Chapter 275

Chapter 275: Chapter 272:

Completely different from the exterior decoration style, upon entering this residence, Su Ming’an saw a small city that seemed to have been carved out of gemstones.

The beautiful colored glass and glazed roofs first caught his attention, followed by various colored fountains and pools.

Unlike the eye-soaring rabbit fountains of the shop owners, these pools had columns in the center engraved with exotic patterns. Soft music drifted from the edges of the water, with players of all sorts sitting around chatting.

Under the daylight, colors reflected into his eyes, revealing a miniature city of vibrant hues, akin to places where elves from legends would dwell.

A place rich in fantasy.

It reminded him of the magical world of Ming Hui.

Noel led him through what could be called a "resplendent" street until they reached an alleyway.

This area had a different style from the previous, where he saw an abundance of verdant greenery.

Passing by a door, he heard a "ding ding, dong dong" sound from inside, like the ringing of hammers.

"Come in," Noel opened the door.

Su Ming’an walked in; the red brick walls caught his eye first, then he noticed the vines hanging from the ceiling, which shimmered with a glow like fireflies.

The neatly arranged square tables rested on the wooden floor, and behind the counter, there was a space concealed by blue curtains, from which the "ding ding, dong dong" noise emanated.

Noel pulled back the curtain, and Su Ming’an saw a figure with loose black hair.

He saw a swirling mass of colorful light, along with various orbs of light revolving around a young girl with black hair.

Her fingers guided these floating orbs of light, which stretched, fractured, and fused as her fingers moved. A transparent frame floated in front of her, slowly being filled by the colored light orbs.

Accompanied by an intangible rhythm, pattern marks began to appear on the light orbs under her rhythmic fingers, curving and twisting, pushing and pulling. The colorful materials on the table gradually diminished as her almost translucent jade-like hands sent them flying into the empty frames, which began to fill up as if being dyed.

Forging.

This was the occupation of a Forging Master.

In this process, a small hammer appeared in the girl’s hand, and with a series of clear taps, the weapon slowly took shape.

Forging wasn’t just about gathering materials and clicking an icon in the game; it required high freedom and careful planning like building architecture.

A single mistake, a single daydream, could render an equipment piece valueless, a tragic waste of precious materials.

...Just like the agility-limiting boots Su Ming’an had seen earlier.

"This is what you were looking at earlier," a deep male voice came through.

Su Ming’an looked up and saw a bald man emerging from the back room.

A pair of boots enveloped in swirling winds were placed on the counter in front of him.

The bald man smiled at him, "Hello, Number One Player. I am Seruo, the chief Forging Master of New World Guild."

In an instant, Su Ming’an understood the surly mood the man had displayed while selling earlier.

No wonder he had been so arrogant; it turned out he was a high-ranking Forging Master.

"Hello... I’m Su Ming’an."

"Haha, no need for introductions, even with my eyes closed I could call out your name," Seruo laughed heartily. "That was really thrilling earlier. I must apologize on behalf of my guild leader; he always likes to play these nasty little jokes."

"It wasn’t a joke," Noel immediately protested.

"Alright, alright, it wasn’t a joke," Seruo ruffled Noel’s hair, then turned back to Su Ming’an.

"These boots will be gifted to you after Noel enters the Seventh World. Ah, by the way, there’s something else," Seruo turned around, suddenly noticing the black-haired girl who was puffing her cheeks at him.

"—So noisy! Don’t talk while I’m forging!" the black-haired girl slammed the table, and Seruo instantly raised his hands in surrender.

Acting as if she hadn’t seen Su Ming’an, the black-haired girl pouted and turned away.

"That’s Little Tang, a newcomer who just returned, determined to become a Forging Master," Seruo watched the girl leave, introducing her: "I must say, her talent truly surpasses my expectations; maybe in a few worlds, it’ll be her turn to be the chief Forging Master..."

Su Ming’an listened to Seruo’s introduction, hearing him talk about some matters in the Main God World:

"Every time those Adventurer Players set off, we always ask them to look for some materials, as many things needed for forging cannot be found here..."

"However, sometimes we change our approach and look for some alternatives..."

"Though, the failure rate is very high, and we often end up making equipment that can’t be used at all, but there’s no helping it. After all, Adventurer Players have a tough time, and finding materials is not something you can force..."

"Little Tang was even nagging about getting all the materials for us, and what happened? Ha, he was utterly defeated in one World, but thankfully he’s quite optimistic, nothing wrong happened, and now he’s back as a deputy..."

"I’m telling you, don’t be fooled by how easy to deceive our guild leader seems to be. In reality, the person is very sharp. I remember there was someone... who dared to cheat him with construction materials, ended up in a game instance, getting so frustrated they couldn’t even find their pants..."

"Don’t say things that can easily be misinterpreted." Noel smiled from the side.

"Ha, haha, isn’t it the fact..."

Although Seruo was stubborn as a mule when it came to selling things, he was very familiar with Su Ming’an and dragged him through the backyard of the Forge House, showed him the process of potion preparation, and then to the big garden at the back, acting like a guide on a spring outing.

Su Ming’an gradually understood Noel’s intentions.

Relaxation.

After the Sixth World ended, people indeed needed such relaxation.

In the casual tone of Seruo, he indeed felt his tight spirit significantly relaxed.

In the end, Seruo showed him something wrapped in a white cloth.

"This is a weapon prepared especially for you," Seruo said. "I heard from my guild leader that you were missing a backup weapon. At first, I was worried because customizing a weapon without specific Player details is something I can’t do... Then I randomly

"Principal—Big brother Principal is here!"

Seeing Noel, dozens of children who were initially playing around the slide and swings quickly gathered, rushing towards the two.

"President," the teacher came running, greeted Noel, and then looked at Su Ming’an with some surprise.

She looked once, couldn’t help but look again, and finally confirmed Su Ming’an’s identity.

She covered her mouth, suppressing a scream.

Under Noel’s signaling gaze, she didn’t shout, but stepped back, giving space to the children.

The children quickly gathered together, little hands stretching out, asking Noel for candies.

A girl with braided pigtails came up close to Noel, and like magic, he pulled candies out of the palm of his hand and gave them to her.

"Thank you, Big brother Principal!" the little girl smiled like a flower.

"Xiao Chen, listen to your teacher, don’t run around," Noel patted a child’s head nearby. "I heard you were running around again. It’s dangerous outside."

"Not scared, not scared, Xiao Chen is not scared!"

The little boy named Xiao Chen puffed out his chest. "If I get lost, I’ll just mention Big brother Principal’s name; everyone says Big brother Principal is amazing! I know!"

Noel burst into laughter.

"Big brother Principal, Big brother Principal, when can we go home, when will mom and dad come back from their trip?"

The little girl moved closer to Noel.

"Just over nine more months, then mom and dad will come to pick you up," Noel said.

"That’s so long..."

"Everyone together, playing here, isn’t it fun?"

"It’s fun!" the little girl answered first, then lowered her head, clutching her dress. "But I still miss mom and dad... I miss them reading me bedtime stories..."

Noel did not speak.

His fingers gently stroked the girl’s head, then turned over his palm:

"Look! Candy!" he raised his right hand. "And a matching little red flower too!"

"Ah! Big brother Principal, give it to me, give it to me—"

The little girl instantly forgot her worries, jumping around like a child eager to impress.

"Don’t give it to Ya Ya! She sneaked out to play just a few days ago!" other children immediately started to shout.

"Hehe, you’re so grown-up and still don’t listen to the teacher, shame shame..."

"I, I didn’t sneak out, you’re telling lies!"

"Ah, Ya Ya ran out again! I’m going to report!"

The children laughed and shouted, turning into a noisy bunch.

Noel stood among them like a little sun, his face full of smiles.

The warm wind lifted his blonde hair, flowing with thick golden light.

Su Ming’an stood outside the railing, observing this scene.

Noel turned his head and waved at him. "Alright, everyone look—Big brother Principal brought you a new friend today!"

The children looked up.

A little boy suddenly started to shout loudly:

"I know! I know! It’s Lighthouse brother!"

"Lighthouse brother! I’ve seen him on the big screen Auntie put up!"

Su Ming’an was startled.

Like a gentle stream, the children surged to his front.

"Lighthouse brother, do you have candy?"

"Brother, can you play the guitar?"

"Brother, I often hear Teacher Auntie calling you her husband, when did you two get married?"

A floral-like smile displayed before him.

The dark-skinned little girl revealed a row of white teeth, like pearls.

He stood still, surrounded by the shorter children, their hands clinging to him, momentarily at a loss.

He could feel the emotions emanating from the children.

Clean, bright, as clear as glass.

...Completely different from those player-like piranhas just earlier.

The warm wind swept past his face.

Through the dancing sea of colors, he could see the children’s smiling faces.

Like flowers blooming in full spring.