Lee Tae-sung and Baek Woon-ho scoured every inch of the Flame Emperor’s hideout.
The once-clean walls and floors were completely overturned, and piles of dirt were scattered everywhere.
At first, Avicenn watched Lee Tae-sung and Baek Woon-ho with an incredulous expression, but soon, he joined in on the work as well.
< Whoa! Careful! If you touch that, you’ll be toast! Dig slightly to the side! That’s it! >
< Wait a second. Don’t touch this area at all. The axis of the magic circle is unstable; it could cause a massive explosion. >
He was a great help in identifying and neutralizing the various magic circles layered within the Flame Emperor’s hideout.
He had originally agreed to cooperate as payment for being brought here, but he also genuinely wanted to take part in the fun of rummaging through the Flame Emperor’s sanctuary.
As a result, they successfully explored the entire cave safely.
“Phew, phew.”
Lee Tae-sung slumped to the ground, exhausted.
He had already spent all his stamina while learning the Shadow Flame Steps, and then he had led the “interior redesign” of this massive space.
Since he had even used up all his mana, it was only natural for him to be drained.
“Haaaa…”
“It seems there’s nothing else left.”
“I agree.”
Baek Woon-ho wiped his sweat and approached him.
Despite Tae-sung having served in the military, Woon-ho had shown such seasoned shoveling skills that he didn’t fall behind at all.
Where on earth could he have learned something like that?
Baek Woon-ho sat down, sticking his shovel into the ground beside him.
Ultimately, there were no other skill books or treasures belonging to the Flame Emperor inside.
Except for just one thing.
Tae-sung pulled a small gemstone out of his pocket.
**[Phoenix Claw Fragment (Legendary)]**
– A claw of a phoenix that lives within flames.
– Contains powerful fire energy.
This was the only thing they had obtained.
It was the very clue that had allowed Tae-sung to find this place by utilizing the Sun Holy Power Art.
The essence of fire he had felt—faint but strong—was this fragment of a phoenix’s claw.
“It’s too small, though. It’s awkward to use for anything,” Baek Woon-ho said, observing it closely.
It was clearly a part of a phoenix, but its size made it difficult to utilize.
It was a bit odd to grind it down into a weapon, and swallowing it whole seemed reckless.
“It seems best to keep it somewhere safe and carry it around to use for mana training.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Tae-sung nodded.
The Sun Holy Power Art… no, he would soon have to learn the Heavenly Fire Star Method.
Regardless, the Flame Emperor’s hybrid techniques showed much greater efficiency within flames.
Since the Sun Holy Power Art was like that, the Heavenly Fire Star Method would likely be similar.
“Master Avicenn, is there any other use for this?”
< Hmph! Don’t ask me; ask your own master, kid! >
Avicenn turned his head away sharply, as if the suggestion was preposterous.
As payment for helping them search the Flame Emperor’s hideout, their one-on-one deal was finished.
‘I didn’t actually get much out of him this time, though.’
There weren’t any traps to speak of, and hadn’t Avicenn just floated in the air watching Tae-sung struggle?
Of course, just because he wasn’t a direct help didn’t mean insurance wasn’t necessary.
It was only because Avicenn was there that Tae-sung could move so boldly.
Regardless, if he wanted advice on how to use the Phoenix Claw Fragment, he would likely have to do another favor for him.
“Don’t be like that. I’ll take you along to the Flame Emperor’s other hideouts too.”
< …Really? >
“Yes.”
< Ahem… well, we’ll have to settle that debt when the time comes, but I’ll give you one piece of advice as a bonus. Whatever you do, never eat that thing. Unless you want your body to go boom because you swallowed something you shouldn’t have. >
“Whoa!”
Tae-sung was startled, as he had indeed been considering eating it if its mana cultivation efficiency turned out to be poor.
Avicenn smirked as if he had expected that reaction.
< No matter how small it is, it’s still a part of a phoenix’s body. Did you think you could endure eating it recklessly? You’ll have to become much stronger than you are now, at the very least. >
“Thank you for the advice.”
Tae-sung bowed with sincere gratitude.
***
They had gathered everything worth taking from Needle Mountain.
Tae-sung and Baek Woon-ho were satisfied, and Avicenn felt refreshed, as this had been a lingering regret from his previous life.
“Then I shall head out first. I’ll visit Blue Fire City first, and if there’s nothing special there, I’ll check out Arcanos and Palten as well.”
Blue Fire City was the next place the Flame Emperor had mentioned he would visit, followed by Arcanos and Palten.
Baek Woon-ho intended to travel to those locations to search for traces.
“I’m counting on you.”
“Right. I’ll contact you if I find anything. Keep training hard in the meantime. Blue Fire City is fine, but the other two cities are quite dangerous.”
Arcanos and Palten were cities where the Wicked Faction and black mages held power.
Public order was poor, and it was said that the weak were often stabbed and left to die in the streets.
If Tae-sung lacked sufficient martial power when it came time to go there, the search would be difficult.
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
Tae-sung nodded.
Baek Woon-ho leaped away, using his light-footwork to disappear into the distance.
Through this incident, he had realized that even if they found the Flame Emperor’s hideouts, they needed Tae-sung—the legitimate successor—to be present.
He would call for Tae-sung again when necessary.
After parting ways with Baek Woon-ho, Tae-sung returned to Morusted.
He had something he needed to do first.
‘I need to find the General Manager quickly and get paid.’
He had successfully completed the delivery request for the Biryong Escort Agency, but he hadn’t received his payment yet.
He needed to return to Elleun to get paid, and Tae-sung wondered if he could use the Biryong Escort Agency for the return trip if their schedules matched.
Normally, escort agencies took on cargo for both the departing and returning trips to make money.
If the timing was right, he might be able to pick up another quest on the way back!
‘Let’s work hard and earn some skill points.’
He needed to earn skill points as quickly as possible to begin the Heavenly Fire Star Method.
Thus, he arrived at Morusted.
He headed to the inn where the people from the Biryong Escort Agency were staying.
“Oh? Mr. Lee Tae-sung?”
Hwang Gyun, the senior escort who had been pacing in front of the inn, recognized him first.
“You said you were going to Needle Mountain. Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Well, something like that.”
Hwang Gyun assumed Tae-sung had gone to Needle Mountain for sightseeing or to find some medicinal herbs.
‘He looks bright; maybe he found a wild ginseng or something?’
Finding even a ten-year-old wild ginseng would be a jackpot.
“Anyway, I’m glad I ran into you. I was actually thinking about looking for you.”
“Me?”
“I’m planning to return to Elleun, and I wanted to travel with the Biryong Escort Agency if our schedules align.”
“Oh! Accompanying us on the way back isn’t difficult at all. In fact, if a First-Class Disciple like you joined us, we’d be the ones asking for the favor, but…”
Hwang Gyun’s expression darkened.
“We might not be able to pay you a commission.”
“What? Why!?”
Tae-sung asked back in surprise.
If that were the case, he would just return to Elleun alone; he wouldn’t bother traveling with the agency.
Moving alone would be much faster, and he could practice his newly learned footwork.
“We intended to purchase equipment in Morusted to sell back in Elleun, but the master craftsman we usually deal with has fallen ill and is bedridden.”
Since the Biryong Escort Agency was a new company, they didn’t have constant requests.
This request toward Morusted wasn’t a round trip, so they had to find another request or engage in trade for the return journey.
In fact, it was quite common for small escort agencies to engage in merchant activities.
It would be incredibly easy to make a profit by taking high-quality equipment from Morusted back to Elleun.
However, a problem had arisen because the craftsman the Biryong Escort Agency had a connection with was sick.
“Then can’t you just go to another craftsman and request to buy goods?”
Morusted was known as the city of blacksmiths, so there were plenty of smithies.
“What we want is a craftsman of a certain level. But those people are fully booked, so it’s difficult to get items immediately.”
“Hmm. Still, in a city with so many craftsmen, you’re saying there isn’t even one?”
If you went to the workshop district right now, you could see numerous blacksmith shops packed closely together.
Was there really not a single decent place among them?
Hwang Gyun hesitated before continuing.
“Actually, our Biryong Escort Agency isn’t a very well-trusted company yet, so there are many craftsmen who are reluctant to deal with us.”
Most blacksmiths were stubborn people.
Without their own convictions, they wouldn’t be able to endure the task of training in front of a fire for decades.
Because of this, their stubbornness was like a steel cord.
To open a trade with such a blacksmith, one couldn’t simply show up and say, “I’m here to buy some gear.”
To deal with a craftsman who produced the quality goods the Biryong Escort Agency wanted, one had to be introduced through an existing client, and even after that, a process of getting to know each other over several meetings was required.
“In short, the problem is a lack of connections.”
“…That’s right.”
Even though the Biryong Escort Agency was a subsidiary of the Biryong Sect, they didn’t have a wide network in Morusted like they did in Elleun.
Being connected to the craftsman who was now ill was already an impressive feat.
“Understood. I’ll step in and handle this.”
Tae-sung spoke with a determined expression.
The Heavenly Fire Star Method was currently dormant in his pocket; he couldn’t let things be blocked like this.
***
Tae-sung strode forward. His steps were decisive, as if his destination was already set.
Hwang Gyun watched his back with an anxious expression.
‘How is he going to…?’
Even though Tae-sung was a First-Class Disciple of the Biryong Sect and much stronger than him, Hwang Gyun couldn’t bring himself to stop him, but his heart was racing.
The craftsmen of Morusted weren’t the type of people who would sell goods just because they were pressured with force.
Rather, they were the type who would break before they bent if something didn’t align with their beliefs.
‘That’s why he shouldn’t treat them recklessly…!’
The place where the fast-moving Tae-sung stopped was in front of a large workshop.
Hwang Gyun was shocked.
‘Th-that’s Master Rodon’s smithy!’
No fool in Morusted would fail to recognize a large-scale smithy roughly the size of a standard building.
It was the smithy of Rodon, a Master Blacksmith and one of the members of the city council.
True to his title, he was known for being cranky and fastidious—one of the people you shouldn’t even try to strike up a conversation with.
“M-Mr. Tae-sung! Wait! You shouldn’t go in there!”
Hwang Gyun tried to grab Tae-sung in a panic.
If they got on Rodon’s bad side, they could be branded as nuisances across the entire city!
However…
“Haha! You’ve arrived?”
“Elder. Is the work going well?”
“Of course! Thanks to you, I feel like I’ve become twenty years younger. Do you know how much I’ve enjoyed swinging my hammer these past few days?”
“I could hear it from outside; the sound was truly wonderful.”
“You recognize it! Exactly! Within this fire, even the sound is different!”
As soon as he saw Tae-sung entering, Rodon immediately stopped his hammering and welcomed him.
He even gave Tae-sung a hug as if he were truly delighted to see him!
“!!??”
Hwang Gyun’s jaw dropped in shock.
But the surprises were just beginning.
“It’s nothing else, but an escort agency I know wants to purchase some equipment, but they don’t know any craftsmen. That’s why I was wondering if you could introduce them to someone.”
“An introduction? That’s not difficult, but why don’t you just take what’s in my workshop?”
“Oh, is that okay?”
“Of course, of course it’s okay. I have things I’ve just been piling up after making them since a long time ago, so just pay the price of the iron and take them.”
“Thank you.”
Tae-sung turned back to Hwang Gyun.
“Master Rodon says he’ll sell us the goods. This should be enough, right?”
“……???”
Hwang Gyun was lost for words.
Was it enough?
Items made by a Master Blacksmith were things you couldn’t get even if you begged…