upgrading her vehicle.
But it was worth it. [Cherry Blossom Fall] was beyond cool!
Little Seven and Sweetie exchanged glances. Was their master... okay?
"World’s Greatest Weaponsmith: Told you. If you weren’t happy with this, I’d have blocked you."
"Unstoppable Black Tornado: You’re seriously incredible. You shouldn’t be called the World’s Greatest Weaponsmith—you should be the One and Only Weaponsmith! And I’m not just flattering you!"
"One and Only Weaponsmith: You’re right. Consider it done."
"Unstoppable Black Tornado: So... can I introduce you to a friend? His name’s Chinese Master Chef. He’s got a level 9 shield he wants you to modify. Name your price—no haggling. Only thing is, the kid doesn’t have a referral letter."
Chinese Master Chef had mentioned this earlier in the day—his greatshield had hit level 9 but couldn’t advance further. Probably because the base quality was too low, limiting its upgrade potential. Figured she’d bring it up while the opportunity was there.
The little goblin was still riding high. Truth be told, the two heavy blades had been finished yesterday, but he couldn’t bear to send them off right away, opting to admire them for a whole day instead.
Mainly because Qi Xu’s praise had him feeling smug.
"Fine, Chinese Master Chef, right? Just one, though. Ugh, so annoying—lately, tons of humans have been bugging me, and I can’t be bothered with most of them."
Qi Xu was sure the little goblin would like Chinese Master Chef—the kid was polite, plump, and knew how to cook. With his preferences in mind, it’d work out.
As for the others... she’d recommend them after the shield was done.
The only ones she was slightly worried about were Dongfang Yuan and Zhufu.
If push came to shove, she’d just tell them to play mute—no talking, only gifts and Survival Coins...
"One and Only Weaponsmith: If there ever comes a day you don’t need [Cherry Blossom Fall] anymore, return it to me. I’ll even buy it back. Just don’t let it gather dust in your inventory."
"Unstoppable Black Tornado: Not happening. I’ll carry it to the end of the highway."
"One and Only Weaponsmith: Heh. What end?"
Qi Xu’s heart skipped a beat. She’d teased the answer out, but... it wasn’t exactly good news. No end could mean two things:
1. The highway was a loop.
2. The highway stretched on infinitely.
"Look on the bright side—if there’s no end, there’s still a finish line. Same difference."
The little goblin stared at the message, zoning out for a long time...
Until someone started banging on his door like a madman. Snapping back to reality, he stormed over and kicked both the door and the person outside flying. "PISS OFF!"
Seeing the trampled patch of Purpleheart Grass at the doorstep only pissed him off more. He snatched the referral letter from the guy’s hand and tore it to shreds!
Then, pulling out a little notebook from his chest pocket, he licked his finger, flipped to the first page, and started reading off a list of insults, delivering them one by one!
Xie Shaoning’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot. His luck had been absolute garbage lately—first, getting ambushed by four ridiculously strong monsters for no reason, burning through most of his trump cards.
Then, coming here to commission a weapon, only to get kicked ten meters away by this insane goblin. The moment he thought about fighting back or running, green vines sprouted from the ground, binding him so tightly he couldn’t move a muscle!
At least the little goblin didn’t seem intent on killing him—just... had a filthy mouth, reading insults straight from a book!
So Xie Shaoning lay there, forced to endure an hour of nonstop verbal abuse.
When Chinese Master Chef arrived, the sight nearly gave him a heart attack. Had his GPS malfunctioned? This couldn’t be the "friendly, kind, and adorable" weaponsmith his boss had described!
He turned on his heel to bolt.
The goblin screeched, "Where the hell are you going?! Who even are you?!"
Chinese Master Chef froze, his 200-pound frame trembling as he stammered, "I-I-I’m Chinese Master Chef. S-sorry, I didn’t realize you were busy. I’ll come back another time."
Even though it was almost 9 PM, the thought of his round shield being stuck at its current level had been gnawing at him like a cat’s claws. So the second his boss sent the location, he’d floored the gas pedal and raced over!
And of course, he’d picked the worst possible time to show up.
Hearing "Chinese Master Chef," the goblin stopped his tirade, eyeing him skeptically.
How could someone so impressive have such a cowardly teammate? Tsk... wasn’t it supposed to be "birds of a feather flock together"?
Chinese Master Chef forced a grin, baring his teeth while trying not to shake. "I... brought freshly baked strawberry shortcake. Just came out of the oven when I left the car, so it’s still warm. You... want some?"
After an hour of yelling, the goblin was actually hungry. Huh. This guy Black Tornado recommended wasn’t half bad.
"Fine. Come in."
Chinese Master Chef scurried after him, relieved. Boss came through!
Passing Xie Shaoning, he shot him a wary glance. Seeing the man about to speak, he bolted before the goblin could misinterpret anything.
The goblin was clearly a decent guy—if he was treating someone like this, they must’ve deserved it. Better not stick my nose where it doesn’t belong...
Sure enough, the second Chinese Master Chef turned away, Xie Shaoning snarled, "Damn it!"
.........
