Don't mess with that necromancer; his summoned creatures level up on their own!

At the corner not far away, a young girl wearing a light blue coat was standing in front of a display case.

She bent slightly, her fair fingers pointing at a pale blue staff in the display case through the glass.

His lips were moving slightly, as if he were discussing something with the boss sitting behind the counter.

Xia Qingyue.

Lu Zhixing recognized her.

She had been standing in front of this display case for almost half an hour.

From the moment she entered the hall, she took a liking to the staff, but the price made her hesitate for a long time.

The shop owner behind the counter was a middle-aged man in his fifties, sitting on a high stool with his legs crossed.

"Little girl, this is a bronze water-type staff. You've already checked its quality and attributes. It has five runes, making it a genuine high-level quality."

The minimum is 550,000; not a penny less.

If you don't have the means, don't insist on buying high-quality equipment. Either scrape together some more money, or go over there...

He raised his chin and pointed to an exhibition area on the other side of the hall.

"There's a mid-tier bronze staff over there worth 300,000, which is perfect for someone like you with a limited budget, and it's also quite cost-effective."

Xia Qingyue pursed her lips.

Five hundred and fifty thousand—that was all she had.

She had considered the mid-tier staff that cost 300,000.

However, the gap between intermediate and advanced levels is too large.

The battle in the big exam is ever-changing, and these differences are the watershed between those who pass and those who fail in the exam hall.

If she can get into Kyoto Academy in this big exam, even if it's just a regular class, her life will be completely different.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the hesitation and grievances in her chest, and pulled the bank card out of her pocket.

"Five hundred and fifty thousand it is, I'll take it."

The boss hadn't even had a chance to reach for the card.

A hand reached out from the side and pressed against the glass surface of the display case.

A young man strolled over from the side.

As soon as he appeared, the shopkeeper behind the counter, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, suddenly stood up from his high stool.

The arrogance on his face switched to fawning in a fraction of a second.

"Oh my! Young Master Wang! What brings you here in person!"

"Just send someone to tell me what you need; there's no need for you to come all this way in person!"

The young man, referred to as Young Master Wang, waved his hand, his gaze falling on the light blue staff in the display case.

"This staff is nice; the design is quite beautiful. It would look great as a decoration on the wall. I'll take it. How much?"

The boss quickly waved his hand.

"Hey! If Young Master Wang likes it, just take it! What's the money involved!"

It's my good fortune that you've taken a liking to anything in my little shop! Please feel free to take it; consider it a small token of my appreciation!

"Okay."

Young Master Wang smiled and casually stretched out his hand.

Xia Qingyue was pushed back a step.

"I was here first."

The boss's smile instantly turned cold.

"What good is it if you came first? If Young Master Wang has his eye on you, you'd better leave and stop getting in the way."

Xia Qingyue gripped the bank card tightly in her hand.

I am just a student from an ordinary family. I have no background, no powerful connections, and no surname or family crest that can make a boss change his attitude instantly.

In this place, at this time, she couldn't compete with these people.

She took a deep breath, then turned and left.

Then she heard a voice.

"Xia Qingyue?"

Lu Zhixing stepped out from the crowd.

Someone recognized him and whispered among themselves.

"That's someone from the Lu family, right?"

"Lu Zhixing? That's him..."

"How did he get here?"

"This is going to be quite a spectacle today..."

All eyes were on him.

Wang Shao's hand was still on the display case, but he had already forgotten to pick up the staff.

His brain was working at lightning speed at that moment.

Does Young Master Lu know that woman? What's their relationship?

What did the boss say? It seems like the boss said something like, "What good is it if you came first?" and then waved her away.

It's over. It's over.

The composed smile on his face was crumbling at a visible speed.

The shop owner behind the counter had turned pale.

He's a businessman, and what businessmen fear most is offending the wrong people.

In the upper echelons of Dachang City, the influence of the young master of the Lu family is more effective than any certificate, license, or official seal.

With just a word from the Lu family, his forging factory's cooperative counter could be removed tomorrow.

His network of relationships, built up over a decade, could vanish overnight.

His back was already sweating, and even his pants were a little wet.

Lu Zhixing slowly walked up to Xia Qingyue.

"What a coincidence, we've run into each other again."

Xia Qingyue was stunned for a moment, then forced a smile.

"Young Master Lu... are you also here to buy equipment?"

Lu Zhixing nodded, his gaze shifting from her face to the pale blue staff in the display case.

His gaze lingered there for a moment, then shifted to Wang Shao's hand, which was still resting on the display case.

Lu Zhixing turned to look at Xia Qingyue.

"Did you not buy the equipment you wanted?"

Xia Qingyue lowered her head and said softly, "No..."

Her gaze involuntarily drifted to the staff beside Wang Shao's hand.

The slight directional shift was almost imperceptible, but everyone present saw it.

At that moment, Wang Shao's smile froze.

His eyes quickly scanned back and forth between Lu Zhixing and the boss.

The boss's smile froze, his mouth still holding that obsequious curve.

The two of them were simultaneously replaying the scene in their minds.

From the moment Xia Qingyue stood in front of the display case, to the boss quoting a price, to her taking out her bank card.

When Wang Shao walked over, when he reached out and pushed her, when the boss said, "What good is it that you came first?"

Every detail was magnified tenfold, and every word was re-examined a hundred times.

Wang Shao was thinking: Did I push her hard? Did she fall?

Did she bump her head on the corner of the cabinet? Was she injured? Are there any bruises? Will she tell Young Master Lu?

The boss was thinking: Was I too loud when I said "What's the point of you coming first?" Did anyone around hear me? Did anyone remember it?

Is there anyone willing to testify for Young Master Lu?

And the way I waved to shoo her away, didn't it look a lot like shooing away a fly?

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no!

Their eyes met for a fleeting moment in mid-air.

That meeting was filled with unspoken understanding, like two people who had both fallen into the water and looked at each other from the bottom, both knowing that the other was doomed too.

Lu Zhixing looked at Wang Shao.

"Brother, can you sell me this staff? I'll pay double the price you paid."

His voice wasn't loud, but the entire counter area fell silent.

Several customers who were looking at the equipment stopped what they were doing.

Wang Shao forced himself to remain calm, waving his hand and smiling broadly.

"Oh dear! Young Master Lu! What are you saying! What do you mean by selling or not selling!"

"If you like it, just take it; it's no trouble at all! Consider this staff a small gift from me!"

Lu Zhixing's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"That's not appropriate. You were here first, so you still need to pay."

Wang Shao waved his hand even faster, as if afraid that Lu Zhixing would actually take out the money.

"No, no, no! Young Master Lu, you're too kind! It's just a staff, how could I accept your money! It's its good fortune that you like it! Please take it!"

Lu Zhixing glanced at him, then at the boss next to him who was trying to shrink himself into a crack in the ground.

He didn't refuse again, took the staff, turned to Xia Qingyue, and handed it to her.

"Here you go. It's quite a coincidence that I came across this when I was just missing a staff."

Xia Qingyue was stunned.

She looked at the staff handed to her, opened her mouth but couldn't speak, and her fingers trembled slightly.

"Young Master Lu... this is too valuable... I can't accept it..."

Lu Zhixing did not withdraw his hand, but just looked at her.

"Just consider it loot from the Abyss dungeon. You contributed to the dungeon, so it's your share."

Besides, I have no use for it. Why would a necromancer take a water-based staff back to use as a clothesline?

Several onlookers couldn't help but laugh out loud, and Wang Shao smiled along with them. The boss shrank behind the counter, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Xia Qingyue did not refuse again.

She reached out and took the staff, bowing her head, her voice slightly nasal.

"Thank you, Young Master Lu..."

Lu Zhixing waved his hand: "It's just a small thing. Alright, you go ahead and do your thing, I'll go upstairs and take a look."

The general manager of the forging plant was a middle-aged man in his early forties.

He heard that the young master of the Lu family had come in person, so he ran out of the office without even putting on his shoes properly.

He jogged toward Lu Zhixing while buttoning his suit jacket.

He was followed by a group of security guards who quickly separated the surrounding bystanders.

The general manager bowed slightly, his smile respectful.

"Young Master Lu! Why didn't you let us know you were coming? We would have had to clear the area to receive you!"

"May I ask what brings you here, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Zhixing stood with his hands in his pockets, his tone indifferent.

"I'm here to buy a bronze piece of equipment for a four-winged angel, to prepare for a major exam. It's around level 20."

The general manager's eyes lit up instantly.

"Four-winged angel! Light Knight! No problem! Young Master Lu, rest assured! I will definitely provide you with the highest quality bronze equipment here, the most suitable for a four-winged angel!"

He turned to the side and made a "please" gesture.

"The third floor is a high-end showroom, with all kinds of exquisite equipment. This way, please!"

Lu Zhixing followed the general manager toward the stairs.

I had only taken two steps when I heard the sound of wheels rolling nearby.

Several forging workers in overalls pushed a small cart past, covered with a thick gray cloth, obscuring what was inside.

Lu Zhixing casually asked, "What's that?"

The general manager followed his gaze and glanced at him.

"Oh, those are materials, for forging. They're stored on the basement floor. They're mostly iron ore, spirit ore, and the like. Nothing special."

He continued to guide Lu Zhixing upstairs.

"Young Master Lu, this way please."

Just as Lu Zhixing was about to look away, a soft voice suddenly rang in his mind.

"Master... Xiao You senses a strange aura..."

Lu Zhixing paused for a moment, but quickly resumed his normal pace.

"What kind of aura is this?" he asked in his mind.

"Xiao You can't explain it clearly... it's just... very familiar... in that little car."

Lu Zhixing didn't ask any further questions and followed the general manager up to the third floor.

The exhibition hall on the third floor was much brighter than that on the first floor.

Each display case here is independent, made of bulletproof psionic glass, and has a constant temperature and humidity array inside.

Ensure that the equipment is not damaged by minor changes in the environment.

Lu Zhixing glanced at the display cases.

From bronze level to epic level.

The general manager led Lu Zhixing to the bronze equipment area, which was a high-quality bronze equipment area specially prepared for low-level professionals.

He stopped in front of a display case containing a silver-white one-handed sword.

"Young Master Lu, this is a level 20 light-element one-handed sword—Dawnlight."

The sword is forged from refined spirit silver, which has extremely high conductivity and increases the casting speed of light-based skills by 15%.

This is especially suitable for classes like the Four-Winged Angel, which require melee combat and skill coordination.

Lu Zhixing glanced at it and shook his head: "It's too light, Xiaohe won't feel any good grip on it."

The general manager's eyelid twitched.

Too light?

Isn't the lightness of the one-handed sword used by the Light Knight an advantage?

But he did not refute it and immediately turned to the display case next to him.

"And this one? A level 20 light-elemental greatsword—Dawnbreaker."

The blade is thicker and weighs 1.5 times that of the Dawnblade, making it suitable for strength-based knights.

"It's too ugly," Lu Zhixing said.

The general manager opened his mouth, then closed it again.

He tried hard to maintain the smile on his face, feeling that his professionalism was being put to an unprecedented test.

He took a deep breath and pointed to the third piece of equipment.

"This round shield is a level 20 light-element shield—Holy Light Barrier."

It has high defensive attributes and can actively release a small light-type shield, which can save your life in critical moments.

"It's too big; she'll get tired holding it," Lu Zhixing said.

The general manager's smile finally cracked slightly, but he still tried his best to maintain a professional attitude.

"Then this... level 20 light-element rapier—Flowing Light."

Its primary function is speed; the blade is extremely thin, allowing for rapid swings, making it suitable for agile knights…

"It's too thin, I'm afraid it will break."

The general manager was silent for two seconds. Was this kid here to cause trouble?

If it were anyone else, he would have already called security and thrown them out. The manager's gaze swept around the display case.

Just as he was about to say the fourth thing.

Xiao You's voice rang out again.

"Master... that aura is right below... on the basement level..."

Without hesitation, Lu Zhixing turned to the general manager and said, "Let's go check the basement."

The general manager was taken aback.

"Basement? Young Master Lu, the basement is a forging workshop, full of raw materials and semi-finished products, nothing much to see..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

He looked at Lu Zhixing's expressionless face, his mind racing, and his thoughts suddenly veered in a completely different direction.

Young Master Lu's visit today is probably just a pretext to buy equipment, not a real investigation or surveillance operation, right?

Commander Lu recently strengthened the city's defenses, and as a core link in the equipment supply chain, the forging plant is likely also within his scope of attention.

It is perfectly reasonable for Young Master Lu, as Commander Lu's son, to come and inspect the work on behalf of his father.

A sense of certainty, "I understand," instantly welled up in the general manager's mind.

He quickly stepped aside to make way, his tone even more respectful than before.

"Young Master Lu is curious about our forging process here, right? Very well!"

Let me show you around. There are some newly arrived smelting furnaces on the basement level. The technology is much more advanced than the old models, and I can show them to you.