An Unreasonable Request

A small fan brings a slight coolness, and the long summer day unfolds leisurely.

A white streak of light pierced the sky and finally landed in front of a magnificent city.

Ignoring the various gazes directed at him from all sides, Bai He raised his head and looked at the three large characters on the city wall in front of him—"Gengxin City"!

Fifteen minutes later, in the city center, at the [Blacksmith Association Headquarters].

Bai He sat in the reception room on the fourth floor and met the Divine Craftsman Lou Gao, who had taken time out of his busy schedule to come over.

"Chief Bai He Crane, the guild is very busy, I apologize for keeping you waiting..."

Over the years as president, Lou Gao has been greatly influenced by his upbringing, not to mention the personal guidance he received from Ling Yi. His former roughness and casualness are no longer visible in his interactions with others.

At least when dealing with people with whom you are not very familiar, while you may not be perfect in your words, you won't easily evoke any ill will in them.

Faced with Lou Gao's polite words, Bai He didn't act arrogantly. He stood up humbly as well, and said with a smile:

"No, it was I who disturbed President Lou Gao..."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they took their seats. When tea and snacks were served, Lou Gao didn't inquire about the other party's purpose, but instead chuckled and invited Bai He to enjoy the tea, saying:

"Speaking of which, Miss Tang San has now become the number one in the 'Sculpture' subject at the [Heavenly Craft Academy]. Even the teachers at the academy say that they have nothing left to teach Miss Tang San in terms of carving skills—"

"If it weren't for Miss Tang San 'Tang San special status, I would have invited her to give a lesson to the students in the academy who had chosen the 'Sculpture' course—"

Upon hearing Lou Gao mention Tang Yuehua, even though Bai He was extremely anxious, he couldn't help but smile from the bottom of his heart.

"Yuehua is at [Heavenly Craft Academy]. Thank you for your help, President Lou Gao and Senior Tie..."

After rambling on for a while, Bai He finally couldn't hold back and spoke:

"President Lou Gao Lou Gao, I have a very difficult request for you, and I hope you can grant me this request!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a fleeting look of tension crossed Bai He's face, replaced by an expression of utmost seriousness.

"Oh?" Lou Gao remained calm and composed, a look of surprise appearing on his round face. He then straightened his expression, patted his chest, and promised, "Chief Bai He, please speak freely. As long as it's something I can help with, I, Lou Gao, will not hesitate!"

Bai He:"..."

No, what do you mean by "anything I can help with..."?

Bai He was initially pleased by Lou Gao's imposing demeanor and actions, but upon hearing these words, he nearly threw out his back.

It's fortunate that it was Bai He Bai He came this time. If it were one of the other three families from the Four Single-Attribute Clans, they probably wouldn't have understood the underlying meaning of those words.

Who would have thought that you, Lou Gao your thick eyebrows and big eyes, would have so many Huahua, and your words are so shrewd!

Isn't it said that blacksmiths deal with hammers, metal ingots, and furnaces all day long, and that they are all straightforward and honest, never resorting to tricks, and are just a bunch of muscle-bound but simple-minded guys?

No, that's not right either. While Tai Tan also believes in letting strength dictate terms, he's never been one to shy away from scheming. This Lou Gao in front of us is not only a blacksmith but also the president of the Blacksmith Association. It would be abnormal if he didn't have a brain.

A series of thoughts flashed through Bai He's mind, but his expression remained unchanged. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "President Lou Gao, I've heard that your [Heavenly Craft Academy] has an exchange list for faculty and outstanding students?"

"Um?"

Upon hearing Bai He's words, Lou Gao an eyebrow, a thought flashing through his mind. He nodded, his tone unconsciously becoming more subdued. "There is such a list. What does Clan Chief Bai He mean—?"

Sensing the wariness subtly emanating from Lou Gao, Bai He pursed his lips, carefully choosing his tone and words, and said softly:

"I wonder if the items on the [Heavenly Craft Academy]'s exchange list can be made available to the public?"

"This..." Lou Gao blinked, neither saying yes nor no, but looked at the Bai He in front of him and asked curiously, "I wonder what the Bai He Clan Chief has taken a fancy to up there?"

Although Lou Gao didn't explicitly agree, since the conversation had already progressed this far, Bai He stopped being coy and replied, "I'd like to buy some 'Blood Essence Fruit Blood Essence Fruit.' I wonder if President Lou Gao would be willing to make an exception?"

Before coming to Gengxin City, Bai He first went to the Heavenly Craft Academy. Through subtle inquiries with Tang Yuehua, Bai He learned that the "Blood Essence Fruit" was exchanged almost every month on the Heavenly Craft Academy's exchange list, by both academy teachers and outstanding students like Liu Erlong.

The Heavenly Craft Academy has been established for four years, and the fact that it can provide "Blood Essence Fruit" for people to exchange every month clearly indicates that the Blacksmith Association, the force behind the Heavenly Craft Academy, has most likely mastered a stable channel for obtaining "Blood Essence Fruit".

In addition, the Bai He also discovered a piece of information that was originally inconspicuous through other means.

The Clear Sky Sect's spies planted in the Star Luo Empire had reviewed the Star Luo government's data collection and summary on the Blacksmith Association. Before coming here, Bai He had done his homework, so he had naturally looked through all of this information.

One piece of information caught the Bai He's attention.

Five years ago, outside Gengxin City, a large-scale breeding farm was established with funding from the Blacksmith Association.

Pigs, cattle, sheep, rabbits, chickens... all kinds of livestock are available. In just five years, the farm has expanded again and again, and now it can supply meat consumption for more than ten cities of all sizes within a radius of thousands of miles, including Gengxin City.

The hides, bones, meat, and offal of these animals all have their own markets and destinations, but the blood has never been explained in any way!

Bai He knew that the "Blood Essence Fruit" was the fruit produced by the Plant-type Soul Beast "Blood-Devouring Vine" after it absorbed the blood of humans and animals, and it contained the essence of the blood.

At the same time, it is also a rare item on the Soul Master World Soul Master Dream Ranking, just like the "Rhinoceros Earth Dragon" Spinal Marrow Pearl.

In addition, like the "Rhinoceros Earth Dragon" Spinal Marrow Pearl, the "Blood Essence Fruit" is also rare and precious.

The "Rhinoceros Earth Dragon" Spinal Marrow Pearl can only be obtained by finding and hunting the "Rhinoceros Earth Dragon". To obtain the "Blood Essence Fruit", you must first find the "Blood-Devouring Vine".

However, unlike the "Rhinoceros Earth Dragon," which can be found, killed, and have its pearl retrieved, the "Blood-Devouring Vine" repairs itself by consuming the blood essence energy from the "Blood Essence Fruit" when attacked.

Therefore, if the "Blood-Devouring Vine" cannot be killed immediately, then even if the kill is finally achieved in the end, you may get nothing except a Soul Ring.

Still writing, next chapter before midnight~