Kid, I've Put Up with You for Long Enough

As the three approached, Zhu Wen quickly strode forward to greet them.

The dozen or so core members of the Smiths Association behind him followed closely behind. A group of burly men strode forward in unison, their heavy footsteps echoing in the empty street, creating quite an imposing scene.

Zhu Wen's gaze swept quickly over the three people opposite him, and unsurprisingly landed on Xu Jiujiu.

A sincere and warm smile spread across his rugged face as he bowed slightly and said, "Princess Jiujiu Jiu Jiu's presence is truly an honor to our Smiths Association!"

Although the Smiths Association is not an official organization, it naturally dares not offend the royal family in the Star Luo Empire.

Xu Jiujiu smiled slightly, waved her hand gently, and said in a natural tone, "President Zhu, you flatter me. I just happened to be passing by and came to take a look. I'm not the main character today."

As she spoke, she naturally turned her head and looked at Huo Yuhao beside her.

Although Zhu Wen already had the answer in his heart, he still gave a vague answer on the surface.

He turned to look at Huo Yuhao, a perfectly balanced expression of curiosity and confusion on his dark face, and asked with clasped hands, "Forgive my poor eyesight, but who is this gentleman?"

His words were half true and half false; his poor eyesight was feigned, but his confusion was genuine. He truly didn't know why the young man had come to visit.

Xu Jiujiu smiled slightly and introduced, "This is Huo Yuhao, the Spirit Hall."

"The Spirit Hall?"

This time, Zhu Wen's puzzled expression was genuine. Although many people had been secretly discussing the mystery of the Spirit Hall, he had never paid any attention to it.

Huo Yuhao then took the initiative to explain, "The Spirit Hall now specializes in manufacturing Soul Tool. My visit today is specifically to discuss cooperation with Chairman Zhu."

Upon hearing this, a look of understanding flashed in Zhu Wen's eyes.

As the president of the Smiths Association, he was well aware of the importance of metal forging in the creation of Soul Tool.

Having understood the other party's purpose, Zhu Wen's smile became even more sincere.

He immediately stepped aside to clear the doorway and gestured for them to enter. "I see. Then let's not stand at the door and talk. Please come in, all three of you. Let's sit down and chat!"

The interior of the Smiths Association is consistent with its rugged exterior style, with no fancy decorations or exquisite furnishings; everything is based on practicality.

Zhu Wen led the group to a reception room. Besides Huo Yuhao, Xu Jiujiu, and Jin Li, only three people remained from the Smiths Association: Zhu Wen, the president, and two vice presidents.

After taking his seat, Zhu Wen noticed that the person sitting next to him in the main seat was Huo Yuhao, not Princess Xu Jiujiu. This made Zhu Wen value Huo Yuhao even more.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the meeting officially got down to business.

Zhu Wen put down his teacup and looked at Huo Yuhao with a calm expression.

He went straight to the point and asked, "Master Huo, we're both straightforward people, so let's not beat around the bush. What exactly does the cooperation you mentioned at the door mean?"

Huo Yuhao had made preparations before coming, so he said directly, "It's very simple. Our Spirit Hall will provide the rare metal raw materials, and the Smiths Association will be responsible for forging and processing according to our requirements."

Zhu Wen and the two vice presidents did not show any surprise after hearing this.

This cooperative model is nothing new; the Smiths Association has taken on similar jobs before.

If that's all there is to it, then there seems to be no reason to hesitate about this deal; it's an order that's been delivered to our door, so why not take it?

But Huo Yuhao's next words caused Zhu Wen and the other two vice presidents' expressions to change instantly.

Huo Yuhao gently placed the teacup on the table, then raised his eyes, his gaze calmly sweeping over the faces of the three presidents.

Then he said, slowly and deliberately, "But how to forge it is up to me."

These words were anything but polite; they could even be described as domineering.

After all, Huo Yuhao is just a teenager, but each of these three presidents is old enough to be his grandfather.

If it weren't for Princess Star Luo Empire being present to keep things in Xu Jiujiu, these guild leaders would probably have already lost their tempers.

Even so, the expressions of the three association presidents visibly darkened.

After a brief and tense silence in the reception room, Zhu Wen slowly began to speak.

His voice was a few decibels lower than before, but his tone remained quite restrained. "Master Huo, as the saying goes, everyone has their own area of expertise."

"When it comes to making Soul Tool, you Soul Engineer are experts; we roughnecks who swing iron hammers are naturally no match for you."

"But when it comes to blacksmithing and forging, I'm sorry, this is a craft passed down from generation to generation among us blacksmiths, and you're probably not as good as us."

His words were already extremely polite, but the meaning was clear: those who are not experts should not give unsolicited advice.

He paused, took a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions, softened his tone, and continued, "Master Huo, you could actually list out the specific requirements for the materials for us."

"What hardness level do you need? What standard of toughness do you need? What range of dimensional accuracy do you need? Our Smiths Association will naturally provide the most standard forging solution according to your requirements, ensuring that the forged material is flawless."

Huo Yuhao did not show any offense or dissatisfaction after hearing Zhu Wen's words.

He remained calm and composed, with a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "Chairman Zhu, it's not that I don't trust the Smiths Association's skills, but the requirements I've set... you can't meet them!"

If Huo Yuhao's previous statement was somewhat domineering, then this statement is nothing short of a blatant provocation.

To go to the Smiths Association's territory and, in front of the three presidents and vice presidents, say that their ancestral craftsmanship simply doesn't meet his standards—isn't that like blocking their doorway and pointing your finger at them to hurl insults?

This is intolerable!

"Smack!"

A muffled thud echoed in the quiet meeting room.

Before Zhu Wen could speak, Vice President Qu Tong slammed his hand hard on the table, making the heavy solid wood table tremble violently and spill a few drops of tea from the teacup.

The old blacksmith had white hair and beard, and his skin had taken on a unique dark red hue from years of forging by the furnace. A thick, bushy beard trembled with his heavy breathing.

He jumped to his feet, glared at Huo Yuhao, and his voice boomed like a bronze bell. "Kid, I've put up with you for far too long!"

"I've wielded a hammer for most of my life, rising from apprentice to vice president. I've handled more iron than you've eaten meals."

"How old are you, kid? You haven't even grown your hair yet, and you dare to question the Smiths Association's skills in front of an old man like me?"

Qu Tong grew increasingly agitated, his voice rising louder and louder, making the windows of the reception room rattle. "If you don't trust our blacksmithing skills, then don't come here to discuss any cooperation!"

"They want us to do the work, but then they criticize us, saying we can't do this or that. How can that be reasonable?"

Qu Tong poured out all the words that had been bottled up inside him in one breath, his chest heaving violently.

Chairman Zhu Wen then spoke, calling out in a deep voice, "Old Qu, sit down."

Qu Tong glanced at Zhu Wen, then snorted heavily through his nose, plopped back down in his chair, crossed his arms, and turned his head away from Huo Yuhao.

Huo Yuhao watched the whole scene unfold, but his face showed no anger or displeasure.

Although Zhu Wen maintained politeness and restraint throughout, he deliberately delayed stopping Qu Tong from slamming the table Qu Tong cursing, which speaks volumes.

Zhu Wen was also angry, but he refrained from showing it because he had been there for Xu Jiujiu.

However, all of this was within Huo Yuhao's expectations; in fact, it could be said that this was exactly the effect he wanted.

He didn't offer any explanation, but simply smiled slightly and slowly extended his right hand.

With a slight thought, an object appeared out of thin air in his previously empty palm.

More accurately, it is a rare metal.

It was a perfectly square cube, about three inches on each side, with sharp edges and very neatly cut.

Its color is extremely peculiar, with the main body exhibiting a cold and pure silver-white, resembling the snow-capped peak of a glacier that has never melted for millennia.

On the silvery-white background, fine and deep purple lines are evenly distributed.

The most bizarre thing is that the surface of this metal is covered with patterns that resemble eyes, as if countless sleeping eyes are quietly gazing at the world.

Whether it was Qu Tong, who had just slammed his anger onto the table, or Chairman Zhu Wen, who had suppressed his rage, or Vice Chairman Lin Zhiyuan, who remained silent throughout, it was all a matter of personal feelings.

At this moment, all three of them were as if drawn by a magnet, their gazes fixed on the piece of metal in Huo Yuhao's palm.

The entire reception room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. In the eyes of the three of them, it seemed that there was nothing else in the world except for that piece of metal that emitted Youyou purple glow.