At Chen Lin's question, Zhao Qingshan shook his head.
"The Zhao Lineage is merely a merchant family. We have neither such grand ambitions nor the ability to realize them. All we ask is to preserve our lives in these troubled times."
Chen Lin did not pursue the subject.
The South Seven Prefectures were still entirely peaceful. The local powers were unlikely to make any moves. Once the flames of war spread here, ambitious men would naturally emerge.
What he needed to do was hurry with his weapons research.
"I've been wanting to forge a few things lately. Could you recommend some reliable Blacksmiths, Brother Zhao?"
After chatting for a while, Chen Lin made his request.
He had blueprints for weapons capable of fighting Grandmasters, and even quite a few finished products, but materials from the Reality Realm offered extremely poor protection here.
Even Eternal Tier materials could not withstand the divine weapons and keen blades of this world.
To put his stockpile of high-end weapons to use, he needed to add a new layer of armor capable of withstanding a Grandmaster's attacks.
"That's easy. Our firm's Blacksmiths are all first-rate, and we can lend them to you. But Blacksmiths alone aren't enough to forge anything. You also need a suitable workshop. What are you planning to forge, Brother Chen? Why not simply entrust the work to our firm?"
Zhao Qingshan offered to take care of everything.
Chen Lin shook his head and declined. "I need to repair something, and it isn't convenient to transport. I've already found a workshop. I only need a few Blacksmiths."
"I also need to purchase a batch of black crystal stone."
"How much do you need, Brother Chen?"
Hearing that Chen Lin wanted to buy black crystal stone, Zhao Qingshan perked up.
"One thousand jin."