The One Who Talks Trash...

If it's a reward from a dungeon.

In any case, Li Shengkai wouldn't be too surprised.

After all, he is the director of the Dungeon Resource Management Division, and countless pieces of equipment and items pass through his hands every day.

Putting everything else aside.

Many of the items dropped in dungeons are just as good as the equipment you have right now.

Moreover, he also knew Lu Xiu.

I've also seen those sets—they were simply outrageous.

Therefore, Li Shengkai is not someone who has never seen the world.

In fact, he had seen quite a lot of the world.

But he was still excited by the equipment in front of him, and even shouted it out.

Because this equipment is different from the dungeon rewards and the equipment in the Coordination Bureau' warehouse!

The meanings are completely different!

Most of the other equipment comes from dungeons and is a reward obtained by players upon completing them.

But the giant bow before them came from a frontline monster that everyone knew yielded absolutely no reward after defeating it! Even the bowstring material came from the Crawler that were found all over the front lines—although their mouths were very difficult to pry open after they died, and it took several High Sequence players a great deal of effort to do so.

But that's not a problem at all. Is it any harder than playing Sekiro from scratch?

Absolutely not.

not to mention.

The monsters at the front lines are meant to be killed anyway; whether you kill them or not, they'll still charge in.

Previously, there were no benefits to be gained; killing monsters was merely a way to protect the safe zone, and it was just a pure expenditure.

But now.

Killing them was profitable!

This is incredibly significant!

Although the benefits of killing a single monster cannot be immediately converted into combat power, such as the equipment you have now, you still need to use materials from other Variant Monster, such as the bones of Lei Yue and the Ripper Demon’s Steel Claw.

But these Variant Monster also need to be fought.

Because these Variant Monster Variant Monster are harder to defeat, the front lines can even control the Big Head the materials produced from them.

Then.

A completely new incentive policy could be developed around these materials and the Smithy at the Astera.

For example, equipment could be used as a reward to encourage players who were previously only active in dungeons to come to the front lines and help with defense.

At the same time, some openings will be made.

This allows others to collect materials to craft equipment, and encourages High Sequence players to volunteer as Patrollers.

As long as the front lines are no longer unprofitable, you can kill monsters there, gather materials, accumulate military merits, and acquire equipment.

That would immediately mobilize the initiative of the player base.

The pressure on the entire front line will also be greatly reduced.

It's even possible that the defensive lines that used to require human lives to fill might become battlegrounds where players scramble to grab monsters.

If guided well, everything will be different!

This isn't about equipment.

No matter how powerful this bow is, it cannot significantly change the course of the battle at present.

But the new situation brought about by this equipment can change the entire front line!

This is the real reason why Li Shengkai was excited.

We can't wait three years.

But a week passed in the blink of an eye.

But by then, everything will be different.

Li Shengkai had considered this.

Zhou Zhenyue and Chu Huai, who were always on the front lines, naturally thought of this as well.

The three men's breathing quickened almost simultaneously.

They stared at Lu Xiu for a while, then tacitly huddled together, forming a small circle, and began to discuss in hushed tones in front of Lu Xiu and the foreman of the Smithy.

"I'll head back to the Coordination Bureau shortly and report to the director immediately."

Li Shengkai couldn't hide his excitement as he said, "We'll have to wait another week at the workshop, but we can start gathering materials at the other front lines, especially the Variant Monster. I'll explain the situation here in detail—and then have the Patrollers prioritize dealing with the Variant Monster. I know this will increase the pressure on the front lines in the short term, but it's absolutely worth it!"

"Yes, I'll make the corresponding adjustments on my end as well."

Zhou Zhenyue nodded slightly. "It's best to control the materials from the early-stage Variant Monster at the front line. Of course, we can open some loopholes, and High Sequence players can go and kill them if they want, but we can't let them go and die. We can announce the usage of the materials a little later."

As for the Crawler, let them go completely. We on the front lines can even buy Crawler tongues from these High Sequence players."

"The Patrollers are already dealing with Mutation, so this isn't a problem."

Upon hearing this, Chu Huai said directly, "However, extracting materials is quite troublesome, especially from Mutation species. The soldiers had to chop down the two that Lu Xiu killed to extract the materials. It's impossible for the Patrollers to kill them and then leave them to extract materials. Instead, we can have some soldiers specifically collect materials, while the others can continue with their previous duties."

"There's also the issue of production capacity. The leader of the Smithy just said that they could master the process and set up a production line within a week. This might be similar to the dungeons—give them the materials and they can start production—"

The three began to discuss.

He became more and more engrossed in his speech, and more and more excited as he spoke.

Lu Xiu stood there, watching the three who had already begun planning, shook her head, and did not join in. Instead, she looked at the foreman of the Smithy again. "This bow will take a week to research, right? Okay, what about the remaining materials? Do you have any other ideas?"

The foreman of the Smithy carefully examined the materials on the table and gently shook his head. "That's all—the remaining materials are alright, but they're either lacking the main material or the auxiliary material. I don't have any other ideas."

Is that so?

Lu Xiu thought for a moment, then took out the materials she had obtained from the Monster Hunter dungeon from her backpack. "What if we add these?"

Do you have any ideas?

These were all leftovers from when he used his Deconstruction skills to create sets.

The foreman of the Smithy glanced at the pile of materials that Lu Xiu had taken out, and his expression changed.

He reached out and touched the materials, then couldn't help but gasp. "----These are all materials from monsters in the New World?! How can there be so many?! Sir, just how many monsters have you killed in the New World?"

The sheer number of them was as if a massacre had been carried out in the New World.

Although everyone knows about this.

But that's far too much.

That's not the point.

Lu Xiu waved her hand. "Tell me, with these added, do you have any new ideas?"

The foreman of the Smithy shook his head, then examined the materials on the table and replied, "I have an idea, but—"

Doing so would be a waste of these good materials, sir.

"Why?" Lu Xiu asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Because of compatibility."

The Smithy explained, "If these materials were in the New World, combined with other specific materials of the same origin, they could definitely be used to make better weapons or armor, even master-level equipment. But here, if we force them to be combined with other local materials corrupted by frenzied energy, we can only make ordinary things."

Speaking of which...

He paused, then continued, "I'm not familiar with the materials here, and the energy rules are completely different. I can't possibly create master-level equipment like the ones from the New World right away. If I were to force it, the best I could achieve would be this level—"

As he spoke, he pointed to the S-grade giant bow on the table.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "So, what you just said—that this is the limit that can be achieved with these materials under these conditions, and even if you spend three years researching and developing, the best result you can produce is only this prototype weapon—"

"So you're saying that no matter how good the materials are, you can't forge a higher-level piece of equipment? Even if I make a higher-level prototype for you to reference, like I did before, you still can't replicate it?"

"Right."

The Smithy nodded. "Because the environment is different, no matter how perfect the design is, master craftsmanship is not just about hammering materials together."

The more advanced the equipment, the more demanding the conditions for its creation. The energy on this continent is too volatile. Creating equipment like this within three years is already my limit; anything higher requires further research.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiu lowered her eyes and fell into deep thought.

really.

To make the Smithy leader in front of me function like my [Deconstruction] skill, I want to directly mass-produce SS items.

It's impossible to get weapons and armor of the highest, even SSS or Mythic Grade.

Or rather—this is a limitation of the system?

That makes sense, doesn't it?

If you could combine frontline materials with other miscellaneous items, you could directly craft mythical equipment.

That's terrifying.

That's too unbalanced.

Nine Provinces seems capable of sweeping through any other region.

Of course, this also proves the power of the [Deconstruction] skill. Although Lu Xiu has only made SS-level sets so far, it is clear that with enough materials, SSS-level or even Mythical Set can be made.

Even the materials are quite special.

It can even produce Miracle Armament like the [Judgment].

Although we don't yet know how this equipment ranks across all regions, it sounds incredibly powerful just from the description.

Furthermore, the Deconstruction skill isn't limited to crafting equipment; it seems it can also be used for items Consumable.

Root Skill ----

Previously, Lu Xiu felt that the Root Skill she obtained was somewhat weak, but now it seems to be quite unbalanced.

"I understand. I'll have someone send over some new local materials. See if you have any new ideas, and let me know as soon as you do."

Lu Xiu put away the materials on the table that the Smithy leader had said would be wasted, "If you can make more advanced equipment, let me know as soon as possible."

Although the workshops at Astera cannot produce weapons and armor of S rank or higher.

But it's still useful.

At least Lu Xiu wouldn't have to work day and night making equipment.

For example, the giant bow in front of her. If Lu Xiu were to make it all by herself using her Root Skill, with such a huge output from the front lines, she would have a headache just figuring out where to put the materials.

Besides, she doesn't have that much time.

At this time...

The three people next to them finally ended their discussion.

"Are you done discussing?"

After they finished speaking, Lu Xiu told the three of them about her discovery.

All three were taken aback by what they heard.

I'm a little disappointed.

They thought this giant bow was just the beginning, but little did they know it was already its limit.

However, this disappointment did not last long.

"Mass production of S-class equipment is enough to change the current landscape."

T

Zhou Zhenyue said softly, "If the soldiers on the front lines were all equipped with one of these bows, and supplemented with the firearms from the Titanfall, we could even kill the first few waves of Monster Tide without taking any damage."

"Right."

Li Shengkai nodded in agreement. "Even if it's only S-grade, as long as it can be mass-produced, it will be enough to reduce the casualty rate on the front lines to an unimaginable level."

Chu Huai took a deep breath. "Miss Lu, on behalf of all the brothers who fought to the death on the front lines, I want to say thank you. Monster materials, Astera, equipment—you saved the entire Jade Capital, and even the entire Nine Provinces."

All three of them knew very well who was responsible for the current changes.

Lu Xiu shook her head.

Actually, she did all this mainly to satisfy her own curiosity.

At this moment, Li Shengkai's gaze fell on the giant bow on the table again, and he asked curiously, "By the way, Lu Xiu, what's the name of this weapon? I just looked at the attribute panel, and it says 'Unnamed'?"

"Because it hasn't been named yet."

Lu Xiu looked at the three of them. "So, do you have any good ideas? What do you want to call it?"

Zhou Zhenyue thought for a moment and said, "Miss Lu, you should start. You are the one who created it."

Chu Huai also said, "This is the equipment you created, the first prototype equipment, so of course you have to name it. Whatever you name it, that's what the defense line will be called from now on."

Lu Xiu slightly raised her snow-white chin, thought carefully, and said, "Then let's call it [Yama Type]."

"Yama Type I ----"

Upon hearing this, Li Shengkai said, "Good name. If Yama wants someone to die at midnight, he won't let them live until dawn. It has a strong enough murderous aura, and it just happens to match the attributes of ranged weapons. But why add the words 'Type I' at the end?"

".

Lu Xiu said, "Actually, I just used a random word—as for the 'Type I' part, it's mainly to prevent similar equipment from appearing later."

That was just something I said casually.

Li Shengkai:

Okay, okay.

They're not giving me face.

But he quickly shook his head.

never mind.

As long as she's happy.

"Alright—By the way, Lu Xiu, this matter is of utmost importance right now. It involves monster materials, the Astera, and even directly affects the entire frontline system, material recycling, and adjustments to the policy on mobilizing High Sequence players."

Li Shengkai thought for a moment, then looked at Lu Xiu: "I need to go back to the Coordination Bureau immediately. What are your plans next—"

Lu Xiu looked at Li Shengkai, but didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "Are you planning to take a car back to the Coordination Bureau?"

Li Shengkai was taken aback by the question, "Otherwise what?"

Lu Xiu said with a hint of helplessness, "Have you forgotten what my original purpose was in coming to Jade Capital?"

"You're here for... uh... to place the Lordvessel Bonfire?"

Li Shengkai stood there stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what he had done and slapped his forehead.

No wonder he has a bad memory.

The main problem is that there was just too much information today.

Lu Xiu has done so much. First, she made the Astera appear in Jade Capital; then, when the Monster Tide broke out, she rushed to the front lines; then, she single-handedly chased after the Variant Monster, killing them indiscriminately and scaring away countless Crawler; and finally, she even handcrafted an S-rank equipment right in front of them!

This series of combined punches...

Li Shengkai had long forgotten why Lu Xiu had come here.

Seeing his frustrated expression, Lu Xiu shook her head and turned to walk out of the workshop first.

"Let's go, I'll go set up the Lordvessel Bonfire now, and you can Bonfire back to Chen Capital directly from here in a bit."

The three followed Lu Xiu out of the scorching Smithy.

When they returned to the outside of the Astera, the sunlight had become quite dazzling.

Since the Monster Tide at the front line was quelled ahead of schedule, the sound of vehicles occasionally passing by could be heard outside the base, while the NPCs of the Research Commission inside the base were busy in an orderly manner.

Where do you plan to put this Bonfire?

Li Shengkai looked around the base and asked, "If we place it in the very center of the base, will it cause any problems when a large number of soldiers flood in via the teleportation array?"

Lu Xiu stopped and scanned her surroundings.

The Astera was built using the wreckage of Starship.

The base in the instance has four floors, connected by stairs and a chain crane driven by a waterwheel.

However, it seems that only three floors appear in reality. Lu Xiu is currently on the second floor, which is the workshop area.

Above that is the living area where the cats eat their meals.

Below that are the base entrance and the ground floor.

Lu Xiu arrived at a corner at the edge of the first-floor trading plaza. "Let's put it here. It's close to the main gate, so there are fewer people, and it won't block the main passage. After the support personnel are teleported here, they can go directly out of the base to the front lines."

The other three had no objections upon hearing this.

Seeing that they didn't say anything, Lu Xiu walked directly to the chosen spot, extended her slender, fair hand, palm facing forward, and used the Lordvessel.

In the void ahead.

Tiny red sparks appeared out of thin air.

The Ember began to swirl and converge around Lu Xiu's palm.

Immediately afterwards.

A spiral-shaped longsword slowly took shape in the air.

Lu Xiu gripped the hilt of the Coiled Sword with her other hand, bent down, and plunged the sword into the ground.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing against stone echoed outwards.

The instant the Coiled Sword pierced the ground, a ring of Kindling appeared centered on the point where the blade had entered.

At the same time, a wisp of flame suddenly ignited on the Coiled Sword.

At first, the flame was extremely weak, as if it could be blown out by the wind at any moment.

But soon, as Lu Xiu continued to plunge the Coiled Sword downwards, the flames seemed to devour some invisible Kindling, instantly surging!

Call!

It then transformed directly into Bonfire!

A scorching stream of air, mixed with sparks, swept outwards in a ring, causing Lu Xiu's ponytail to fly backwards, along with the blue-glowing ribbons that followed.

"Nailed it."

"That's it?"

Li Shengkai hesitated and asked, "So you can teleport then?"

"Right."

Lu Xiu loosened her grip on the Coiled Sword: "I've already added all the people from the Coordination Bureau to the list. If you want to go back, just raise your hand in front of the Bonfire —I've only placed one Bonfire in Chen Capital right now, so you don't need to choose where to go, just go to the other Bonfire."

Also, the Bonfire is located in the Witch Instance, not far from the Coordination Bureau. Once you get there, just leave. If you encounter any NPCs, don't talk to them casually.

"Good."

Li Shengkai nodded in response, then walked to the Bonfire and carefully raised his hand towards Bonfire.

He had just raised his hand.

A window popped up; select another Bonfire.

Immediately afterwards.

Li Shengkai's vision went black.

When his senses returned to his body, he found himself in the Witch Forest.

"That's amazing!"

Li Shengkai surveyed his surroundings and took a deep breath.

Putting everything else aside, teleportation alone is enough to change the front lines.

certainly.

Now is not the time to think about this.

Li Shengkai shook his head, quickly left the forest, exchanged a few words with the soldiers guarding the Witch Forest, and then took a car directly back to the Coordination Bureau.

Just got back to base camp.

Li Shengkai didn't even take a sip of water before immediately planning to go find the director of the Coordination Bureau.

This matter is indeed important.

But before Li Shengkai could even go upstairs, he ran into Yan Fushou as soon as he entered the room.

Li Shengkai's eyes lit up. "Bald Yan, do you know that?!"

only.

He hadn't finished speaking.

Yan Fushou's eyes instantly turned red when he saw him. He rushed in front of him, grabbed his collar, and started yelling, "Wang Chaolema! You sent Lu Xiu to the front lines to fight monsters?! And you even had someone record a video?! Do you know what you're doing?! And you made Lu Xiu look so cool! Is it fun to let her undermine the Strategy Group's confidence?"

Li Shengkai: "----"