"Ah, so comfortable."
"Woof, woof, woof."
A man and a dog soaked in the hot spring and moaned in pleasure at the same time.
Irin did not expect that soaking in a hot spring in the game could bring about such a pleasure that could elevate one's soul.
It was too comfortable.
The Land of the Fire Source was famous for its hot springs.
This place was next to an active volcano and had many hot springs. Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong with it.
The Land of the Fire Source also had another name that was easy to understand.
Hot Spring Village.
An endless stream of spring water flowed into the pool through the channels.
Wang Tiandi washed away the dirt on his body and turned back into Wang Tiandi from a "mutt."
After knowing that Irin was a real "Great Engineer," Li Lei and Han Meimei gave her VIP treatment and brought Irin and Wang Tiandi to the best hot spring hotel in the village. It had an indoor hot spring, a buffet, a couple's suite, and a jacuzzi.
Irin and Gou 'zi were not lovers or had any special relationship.
However, Irin was too lazy to care about such details when they were enjoying themselves.
After a good bath with Gou 'zi, Irin took off the dirty engineer robe that had little durability left and changed into the set of equipment that came with the hot spring hotel.
…
[Fire Source Bathrobe]
[Fire Source Belt]
[Fire Source Clog]
…
Although this three-piece set was only a "D" rarity equipment, apart from changing the appearance, it could also reduce the "heat" by a small margin.
After Irin and Gou 'zi put on the "three-piece bathrobe set," they instantly felt the air around them become much fresher.
That's right.
Gou 'zi also put on the bathrobe …
For some reason, seeing Gou 'zi standing up straight with his paws pulling at the belt around his waist with an unbridled smile, he did not feel out of place at all.
In the dog's smile, there was a hint of tiredness, a hint of carefreeness, a hint of recklessness, and a hint of longing for more. He was just like a male dog who had just finished making a sword!
This village had a unique architectural style.
The wooden floor creaked as he stepped on it. The four walls of the room were hung with calligraphy and paintings unique to the game world. Everywhere was filled with an ancient charm.
The eaves outside the house were especially wide. It was like an umbrella, blocking the falling ashes from the sky. Irin wrapped herself in a bathrobe and looked outside through the paper window. The volcanic ash that fell down was like black rain, adding a sense of desolation to the village.
But to the Irin, this kind of smell had a different flavor. Steam rose from the hot spring inside the house, which was completely different from the dilapidated scenery outside. The inside of the house and the inside of the house were like two different worlds, giving Irin a strong sense of contrast.
Irin summoned the two Mother Spirits.
After not seeing each other for a long time, Nie Hongxiu and Bai Xiaoyi found that there was a hot spring in the house. They rushed over, pulled up the curtain, and soaked themselves in the hot spring.
Irin could not imagine how a mother spirit could soak in a hot spring.
But as long as they were happy, it was fine.
Irin looked at the increasing bond points and was very satisfied.
"You two soak first, I'll go out for a walk."
On the wooden frame beside the door, there was a row of neatly folded paper umbrellas. The paper umbrella opened, and there was a messy "flame" pattern drawn on it. It looked very good.
At the side, there was also a [Grayproof Mask] provided for free.
[Grayproof Mask] was also a piece of equipment.
It was in the accessory column.
The effect was simple: Provide fresh and dust-free air.
Irin left the dog and the mother spirit in the luxurious suite.
He walked alone, wearing wooden clogs, holding the paper umbrella, and wearing the [Grayproof Mask]. He walked slowly in the vast expanse of ashes.
In the village, every passerby was holding a paper umbrella and wearing a mask. It was impossible to tell who was who.
Irin walked on the road. The others did not know if Irin was a passerby or a local, so Irin easily blended into the village.
The village was very quiet.
Occasionally, people would pass by in a hurry, but they would not chat or strike up a conversation. The villagers quickly walked past Irin and did not even look at Irin, who was wearing a bathrobe and walking around the village.
Although the Village of the Firelands was small, it had everything.
There was an item shop, a weapon shop, a defensive equipment shop, and a blacksmith shop.
As he walked past the shops that no one cared about, Irin felt that he was still in the game.
Yi Lin circled around the village, and in a short while, she had already memorized the structure of the village.
In the north of the Village of the Firelands, there was a spiral of stone steps. There were beams and door pillars made of mahogany, and they were about three meters apart from each other. From afar, the stone steps and mahogany door pillars looked like a giant dragon entrenched in the village. A shrine with a solemn appearance and red paint stood quietly at the top of the slope at the end of the stone steps. It was like the head of a red dragon, and it faintly gave off an awe-inspiring and inviolable aura.
Irin narrowed his eyes and stared at the shrine that was bathed in ashes. He seemed to be deep in thought.
There were guards like Han Meimei and Li Lei guarding the entrance of the stone steps. Irin had not triggered any missions yet, so it was not good for him to sneak into the shrine at the top of the slope.
If he triggered something that he should not have, wouldn't he be shooting himself in the foot?
"Clang! Clang! Clang! "
"Whoosh! Whoosh — whoosh! Whoosh! "
Irin walked around the village and was about to return to the hot spring hotel. When he passed by the blacksmith shop, he heard the crisp sound of hammering iron and the whirring sound of bellows.
"Wait, this rhythm of hammering …"
"Clang! Clang clang! Clang! "
Irin's mouth twitched.
He did not pay much attention to it when he passed by earlier.
But now that he passed by it again, the rhythmic sound faintly overlapped with the hammering sound in his memory.
Back in Rab Town, when his "Question Mark Godly Sword" was being reforged, Irin had listened to the hammering sound for a few hours outside the door.
"It can't be that coincidental, right?" Irin pushed the door open and entered.
"… …"
It really was!
In the dimly lit room, a bare-chested figure was swinging a large iron hammer and smashing it against the red-hot embryo, causing sparks to fly everywhere. The beads of sweat that dripped down from the blacksmith's body were crystal clear and reflected a faint light under the sparks.
It was Blacksmith Ge Lang.
Why was he here?
Irin's footsteps paused.
He quickly reacted.
He used the title of [Honorary Guest Great Engineer] to sneak into this village.
It seemed that the false rumor of "the brave are the bad guys" was spreading wildly in the village.
And Blacksmith Ge Lang clearly knew his identity.
If he recognized him … …
No.
Irin touched the [Grayproof Mask] on his face.
His entire face was covered, not even a bit of skin was exposed. It would be strange if he could recognize him.
Irin let out a sigh of relief. He stopped and began to retreat. He was prepared to act as if nothing had happened. He came quietly and left quietly without bringing any dust with him.
Although he still had the [Unknown Godly Sword's Path to Recovery] mission, but at this time, he had not finished collecting the [Holy Blood]. There was no need to reveal his identity so early. It was better to leave first.
"It's you."
Irin did not have time to dodge.
Blacksmith Ge Lang's hammering suddenly stopped.
In the light of the fire, he slowly turned his head. His face that was filled with stories was as indifferent as before.
… …
… …
The blacksmith's door was tightly shut.
The room was hot and dry.
But compared to the outside, it did not seem like much.
Irin sat in front of Blacksmith Ge Lang. He helplessly took off the [Grayproof Mask] and sighed: "I'm already dressed like this, how did you recognize me?"
"That's not important."
It seemed like it was very difficult to get a lot of information from the silent Blacksmith Ge Lang.
Irin thought for a moment. Thinking about the architectural style of the Land of the Origin of Fire and the strange layout of more than one blacksmith shop, Irin thought of a possibility.
"This is your hometown?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you squatting in Rab Town?"
"Wait."
"Wait for what?"
Blacksmith Ge Lang was silent for a moment and shook his head.
You are so cool.
Irin firmly believed that this strange NPC must have a special mission.
This was indeed Blacksmith Ge Lang's hometown.
Other than being famous for its hot springs, the Land of the Origin of Fire also had a lot of blacksmith shops. Everyone was a blacksmith.
"Oh right, where are they?"
Irin finally remembered his former teammates.
"At 'Poseidon'."
"The Giant Divine Beast of Water, Poseidon?" Irin lowered his head and thought.
The two "navigation pointers" that Hermes gave him were Bolos and Aurora.
Bolos' navigation pointer was on Ningyou.
As for Poseidon …
"The Giant Divine Beast of Water is actually hiding under the sea of clouds?"
After Irin figured it out, he was surprised.
"Yes."
"I see."
Irin understood.
No wonder little Fatso and Blacksmith Ge Lang were safe after jumping into the sea that day. It was a coincidence that they met "Poseidon" who was passing by.
"Oh right, there's one more thing."
Previously, being chased by the airship, Irin had been in a hurry to escape, so he had forgotten about the matter of recasting the Question Mark Sword. Now that Blacksmith Ge Lang recognized him through the mask, Irin could not come here for nothing. He had to check the progress of the mission first.
"We agreed on this before."
The drop of blood of the Saint was one word different from the [Blood of the Saint] in the mission requirement. Irin knew that it would not work, but there was no harm in trying.
Seeing the drop of uncoagulated blood in the small bottle in Irin's hand, Blacksmith Ge Lang's turbid eyes lit up slightly as he stared at the "drop of blood" in the small bottle. After observing it with a strange gaze for a moment, Blacksmith Ge Lang shook his head again. "It's not enough."
"Ding!"
[Main Mission: The road to recovery of the "Unknown Divine Sword"! Mission Objective updated.]
[Current Objective: Collect the complete "Blood of the Saint".]
[Current Progress: 1/4]
[Mission Difficulty: SSS]
[Mission Time Limit: None]
[Mission Reward: Unknown]
"Okay."
In fact, if it was not for that flirtatious player messing things up, his main mission would have been updated a long time ago. But thinking about it carefully, it did not affect the completion of the mission at all if it was updated earlier or later.
"In other words, there are a total of four" Blood of the Saint "in the world, and it probably has something to do with the Curia."
Just as Irin was thinking about this, Blacksmith Ge Lang suddenly changed the topic.
"You are here to find the 'Six Evils Generals'?"
Irin raised his head in surprise and looked at Blacksmith Ge Lang. Unfortunately, Blacksmith Ge Lang's NPC character was too pretentious. His expression did not change, and it was impossible to see any strange emotions on his face.
"Yes, but how do you know?"
"That's not important." Blacksmith Ge Lang did not intend to explain Irin's doubts. After a full ten seconds of silence, he continued the topic. "Go find the 'Witch'."
"The shrine?"
"Yes."
"Understood."
Irin nodded and turned to leave.
In the darkness, Blacksmith Ge Lang whispered again, as if he was talking to himself.
"It's time to end this."
At this time, Irin still did not understand the meaning of this sentence.
…
…
To avoid being misunderstood as a hero, Irin left Wang Tiandi in the hot spring hotel. After bidding farewell to Blacksmith Ge Lang, he came to the stone steps leading to the shrine.
"Stop!"
As expected, Irin was stopped again.
Two spears were crossed in front of Irin.
"Let's try peaceful means before resorting to force."
Irin sighed. If this was not Blacksmith Ge Lang's hometown, and if Irin did not have the task of "Reforging the Godly Sword" on Blacksmith Ge Lang, Irin would have used a more direct method to sneak in. Why would he be stopped here?
He still had to give Blacksmith Ge Lang face.
If Blacksmith Ge Lang was angry and did not let him complete the task, then it would be troublesome.
Irin had already discovered that the NPCs in the game world were very temperamental. They would turn hostile at any moment and turn red in an instant. However, if there were any changes, they would turn green in the blink of an eye and become friendly again.
"During the Fire God's Ritual, the Witch will not see anyone."
The two guards who stopped Irin were only [Level 30] children. They were not a threat at all.
"Fire God's Ritual?"
Irin suddenly smelled the scent of a task.
No wonder Blacksmith Ge Lang asked him to find the Witch.
Irin pretended to leave, but in a corner where no one was looking, he activated his skill and turned into a faint shadow. He returned to the middle of the two guards and swaggered past.
Hmph, wherever he was stopped, he would go in from there.
Moving quickly along the stone steps, Irin quickly arrived at the shrine in the hometown of Firelands.
There were no guards around the shrine.
"It seems that the Witch thinks that the two guards at the door are enough to stop anyone."
Irin chuckled and released his perception. With him as the center, everything within a 30-meter radius was presented to Irin's "perception" in another way.
"There are only two people inside."
"An old woman and a young woman."
"Who is the Witch?"
In the shadow state, Irin easily entered the shrine.
In the shrine, there was burning incense. It was thick but not pungent.
Inside the shrine, a young woman wearing a red and white ancient witch robe was kneeling in front of a ferocious-looking fire dragon statue with her back facing the door.
From Yi Lin's point of view, the young woman's silky black hair casually draped down to her waist. Her slender waist was accentuated by the girdle.
In Irin's perception, the old woman was sitting on a low chair in the corner of the shrine. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow as if she was asleep.
Beside the old woman's feet, there was a small carving knife with dried blood stains on it.
Whose blood?
This old woman is … a guard?
Irin frowned, but he did not have an answer. He could only continue to observe.
On the weapon rack in front of the fire dragon statue, there was a simple longbow with a quiver beside it.
"A bow?"
As an elite player, Irin was already used to searching for valuable treasures after entering the shrine. This simple bow immediately caught Irin's attention.
It seemed to be a special weapon that was not sold in the shop.
Could it be sold?
Was it valuable?
It could not be a "godly sword," right?
Irin quickly asked himself three times, but he could not get an answer. He could only look at the beautiful back again.
[Fire Source Witch – Kikyo]
[Lv 70]
It was a green NPC.
"Hmm?"
At this moment.
The Witch – Kikyo still had her back facing Irin. After bowing deeply to the ferocious-looking fire dragon statue, she slowly got up and walked towards the longbow on the weapon rack.
Just as Kikyo moved, Irin suddenly realized that the green name had turned yellow in the blink of an eye.
A yellow name meant a neutral name.
"Come out."
When Irin noticed that the name of [Fire Source Witch – Kikyo] had turned yellow, Kikyo had already put the longbow on her back. Her white fingers were holding an arrow.
"Oh? It's like this. "
Yi Lin also emerged from the shadows unhurriedly and slowly walked out of the shadows.
After all, she was only Lv 70.
Irin was a little surprised. He did not expect this witch to be able to detect his presence when he activated [Shadow Stalking] and [Shadow Kill] at the same time. However, when Yi Lin noticed that when he appeared, Kikyo's gaze slightly changed its focus, and he understood what was going on.
It turned out that she did not really detect his exact location, but she sensed that "someone" was here.
"Who are you?"
Kikyo slowly stepped back with one foot and held the longbow with her right hand. She was ready to attack at any time.
Irin opened his hands to show that he did not have any weapons in his hands. At the same time, he showed his title [Honorary Great Engineer] and smiled kindly, "Don't worry, I'm a 'Great Engineer' from the Great Engineer Academy. I was asked by someone to solve your problem."
"Who?"
Looking at Kikyo's facial features separately, it was not the kind that was stunning. But when combined with her fair face, it made people feel comfortable looking at her. After Kikyo got into her battle stance, there was no anger, shock, or doubt on her face. Instead, it was like a pool of clear water, calm and peaceful, making it hard for people to think about attacking her.
"Mr. Ge."
"It's him?"
Showing Blacksmith Ge's title was indeed useful. Kikyo's face turned green when she heard that. She let out a small sigh of relief, as if she didn't blame Yi Lin for coming uninvited. She put the arrow in her hand back into the quiver.
Kikyo shook her head, "But I'm not troubled."
Irin was slightly surprised.
Blacksmith Ge didn't say that, right?
"You can go now."
Irin was silent for a moment.
Then he smiled and said, "Okay. Then … Goodbye. "
This time, Yi Lin really swaggered out of the shrine. He pushed open the shrine's door and left.
Kikyo looked at Irin's back as he left. Her expression was calm, and no one knew what she was thinking.
…
…
Irin went straight back to the hotel.
"Seems like there's something else."
Irin suddenly remembered what Blacksmith Ge said.
— "It's time to end it."
Now that he thought about it, he felt that there was a deeper meaning in this sentence.
End it?
End what?
It would not work if he went back to ask Blacksmith Ge about it.
"Although I haven't known Kikyo for a long time, this NPC gives me a strange feeling."
"Let's take a step back and say that in the game setting, if you don't say 'specific lines' or show 'specific items', you can't trigger the mission. But if you don't treat this scene as a game, Kikyo's reaction is very strange. It's like … she doesn't want anyone to accept the mission and solve the 'problem' that Blacksmith Ge mentioned. "
"Let's collect information first."
"Fire God's Ritual? Heh. "
Irin had found an entry point.
If it was the shrine, he could not sneak in for the time being.
Kikyo seemed to have a "sensing" ability similar to Irin's and could detect him when he was in stealth mode.
Irin had always felt that his talent skills [Shadow Stalking] and [Shadow Kill] were very useful when used together, but he was not naive enough to think that these two skills could be 100% unstoppable. In the Twin Lions Nation, didn't Homeros also open a skill [Sword Saint Territory — Selfless Realm] that could detect him when he was in shadow mode?
In the game world, there were many things that could not be measured by common sense.
There was also the existence of mutual promotion and suppression of skills.
Back at the hotel, the two mother spirits and Wang Tiandi were waiting for Irin to come back, bored.
"Ah, Master, you're back?"
Bai Xiaoyi had finished soaking in the hot spring. Her transparent little face was flushed red and looked very cute.
Nie Hongxiu's expression was still cold. She floated in the corner barefooted and remained silent.
But when Irin entered the room, she opened her eyes and nodded slightly at Irin as a greeting.
"It's only a matter of time before I max out the bond points."
Irin nodded silently. It was not difficult to see that the two mother spirits were becoming friendlier to him. It was not easy!
"Yes, I went out for a walk."
Irin smiled and replied. He put the paper umbrella and fireproof mask aside, then wore a clean bathrobe and sat on the couch, deep in thought.
Although the meeting with Kikyo was short, Irin noticed a detail.
The arrow pinched by Kikyo's fingers was engraved with the word "circuit."
Irin was too far away, so he could not see the circuit's structure clearly. He did not know what kind of spell it was. But thinking about it, it was nothing more than a simple spell like the "acceleration circuit."
The structure of the bow and arrow was clear at a glance. There were limited places where the "core" could be embedded, so it was impossible to construct a spell that was too powerful.
"I've been thinking wrongly all this time. An engineer's staff is not necessarily a 'staff.' Any weapon can be seen as an 'engineer's staff'. Maybe it's a dagger, a sword, or a shield. A real engineer can even raise a sword and shield and charge at the frontlines while howling. It's not impossible. "
After thinking through this, Irin took out the godly sword with a question mark and shook his head. "This godly sword is too malleable. It's not good for constructing spells. Just like the spell I constructed on the surface of Nightmare, I need to find a stronger and more stable material. "
As Irin talked to himself, he glanced at Sun Gou, who was shaking his head and wagging his tail not far away.
Wang Tiandi suddenly widened his eyes, and his tail stiffened.
Sun Gou was puzzled.
He did not know why, but he suddenly had the illusion that a great disaster was about to befall him.
"Forget it, it's too dangerous."
Irin's expression was calm. He looked away from Wang Tiandi and temporarily gave up on a bold idea.
After a while, Irin took out a silver revolver from [Props].
…
…
Irin stayed in the Land of the Firelands for a while.
During this time, after sneaking into the shrine, other than sending someone to formally welcome him, Kikyo did not do anything else. This made Irin feel very strange.
As Irin's guide in the Land of the Firelands, Han Meimei and Li Lei came to the hotel from time to time to chat with Irin when they were patrolling.
Han Meimei looked very down-to-earth. The fine freckles above her nose gave her a deja vu feeling.
Li Lei was a typical energetic guy. When Han Meimei was pestering Irin, he would bite his lips from time to time. He wanted to interrupt, but he could not. Irin shook his head when he saw his anxious expression.
This guy's crush was written all over his face.
Han Meimei seemed to yearn for the "mysterious engineering school". She would pester Irin to ask some questions about the "engineer".
It was like —
"I heard that engineers like to eat with their 'feet.' Is that true?"
"I heard that engineers are all bald. Why is your hair so thick?"
"I heard that engineers usually don't live past 50 years old. Is that true?"
"I heard that many engineers are single. Don't tell me you are one too? What a coincidence. "
He did not know which lousy game designer came up with these damn NPC lines.
Although these questions made Irin physically and mentally exhausted.
After getting familiar with them, Irin pretended to be unintentional and finally got some information about the "Fire God's Ritual" from the two of them.
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