A Lucky Find: A Master Rank Blacksmith!

Turning his head, he noticed that the silver-armored girl remained calm, and a sense of unease crept into his heart.

What's up with this woman? How did her favorability rating suddenly increase for no reason?

Could it be... that she was attracted by her own silhouette and secretly developed feelings for him?

Indeed, I am a truly charming man.

"Ahem..." Shen Xing coughed lightly, "Miss Lila, we're almost there."

Lila also came to her senses and nodded slightly.

As soon as she entered the inner city, she immediately looked up.

At that moment, my vision was completely filled with golden light.

Golden Tree, hundreds of meters tall, stands on the west side of the inner city, its radiant glow painting the entire sky a brilliant gold.

"This is the Golden Ancient Tree..." Lila murmured, tilting her head back. "It is indeed as sacred and pure as the legends say."

She stared blankly, as if trying to etch this scene into her heart forever.

Half a minute later, he slowly withdrew his gaze. "Thank you, Lord Shen Xing, for fulfilling my long-cherished wish."

"I will remember this kindness forever."

As she spoke, she gently bowed and gave a solemn greeting.

Shen Xing smiled and said, "Why are you so serious? If you want to see it again in the future, I can bring you in anytime."

"What did you say... I... I can still come in?" Lila was stunned again, asking incredulously.

"Of course," Shen Xing nodded. "We're practically partners now, and we'll have many more opportunities to work together in the future. I'll definitely fulfill this small request."

Lila was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "Thank you very much for your kindness, Lord Shen Xing. I will definitely bother you often in the future."

"Sure, sure."

Shen Xing smiled, then gently extended his right hand, and an invisible spiritual fluctuation emanated from it.

Immediately afterwards, a bright golden leaf drifted down from the treetop and flew towards the silver-armored girl.

"This is..." Lila instinctively reached out and caught it.

"I'll give you a leaf from a Golden Ancient Tree as a keepsake," Shen Xing said with a smile.

Lila stared at the leaf in her hand, then at the young man in the wheelchair, seemingly lost in thought for a moment.

It took her a moment to come to her senses.

[Due to your trust, the favorability rating of Lila Lenox, Vice President of the Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce, has increased significantly.]

[Current Affection Level: 45 (Trust)]

Shen Xing glanced at the notification that flashed before his eyes, a slight joy rising in his heart, but his face remained impassive.

"Miss Lila, it's getting late, let's head out."

"Good."

Lila carefully put away the Golden Tree and followed the wheelchair out of the inner city.

Soon, they returned to the outer city.

The Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce's guards were still waiting in place, while Weston and his men had already loaded the goods onto the wagons.

The group of Flame Lizardman were also released from their cages and stood together with the more than one hundred long-armed laborers they had previously purchased.

"Lord Shen Xing, I apologize for disturbing you today."

Lila led a white horse out of the crowd. "Then farewell. I will certainly visit your territory often in the future."

"Okay, have a safe trip." Shen Xing nodded.

As soon as she finished speaking, the silver-armored girl leaped lightly onto the horse's back.

"Set off."

She waved her hand gently and rode her white horse to the very front of the procession.

The guards lit their torches and escorted the convoy forward.

"Lord Shen Xing, farewell. I'm sorry to have bothered you these past few days!"

Weston waved to him, a grateful smile creeping across his fleshy face, before disappearing into the crowd.

Shen Xing leaned back in his wheelchair, watching the silver-armored girl's heroic figure until she completely disappeared into the mist.

Chapter 201: I've struck gold! Master Rank blacksmith!

Shen Xing leaned back in his wheelchair, watching the Ouroboros Chamber of Commerce's convoy until they completely disappeared into the mist.

After a moment, Leina spoke softly, "That woman is very strong."

"Stronger than you?" Shen Xing turned and asked.

Leina hesitated for a moment, then replied, "If we were to fight at the same level, she wouldn't be my match."

Shen Xing narrowed her eyes.

Clearly, what Leina meant by that was that the other person was stronger than she was now.

Leina is already a Tier Three powerhouse, which means that Lila has likely reached Tier Four.

Good heavens, this woman looks so young, yet she's not only the vice president of a chamber of commerce, but also Master Rank expert. She's definitely not simple.

It seems that my act of returning the favor was the right one.

Lord Shen certainly wouldn't give a gift to a woman he'd only just met for no reason, nor would he agree to let her frequently visit his territory to see the Golden Ancient Tree.

Isn't all of this simply because they are powerful and have a strong background?

There's a saying that goes something like this: the world of martial arts isn't just about fighting and killing; it's also about human relationships and social interactions.

Maintaining a good relationship with this person will be of great benefit to the territory in the future.

Shen Xing snapped out of his thoughts, then looked at the slaves waiting in the distance and ordered, "Leina, push me over there."

"Yes."

The red-haired monk responded and then pushed the wheelchair, leading him over.

At this moment, more than a hundred slaves stood on the open ground outside the city gate, each wearing a black metal collar around their neck, divided into two teams according to their race.

The long-armed laborers on the left all had their heads down, their dark bodies trembling slightly, their eyes filled with fear of the unfamiliar environment and the unknown.

The Flame Lizardman on the right all had bloodshot eyes and their claws were digging restlessly at the ground, appearing quite agitated.

"Boss, this is a stone from that caravan. They said it can control them." The Da Hou handed over a jet-black stone.

Shen Xing took it.

[Obtained: Enslavement Crystal (Unknown)]

Just like its name suggests, this thing is used to control these slaves.

By simply injecting a certain amount of spiritual energy, one can bind to the crystal.

If any slaves disobey, a single thought is all it takes for the collar to tighten, subjecting them to excruciating pain worse than death.

However, Shen Xing suddenly grabbed the stone.

To everyone's astonishment, with a "crack," it was crushed to pieces.

The collars around the necks of the slaves came off automatically, and they were completely bewildered and dazed.

"My lord... what's going on?" Da Hou asked, somewhat puzzled.

"In my domain, there are no slaves, only family members who are truly devoted."

Shen Xing calmly said, "If they're unwilling to work, a collar alone won't be enough."

He paused, then looked at the group of long-armed laborers before him. "I don't know what you've been through before, or who you've worked for."

"But here, as long as you work hard, you will receive ample food, safe shelter, and sufficient rest."

"I know that saying this is useless, but you will experience it all firsthand soon."

The group of long-armed laborers exchanged glances.

A middle-aged man with a face covered in black hair and only one ear remaining walked out of the crowd.

He said piously, "Your Excellency, your heart is as vast as the ocean; we sincerely praise you."

"When we first joined this territory, we felt a magical power surge into our bodies, and we knew that this must be a territory God-Gifted."

"Your noble actions at this moment further confirm this, and we will repay your trust with our work."

After saying this, he respectfully knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the earth.

The other long-armed laborers also knelt down, offering their loyalty to the young man in the wheelchair.

Shen Xing nodded in satisfaction, then called Monday to lead the group of laborers away for a series of work training sessions and accommodation arrangements.

Soon, they lined up and entered the inner city.

Shen Xing turned his head and looked at the group of Flame Lizardman: "So, what about you?"

Their eyes were bloodshot, and they remained silent.

A moment later, the crowd parted automatically, and a lizard-man with a somewhat weathered appearance and scars on his face stepped out.

"Human lord, we can sense that you are different from other humans, but you know, we don't have much time left."

The old lizardman said in a deep voice, "The Frenzied Flame Disease among our people is getting worse. The flames in their bodies are constantly accumulating, and it won't be long before they erupt completely, which will also affect you."

So please let us leave.

Shen Xing remained silent, gazing thoughtfully at the group of lizardmen.

Among them, several lizardmen seemed to have lost patience.

"Roar! Let us go! The noble lizardmen will never serve weak humans like you!"

"Hypocritical humans, don't try to fool us with such tricks!"

"Roar! Let's do it! Tear them apart and burn this entire territory to the ground!"

They let out frantic roars, and several lizardmen even had dark red flames erupting from beneath their scales, unleashing a destructive wave of energy.

"Shut up."

A soft rebuke came from behind, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Instantly, the flames that had been burning on the lizardmen all went out, and even the Frenzied Flame within their bodies seemed to subside.

At that moment, everyone turned around and stared at the red-haired woman with disbelief.