Several people crowded over and saw a burly man in leather armor standing beside a makeshift iron rack, holding up a gleaming silver suit of armor and shouting with spittle flying.
"Come take a look! This is silver-plated armor forged by the president of the Blacksmith Association! Blades and spears can't pierce it, and neither water nor fire can harm it!"
"Only thirty Gold Soul Coins today! For thirty Gold Soul Coins, you can't be cheated or ripped off!"
A skinny man beside him chimed in, "We usually work inside the Association. We came out today to give the good people of Gengxin City a special deal!"
Wu Changkong merely glanced at the armor before saying, "This armor is fake."
The crowd fell silent at once.
The burly man's expression changed. He glared at Wu Changkong. "Where'd this little brat come from? Your hair hasn't even grown in, and you're pretending to appraise treasures? What do you know?"
Wu Changkong ignored him. He stepped forward and flicked the armor with a finger, producing a dull, muffled puff.
"Real silver-plated armor uses Refined Iron as its base, wrapped in silver on the outside. When struck, it should sound crisp and short."
"Yours has a wrought iron base with a layer of silver powder brushed over it, then oil smeared on top. It shines from a distance, but touch it and the coating comes off."
He wiped the armor's surface with two fingers, and sure enough, a layer of silver-gray powder came away on his fingertips.
The onlookers erupted into discussion.
"Damn it, another scammer!"
"That's what I thought! Would anyone from the Blacksmith Association set up a street stall here? Bah!"
Xue Li stepped forward with a grim expression and pulled a palm-sized iron badge from his chest. It had a