The next day, at Kael’s insistence, they left the hospital.

  On the way home, Kael watched the back of Gable’s head as she drove and couldn't help but marvel. Who would have thought that this unassuming woman wouldn't even flinch when faced with more than a dozen armed men? He'd really underestimated her. Where on earth had Lila hired her?

  A seed of suspicion took root in his mind. Something about the way Gable had handled herself yesterday felt like it was part of a much bigger picture.

  Now wasn't the time to ask Lila about it, but he made a mental note to bring it up the next time they were alone.

  When they arrived at Cypress Point Estates Villa 8, Maria had a feast of delicious food waiting for them. After eating his fill, Kael went to his room, quickly ripped off the bandages wrapped around his arm, and lay down in his gaming pod, logging in as Ullr.

  It was just after 6 PM in-game. The blacksmith’s grand mission had ended, and the massive influx of players in Starlight Village had begun to recede as people returned to their own towns. The village was no longer as crowded as it had been. Still, a significant number of players chose to stay for the village's repeatable essence quests and the questline leading to the Verdant Pool Dungeons.

  The first thing Kael did was open the Starlight Village administration panel. He saw that their resources had skyrocketed.

  Treasury: 1430 (Gold Ingots)

  Lumber: 1120

  Copper: 3210

  Iron: 2513

  Population: 10,012

  The copper and iron reserves had increased by more than 2,000 in just three days!

  Just then, a private message from the blacksmith popped up.

  "My Lord, I am now capable of forging equipment up to level 40. I request your authorization to officially open my services to the public."

  Kael grinned. He hadn't even upgraded the blacksmith shop yet, and Garrick had gone and leveled himself up.

  Kael replied: "Approved."

  A pair of system notifications immediately followed.

  System: You have authorized the upgrade of the Blacksmith to Tier 3. You have received a gift from Garrick: [Recipe: Vowforged Plate (Epic)].

  System: Lucky Bonus triggered! Your reward has been upgraded to [Recipe: Vowforged Plate (Legendary)].

  A crafting recipe!

  Crafting recipes and crafting scrolls were two different things. A scroll was a one-time use consumable—once you made the item, the scroll was gone. But a recipe was permanent. As long as you had the materials, you could craft the item over and over again.

  Furthermore, player-crafted gear was often superior to gear dropped by monsters. A guild blacksmith with a good recipe could outfit every single member in top-tier equipment.

  In terms of rarity and importance, a great recipe was comparable to an Ascendant item, or maybe even a saint relic. And Kael had just gotten one for doing absolutely nothing.

  Man, it pays to be the lord.

  A flash of guilt crossed his mind. Wait, is this considered a bribe? He glanced around nervously and saw a patrol of guards walking nearby. He immediately snapped his gaze forward, his heart pounding.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The guards, armed with spears and bows, drew closer.

  Panic seized him. No way. Am I going to get busted for my first-ever bribe?

  The patrol captain stopped right beside him and raised his right hand.

  Snap!

  The captain executed a crisp salute.

  Kael let out a silent breath of relief. Holy crap, you scared the hell out of me! Wait a minute. I'm the Fourth Chieftain. Who's going to mess with me?

  He puffed out his chest and clicked open the recipe's description. What he saw nearly made him choke.

  [Recipe: Vowforged Plate (Legendary)]

  Flavor Text: This armor was painstakingly designed by Garrick in an attempt to win the heart of Mara. It is said that when worn by a couple, it reveals a special power.

  Talk about a blacksmith's romance!

  After reading the cheesy flavor text, Kael checked the stats.

  [Vowforged Plate (Legendary)] - Lvl 25 Heavy Armor

  Physical Defense +1405

  Magical Defense +605

  Strength +150

  Constitution +200

  Requirements: 400 Strength, 400 Constitution.

  Materials: 3 Darksteel, 4 Iron, 10 Linen Cloth.

  .....

  [Vowforged Plate (Legendary)] - Lvl 30 Heavy Armor

  Physical Defense +1810

  Magical Defense +805

  Strength +200

  Constitution +300

  Requirements: 600 Strength, 600 Constitution.

  Materials: 10 Darksteel, 10 Iron, 20 Linen Cloth.

  .....

  So it could craft gear for both level 25 and 30. Iron and linen were common materials, but Darksteel was much rarer and could only be found in high-level mining areas. Starlight Village definitely didn't have any; he'd have to source it from a major town.

  Since it was heavy armor, Kael couldn't equip it himself, making it personally useless to him.

  However, he could definitely use it to generate some serious income. And when it came to making money, there was only one person to call.

  He opened a chat with Elon.

  "What are you up to?"

  "Just setting up a new shop in Ebonridge, what's up?"

  "Get to Starlight Village. Now."

  "You got it, boss. On my way."

  Three seconds later, Elon materialized in a flash of light at the teleport nexus.

  Kael blinked. How the hell did he get here so fast?

  Elon strolled over, looking smug. He casually adjusted the medallion hanging on his chest, making it jingle. "What do you think of that for service speed, boss?"

  Kael’s eyes fixed on the medallion, and he immediately recalled a specific item: the [Merchant's Passkey].

  It allowed the user to teleport to any activated teleport nexus in any town or city. It had no level restriction, which meant the level 25 Elon could travel anywhere he pleased. It was a unique achievement reward from the system for being the first player to open ten shops.

  After a bit of small talk, Kael handed the recipe to Elon.

  Elon took it and began to read. At first, his brow furrowed in concentration. Then, it smoothed out. Finally, his eyebrows shot up in excitement.

  He slapped his thigh. "Boss, leave this to me. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the results."

  Kael nodded. He had no idea what gears were turning in that head of his, but he knew one thing for sure: Elon was about to work some serious magic with this.

  Sure enough, a few minutes later, Elon pinned a global announcement in the world chat.

  "The Arbazon Company is proud to announce exclusive crafting rights for the [Vowforged Plate (Legendary)]! To serve all players, we will be launching a world tour, visiting a new main city every three days! Our first stop will be tomorrow at midnight in Crescent!"

  Players clicked the item link and their jaws dropped. A craftable Legendary heavy armor set for levels 25 and 30!

  Heavy armor was already one of the most expensive and sought-after gear types. A group's DPS could be a little low, but the tank's gear had to be top-notch. Players would fight tooth and nail for a single piece of epic heavy armor or a shield. And now Elon was offering a craftable Legendary set.

  This was a game-changer.

  In the past, when Kael’s name appeared in server announcements, it was just server gossip—something for players to watch and talk about. But this was something that could directly benefit every single one of them. The excitement was palpable.

  While the players in Crescent were celebrating their good fortune, players in the other twenty main cities were left in the lurch. Guild leaders from across the server began frantically PMing Elon, begging him to visit their city.

  Elon, ever the accommodating businessman, created a group chat for all the guild leaders and told them to bid for their city's spot on the tour schedule.

  The other guild leaders were grinding their teeth in frustration, but they were powerless. Everyone wanted to get their hands on the level 25 and 30 Legendary armor as soon as possible. Every day they got it sooner was another day they could widen the gap between themselves and their rivals. With the game developers already hinting at an upcoming Guild War season, no one wanted to miss this critical chance to power up.

  When Kael figured out Elon's scheme, he was blown away. Pitting the main cities against each other in a bidding war—how did he even come up with that?

  Just as Kael was silently praising Elon’s genius, he got a frantic message.

  "CRAP! I should have stockpiled Darksteel before I made the announcement! Massive oversight!"