The rider had already gone far away, but the craftsmen inside the weapons shop were still discussing the news.
"I knew there was something strange about those floods. How could so many places have been hit!" "Exactly! So there were Flood Dragons behind it!"
"Say, Daoist Priest, you're having so many swords made. Could you be planning to deal with the Flood Dragons too?"
Yi Shuyuan drew his gaze back from outside and smiled at the old blacksmith.
"Do I look like a man of extraordinary abilities?"
The two blacksmiths looked Yi Shuyuan up and down. His weathered appearance held a quiet composure, and despite his ragged Daoist robes, he did not look bedraggled in the least. The old craftsman nodded.
"I reckon you do!"
"If I said I was, could you give me a discount?"
At Yi Shuyuan's question, the old blacksmith hesitated, then actually nodded.
"If you're protecting the people, Daoist Priest, I won't charge for the forging. Just pay me for the iron!"
"But I have no way to prove my abilities."
"You don't look like you're trying to deceive anyone!"
Yi Shuyuan smiled.
"Very well. I'll come back for the swords in a month."
With that, Yi Shuyuan walked out of the weapons shop, but the old craftsman hurried after him.
"Daoist Priest-come back in half a month!"
Yi Shuyuan paused in the street, turned back, and cupped his hands in thanks before walking briskly away.
When Yi Shuyuan reached the city's notice wall, the Imperial Court's officers had indeed posted an Imperial Proclamation. People crowded around it in rings upon rings.
The officers continued reading out the proclamation, but although plenty of people watched from the edges, few volunteered.
Yi Shuyuan knew, however, that the places with the most volunteers would likely be the disaster-stricken