Chapter Seventeen: Fire Can Be Sold?

“Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, all deities reveal their power—Buddha, the Three Pure Ones, Chairman Mao, Emperor Qin Shi Huang…” Chen Bo muttered under his breath as the wheel before him was about to come to a halt.

The spinning had slowed to a crawl, and after a dozen rounds, it was now moving so sluggishly that it might stop at any moment.

“It has to be the Artificer’s Handbook! It must be! That’s the only thing of any use; the rest are worthless!” Chen Bo no longer considered himself an atheist. After all, with things as bizarre as transmigration and cultivation having happened to him, what couldn’t he believe in now?

If an old man riding a rainbow cloud were to appear and claim to be the Supreme Lord Lao, Chen Bo might well believe it.

At last, the wheel stopped. Chen Bo’s face lit up with joy—it went without saying, he must have drawn the Artificer’s Handbook.

A tremendous surge of information flooded Chen Bo’s mind, making his head spin and throb with pain.

Suddenly, his memory was brimming with all kinds of foundational knowledge about artifact forging; the sensation was akin to an illiterate man suddenly being able to understand a dictionary—utterly wondrous.

He picked up a piece of silver and could immediately discern how much other metal it contained. In a blink, he’d become an expert—it felt almost unreal.

“Haha! Now your host finally has a profession—an artificer! Sounds impressive, doesn’t it? And if I draw higher-level handbooks in the future, I’ll never have to worry about weapons again!” Chen Bo exclaimed excitedly.

If he mastered forging, nothing more needed to be said; the number of Primordial Stones alone would make him rich. He could become one of those legendary tycoons.

Primordial Stones were a type of crystal containing spiritual energy on the Barbarian Continent, resembling white jade. They could be used for cultivation and were also a high-grade form of currency.

They were ranked: Supreme, Excellent, High, Medium, and Low.

The Chen family did possess some Primordial Stones, but not many—just over a hundred low-grade ones, and their numbers dwindled a little each day.

In Flame Town, where the Chen family resided, there were no Primordial Stone veins. That mere hundred stones was treated as a family treasure—a sad reality for a small place.

In any city, even a third-rate power would own more Primordial Stones than the Chen family.

“Wow, wow! It’s really the legendary art of artifact forging! Host, do a live stream!”

“Some hosts make a million a month live-streaming their forging!”

“Host-kun, I’m Yashige from Japan—could you forge a Gundam for me?”

“Brat upstairs! But your suggestion isn’t bad. And I must say, I appreciate your name.”

“The host has gone international! But why a Gundam? Obviously, you should make a Transformer!”

“Why not ask the host to make a doll?”
“Genius above!”

Make a Gundam? A Transformer? A doll?! Do they think I’m Doraemon, able to produce anything out of thin air?

Chen Bo said helplessly, “I hate to disappoint you all, but forging requires Primordial Fire, all sorts of materials for forging, and a wide variety of tools.”

“Tools aren’t a big deal, and materials aren’t too hard to get, but Primordial Fire can only be used by someone at the Innate stage! I’m just an Acquired rookie—it’ll be the year of the monkey before I get there!”

The viewers were a bit unwilling to give up, and so was Chen Bo! Harboring the hope of a loophole, he asked the system, “Hey system, aside from reaching the Innate Realm, is there any other way to get Primordial Fire?”

“Answering this question will cost fifty thousand gold coins,” the system replied.

“What the—!” Chen Bo jumped. “Fifty thousand just for an answer? You’re greedier than a profiteer! Weren’t all my previous questions answered for free? Why do you charge gold now?”

“As the host’s strength increases, so does the system’s intelligence. The program instructs the system not to do unprofitable business.”

“Can’t you make an exception? We’ve known each other for a while—there’s some camaraderie there! For old times’ sake, can’t you cut me a deal?” Chen Bo tried to keep a smile on his face.

“Fifty thousand gold coins. No bargaining.”

“Damn it, do you want me to dismantle you?!”

“No bargaining.”

“How about cheaper? Ten thousand? Twenty? Twenty-five? At most thirty! Or maybe thirty-one?” Chen Bo shamelessly pleaded.

At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to give a good beating to whoever had designed the system. Why did an AI need such high intelligence? Damn it!

“No bargaining,” the system replied mercilessly.

“You’re ruthless! Fine, fifty thousand it is. Hmph, as if I’d care about a mere fifty thousand gold coins!”

In an instant, more than half of Chen Bo’s seventy thousand-odd gold coins vanished, leaving just over twenty thousand.

“Host, you can actually purchase Primordial Fire. Some stores that sell forging materials carry it,” the system explained.

“Artifact forging doesn’t just utilize a cultivator’s own Primordial Fire; it can also use the free Primordial Fire found in nature. Although this masterless fire can’t produce top-tier weapons, it’s very suitable for beginners.”

“You mean, fire can be sold?! What could possibly contain fire without extinguishing it?” Chen Bo was skeptical. Was the system pulling his leg? He didn’t believe it, at least not now.

“Host, your worldview is still stuck on Earth. In this world, Primordial Fire isn’t so easily extinguished. It just needs to be stored in a special container. When you want to use it, simply open the container and recite a mantra to control the fire.”

“However, this masterless, wild fire is extremely difficult to control. Many people have died from being consumed by it.”

“That dangerous? Every profession in this world is high-risk!” Chen Bo sighed.

“Then I’d better not learn artifact forging yet. I don’t want to die before the three-year deadline even arrives,” Chen Bo said, shaking his head.

“Ding! Side quest issued! Use artifact-forging skills to craft a longsword—must be made personally.”

“Quest failure penalty: little Ding Ding will shrink by eighteen centimeters. Quest reward: one early-stage Treasure weapon.”

“Are you doing this on purpose?” Chen Bo asked darkly. What a coincidence—the moment he said he wouldn’t forge, the system issued a quest.

“Host, answering this question will require fifty thousand gold coins. Do you want the system’s answer?” The system’s voice was as cold as ever, like a robotic monotone.

Chen Bo silently exited the system. He never thought a system could be so humanized, even to the point of being mischievous.

“The host is being teased by the system! The almighty system is being playful!”

“Host, man up—take the initiative!”

“Huang Bo just tipped the host 3030 gold coins—your name is similar to mine!”

“666, a five-billion box office king has appeared! Honey, come quick and look at Huang Bo!”

“Host, hurry up and forge a sword. Do you need me to provide the blueprints?”