The blacksmith's shop

He could ask Amber about the details of obtaining a gliding license. In the original story, she was the one who arranged the Traveler's test.

Besides, buying a Wind Glider did not mean he could use it right away. He would need practice before he had any chance of passing the test.

As someone who had achieved the incredible feat of winning the gliding championship three times in a row, Amber was certainly the right person to ask for tips on using a Wind Glider.

Time always passed quickly when he was lost in thought. Before he knew it, he had finally arrived at the Tarn Fishing Tackle Factory.

It stood in a fairly bustling part of Mondstadt City's western district. Despite being called a factory, the Tarn Fishing Tackle Factory did not occupy much land. For one thing, making fishing tackle was not a popular business in Mondstadt, and demand was low.

For another, it was not Mondstadt's only fishing tackle factory. Competition kept them in check, each holding a relatively stable share of the local market, leaving little room for any of them to grow.

Li Qiuzhi looked at the Tarn Fishing Tackle Factory before him. Every so often, a horse-drawn cart carrying goods entered or left.

He stepped forward to enter, but a man who was probably a security guard stopped him. The middle-aged man had short brown hair, a lean face, and a piercing gaze.

"What brings you here, young Adventurer?"

Having worked as a security guard for years, Gaspar could tell at a glance that Li Qiuzhi was an Adventurer. He had probably accepted some commission, but it was still Gaspar's duty to ask.

"Hello, sir. I'm looking for Supervisor Lucaer. Is he here?"

Li Qiuzhi did not hide anything. After all, this was hardly a matter that called for secrecy. At heart, the Fishing Tackle Shop's owner, Sanborn, simply did not want to confront his old friend Lucaer and embarrass him.

Sending Li Qiuzhi spared him that concern. Once Li Qiuzhi found the man, he could just ask him directly.

"Supervisor Lucaer? Hmm... he isn't at the factory. I believe he went out to discuss a project. You can wait here for him."

Hearing what the young Adventurer wanted, Gaspar, who wore a light-colored security uniform, thought back. Supervisor Lucaer had indeed gone out half an hour earlier.

"Ah, what unfortunate timing!"

Li Qiuzhi looked a little disappointed. The guard had no reason to lie to him, so Lucaer really must have been away.

"Yes, he only left about half an hour ago. Mr. Lucaer has been going out a lot lately, and he's been looking rather haggard. He must be keeping busy trying to get more orders for the factory... sigh, I hope he gets some rest."

Gaspar glanced at the young Adventurer and folded his arms, offering further explanation in case he did not believe him.

Looking haggard... it seems he really has run into some trouble. Li Qiuzhi silently speculated after hearing the factory guard's account.

If he had gone so far as to deceive an old friend of more than ten years, it was probably no simple matter.

Waiting here would not solve anything. Who knew when Lucaer would return? Standing foolishly outside someone else's factory while passersby glanced his way, deliberately or otherwise, would be far too stupid.

After considering his options, Li Qiuzhi decided to launch a "surprise visit" to Lucaer's home that evening. Surely he would go home at night to eat and sleep.

Unable to make any progress on the commission for now, Li Qiuzhi decided to visit Wagner's blacksmith's shop near the city gate and have some arrows made. Otherwise, he would have none to use. He could also ask about the prices of one-handed swords while he was there.

Li Qiuzhi followed the street near the city wall. After quite a while, he finally reached Wagner's blacksmith's shop.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of hammering reached him from far away.

There were only two people in the blacksmith's shop: its owner, Wagner, and his apprentice, Schutz. Schutz handled the supporting tasks, making Wagner's work more efficient.

"Hello, Mr. Wagner," Li Qiuzhi greeted him politely as he approached.

Wagner was a powerfully built man, with clearly defined muscles in his arms. Every swing of his hammer looked steady, his strength perfectly controlled.

His apprentice, Schutz, was adding firewood to the furnace used to melt iron.

"Oh, it's you, young hunter." Wagner looked up at Li Qiuzhi when he heard him, then continued forging as he asked, "Need some arrows?"

He remembered this young man from Liyue vaguely. He seemed to be Draff's hunting apprentice and had come to the shop with him a few times to buy arrows.

His name was Li... something... Qiuzhi, wasn't it? Sigh, Liyue names are such a mouthful.

"Yes, Mr. Wagner, but I need some more powerful arrows now. Do you have any recommendations?"

Li Qiuzhi nodded as he asked.

"More powerful? Aren't Ironhead Arrows good enough for hunting?" Wagner sounded a little surprised. He raised his head slightly to look at Li Qiuzhi again. "Oh? Have you become an Adventurer?"

Li Qiuzhi smiled and said:

"That's right, Mr. Wagner. Ordinary arrows are fine against monsters like Slimes, but they're a little lacking against anything else."

"In that case, Schutz, come help the customer and see what he needs!"

Wagner continued hammering the glowing iron in his hands. Unable to step away, he gave Schutz the task.

"Yes, Mr. Wagner."

Schutz's hair looked orange in the firelight, though it was actually dark brown. He rose from beside the furnace, approached Li Qiuzhi, and explained:

"Besides ordinary iron-tipped arrows, we also have Armor-Piercing Steel Arrows carefully forged by Master Wagner, along with a new type he only recently developed: Quenched Arrows!"

"Armor-piercing arrows?!" Li Qiuzhi exclaimed in surprise. "Can they even pierce the armor worn by the Knights of Favonius?"

"Ahem." Schutz raised a hand and coughed lightly. "The Knights of Favonius' armor would be a little difficult, but piercing an ordinary thick iron plate is definitely no problem!"

"That's still very impressive. And what are these Quenched Arrows?"

Compared with the self-explanatory name of the armor-piercing arrows, Li Qiuzhi was more curious about the Quenched Arrows.

When Li Qiuzhi finally asked about them, Schutz could not keep the corners of his mouth from lifting as he said proudly:

"They're Master Wagner's latest masterpiece. A special method imbues the arrows with Pyro, so even an ordinary person can shoot flaming arrows with them. Each arrow alone is equivalent to a two-star weapon!"

Every gesture Schutz made showed how genuinely proud he was.

"Schutz, don't exaggerate!"

Wagner stopped what he was doing. Even he felt a little embarrassed by Schutz's praise, so he offered a simple explanation:

"Some Hilichurl brutes out in the wild use Pyro Slimes to quench their axes repeatedly, giving them a means of attacking with elemental power. Quenched Arrows work on the same principle.

"I just happened to find some ore containing Pyro and managed to incorporate it into the arrows. It's nothing special."

Li Qiuzhi's eyes brightened slightly. Attacks carrying elemental power were generally much stronger than ordinary arrows, which was exactly what he needed.

Clearly tempted, he asked:

"Then how much do these Quenched Arrows cost?"

There'll be another chapter a little later. Thank you all for keeping up with the story, bookmarking it, voting, and recommending it. Please keep them coming!