Su Li snapped the mithril wire in his hand and tossed it into the cooling iron basin beside him.
This was the fourth day he had shut himself away in the woodshed.
The furnace burned at an extreme temperature, and the air itself was scorching. Bare-chested, sweat rolled down his toned muscles.
On the workbench before him, two silver-glinting suits of close-fitting soft armor had fully taken shape. They were crafted with top-grade mithril lining and fourth-tier crystals, with fourth-tier defensive circuits engraved inside.
The courtyard outside was a complete uproar.
"Take your ragged clothes away! They're blocking me from drying my scallions!" Saina's voice rang out, full of vigor.
"That nightgown is worth thirty gold coins. Your rotten scallions aren't worth three copper coins. Can you afford to compensate me if you damage it?" Elena immediately fired back.
"Compensate my ass! I run this courtyard!"
"I'm his properly wed wife!"
They quarreled like this every day. Su Li could not even be bothered to cover his ears. He picked up the cooled tea on the table and took a huge gulp, preparing to put the finishing touches on the soft armor.
Someone knocked three times on the gate of the little courtyard in Ginkgo Alley.
Saina was squatting by the well, washing cabbage. Without even lifting her head, she shouted, "It's unlocked! Just leave the things at the door!"
The gate was pushed open.
Elonore entered carrying a small wooden box. Today, she wore a beige short dress, her silver hair tied into twin ponytails.
This was already the fourth day in a row that she had arrived punctually.
When she came on the first day, Saina had blocked the courtyard gate with a broom. Yet this little elf girl had skin thicker than a wall—despite being scolded, she