Chapter Eighteen: The Armory of Divine Weapons

The matter of the Second Elder had come to a close, and the position of the Law Enforcement Hall was temporarily filled by the steward, Chen Sheng. His strength was formidable, and no matter what complaints others had, they were powerless to oppose him.

Now, Chen Bo's father's influence had grown stronger, and if this scheme continued, the entire Chen family would soon be under the absolute control of Chen Zhenhai.

Though Yan Town was termed a "town," its area was truly vast. The town was divided into five districts: east, south, west, north, and central. The eastern district belonged to the Chen family. The southern district was the territory of another great clan, the Zhang family, while the western district was controlled by the Qin family.

The northern district was a stretch of hills, connecting to the terrifying place known as the Prime Beast Forest.

Though it was called a forest, its expanse rivaled that of an empire. Only the bold nerves of Yan Town’s inhabitants allowed them to live here. Who knew when the prime beasts might suddenly go mad and attack humans?

The central district, finally, was the trading hub of Yan Town, jointly managed by the three families. It was, aside from the north, the most chaotic place—but also the most prosperous.

Prime beasts were fearsome creatures of the wild continent, possessing immense power, frequently attacking humans, and their numbers far exceeded the total human population.

These beasts were graded by level, but humans, too lazy to assign lofty names to their stages, simply called them first, second, or third level.

A first-level prime beast’s strength equaled the Skin Training stage; second-level matched the Flesh Tempering stage; third-level was equivalent to the Bone Marrow stage, and so on, each divided into early, middle, and high sub-stages.

In terms of raw power, beasts at the same stage were slightly stronger than their human counterparts. Yet humans possessed cunning minds, capable of wielding weapons, martial skills, and strategies. Thus, the balance was maintained.

Human flesh and blood were a delicacy to prime beasts, especially that of cultivators, which no beast could resist. Conversely, beast flesh was equally nourishing for humans, and some beasts even carried a prime crystal in their brains—far more valuable than a prime stone.

Returning to the main point: since the system had issued a side quest, he had no reason not to fulfill it. Losing eighteen centimeters was a fate worse than death—it would make him a grand eunuch!

The materials and tools needed for refining weapons were available in the Chen family. Since Yan Town was occasionally visited by weapon refiners, the three families competed to host them courteously. If a refiner wished to repay the hospitality by forging weapons, these resources came in handy.

It was said that Chen Bo's father’s ancestral sword was forged by a master weaponsmith from the capital, crafted with casual ease yet possessing the value of a treasure-grade weapon. Truly, a master—even more so in a small place like Yan Town.

Next came prime fire, which Chen Bo had no idea how to buy. With the system’s current attitude, asking it would surely cost him. If he asked again, his gold coins would be in the negative.

He took out all his private savings and counted them. Two low-grade prime stones, three silver notes each worth two hundred taels, and some loose silver and gold.

This was all Chen Bo possessed. The silver notes were leftover New Year’s gifts, while the two prime stones were his winnings from family tournaments in the past.

He didn’t know whether prime fire required stones or precious metals, so he decided to bring everything.

As he walked through the Chen family grounds, the disciples who encountered him could not help but glance his way. Many no longer looked at him with contempt or disdain.

Instead, their gazes had turned to fear and respect. After all, with just a few words, he had toppled a venerable elder—the means alone were enough to inspire caution.

When heading out, the gate guards respectfully addressed him as "Young Master." It seemed Chen Bo’s image had changed in their eyes—from a useless good-for-nothing to a cunning and crafty one.

Within Yan Town, Chen Bo was something of a minor celebrity, at least someone whose face was known throughout the town. The Chen family had not concealed yesterday’s events; they hadn’t suppressed the news at all. Thus, the story had already spread everywhere.

On the street, people whispered and pointed at him. Whenever he looked their way, they scattered like startled birds and beasts.

This left Chen Bo speechless. Did he really look that much like a villain? He hadn’t done anything bad!

Since becoming a useless cripple a year ago, Chen Bo had never enjoyed a good reputation. The negative comments alone could have made the news headlines seven or eight times over. The spectacle made the audience in the live broadcast laugh uncontrollably.

"The streamer has officially become a bully, both sneaky and cunning. Throwing flowers!"

"The streamer hasn’t bullied anyone yet, right?"

"I believe it’s only a matter of time. LOL."

"Shouldn’t it be bullying men and women alike? Fits the streamer better."

"To the one above, I’ll give you a score of 766; don’t be too proud of those extra 666 points."

"Seeing the streamer’s bewildered, constipated expression—such an unexpected moment of hilarity."

"Already made a meme pack out of it. PM me if you want it; a full set of streamer emojis for just five coins."

"I’ll pay five yen for it."

Chen Bo’s mouth twitched. As Confucius once said, internet users are always full of mischief. The ancients never lied.

He arrived at the central district, greeted by a bustling marketplace. Stalls lined the left, shops on the right; it wasn’t overwhelming, and the management seemed quite sound.

Chen Bo had learned to be shrewd. He bought a bamboo hat and a black robe, and felt they suited him quite well.

He didn’t want anyone to know he could refine weapons; otherwise, he wouldn’t be treated as a mascot, but would become the target of every faction’s espionage and assassination. The Chen family gaining a distinguished weapon refiner would be a fatal blow to the other two families—eliminating Chen Bo would become inevitable.

Yan Town had a shop dedicated to weapon refining materials: Divine Weapon Pavilion. The name was cliché, but its background was impressive. Divine Weapon Pavilion was a large commercial guild of the empire, respected even by the emperor.

Though this was merely an insignificant branch, it wasn’t a place anyone could afford to provoke.

Chen Bo entered and found the place rather quiet. Aside from the shopkeeper and a few helpers, there were only one or two customers, purchasing nothing more than ordinary long swords.

Once the customers left, Chen Bo stepped forward.

The shopkeeper was a plump, rosy-faced man. Seeing Chen Bo’s odd attire, he showed no reaction, welcoming him with a smile. "Honored guest, what weapon would you like? At Divine Weapon Pavilion, we have more weapons and refining materials than anything else, and the prices are unbeatable."

Chen Bo lowered his voice and asked, "Do you sell prime fire here?"

"Hmm?!"

Thanks to reader 'Chicken Coop Slayer' for the 100-coin reward.