Steady Cultivation: Starting With the Perk “Work Hard, Rest Hard” Chapter 638: A Deal with the City Lord

The Old City Lord was taken aback and asked, "An artifact refining shop?"

"Correct!" Su Yuan nodded.

"Are you worried about the Alliance's forced conscription? Opening a shop is indeed a good method to offset mandatory conscription. However, I alone am useless in this matter. I belong to the Third Frontline and cannot act as a shill either. But I do know some friends on the Second Frontline. If you are already facing forced conscription, I can help make contact."

The Old City Lord had thought of many things.

Hearing this, Su Yuan was instead stunned. "Forced conscription?"

The Old City Lord was now the one surprised. "Fellow Daoist Seven Stars doesn't know? Once your strength reaches Tier 30 or above, you must go to the Second Frontline. You can stay in the Third Frontline for a period, but not for too long, unless you hold some official position or meet other special conditions to be exempt from this conscription! Although conscription is an obligation, it also has benefits. You can receive basic welfare allocated by the Alliance, obtain guidance, and so on!"

Su Yuan shook his head. "I haven't been to the Second Frontline."

As soon as these words fell, the Old City Lord fell silent. All his previous speculations were overturned. If Su Yuan wasn't from the Second Frontline, it meant the other party had broken through to Tier 45 on his own without receiving the Alliance's training. This was simply unbelievable.

The Old City Lord digested this for a moment before asking, "Then what is Fellow Daoist's meaning?"

"Wait!" The Old City Lord immediately interrupted. "Master Seven Stars, are you saying you can refine Tier 45 Dominator Artifacts?"

His tone was filled with utter astonishment.

"Exactly. I am skilled in artifact refining, so being able to refine Tier 45 Dominator Artifacts is considered normal. I have already refined one Tier 45 Dominator Artifact, so I do have some experience," Su Yuan said.

The Old City Lord took a sharp breath, then pondered for a moment before saying, "Forget about the shill business. I personally do wish to possess a Tier 45 Dominator Artifact. If I had a suitable weapon before, those two Scavengers would definitely have been dealt with by me!"

He sighed again. "It's just that my wealth is limited. The materials I have on hand now are barely enough for two refining attempts. I simply don't have the money to hire a master-level artifact crafter. The asking price of a master-level artifact crafter is far too high! Master-level artifact crafters are scarce talents within the Alliance. Every time they take action, it's enough to bankrupt someone."

Hearing this, Su Yuan asked, "You mean you want me to refine it? I cannot guarantee the success rate."

The Old City Lord said seriously, "Let's not even talk about success rate. I will entrust both batches of materials to Fellow Daoist for refining, as long as Fellow Daoist does not charge an action fee! As for whether they can be successfully refined, we'll leave it to fate!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yuan nodded. "Alright, I will refine the Dominator Artifact for you. I will do my best with both batches of materials. If one is successfully refined, you get one. If two are successfully refined, you get both!"

The Old City Lord didn't mind this arrangement. He didn't believe refining could succeed easily, so he readily agreed.

Then, he simply asked, "What is Fellow Daoist's artifact refining shop called?"

"Just called the Seven Stars Artifacting Shop!" Su Yuan said.

"Good!"

The Old City Lord searched and quickly found Su Yuan's online shop. He immediately placed a custom order. Through the Merit Points Mall, he transmitted all the materials he possessed and those exchanged with Merit Points to Su Yuan via the mall. This was following the mall's procedure, which deducted a certain handling fee in the middle, all payable with Merit Points.

The action fee was displayed as 'privately negotiated and settled.' This way, anyone looking at the transaction record later wouldn't know exactly how much the action fee was.

Su Yuan accepted this commercial order, promising to deliver the Dominator Artifact to the client upon successful refinement, but not guaranteeing the refinement success rate.

This order was thus concluded. The two batches of materials, totaling over three hundred types, were all received by Su Yuan, awaiting only his action to refine them.

Seeing this, the Old City Lord said, "I entrust this matter to Fellow Daoist Seven Stars!"

Su Yuan chuckled heartily. "Thank you for your confidence, Fellow Daoist Yan Feng. I shall certainly refine it with utmost care for you. Perhaps I can even succeed in forging two Dominator Artifacts!"

The Old City Lord offered a wry smile. "If Fellow Daoist Seven Stars truly manages to forge two Dominator Artifacts for me, then my desire to remain in Black Flame City might wane. With these two paramount artifacts, my strength would increase exponentially. I may even venture to the Second Frontline to engage in warfare once more with renewed vigor!"

Su Yuan inquired, his surprise evident, "Fellow Daoist Yan Feng no longer wishes to be City Lord?"

"Heh, I originally stepped down precisely because my strength was deemed too weak amongst my peers of the same cultivation realm. Were my strength sufficient, I too would yearn to fight my way back and stand shoulder to shoulder with my old comrades in battle. Besides, I've grown weary of the City Lord role; it's hardly thrilling."

The Old City Lord chuckled. "When the moment arrives, should you so desire, Fellow Daoist, I can entrust the position of City Lord to you! With my endorsement, this matter would undoubtedly receive approval."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuan simply chuckled and shook his head. "Fellow Daoist Yan Feng, you ought to continue guarding this city! I may not definitively be able to forge two master-grade Dominator Artifacts!"

"Hahaha!" The Old City Lord also did not take the offer seriously, sharing in the genial laughter.

The two gentlemen continued their discourse.

The Old City Lord elaborated extensively on the intricacies of the Second Frontline, thereby broadening Su Yuan's comprehension of both the Second and Third Frontlines.

What astonished Su Yuan was the revelation that the Third Frontline encompassed far more than their current locale. The one hundred million Chaos Dominators present constituted merely a single sub-district of the Third Frontline. The number of sub-districts within the Third Frontline far exceeded general expectations. Even the Old City Lord himself was unaware of the precise total.

Based solely on the information available to the Old City Lord, there were no fewer than ninety-nine sub-districts comprising the Third Frontline.

Surprisingly, the Third Frontline was situated on the outer fringes of the entire Chaos Alliance, rather than its inner core. This contradicted Su Yuan's preconceived notions. He had initially assumed the Third Frontline offered protection within the secure interior of the Chaos Alliance, but the reality proved to be quite the opposite.

The actual front line confronting the Scavengers occupied the most central position. This then raised the question: how did the Scavengers manage to reach the core? Would they not have to traverse the Third Frontline first?

The Old City Lord did not divulge much more information, likely because when he previously withdrew from the Second Frontline, his cultivation realm was merely Tier 39. At that juncture, he had held the status of a simple soldier.

Their leisurely conversation eventually drew to a close.

The Old City Lord suddenly proposed, "Adjacent to my residence, there happens to be an unoccupied mansion. If you find it agreeable, you could reside there, establishing yourself as my immediate neighbor."

"Where is it located?" Su Yuan asked, taken aback by the offer.

"In the central district of the northern sector of the city. Its location is quite advantageous. Most significantly, the mansion boasts the most extensive and superior supply of Chaos Flame, which is ideal for your artifact refining endeavors."

"That suits me perfectly!" Su Yuan accepted without hesitation, his gratitude evident.

Consequently, once the banquet concluded, Su Yuan proceeded directly to the mansion provided by the Old City Lord and took up residence.