Chapter 316 - 295: The Huge Pit of Divine Artifact Titan’s Grip
Who was Skyshattering Thunder? A dwarf smurf specifically trained in smithing by Skyshattering Cannon. And who was Skyshattering Cannon? A moderately famous player who organized a mid-sized fleet at Elorin to run businesses when the server first opened, and was the first to encounter the wandering red-named Da Fei, but ended up losing his entire fleet and getting his ship snatched by Da Fei.
In fact, the organization skills Skyshattering Cannon had since the server launch showed that his abilities were nothing to scoff at, far from it, he thrived.
He was well-planned, with one account developing long-distance trade in the Elf Kingdom at Elorin to finance another smurf practicing smithing in the Dwarf Kingdom. Both trading and smithing were monotonous and dull, so even with dual accounts, he handled it with ease.
Skyshattering Cannon was eloquent and generous. He never reforged the practice equipment he made but gifted them to friends and the armed forces, which earned him many good friends. Friends would mail him unused materials, and he could always call on them to help with various difficult tasks.
The more friends you have, the more paths you can take. One day, a friend with a good relationship got a hidden mission that needed a forging master and a lot of help. Skyshattering Thunder called upon all his friends who came together to finally complete the task, gaining a permit to run a blacksmith shop! This was quite an achievement, one that even a large guild hadn’t reached! Opening a blacksmith shop meant receiving all sorts of crafting orders from NPCs, such as making arrows and armor for NPC armies. Once an order came in, friends would join in gathering materials and completing the task at lightning speed, splitting the rewards happily. As for Skyshattering Thunder, he was the biggest beneficiary as each order completed significantly boosted his reputation, attracting more high-level orders.
Now, his team had grown to 50 people, crafting gear and completing commissions day and night.
All in all, if it weren’t for that setback with Da Fei, Skyshattering Thunder’s start would have been smooth sailing and a dream come true. But that setback always lingered on Skyshattering Cannon’s mind. To be honest, he wasn’t truly generous; a meticulous planner can’t act spontaneously. His so-called generosity was just a part of his detailed plan.
As his reputation soared, he had the chance to encounter high-end NPCs and receive advanced missions at epic difficulty unseen before! Since the server’s launch, Skyshattering Thunder’s success had swelled his confidence, prompting him to accept this massive challenge! His friends also fully supported him.
The mission’s background was roughly that 160 years ago, the Titan Lord heard of the dwarves’ advanced smithing skills and commissioned a divine artifact, Titan’s Grip, from the Dwarf Kingdom, promising to form a friendly alliance if completed. The Dwarf King naturally wouldn’t miss such a great opportunity, gathering god-level blacksmiths from all over the country to showcase their skills in the underground Lava City, Grimbatol.
But the dwarves had a powerful, cunning, and cruel rival underground—the Dark Elves.
Upon hearing the Dwarf King’s plan, the Dark Elves couldn’t just sit by and watch the dwarves ally with the powerful Titan Clan. The Dwarf King was also worried about the Dark Elves causing trouble and strengthened city defenses. Yet, he underestimated their resolve as the Dark Elves, allied with Demons, launched an unprecedented attack, destroying the artifact in progress and eventually annihilating Grimbatol.
This was the Battle of Grimbatol. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and the already sparse Dark Elf tribe was left weakened and retreated to the New World. The Dwarf Kingdom lost 90% of their god-level blacksmiths, devastating the smithing industry. Worse, the god-level materials for the divine artifact were stolen during the melee, enraging the Titan Lord. The dwarves’ reputation was severely damaged, and they had to make massive economic reparations. So, the only winner of this battle was the Demons.
Fortunately, thanks to the dwarven warriors’ desperate fight, Titan’s Grip’s remnants were preserved. For over a century, dwarves have longed to complete Titan’s Grip and restore their honor, but without the technology or materials, such a daunting task naturally fell to the players.
Skyshattering Thunder received this epic mission.
Initially, the attributes of the remnant Titan’s Grip were garbage. Skyshattering Thunder’s team collected expensive materials, hired NPC divine craftsmen, and step by step, removed rust, recast, and reforged, repeatedly failing and investing heavily, spending nearly a million Gold Coins to restore Titan’s Grip to its current state.
Now, its glittering state was exasperating enough to drive Skyshattering Thunder to despair!
Why exasperating? The weapon was a fully electrified baton! No one could equip or use it! Not even touch it!
An NPC divine craftsman said: "Titan’s Grip is not a weapon for mortals to use, nor can ordinary mortals touch it, nor can typical blacksmiths continue its repair."
In short, the restoration of Titan’s Grip had reached a bottleneck. To proceed, Skyshattering Thunder needed to level his account to god-level. Additionally, many materials needed for the next step weren’t available in the current world or to players of their level. This was essentially a long-term task! Unfortunately, as he realized this trap, Skyshattering Thunder’s financial chain couldn’t keep up.
Initially, in his eagerness to quickly repair this artifact, Skyshattering Thunder’s friends invested a significant amount of Gold Coins, and while some close friends were willing to wait, those with less tight bonds weren’t so patient. Once the cash flow stalled for too long, the consequences were foreseeable. Moreover, Skyshattering Thunder’s intention in gaming was to make easy money, and an epic mission with such high difficulty, risk, investment, and slow returns didn’t align with his interests.
Taking an epic mission seemed a mistake!
Skyshattering Thunder had to make a painful decision to abandon the mission! But if he quit, what about the initial losses? Sell it to a large guild? But he knew well how big guilds operated: understanding the situation would make them slash prices ruthlessly, leaving him with a massive loss. Deceive them and risk offending a large guild? Skyshattering Thunder wouldn’t choose that path.
As he fretted over the artifact, Da Fei returned triumphantly!
Seeing his old enemy only fueled his resentment! Why did he work openly, making many friends and connections, yet couldn’t compare to this trickster’s deceit? It made no sense! The more Skyshattering Thunder thought, the more upset he became, believing his enemy was meant to be swindled!
Consequences of offending him? Who cares, he had already crossed him! If he could take him down, he’d be famous too! Not to mention avenging those players who disliked him, and with his close friends promoting, he could gain an overwhelming advantage in public opinion. Once famous, business opportunities would follow!
In short, he took action! As soon as he knew Da Fei was on the streets of Elorin, Skyshattering Thunder teleported over from afar.
At that moment, provoked by Skyshattering Thunder, Da Fei furiously pulled out the trade window!
Divine artifact, Luck Gold Coins!
Skyshattering Thunder’s eyes narrowed! He had a divine artifact! Turns out he had multiple artifacts!
Suppressing his shock, Skyshattering Thunder scoffed, "Something with such negative effects dares to call itself a divine artifact?"
Da Fei smiled nonchalantly, "You could show me your single-use gun and any other good stuff you have, and maybe I’ll agree to trade. Or you could post online for experts to appraise the treasure. Anyway, I’m busy now. Think it over!" He turned gracefully and left.
Skyshattering Thunder knew better than anyone about his own artifact. Trading artifact for artifact would not only reclaim his initial investment but also profit substantially! No need to hesitate anymore! He had to con him! Bring him down!
Skyshattering Thunder immediately shouted, "Wait!"
Da Fei turned proudly, "What? A one-to-one trade is absolutely out of the question."
Skyshattering Thunder replied seriously, "Add me as a friend! I’ll contact you if there’s a deal."
Da Fei casually said, "Up to you."
Watching Da Fei’s proud figure disappear, Skyshattering Thunder gritted his teeth in anger! No need to hesitate, bring him down! The issue was, how could he confidently secure the artifact for himself? Maybe sell it for a few million Gold Coins directly? Or a mix of Gold Coins and goods? Skyshattering Thunder found himself deeply conflicted. Or perhaps, as he suggested, post an online appraisal? After all, experts wouldn’t necessarily know the artifact’s drawbacks, and a high valuation would benefit the trade, right?
Yes, post online! Once the post was up, he’d be famous! A divine artifact transaction, the first in China Region, the first worldwide, impossible to not gain fame! On top of being famous, bringing down that lowlife Da Fei would have explosive dramatic effects, making it impossible not to be spectacular!
...
At this time, at Saint Paul Port.
Da Fei, in high spirits, headed straight for Makar’s office. Punishing a presumptuous player was truly a delight! Just wielding a single-use weapon and acting all high and mighty, questioning the skills of the world’s first amateur was utterly laughable.
But honestly, the gun was great; that 100 health points were really tempting! Its flashing appearance matched his image as China’s number one perfectly! Plus, the stun special skill was incredibly powerful, and who knows if his God-level Luck Skill would enhance this skill’s chances?
In any case, if he didn’t insist on a trade, Da Fei could certainly afford to spend a couple million Gold Coins on it. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)