Chapter 25: The Absolution of a Blacksmith

The two words “she’s dead” had barely left Zhang Luan’s lips when the man’s expression shifted dramatically. His anger gave way to shock, then to disbelieving despair, before finally settling back into a furious rage.

“Who exactly are you? Why have you come here to deceive me? Listen, boy, I’m not someone to be trifled with. Where is Ailya?”

Zhang Luan simply spread his hands, for he had spoken nothing but the truth.

Ailya Maoyin was indeed dead. In the player forums of his previous life, someone had shared their experience of a side quest where they discovered her remains and a diary. That very diary documented the identity of the man standing before him.

“I haven’t lied. Your wife truly is dead.”

The man shoved aside the blacksmith’s workbench before him, striding furiously towards Zhang Luan. His once resolute face was now twisted with raw emotion.

“You’re absolutely lying! Ailya vanished over a decade ago. If she could adventure with you, why wouldn’t she come find me herself?”

He had found a flaw in Zhang Luan’s words, though it was a flaw Zhang Luan had intentionally created.

“Yes, she disappeared for over ten years. Why didn’t she come find you? She is indeed dead. As for where she died, do I need to remind you?”

Zhang Luan gently guided his memories. Ailya Maoyin’s death had, in fact, been caused by the very man before him.

“The Lost Corpse City…”

The man collapsed to the ground, his mind reeling. He remembered. Everything came flooding back.

Zhang Luan patted his shoulder, then settled into a nearby chair, watching the weeping man with a sigh of melancholy.

In that side quest, Ailya’s diary had read:

“I protected the man I love. Even if I become a repulsive corpse, it doesn’t matter. Ah… God, may he forget me and find a new companion.”

This man and his wife had journeyed to the Lost Corpse City for a single Corpse King’s crystal, driven by his desire to forge a mythical weapon. Alas, fate had other plans. During their adventure, to save him, Ailya had shielded him from a fatal attack and, with her last breath, teleported both the Corpse King’s crystal and him to safety.

“I… I killed her…”

“Yes, you killed her.”

Zhang Luan’s objective was achieved. The man before him was on the verge of a complete breakdown. At this moment, Zhang Luan produced the Tome of Divine Arts, casually flipping it open to a random page.

He then utilized the Power of Creation and the Flames of the Stars to conjure a sacred radiance that swirled behind him.

“Ahem, I am the Holy Son of the Akamana Temple. I have come here to absolve you of your sins.”

Even Zhang Luan himself didn’t believe his words, but this man, who had lost his spiritual anchor, needed this more than anything. As for whether any god would truly absolve him, what did that have to do with Zhang Luan?

He had taken out the Tome of Divine Arts to validate his identity as a Holy Son. Whether the man believed it or not was beyond his control.

Absolving people was a god’s business; he was merely a fake charlatan, skilled only in deception.

The man slowly raised his head, tears streaming endlessly from his eyes. He gazed at Zhang Luan, his expression gradually shifting from despair to fervent zeal.

“God! Are you absolving me of my sins?”

“Yes, yes~ Your wife has already forgiven you.”

Zhang Luan still hadn’t lied. At least, in that diary, his wife harbored no resentment, even urging him to find another.

The man’s face was a mix of smiles and tears. As a Sealed Mountain Artisan, he shouldn’t have worshipped the Goddess Akamana. However, the subconsciously forgotten memory of causing his wife’s death was suddenly brought to light, triggering an immense shock. Coupled with Zhang Luan’s skillful guidance, he became a fervent believer in that moment.

Zhang Luan put away the Tome of Divine Arts. The book was excellent for putting on a show, but it was simply too heavy.

This man was a Sealed Mountain Artisan, specifically one dedicated to blacksmithing. All members of this profession were elites in various manufacturing fields. Only truly talented individuals could enter the Sealed Mountain, apprentice under a master, and become a Sealed Mountain Artisan.

Therefore, having him craft custom arrows was an excellent choice. However, the man carried a burden in his heart, and a Sealed Mountain Artisan with such a burden would have lost the ability to craft custom items.

Only those whose hearts held no other goal, who lived solely for creation, could forge true items.

“Your Highness, the Holy Son, thank you for absolving me of my sins. From now on, whatever you desire, simply tell me, and I shall forge it for you!”

This was precisely the statement he had been waiting for. Guiding this man to become a devotee of the Goddess Akamana was all to help him resolve his inner turmoil and transform him into a “pure” artisan.

Moreover, with his identity as a Holy Son, he wouldn’t even need to pay. It was a multi-faceted win.

“Didn’t I say when I arrived that I wanted custom arrows? A Sealed Mountain Artisan should be capable of that, shouldn’t they?”

The man wiped the tears from his face, stating with utmost solemnity:

“Thanks to Your Highness, the Holy Son, for helping me recall the past. Just moments ago, I wouldn’t have been able to craft custom items, but now I can!”

Zhang Luan smiled in satisfaction. Custom items were called such because anything deemed “custom” was of Advanced quality or higher. Ordinary blacksmiths couldn’t even craft a common item, let alone one of Advanced quality.

Common and normal items didn’t even qualify as custom.

Just as Zhang Luan was about to tell the man his specifications for the arrows, he suddenly realized he didn’t even know the man’s name. In his previous life, this person had never left a name, even at the peak of his mythical forging prowess. Zhang Luan was genuinely curious.

“By the way, what’s your name? I need something to call you, don’t I?”

The man shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

“Your Excellency, the Holy Son, you may not know, but Sealed Mountain Artisans are those who have forsaken their names. Everything we are must be dedicated to creation. Yet, the items we craft with our own hands should not bear our names, for that would be disrespectful to the creation. Powerful items should only enjoy their glory in the hands of their users, not with us artisans. If you don’t know what to call me… everyone around here simply calls me ‘Blacksmith.’ You can call me that too.”

Zhang Luan hadn’t known that Sealed Mountain Artisans had such a tradition. To him, forsaking one’s name seemed a rather foolish act. The creator and user of a weapon should be complementary, not like him, forging solely for the sake of forging.

However, he couldn’t be bothered with such matters. His sole purpose for this trip was to have arrows made; other things were irrelevant to him.

The Blacksmith looked at Zhang Luan, asking with a hint of uncertainty:

“Your Highness, the Holy Son? Have you… advanced once already?”

“Yes, why?”

“Nothing, it’s just a bit surprising to find someone of your talent in such a remote little place as Akamana City.”

“I’m a genius, alright? Stop rambling.”

Zhang Luan had no desire to explain. He simply relayed his requirements for the arrows to the Blacksmith.

“Heat-resistant, explosion-proof, dissolution-resistant, and with an energy slot. The arrowhead should ideally accelerate into a spiral, but without any messy enchantments. Can you do it?”

The Blacksmith rubbed his shiny, bald head, considered for a moment, and then nodded.

“I can!”

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